Again the writer notes to whom he is writing – “my son” (see also 6:1). He instructs his son to pay attention to (“keep” and “do not forsake”) what both he and his mother are saying.
Father tells son to receive their directions by “binding them upon in his your heart” and “fasten them around your his neck,” like a necklace or piece of jewelry. The idea seems to be that receiving his father and mother’s directives will do him good.
They will make him better on the inside (“your heart forever”). That suggests attitudes. They will also make him look good on the outside (“around his neck”) like a necklace, suggesting action and activities.
If we can just get comfortable with taking “suggestions” from those who care about us, we really can become different people. Different in what we think, what we do and even how we look!