Children owe their parents certain important responsibilities, including the duty to honour and obey them.
The duties of children towards their parents
They are to honour their parents
Exodus 20:12 parallel Deuteronomy 5:16 See also Proverbs 17:6; Mark 7:10; Ephesians 6:1–3
Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
They are to obey their parents
Colossians 3:20–21 See also Ephesians 6:1
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they will not become discouraged.
They are to behave well
Even a young man is known by his actions— whether his conduct is pure and upright.
Children as a blessing and source of joy to their parents
Psalm 127:4–5; Proverbs 23:24 See also Psalm 128:3; Proverbs 15:20, Proverbs 27:11, Proverbs 29:3; Luke 15:23–24
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. He will not be put to shame when he confronts the enemies at the gate.
The father of a righteous man will greatly rejoice, and he who fathers a wise son will delight in him.
Children born to barren mothers bring special joy
Sarah: Genesis 18:11, Genesis 21:2; Genesis 29:31, Genesis 30:22; Judges 13:2, Judges 13:24; 1 Samuel 1:5, 1 Samuel 1:20; Luke 1:7, Luke 1:24, Luke 1:57
Children as a source of grief and disappointment to their parents
Proverbs 17:25 See also 1 Samuel 8:3; Proverbs 17:21, Proverbs 19:13, Proverbs 19:26, Proverbs 28:7, Proverbs 29:15
A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.
The punishment of children
The punishment of wicked children
Exodus 21:15; Leviticus 20:9; Deuteronomy 21:18–21; Proverbs 30:17; 2 Timothy 3:2
The punishment of children for the sins of their fathers
Exodus 20:5–6; Numbers 14:18; Jeremiah 31:29–30 Jeremiah here stresses the importance of individual responsibility in the present crisis without denying the notion of corporate responsibility; Jeremiah 32:18
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.