Fathers, don’t provoke your children, so that they won’t be discouraged.
Parallel Translations
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Fathers, don’t provoke your children, so that they won’t be discouraged.
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Fathers rate not youre children lest they be of a desperate mynde.
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Fathers, prouoke not your children to anger, least they be discouraged.
Cross-references (6)
Passages linked to Colossians 3:21 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Proverbs 4:1-4 Listen, sons, to a father’s instruction. Pay attention and know understanding; for I give you sound learning. Don’t forsake my law. For I was a son to my father, tender and an only child in the sight of my mother. He taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words. Keep my commandments, and live.
- Ephesians 6:4 You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
- Psalms 103:13 Like a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him.
- Proverbs 3:12 for whom Yahweh loves, he corrects, even as a father reproves the son in whom he delights.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:11 As you know, we exhorted, comforted, and implored every one of you, as a father does his own children,
- Hebrews 12:5-11 You have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children, “My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with children, for what son is there whom his father doesn’t discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have been made partakers, then you are illegitimate, and not children. Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live? For they indeed, for a few days, punished us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (14 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Of parents, that they be gentle towards their children.
Of parents, that they be gentle towards their children.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest…
21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
Ver. 21. Provoke not your children] {See Trapp on "Eph 6:4"}
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Lest they be discouraged] αθυμωσιν, dispirited, and through despondency grow desperate in their resolutions.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Fathers, provoke not your children to anger: and to…
Fathers, provoke not your children to anger: and to moderate the parental authority, that they may exercise it Christianly, he allows not parents to do that which is in a direct tendency to irritate or move the passions of their children merely for their own pleasure, without a principal regard to God’s glory, and their children’s profit, Heb 12:10. Indeed, he seems here more strictly to guard fathers against mal-administration of their power in this extreme than he doth elsewhere, when writing upon the same subject, Eph 6:4, considering the original word he here puts the negative upon, to engage them to lay aside rigour in their government, (as well as unwarrantable indulgence), and that upon a very weighty reason, drawn from the end, viz.
lest they be discouraged; lest some children, who might with a moderate hand be reduced to obedience, should be (as it were) dispirited, by the roughness of their father’s discipline, and even pine away with grief, or grow desperate.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain Here the parents duty, that is the duty of…
Here the parents duty, that is the duty of both parents, is laid down, provoke not your children to wrath; that is, abuse not your power and authority over them, by being too severe unto them; imbitter not their spirits against you, by denying them what is convenient for them, by inveighing with bitter words against them, by unjust, unseasonable, or immoderate correcting of them; give them no just occasion to be angry.
The reason is added, lest they be discouraged; either dispirited and heartless, or desperate and hardened; lest by dejection of spirit, they become stupid. A parent’s conduct must be moderated with prudence, shunning the extremes of too much indulgence on the one hand, and too great rigour and severity on the other.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Fathers, provoke not your children to anger,.... See Gill…
Fathers, provoke not your children to anger,.... See Gill on Eph 6:4.
lest they be discouraged; or disheartened and dispirited; their spirits be broke through grief and trouble, and they become indolent, sluggish, and unfit for business; or, despairing of having any share in the affections of their parents, disregard their commands, instructions, and corrections, and grow obdurate, stubborn, and rebellious.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Lest they be discouraged - Which may occasion their…
Lest they be discouraged - Which may occasion their turning either desperate or stupid.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 21. Fathers, provoke not] See Clarke on Eph…
Verse 21. Fathers, provoke not] See Clarke on Eph 6:4.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Fathers, provoke not ... - Notes, Eph 6:4.
Fathers, provoke not ... - Notes, Eph 6:4.
Lest they be discouraged - Lest, by your continually finding fault with them, they should lose all courage, and despair of ever pleasing you. There is much sound sense and practical wisdom in this observation of the apostle. Children should not be flattered, but they should be encouraged. They should not be so praised as to make them vain and proud, but they should be commended when they do well. The desire of praise should not be the principle from which they should be taught to act, but they should feel that the approbation of parents is a desirable thing, and when they act so as to deserve that approbation, no injury is done them by their understanding it. He who always finds fault with a child; who is never satisfied with what he does; who scolds and frets and complains, let him do as he will, breaks his spirit, and soon destroys in the delicate texture of his soul all desire of doing well. The child in despair soon gives over every effort to please. He becomes sullen, morose, stupid, and indifferent to all the motives that can be presented to him, and becomes to a great extent indifferent as to what he does - since all that he does meets with the same reception from the parent.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain (Eph 6:4.) It is a different Greek verb, therefore…
(Eph 6:4.) It is a different Greek verb, therefore translate here, "irritate not." By perpetual fault-finding "children" are "discouraged" or "disheartened." A broken-down spirit is fatal to youth [BENGEL].
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 21. Provoke not—Do not irritate your children, by unreasonableness,…
21. Provoke not—Do not irritate your children, by unreasonableness, undue severity, perpetual faultfinding, or passionate speech and conduct.
Many a child becomes discouraged in the performance of his filial duty, and reckless of results, by the sad home treatment to which he is subjected. And if he be ruined forever, a share of the responsibility belongs to the irritating father.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 21. Fathers] We may (as in Eph_6:4, where see…
21. Fathers] We may (as in Eph_6:4, where see note) equally well render Parents. Cp. Heb_11:23, in the Greek. Still, the father is the natural representative of the dual parental authority.
provoke not … to wrath] Chafe, irritate. The Greek word is as old as Homer (e.g. Iliad, i. 32, iv. 5), who almost always uses it of provocation to combat. Unwise, unloving, parental despotism, exacting, needlessly chiding, interposing for the sake of interposition, is a fatally sure challenge to the child’s will. The Christian father should handle that will as kindly as firmly.
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be discouraged] Lose hope, the hope of pleasing, the animating expectation of doing right and so winning the “well done” of love. The eternal Father “upbraideth not” (Jas_1:5; cp. Isa_57:16).—Luther has here, auf dass sie nicht scheu werden.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (21) Provoke not . . . to anger.—This, in…
(21) Provoke not . . . to anger.—This, in the text followed by our version, is borrowed from Eph_6:4. The true reading is provoke to emulation, as in 2Co_9:2. What is forbidden is a constant and restless stimulation, “spurring the willing horse;” which will end in failure and despondency.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Ye fathers, do not irritate your children, lest they…
Ye fathers, do not irritate your children, lest they be disheartened. (Eph_6:4) Ereqizw ("irritate" or "provoke") St. Paul uses once besides, (2Co_9:2) in a good sense. It implies a use of parental authority which, by continual exactions and complaints, teaches the child to look on the father as his enemy rather than his friend. The synonymous parorgizw ofw (Eph_6:4, found here in many copies, is, more definitely "to rouse to anger." Aqume) (only here in the New Testament) means "to lose heart," to have the confidence and high spirit of youth broken; "fractus animus pestis juventutis" (Bengel). In place of this treatment, "the discipline and admonition of the Lord" are recommended in Eph_6:4.
The duties of fathers.
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"Fathers, provoke not your children, lest they be discouraged.
I THE DUTY OR PARENTS. It is here exhibited on its negative side. They are not to abuse their authority over their children by too great severity either in words or deeds. Some parents spoil their children by indulgence; others, by unwise severities. Bitter words are used, unreasonable commands are given, immoderate correction is administered. Parents are to behave lovingly to their children, even while maintaining their just authority over them.
II THE DANGER OF NEEDLESS HARSHNESS. "Lest they be discouraged." They may lose heart; their spirit may be broken; they may become morose, sullen, and reckless. Thus they may be turned aside from the service of God, lose the capacity to do great things, become pusillanimous, and eventually become a sad disappointment to their parents. T. C.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 21. Fathers, provoke not your children. See notes on…
21. Fathers, provoke not your children. See notes on Eph. 6:4.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.