Proverbs 19 · Verse 18

Proverbs 19:18

Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.

Proverbs 19:18, King James Version

Proverbs 19:18 in other translations

BSB	Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be party to his death.
WEB	Discipline your son, for there is hope; don’t be a willing party to his death.
ASV	Chasten thy son, seeing there is hope; And set not thy heart on his destruction.
YLT	Chastise thy son, for there is hope, And to put him to death lift not up thy soul.
DARBY	Chasten thy son, seeing there is hope; but set not thy soul upon killing him.
BBE	Give your son training while there is hope; let not your heart be purposing his death.
Webster	Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.

What does Proverbs 19:18 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

18. (Compare Pr 13:24; 23:13). let not ... spare--literally, "do not lift up thy soul" (Psa 24:4; 25:1), that is, do not desire to his death; a caution to passionate parents against angry chastisement.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 18 Let not thy soul spare for his crying - This is a hard precept for a parent. Nothing affects the heart of a parent so much as a child's cries and tears. But it is better that the child may be caused to cry, when the correction may be healthful to his soul, than that the parent should cry afterwards, when the child is grown to man's estate, and his evil habits are sealed for life.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

When parents keep under foolish tenderness, they do their best to render children a comfort to them, and happy in themselves.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Proverbs 19:18 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

יַסֵּ֣רya.SerdisciplineH3256

בִּ֭נְךָBin.khason yourH1121

כִּי\־ki-forH3588

יֵ֣שׁyeshthereH3426

תִּקְוָ֑הtik.Vah[is] hopeH8615

וְאֶל\־ve.'el-and toH413

הֲ֝מִית֗וֹha.mi.Toputting to death himH4191

אַל\־'al-may notH408

תִּשָּׂ֥אti.Sa'you lift upH5375

נַפְשֶֽׁךָ\׃naf.She.khadesire yourH5315

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Proverbs 19:18

Proverbs 13:24
He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
Proverbs 29:15
The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.
Proverbs 22:15
Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
Proverbs 23:13-14
Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
Hebrews 12:7-10
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Proverbs 29:17
Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Chasten.
13:24; 22:15; 23:13,14; 29:15,17; Heb 12:7-10
for his crying. or, to his destruction, or, to cause him todie.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Proverbs 19:17
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
Proverbs 19:18
Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.
Proverbs 19:19
A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.

Read all of Proverbs 19

Proverbs 19:18 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Castiga á tu hijo en tanto que hay esperanza; mas no se excite tu alma para destruirlo.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Corrige ton fils tandis qu’il y a de l’espoir, mais ne te laisse pas aller au désir de le faire mourir.
German Elberfelder 1871	Züchtige deinen Sohn, weil noch Hoffnung da ist; aber trachte nicht danach, ihn zu töten.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Erudi filium tuum; ne desperes: ad interfectionem autem ejus ne ponas animam tuam.