What Does the Bible Say About Children Obeying Their Parents?
Here are 17 Bible verses about children obeying their parents, ordered by how relevant readers found them, with the King James Version and the modern Berean Standard Bible side by side.
- #1Ephesians 6:1-4
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
BSBChildren, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (which is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
- #2Colossians 3:20
Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
BSBChildren, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.
- #3Ephesians 6:1
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
BSBChildren, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
- #4Ephesians 6:1-3
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
BSBChildren, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (which is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.”
- #5Matthew 15:4
For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
BSBFor God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’
- #6Exodus 20:12
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
BSBHonor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
- #7Proverbs 1:8
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
BSBListen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.
- #8Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
BSBTrain up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
- #9Deuteronomy 21:18-21
If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
BSBIf a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and does not listen to them when disciplined, his father and mother are to lay hold of him and bring him to the elders of his city, to the gate of his hometown, and say to the elders, “This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he does not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.” Then all the men of his city will stone him to death. So you must purge the evil from among you, and all Israel will hear and be afraid.
- #10Proverbs 13:24
He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
BSBHe who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.
- #11Colossians 3:21
Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
BSBFathers, do not provoke your children, so they will not become discouraged.
- #12Proverbs 13:1-25
A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke. A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence. He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction. The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame. Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner. …
BSBA wise son heeds his father’s discipline, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke. From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things, but the desire of the faithless is violence. He who guards his mouth protects his life, but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin. The slacker craves yet has nothing, but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied. The righteous hate falsehood, but the wicked bring shame and disgrace. Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness undermines the sinner. …
- #13Ephesians 6:2
Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
BSB“Honor your father and mother” (which is the first commandment with a promise),
- #14Exodus 21:15
And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
BSBWhoever strikes his father or mother must surely be put to death.
- #15Ephesians 6:4
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
BSBFathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
- #16Deuteronomy 5:16
Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
BSBHonor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
- #17Proverbs 30:17
The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.
BSBAs for the eye that mocks a father and scorns obedience to a mother, may the ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures devour it.
Verse rankings: OpenBible.info Topical Bible (CC BY). Scripture: KJV & BSB (public domain).