What Does the Bible Say About Disobeying Your Parents?
Here are 14 Bible verses about disobeying your parents, ordered by how relevant readers found them, with the King James Version and the modern Berean Standard Bible side by side.
- #1Colossians 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.
- #2Ephesians 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.”
- #3Exodus 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.
- #4Exodus 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.
- #5Deuteronomy 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.
- #6Ephesians 6:1
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
BSBChildren, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
- #7John 14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
BSBIf you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
- #81 John 2:1-29
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. …
BSBMy little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments. If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him: Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked. …
- #92 Timothy 3:2
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
BSBFor men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
- #101 Samuel 15:23
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
BSBFor rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.”
- #11Proverbs 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.
- #12Exodus 21:17
And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
BSBAnyone who curses his father or mother must surely be put to death.
- #13Proverbs 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.
- #14James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
BSBSubmit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Verse rankings: OpenBible.info Topical Bible (CC BY). Scripture: KJV & BSB (public domain).