Key Verse Spotlight
Proverbs 13:24 - Meaning and Application
Understand how this verse speaks to what you're facing and how to apply it today
Translation: World English Bible — Catholic Edition
" One who spares the rod hates his son, but one who loves him is careful to discipline him. "
Proverbs 13:24
Verse in Context
Understanding the surrounding verses prevents misinterpretation:
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored for the righteous.
23 An abundance of food is in poor people’s fields, but injustice sweeps it away.
24 One who spares the rod hates his son, but one who loves him is careful to discipline him.
25 The righteous one eats to the satisfying of his soul, but the belly of the wicked goes hungry.
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To raise children well in what is good, they also need correction when they do wrong. Every child is a child of Adam, so foolishness is bound up in the heart and calls for rebuke more or less, as the rod and reproof that give wisdom. The rod must be a parent’s rod, guided by wisdom and love, and used for good, not the hand of a servant.
It is wise to begin early with needed restraints, before sinful habits become fixed. A tender branch is easy to bend, but once it hardens, it is much harder to shape. So parents should not wait too long to correct what is evil.
Those who refuse strict discipline, even when gentler methods fail, may claim to love their children, but they are really hurting them. They leave them exposed to their worst enemy and to the most dangerous disease, their own sin, and that is hatred, not love. Children should therefore accept correction from good parents, since it comes from love and is meant for their good (Hebrews 12:7-9).
From This Chapter
Proverbs 13:1
"A wise son listens to his father’s instruction, but a scoffer doesn’t listen to rebuke."
Proverbs 13:2
"By the fruit of his lips, a man enjoys good things, but the unfaithful crave violence."
Proverbs 13:3
"He who guards his mouth guards his soul. One who opens wide his lips comes to ruin."
Proverbs 13:4
"The soul of the sluggard desires, and has nothing, but the desire of the diligent shall be fully satisfied."
Proverbs 13:5
"A righteous man hates lies, but a wicked man brings shame and disgrace."
Proverbs 13:6
"Righteousness guards the way of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner."
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