Bible Verses About Honoring Parents #35
The Bible commands honoring one's parents directly, making it the fifth of the Ten Commandments: 'Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land' (Exodus 20:12). Paul repeats this command in the New Testament, calling it 'the first commandment with a promise' and instructing children to 'obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right' (Ephesians 6:1-3). This honor doesn't expire with age; Proverbs urges, 'do not despise your mother when she is old' (Proverbs 23:22), and Jesus rebuked religious leaders who used technicalities to avoid caring for aging parents (Mark 7:10-13). Honoring parents is treated throughout Scripture as a lifelong obligation tied directly to a life that goes well.
Honoring parents is one of the few family commands given explicit, repeated weight in Scripture, appearing in the Ten Commandments and reaffirmed by both Paul and Jesus. It’s presented not as a suggestion for young children alone but as a lifelong posture toward the parents who raised you.
Key Bible Verses About Honoring Parents
- Exodus 20:12 — “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”
- Ephesians 6:1-3 — “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right… Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you.”
- Colossians 3:20 — “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”
- Proverbs 23:22 — “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”
- Proverbs 1:8 — “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching.”
- Mark 7:10-13 — Jesus confronts religious leaders who let people neglect aging parents under the excuse of a religious vow, insisting that human tradition not be used to void God’s command to honor father and mother.
What These Verses Teach
The consistency of this command across the Old and New Testaments — from the Ten Commandments to Paul’s letters to Jesus’s own teaching — shows how seriously Scripture takes the parent-child relationship even into adulthood. Proverbs 23:22 and Jesus’s confrontation in Mark 7 both make clear that honoring parents doesn’t stop once a child is grown; if anything, it’s tested most when parents are old and less able to care for themselves, and it’s precisely then that neglect becomes tempting and honor becomes costly.
Living It Out
Practically, honoring parents means both the everyday obedience and respect expected of children still at home, and the ongoing care, patience, and respect owed to parents as they age — resisting any convenient excuse, religious or otherwise, for neglecting that responsibility. It also means speaking of and to parents with respect even amid disagreement, treating the instruction and example they gave as worth honoring rather than dismissing.
Key References
- Exodus 20:12
- Ephesians 6:1-3
- Colossians 3:20
- Proverbs 23:22
- Proverbs 1:8
- Mark 7:10-13