SEV Biblia, Chapter 6:4
Y vosotros, padres, no provoquis a ira a vuestros hijos; sino criadlos en disciplina y amonestacin del Seor.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Ephesians 6:4
Verse 4. Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath] Avoid all severity; this will hurt your own souls, and do them no good; on the contrary, if punished with severity or cruelty, they will be only hardened and made desperate in their sins. Cruel parents generally have bad children. He who corrects his children according to God and reason will feel every blow on his own heart more sensibly than his child feels it on his body.
Parents are called to correct; not to punish, their children. Those who punish them do it from a principle of revenge; those who correct them do it from a principle of affectionate concern.
Bring them up, &c.] ektrefete auta en paideia kai nouqesia kuriou? literally, Nourish them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. The mind is to be nourished with wholesome discipline and instruction, as the body is with proper food. paideia, discipline, may refer to all that knowledge which is proper for children, including elementary principles and rules for behaviour, &c. nouqesia, instruction, may imply whatever is necessary to form the mind; to touch, regulate, and purify the passions; and necessarily includes the whole of religion. Both these should be administered in the Lord - according to his will and word, and in reference to his eternal glory. All the important lessons and doctrines being derived from his revelation, therefore they are called the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 4. And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath , &c.] Neither by words; by unjust and, unreasonable commands; by contumelious and reproachful language; by frequent and public chidings, and by indiscreet and passionate expressions: nor by deeds; preferring one to another; by denying them the necessaries of life; by not allowing them proper recreation; by severe and cruel blows, and inhuman usage; by not giving them suitable education; by an improper disposal of them in marriage; and by profusely spending their estates, and leaving nothing to them: not but that parents may, and ought to correct and rebuke their children; nor are they accountable to them for their conduct; yet they should take care not to provoke them to wrath, because this alienates their minds from them, and renders their instructions and corrections useless, and puts them upon sinful practices; wrath lets in Satan, and leads to sin against God; and indeed it is difficult in the best of men to be angry and not sin; (see Colossians 3:21). Fathers are particularly mentioned, they being the heads of families, and are apt to be too severe, as mothers too indulgent. But bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord ; instructing them in the knowledge of divine things, setting them good examples, taking care to prevent their falling into bad company, praying with them, and for them, bringing them into the house of God, under the means of grace, to attend public worship; all which, under a divine blessing, may be very useful to them; the example of Abraham is worthy of imitation, ( Genesis 18:19), and the advice of the wise man deserves attention, ( Proverbs 22:6).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-4 - The great duty of children is, to obey their parents. That obedienc includes inward reverence, as well as outward acts, and in every ag prosperity has attended those distinguished for obedience to parents The duty of parents. Be not impatient; use no unreasonable severities Deal prudently and wisely with children; convince their judgements an work upon their reason. Bring them up well; under proper an compassionate correction; and in the knowledge of the duty God requires. Often is this duty neglected, even among professors of the gospel. Many set their children against religion; but this does no excuse the children's disobedience, though it may be awfully occasio it. God alone can change the heart, yet he gives his blessing to the good lessons and examples of parents, and answers their prayers. But those, whose chief anxiety is that their children should be rich an accomplished, whatever becomes of their souls, must not look for the blessing of God.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 οι 3588 πατερες 3962 μη 3361 παροργιζετε 3949 5720 τα 3588 τεκνα 5043 υμων 5216 αλλ 235 εκτρεφετε 1625 5720 αυτα 846 εν 1722 παιδεια 3809 και 2532 νουθεσια 3559 κυριου 2962
Vincent's NT Word Studies
4. Nurture and admonition (paideia kai nouqesia). Pav deia from paiv a child. In classical usage, that which is applied to train and educate a Child. So Plato: "Education (paideia) is the constraining and directing of youth toward that right reason which the law affirms, and which the experience of the best of our elders has agreed to be truly right" ("Laws," 659). In scriptural usage another meaning has come into it and its kindred verb paideuein, which recognizes the necessity of correction or chastisement to thorough discipline. So Lev. xxvi. 18; Psalm vi. 1; Isaiah liii. 5; Heb. xii. 5-8. In Acts vii. 22 paideuw occurs in the original classical sense: "Moses was instructed (epaideuqh) in all the wisdom," etc. The term here covers all the agencies which contribute to moral and spiritual training. Discipline is better than Rev., chastening. Nouqesia admonition occurs only here, 1 Cor. x. 11, and Tit. iii. 10. The kindred verb nouqetew to warn or admonish, is found only in Paul's letters, with the single exception of Acts xx. 31 (see note). Its distinctive feature is training by word of mouth, as is shown by its classical usage in connection with words meaning to exhort or teach. Xenophon uses the phrase nouqetikoi logoi admonitory words. Yet it may include monition by deed. Thus Plato, speaking of public instruction in music, says that the spectators were kept quiet by the admonition of the wand (rJabdou nouqethsiv, "Laws," 700). He also uses the phrase plhgaiv nouqetein to admonish with blows. It includes rebuke, but not necessarily. Trench happily illustrates the etymological sense (nouv the mind, tiqhmi to put): "Whatever is needed to cause the monition to be laid to heart." Admonition is a mode of discipline, so that the two words nurture and admonition stand related as general and special.
Of the Lord. Such discipline as is prescribed by the Lord and is administered in His name.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
6:4 {Provoke not to anger} (me parorgizete). Rare compound, both N.T. examples (here and #Ro 10:19) are quotations from the LXX. The active, as here, has a causative sense. Parallel in sense with me ereqizete in #Col 3:21. Paul here touches the common sin of fathers. {In the chastening and admonition of the Lord} (en paideiai kai nouqesiai tou kuriou). en is the sphere in which it all takes place. There are only three examples in the N.T. of paideia, old Greek for training a pais (boy or girl) and so for the general education and culture of the child. Both papyri and inscriptions give examples of this original and wider sense (Moulton and Milligan, _Vocabulary_). It is possible, as Thayer gives it, that this is the meaning here in #Eph 6:4. In #2Ti 3:16 adults are included also in the use. In #Heb 12:5,7,11 the narrower sense of "chastening" appears which some argue for here. At any rate nouqesia (from nous, tiqemi), common from Aristophanes on, does have the idea of correction. In N.T. only here and #1Co 10:11; Tit 3:10.
