Honoring parents is a significant commandment in the Bible that emphasizes the importance of family values, respect, and love. The Bible provides guidance on how to honor parents and the blessings that follow obedience to this principle. Below are 40 Bible verses about honoring parents that serve as a reminder of our duty and the divine rewards attached to it.
What Does the Bible Say About Honoring Your Parents?
The Bible is rich with teachings about honoring parents. From the Ten Commandments to the wisdom found in Proverbs, honoring parents is highlighted as a pathway to blessings and a long life. Let’s go into some foundational verses:
1. Exodus 20:12 — “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
- This verse, part of the Ten Commandments, underscores the importance of honoring parents as a command directly from God.
2. Deuteronomy 5:16 — “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
3. Ephesians 6:1-3 — “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’—which is the first commandment with a promise—‘so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’”
4. Proverbs 1:8-9 — “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.”
5. Colossians 3:20 — “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”
6. Leviticus 19:3 — “Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.”
7. Proverbs 23:22 — “Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”
8. Matthew 15:4 — “For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’”
Bible Verses About Honoring Parents and Love
9. Proverbs 19:26 — “Whoever robs their father and drives out their mother is a child who brings shame and disgrace.”
10. Proverbs 10:1 — “A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.”
11. Psalm 103:13 — “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.”
12. Proverbs 15:20 — “A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.”
13. 1 Timothy 5:8 — “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
14. Proverbs 29:15 — “The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.”
15. Isaiah 66:13 — “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”
16. Luke 18:20 — “You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”
17. Proverbs 6:20 — “My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”
Consequences of Not Honoring Your Parents
The Bible also warns about the consequences of dishonoring parents. These verses emphasize why respecting and honoring parents is essential:
18. Proverbs 20:20 — “If someone curses their father or mother, their lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.”
19. Deuteronomy 27:16 — “Cursed is anyone who dishonors their father or mother.” Then all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
20. Exodus 21:15 — “Anyone who attacks their father or mother is to be put to death.”
21. Proverbs 30:17 — “The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.”
22. Micah 7:6 — “For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.”
23. 2 Timothy 3:2 — “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy.”
How to Honor Your Parents According to the Bible
The act of honoring parents involves love, obedience, care, and respect. Here are practical ways the Bible teaches us to honor our parents:
24. 1 Timothy 5:4 — “But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.”
25. Proverbs 22:6 — “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
26. Proverbs 31:28 — “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.”
27. Luke 2:51 — “Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.”
28. Matthew 19:19 — “Honor your father and mother’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
29. Proverbs 11:29 — “Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.”
Bible Verses About Honoring Parents in Old Age
As parents grow older, honoring them involves taking care of their needs and showing them respect. The Bible provides guidance on this:
30. Proverbs 17:6 — “Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.”
31. John 19:26-27 — “When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”
32. Genesis 47:12 — “Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.”
33. Psalm 71:9 — “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.”
34. Isaiah 46:4 — “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”
35. Proverbs 19:17 — “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
36. Exodus 20:12 — (Repeated for emphasis) “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
37. Psalm 127:3 — “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.”
Benefits of Honoring Your Parents
The Bible assures us that honoring parents leads to blessings:
38. Proverbs 3:1-2 — “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.”
39. Jeremiah 35:18-19 — “Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Recabites, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You have obeyed the command of your ancestor Jonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered. Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Jonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendant to serve me.’”
40. Psalm 128:3-4 — “Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord.”
Conclusion
Honoring parents is more than just an act of obedience; it’s a demonstration of love, gratitude, and respect that aligns with God’s will. These Bible verses about honoring parents remind us of the divine importance of this principle and the blessings that follow. Whether in childhood or adulthood, honoring parents remains a timeless and God-honoring practice.
