What Does the Bible Say About Raising Children?
Scripture frames children as a blessing and a stewardship — "a heritage from Yahweh" (Psalm 127:3) — and puts the primary responsibility for their spiritual formation on parents. Deuteronomy 6 tells parents to keep God's words on their own hearts and to teach them diligently to their children throughout ordinary daily life.
The Bible balances instruction with tenderness. Proverbs urges training a child "in the way he should go," while Ephesians 6:4 warns fathers not to "provoke your children to wrath" but to raise them "in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." Loving discipline, consistent teaching, and a home shaped by faith are the recurring themes — never harshness or exasperation.
Key Bible Verses
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6 (WEB)
“You fathers, don't provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Ephesians 6:4 (WEB)
“These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (WEB)
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (public domain).
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What does the Bible say about disciplining children?
- The Bible presents loving discipline and instruction as part of good parenting (Proverbs 22:6), while warning parents not to 'provoke your children to wrath' (Ephesians 6:4). The goal is nurture in 'the discipline and instruction of the Lord,' not harshness.