So, why would Paul repeat it? Why is it important for us, New Testament believers, to remember?
In Ephesians 6:2, Paul emphasizes “honor your father and your mother” as the first commandment with a promise: “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on earth." When Paul wrote these words, the covenantal promise of occupying the land God had prepared for them had already come to pass.
He also mentioned it when speaking about those who will inherit the kingdom of God in Matthew 19:19, Mark 10:19 and Luke 18:10. Jesus spoke of this commandment to the Pharisees in Matthew 15:4 Mark 7:10, and again when He spoke of commandments that prohibit wrong actions and attitudes against others. It was a passing down of their faith from generation to generation. “In Israel, the honor due to parents has a definitely covenant context and pertains to accepting and passing on the Torah,” according to the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. In ancient times, and even in some cultures today, deceased ancestors were honored. Originally appearing in Exodus as Moses introduced the Ten Commandments to God’s people, the command is again repeated in Deuteronomy 5:16. “Honor your father and mother” is mentioned twice in the Old Testament ( Exodus 20:12 Deuteronomy 5:16) and six times in the New Testament ( Matthew 15:4 19:19 Mark 7:10 10:19 Luke 18:20 Ephesians 6:2). Where does the Bible talk about honoring your mother and father? In the context of Exodus 20:12, it means to prize highly, care for, show respect for, and obey. To honor someone, then, is to give weight or grant a person of position respect and even authority in one’s life. The contextual definition of Old Testament honor (the Hebrew word kabod) means heavy or weighty.
#Honor your father and mother bible verse full#
So, what then, is the purpose of commands such as “honor your father and mother,” in our New Testament lives? It’s out of God’s protective and provisional love for us that commands like this continue to act as guardrails to the full life Jesus died to give us.
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