Ephesians 6:1 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

The apostle, having explained the duties of wives and husbands, proceeds to the duties of children and parents, and then to those of servants, or slaves rather, and masters, with which he finishes his account of relative duties. Children, obey your parents Even your unbelieving parents, in every thing consistent with your duty to the Lord. In all things lawful, the will of the parent is a law to the child: for this is right Manifestly just and reasonable. Honour That is, love, reverence, obey, assist in all things; thy father and mother The mother is particularly mentioned, as being more liable to be slighted than the father. Which is the first commandment with promise For the promise implied in the second commandment does not belong to the keeping that command in particular, but the whole law. Whereas the fifth is the first commandment which hath a promise annexed to it in particular. This observation concerning the promise in the law, to those who honoured their parents, was made by the apostle, to show that the honouring of parents is a matter of the greatest importance to the well-being of society, and highly acceptable to God. That it may be well with thee In temporal as well as spiritual things; and thou mayest live long on the earth A promise that is usually fulfilled to eminently dutiful children; and he who lives long and well, has a long seed-time for an eternal harvest. But this promise in the Christian dispensation is to be understood chiefly in a more exalted and spiritual sense. And ye fathers On the other hand, (whom he names rather than mothers, as being more apt to be stern and severe; mothers, however, are also included;) provoke not your children to wrath By any harsh usage, or rigorous treatment of them. Do not needlessly fret or exasperate them; but bring them up With all tenderness and mildness, and yet with steadiness; in the nurture and admonition Εν παιδεια και νουθεσια, in the discipline and instruction; of the Lord As these expressions stand connected with the word Lord, it seems reasonable to explain them of such a course of discipline and instruction as properly belongs to a religious education, which ought to be employed by those that believe in the Lord, in forming their children for him, by laying a restraint on the first appearance of every vicious passion, and nourishing them up in the words of faith and sound doctrine.