Ephesians 6:1-4

-Colossians 3:20-21

-Basic household order of society and of most ancient cultures.

- Children, in the Jewish and Greek home, were expected to respond to parents with complete obedience.

- Notice, this is the Lord's expectation also.

6:1 - Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

"obey" - goneuV goneus - means "listen to, to obey"

"right" - dikaioV dikaios - means "right, acceptable, corresponds to the correct standard."

6:2 - 'Honor your father and mother' - which is the first commandment with a promise -

Exodus 20:12; Deut 5:16 - the fifth commandment. It is the first to deal with personal relationships after #1-4 which deal with God.

"honor" - timaw timao - means to count as valuable, to value, to honor, to revere

6:3 - 'that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.'

"may go well" - eu eu - means "well, healthy, prosperous"

"enjoy" -

"long" -

6:4 - Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

"exasperate" - parorgizete paropgidzete - means "to anger, to provoke to anger."

Linguistic Key, Rogers: "This involves avoiding attitudes, words and actions which would drive a child to angry exasperation or resentment and thus rules out excessively severe discipline, unreasonably harsh demands, abuse of authority, arbitrariness, unfairness, constant nagging and condemnation, subjecting a child to humiliation, and all forms of gross insensitivity to a child's needs and sensibilities.

"bring them up" -

"training" - ektrefete ektrephete - means to nourish, and refers specifically to food but also to provide for with tender care. In the Jewish world it would include: education, child training, discipline to correct transgression of the laws and ordinances

"instruction" - nouqesia nouthesia - meaning "admonition". Refers to the training by word a) by the word of encouragement when this is sufficient

b) but also reproof and blame when required.