Proverbs 13:24: The context of the rod verses

Many parents will cite the Bible as an excuse for child abuse, especially lawful spanking and corporal punishment. Proverbs 13:24 is the most commonly cited verse in favor of spanking. Corporal punishment did exist in the Bible, but nowhere does it say to follow Proverbs for parenting advice. Proverbs was not intended for parenting advice for minor children.

It says in Proverbs 13:24 KJV:

He that spareth the rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

"Spareth the rod" means something a lot of parents did then anyway, meaning allowing their child to go their own way as a prodigal son, meaning this is just advice. This is dated advice, meaning written to a specific legal context that doesn't exist today. Christ fulfilled the Law, but only the commandments contained within the first five books of Moses, not the legal punishments contained therein. Corporal punishment was a final, and brutal, warning that an ADULT child has violated the law in a way that will lead to death if it continues. This was a menace verse, meaning written to fathers with young men sitting beneath the text, and only applied to young MEN and not young boys. Young boys were not under the Law, but went with their father at age 6 in the Old Testament to LEARN the Law. The Law was taught through peeking the religious curiosity of a young boy that came naturally then. 

Some Scripture was actually intended as parenting advice. It says in Colossians 3:20-21 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers to trust in parents. Replace "obey" with "trust" and you come to a roughly better translation. This refers to a special form of trust, borne out of maternal warmth and sustenance. Attachment parenting was the norm in ancient Hebrew culture, including the Early Church. Children co-slept with parents until adulthood, and into young adulthood, and were nourished and breastfed until age 3. Children were expected to cause some mischief, and rebel a little bit, and parents simply saw them as running around, meaning running around the house, feeling secure and safe at home with mother and father, with parents being safe people for children to be themselves, running around within the safe supervision of parents, and otherwise children never leaving the side of parents. 

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers to provocations to anger imposed onto a child by adults, meaning all offenses against children, with "offense" is the slightest of personal offenses perceived by the child. This commandment was intended by the Apostle Paul and the legal context that he was writing to as a prohibition of all punishment and control of children, including corporal punishment of children. The Apostle Paul here was rebuking Greek Christian parents on the idolatrous and pagan Hellenistic tradition of spanking children, which was brought into the church by such parents. Paul would have none of it, so he issued a command lifting up the Law and admonishing Greek Christian parents for what was punished as kidnapping, with kidnapping being any hostage-taking action by parents, which is the nature of any punishment.

The rod verses in Proverbs are what is called in theology repealed verses. The message of Proverbs 13:24 is to follow the Law and not embarrass your parents. The means in which to enforce the Law are repealed, meaning Christ sacrificed Himself on the cross so that capital and corporal punishment alike could be abolished. Maybe children do get spanked today, but against Christ's consent. The rod verses were intended to appeal to a specific context during a specific time period when the legal punishments under the Mosaic legal system were put in place.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke children to anger through corporal punishment will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them burn in the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!