Proverbs 13:24: Why the rod verses are repealed verses

Many parent believe that the Bible commands them to punish their children. The most commonly cited verse in the Old Testament is Proverbs 13:24, which is widely interpreted as a commandment to punish children who are naughty. However, the fact of the matter is that all 7 rod verses in Proverbs are repealed verses.

God's Word reads in Proverbs 13:24 KJV:

He who spareth the rod hateth his son: but he who loveth him chastenth him betimes.

The Hebrew root word translated "son" in Prov. 13:24 is "ben" and refers to an mature adult son, or else a mature adult descendant. This verse, and all of the others, ultimately refers to the 40 minus 1 lashes, meaning a form of judicial corporal punishment where adult descendants were whipped by their fathers with the rod of correction after being convicted of a crime. The rod consisted of a switch, administered in the context of a courtroom - meaning never in a domestic setting. The rod verses are there as wisdom writings, as otherwise, fathers would just refuse to whip their children. The rod of correction was never used on minor or dependent children.

The rod verses in Proverbs, meaning all 7 verses, are repealed verses, as Christ died on the cross in order to repeal the harsh punishments of the Old Testament. The verse that cements the fact that God never intended for the rod of correction as a parenting tool is Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. 

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is not enough to stop spanking or punishing your children - you need to avoid the slightest of offense perceived by a child. The only way around guilt under this commandment is to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you offend your child, especially when you lose your cool - losing your cool with your child alone constitutes parental entitlement. Whenever a child is upset due to how your deal with them, including regarding set limits, you have offended your child, and thus you need to apologize. Whenever you refuse to apologize to a child for offending them and hurting their feelings, you are entitled. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christians who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas which is a Latin praise roughly translating to "power to the parent", including the power to spank or punish children. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive treatment of children in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was prohibited under Roman law, but the Early Christian did it anyway, in civil disobedience to Rome. 

Spanking wasn't always church teaching. Most Christians that lived before Rome took over were anti-spanking, meaning they opposed punishing children altogether. Anyone who supported the Greco-Roman norm of spanking children was treated as a church infiltrator, and they were excommunicated from the church by the council. When the trial was over, children usually elected to go with a chosen clergyman or clergywoman, with the male clergy usually being clinical pedophiles - and the closest the pedophile got to being close to the child is lactating for the child in order to nurse the child back to health. Today, I support the survivor system of child protection, but a pedophile can jump aboard the children's rights train and take a stand for the children that he loves. 

The Latinate Bible was willfully mistranslated in order to keep a European pagan custom going. The European pagans were brutal to children, with the worst of these offenses against children coming from the Anglo-Saxons. However, just because the Anglo-Saxons interpreted the Bible a certain way doesn't make it the official teaching of Christianity. The Western Church has long suffered from European influence, with European pagans being known for spanking children. The most accurate of all Bibles is the Byzantine Bible, which is not available to the Anglophone reader. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!