Hebrews 12:5-6: Understanding why this passage does not advocate spanking

Many parents think that the Bible recommends or even commands spanking children. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. The core passage cited by pro-spanking parents in the New Testament is Heb. 12:5-6. However, this argument exist on shaky ground, as Heb. 12:5-6 does not refer to earthly parenting.

God's Word states in Hebrews 12:5-6 KJV:

And ye have forgotten the exhortation that speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

When this passage is interpreted correctly, it is comforting to me, at least in retrospect. The Greek root word translated "scourgeth" is μαστιγόω (Latin: mastigoó). This word ultimately is a metaphor for enduring hardship, meaning trials and tribulations sent the way of the believer. In the Early Church, you didn't say "I had a long day at work today", and instead said "God whipped me hard today". This metaphorical language is what is called "rod language". Rod language appears both in Ancient Greek and Ancient Aramaic. God punishes His children, like only He can. However, God only punishes His children when it does not harm them, whereas earthly parents only punish their children when it does harm them. Ultimately, this passage was intended to comfort the Hebrew Christians in their persecution from Rome.

This passage in Hebrews does not refer to a literal spanking from an earthly parent, as God does not recommend His Parenting techniques to earthly parents. However, one verse does deal with spanking and other forms of punitive parenting in earthly parenting. See 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, with this entitlement including any parent anger towards children. It is not enough to stop spanking your child, or stop punishing them otherwise for that matter - you need to avoid offense in your child. Avoiding offense in children and apologizing to children go hand in hand. The idea behind avoiding offense in children is to be willing to meaningfully apologize to children whenever you hurt their feelings. However, if you lose your cool with a child, you definitely need to apologize for losing your cool with your child, and commit to not losing your cool with your child again, as losing your cool with a child in and of itself is entitlement. This commandment goes without saying that spanking and other forms of punishment are prohibited in the Bible, as any punishment of a child offends the child. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here was convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, including spanking or other forms of punishment. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of a child in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

The most common child punishment in broader Ancient Greece was a spanking to the child's bare bottom. Spanking was a pagan tradition that was absorbed into the Western Church as a form of European influence. Christ Himself, in His secular writings, opposed punishing children in any form. Christ used the Apostle Paul in order to hammer that message through.

It is a myth that Christ was whipped for running away from His parents. He did, in fact, run away from home and end up in a temple. All that happened was that the rabbis in the temple were astonished by his religious astuteness. If Christ was ever whipped, then He could not be the Perfect Messiah. Christ had a perfect childhood. When other children were getting into mud battles, Christ was professing astute knowledge of Scripture, with this astuteness showing at age 3. Christ followed the Law perfectly, and that included Christ as a Child. Mother Mary was in fact a gentle parent, and was deeply worried for her son Jesus, as she knew ahead of time His Fate. She simply tried to script for Christ as to what to say, but with Christ knowing what to say anyway.

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!