Many parents think that the Bible supports the use of corporal punishment in parenting. This is a common attitude amongst American parenting. Most American parents cite 5 verses in the book of Proverbs as their "proof" that spanking is biblical. However, these passages depict a dated form of judicial punishment that does not apply today.
One common rod verse cited to justify the use of punishment in parenting is Proverbs 13:24 KJV:
He who spareth his rod hateth his son: but he who loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
The Hebrew root word translated "son" is ben and refers here to a mature adult son. The Hebrew root word translated "rod" is shebet and refers here to the rod of correction, namely a switch. This passage, and those loke it, ultimately refers to a form of judicial corporal punishment known as the 40 minus 1 lashes. It was unlawful in the Old Testament to strike a fellow Jew outside of the context of a courtroom. It was unlawful to strike a minor child at all under Jewish law. This commandment was necessary because, otherwise, Jewish parents would shield their children from the Law and refuse to punish them for their unlawful acts.
Christ died and Rose on the Third Day in order to end the harsh punishments of the Old Testament. Christ ended corporal punishment by way of enduring it unjustly before being placed on the cross. Corporal punishment was never used as a form of church discipline in the Early Church. Instead, the Early Christians excommunicated members that violated church law.
The teaching of "biblical spanking" is a man-made teaching. The Bible nowhere legitimately supports the use of corporal punishment in parenting. However, the Bible does touch in on the spanking issue, and then some. 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 not simply to spanking a child. Instead, it refers to entitlement in children, leading to offense in children. The Bible prohibits hurting your child's feelings without apologizing to them for it. With that said, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you need to gibe a formal apology for hurting your child with your anger, such as "I apologize for hurting your feelings with my temper", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards children alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin term roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this commandment was ultimately received by the parish ay Colossae as prohibiting causing any offenses in children as perceived by the child, at minimum. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.
The Bible is an anti-spanking document. The popularization of corporal punishment of children ultimately comes from the mistranslation of the Bible into Latin The Latinate Bible was poorly translated from the Greek and the Hebrew.
Also, there existed parenting manuals that advocated attachment parenting that were not translated into English until the 1960s Before then, this level of parenting knowledge was only known to the Jewish world. Even King Solomon wrote an attachment parenting manual. Attachment parenting was posited then in a convicting manner, as opposed to a reassuring manner like it is today.
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!
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