Colossians 3:21
“Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Fathers are not to provoke their children, lest the children become discouraged.
What Does Colossians 3:21 Mean?
Having charged children to obey, Paul now charges fathers with their corresponding duty. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger -- they are not to exasperate, nettle, or embitter the young in their care.
The reason is tender and perceptive: lest they be discouraged, lest the children lose heart and grow disheartened under constant harshness. Paul understands that authority can crush as well as guide, and he guards the spirits of the young. A parent's power is to build up, not to break down. In an age that gave fathers great control, this restraint is striking and gracious. For the Colossians, it completes the picture of a godly home: obedience met by gentleness, authority tempered by care for a child's heart. The same love that governs marriage governs parenting, so that children are nurtured rather than discouraged.