Hebrews 12:5 Meaning and Explanation
“And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →They have forgotten Scripture's fatherly counsel: do not make light of the Lord's discipline, nor lose heart under His correction.
What Does Hebrews 12:5 Mean?
Here the writer quotes Proverbs 3, words that address the reader as a son receiving a father's counsel. The community had overlooked this teaching, reading their hardships as signs of abandonment rather than care.
Two opposite errors are named. One is to despise correction, brushing it off as nothing; the other is to faint, collapsing under it as if it meant rejection. Between contempt and despair lies the path of a child who trusts the Father's hand. The very fact that God corrects is here read as a mark of belonging.
Hebrews 12:5 in the Original Language
paideia (παιδεία), 'chastening' -- the training and discipline by which a child is raised and shaped.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hebrews 12:5
What does Hebrews 12:5 mean?
They have forgotten Scripture's fatherly counsel: do not make light of the Lord's discipline, nor lose heart under His correction.