Child Rearing
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Child rearing, as depicted in the Bible, is a significant responsibility entrusted to parents, emphasizing the nurturing and spiritual development of children. The Scriptures provide guidance on how parents should raise their children in accordance with God's principles, ensuring that they grow up to be righteous and God-fearing individuals.

Biblical Foundation

The Bible underscores the importance of teaching children about God and His commandments from an early age. In Deuteronomy 6:6-7 , it is written, "These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." This passage highlights the continuous and intentional effort required in imparting God's laws to children.

Discipline and Instruction

Discipline is a recurring theme in biblical child rearing, viewed as an expression of love and concern for a child's well-being. Proverbs 13:24 states, "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently." This proverb suggests that appropriate discipline is necessary for guiding children away from folly and towards wisdom.

Ephesians 6:4 advises, "Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." This verse emphasizes the balance between discipline and nurturing, encouraging parents to raise their children in a manner that reflects God's love and teachings.

Role of Parents

Parents are seen as the primary educators and role models for their children. Proverbs 22:6 instructs, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." This verse underscores the long-term impact of a parent's guidance and the importance of instilling strong moral and spiritual foundations.

The Bible also acknowledges the unique roles of mothers and fathers in child rearing. Mothers are often depicted as nurturing figures, as seen in Proverbs 31:26-27 : "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." Fathers, on the other hand, are called to lead by example and provide for their families, as noted in 1 Timothy 5:8 : "If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."

Spiritual Development

The spiritual development of children is a central aspect of biblical child rearing. Psalm 78:4 declares, "We will not hide them from their children, but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might, and the wonders He has performed." This verse emphasizes the responsibility of parents to share the accounts of God's faithfulness and power with their children, ensuring that each generation knows and reveres the Lord.

Prayer and Dependence on God

Prayer is an essential component of child rearing, as parents are encouraged to seek God's wisdom and guidance in raising their children. James 1:5 offers reassurance: "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." This promise highlights the importance of relying on divine assistance in the complex task of parenting.

In summary, the Bible provides a comprehensive framework for child rearing, emphasizing the importance of teaching, discipline, parental roles, spiritual development, and reliance on God. Through these principles, parents are equipped to raise children who honor God and live according to His ways.
Topical Bible Verses
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Topicalbible.org

Ephesians 6:4
And, you fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Topicalbible.org

Colossians 3:21
Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
Topicalbible.org

Proverbs 29:15
The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself brings his mother to shame.
Topicalbible.org

Proverbs 13:22
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
Topicalbible.org

Proverbs 23:13-14
Withhold not correction from the child: for if you beat him with the rod, he shall not die.
Topicalbible.org

Proverbs 13:24
He that spares his rod hates his son: but he that loves him chastens him betimes.
Topicalbible.org

Greek
3809. paideia -- the rearing of a child, training, discipline
... the rearing of a child, training, discipline. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: paideia Phonetic Spelling: (pahee-di'-ah) Short Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3809.htm - 7k

5042. teknogonia -- childbearing
... Feminine Transliteration: teknogonia Phonetic Spelling: (tek-nog-on-ee'-ah) Short
Definition: child bearing Definition: child bearing, the rearing of a family. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5042.htm - 6k

Library

The Rich and the Poor
... What she wants amid all her poverty and toil, her child-bearing and child-rearing,
what she wants, I say, to keep her brave and strong, is to know by actual ...
/.../kingsley/all saints day and other sermons/sermon xliii the rich and.htm

The Long, Rough Road He Trod
... rather clear that Joseph and Mary would have much preferred some other place, their
own family town, cultured Bethlehem, for rearing this child committed to ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on following the christ/the long rough road he.htm

Family Prayer.
... in all other duties;"because the moral and spiritual growth of the child depends
upon it. ... grow up in the nurture of the Lord's vineyard, without rearing up a ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/philips/the christian home/chapter xv family prayer.htm

Manasseh
... a godly father and mother have spent a lifetime in rearing with honour ... vulture, with
cruelty that spared neither tender woman nor innocent child, and Jerusalem ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/milligan/men of the bible some lesser-known/manasseh.htm

On Marriage.
... in the case of those advanced in years, by furnishing a spouse to take care of one,
and by rearing children of ... "Without a father there never could be a child,. ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xxiii on marriage.htm

Whether Consanguinity is an Impediment to Marriage by virtue of ...
... of her father's semen and with the father rear and teach that child in which ... to her
father in marriage for the purpose of begetting and rearing children, since ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether consanguinity is an impediment.htm

Whether it May have Been Lawful by Dispensation to Put Away a Wife ...
... is contrary to the good of the offspring, in respect of nature's first intention
in that good, namely the rearing and instruction of the child, for which ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether it may have been.htm

The Deeds of Some Holy Persons who Devoted Themselves to a ...
... on the inconveniences and discomforts attending matrimonial intercourse, the pangs
of child-bearing, and the trouble and anxiety connected with rearing a family ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of scholasticus/chapter xxiii the deeds of some.htm

Josiah
... a boyhood, and flowering in such a manhood, is possible to every child among us. ...
gather from this singular notice the great thought that for all rearing of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/josiah.htm

The Demoniac of Gadara
... A mixed race was there, indifferent to religion, rearing great herds of swine, upon ...
home, and scared back again into that ferocity which is the child of terror ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 5 1-20 the demoniac of.htm

Resources
What does the Bible say about child sacrifice? | GotQuestions.org

Why did God punish David and Bathsheba's innocent child with death? | GotQuestions.org

How should a Christian spouse handle an adulterous affair that has resulted in a child? | GotQuestions.org

Child: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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Subtopics

Child

Child Abuse

Child Discipline

Child Labor

Child of God

Child Rearing

Child Sacrifice

Child Support

Related Terms

Child's (16 Occurrences)

Man-child (11 Occurrences)

Male-child (5 Occurrences)

Child-bearing (1 Occurrence)

Child-conductor (2 Occurrences)

Child-conductors (1 Occurrence)

Female-child (1 Occurrence)

Maid-child (1 Occurrence)

Baby (23 Occurrences)

Boy's (10 Occurrences)

Babe (15 Occurrences)

Childbearing (5 Occurrences)

Childhood (10 Occurrences)

Manoah (14 Occurrences)

Births (34 Occurrences)

Pregnant (33 Occurrences)

Mothers (27 Occurrences)

Departed (270 Occurrences)

Belonged (105 Occurrences)

Childish (1 Occurrence)

Suck (22 Occurrences)

Sucking (7 Occurrences)

Saying (2162 Occurrences)

Bring (1372 Occurrences)

Arise (235 Occurrences)

Childbirth (24 Occurrences)

Vex (20 Occurrences)

Desperate (8 Occurrences)

Manchild (1 Occurrence)

Babies (16 Occurrences)

Parents (27 Occurrences)

Conceive (23 Occurrences)

Children

Breast (71 Occurrences)

Stretching (84 Occurrences)

Boy (94 Occurrences)

Ah (43 Occurrences)

Sarah (38 Occurrences)

Sarai (13 Occurrences)

Pharaoh's (72 Occurrences)

Zacharias (11 Occurrences)

Moses (9295 Occurrences)

Conceived (66 Occurrences)

Died (348 Occurrences)

Destined (25 Occurrences)

Delivery (8 Occurrences)

Mother (2641 Occurrences)

Birth-pains (10 Occurrences)

Behaved (21 Occurrences)

Bastard (2 Occurrences)

Beget (20 Occurrences)

Correction (26 Occurrences)

Childless (25 Occurrences)

Crushing (93 Occurrences)

Adopt (4 Occurrences)

Asp (3 Occurrences)

Swaddle

Swaddlingband (1 Occurrence)

Suckling (19 Occurrences)

Stillborn (4 Occurrences)

Searching (111 Occurrences)

Strengthened (113 Occurrences)

Servant-girl (18 Occurrences)

Seeking (182 Occurrences)

Swaddling-band (1 Occurrence)

Sleep (136 Occurrences)

Stick (47 Occurrences)

Perceived (57 Occurrences)

Behind (188 Occurrences)

Months (65 Occurrences)

Alas (62 Occurrences)

Beautiful (152 Occurrences)

Secretly (104 Occurrences)

Entered (291 Occurrences)

Eli (36 Occurrences)

Anguish (75 Occurrences)

Sake (241 Occurrences)

Hagar (15 Occurrences)

Child of God
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