Topical Bible: Children: Power of Parents Over, During the Patriarchal Age

◄ Children: Power of Parents Over, During the Patriarchal Age ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

In the patriarchal age, the family unit was the central structure of society, and the authority of parents, particularly fathers, was paramount. This period, which spans from Adam to the time of Moses, is characterized by a familial hierarchy where the father held significant power over his household, including his children. This authority was both a cultural norm and a divinely instituted order, as seen in various scriptural accounts.

Patriarchal Authority

The patriarchal system placed the father as the head of the family, responsible for the spiritual, moral, and social welfare of his household. This is evident in the life of Abraham, who is described as commanding his children and household to keep the way of the Lord. Genesis 18:19 states, "For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what He has promised him."

Discipline and Instruction

Parents, particularly fathers, were tasked with the discipline and instruction of their children. This responsibility is underscored in the wisdom literature and later biblical texts, reflecting a continuity of this principle. Proverbs 22:6 advises, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Although this text is from a later period, it echoes the enduring principle of parental guidance established in the patriarchal age.

Inheritance and Blessing

The power of parents extended to the distribution of inheritance and the bestowing of blessings, which were of great significance in the patriarchal age. The narrative of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 27 illustrates the profound impact of a father's blessing. Isaac's blessing, intended for Esau but received by Jacob, shaped the destinies of their descendants. Genesis 27:28-29 records Isaac's blessing: "May God give you the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth—an abundance of grain and new wine. May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you."

Obedience and Honor

Children were expected to obey and honor their parents, a principle that is foundational in the Decalogue given later at Sinai but rooted in earlier traditions. The account of Noah and his sons in Genesis 9 demonstrates the expectation of respect and honor towards one's father. When Ham dishonored Noah, it resulted in a curse upon Ham's son, Canaan, highlighting the serious consequences of failing to honor parental authority.

Marriage Arrangements

Parents, particularly fathers, also held authority over the marriage arrangements of their children. This is evident in the account of Isaac and Rebekah, where Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac, demonstrating the father's role in securing a suitable marriage for his son (Genesis 24). The involvement of parents in marriage decisions was a means of ensuring the continuation of the family line and the preservation of covenantal promises.

Conclusion

The patriarchal age established a framework of parental authority that was integral to the social and spiritual fabric of early biblical society. This authority was exercised with the intent of guiding children in the ways of the Lord, ensuring the transmission of faith and values across generations.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 9:24,25
And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 21:14
And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 38:24
And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar your daughter in law has played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by prostitution. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Law, and the Prophecy.
... for all his transgressions and the power to fulfil ... in the true Israel, the spiritual
children of Abraham, in John the Baptist, his parents and disciples ...
/.../schaff/history of the christian church volume i/section 10 the law and.htm

The Faith of Moses.
... by them to be "enwrapped" in that of his parents. ... themselves, or be content to lose
the power of independent action, and remain always children. ...
/.../the expositors bible the epistle to the hebrews/chapter xii the faith of.htm

The Foundations of Good Citizenship.
... the head of the family within the tribe had the power even of ... In the Orient, even
to the present day, this respect of children for their parents is closely ...
/.../kent/the making of a nation/study x the foundations of.htm

Introductory Note to the Works of Origen.
... vice which so impressed her children with the ... Leonides, like many parents, assumed
the appearance of ... marvellous acuteness, and logical power, which entitle him ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/introductory note to the works.htm

The First Kings.
... the counsels and prayers of the kindest parents, and choosing ... [Illustration: Christ
Blessing Little Children.]. ... pagan neighbors in the pomp and power of royalty ...
/.../headley/half hours in bible lands volume 2/the first kings.htm

Mothers, Daughters, and Wives in Israel
... belief, that the evil spirits gained power over a woman ... with men, ill-treating her
husband's parents in his ... Assuredly, of Jewish children so reared, so trained ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 9 mothers daughters and.htm

The People among whom we Labour (Continued).
... a large portion of their wages to their aged parents. ... state of widows, many of them
mere children, is sad ... many proofs presented to us of the power of female ...
/.../life and work in benares and kumaon 1839-1877/chapter xxix the people among.htm

Chapter v
... over Abel weighed very heavily upon the first parents. ... 500 years old, will not have
been his eldest children. ... What a power for godliness that should have been ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter v.htm

Covenanting Confers Obligation.
... end, to him will I give power over the nations ... obligations, entered into willingly
by Covenanting parents and ancestors ... By oath, the children of Israel made with ...
/.../the ordinance of covenanting/chapter v covenanting confers obligation.htm

The Empress Theodora
... At a solemn festival these three children were sent ... the great empress, coming with
her parents from their ... Orient was prejudicial to the imperial power, and she ...
/.../brittain/women of early christianity/xi the empress theodora.htm