Respecting our parents is a command from God, not just a suggestion. It is one of the foundational principles of a godly life. The way we treat our parents reflects our character and obedience to God’s Word.
Honoring parents is not based on their perfection but on their God-given role. Even when disagreements arise, we are still called to show them respect. True honor is demonstrated through obedience, kindness, and gratitude.
God has promised blessings to those who respect their parents. It is a principle that leads to a fruitful life. Disrespect, on the other hand, brings consequences. Let us learn from Scripture how important it is to honor and obey them.
Bible Verses About Respecting Your Parents
1. Exodus 20:12
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”
2. Ephesians 6:1-3
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise, ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’”
3. Colossians 3:20
“Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.”
4. Proverbs 1:8-9
“My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother; for they will be a graceful ornament on your head, and chains about your neck.”
“Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”
6. Leviticus 19:3
“Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.”
7. Proverbs 6:20-22
“My son, keep your father’s command, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Bind them continually upon your heart; tie them around your neck. When you roam, they will lead you; when you sleep, they will keep you; and when you awake, they will speak with you.”
8. Proverbs 23:22
“Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”
9. Matthew 15:4
“For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’”
10. Proverbs 30:17
“The eye that mocks his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it.”
11. 1 Timothy 5:4
“But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God.”
12. Proverbs 19:26
“He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother is a son who causes shame and brings reproach.”
13. Exodus 21:17
“He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.”
14. Luke 2:51
“Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.”
15. Proverbs 15:20
“A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother.”
16. Proverbs 28:24
“Whoever robs his father or his mother, and says, ‘It is no transgression,’ the same is companion to a destroyer.”
17. Mark 7:10
“For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’”
18. Psalm 103:13
“As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.”
19. Genesis 28:7
“And that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Padan Aram.”
20. Proverbs 13:1
“A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.”
21. Jeremiah 35:18-19
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts and done according to all that he commanded you, therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me forever.'”
22. 2 Timothy 3:2
“For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.”
23. Deuteronomy 27:16
“Cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’”
24. Exodus 21:15
“He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.”
25. Proverbs 29:17
“Correct your son, and he will give you rest; yes, he will give delight to your soul.”
26. Romans 1:30
“Backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents.”
27. Titus 2:4
“That they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children.”
28. Genesis 9:23
“But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.”
29. Psalm 127:3
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.”
30. Proverbs 22:6
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
31. John 19:26-27
“When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.”
32. Ephesians 6:4
“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”
33. Psalm 34:11
“Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”
34. Leviticus 20:9
“For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him.”
35. Proverbs 17:6
“Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their father.”
Our Thought on What the Bible Says About Respecting Your Parents
The Bible teaches that respecting our parents is a lifelong duty. It is not just about obedience in childhood but about honoring them through love, care, and gratitude. God blesses those who respect their parents and warns against those who dishonor them.
Honoring parents means listening to their wisdom, speaking to them with kindness, and taking care of them in their old age. Even if our parents have flaws, we must still respect them.
The fear of the Lord begins with honoring those He has placed in authority over us. Those who uphold this command will receive God’s favor and long life.