Colossians 3:21

Context

Colossians introduces itself in its opening (Colossians 1:1) as a letter sent to the church at Colossae in the names of Paul and Timothy. It has traditionally been regarded as one of Paul's Prison Epistles, though modern scholars are divided over whether Paul wrote it himself.

The first part of chapter 3 describes the new life of the Christian with the words "And have put on the new man" (Colossians 3:10), and 3:17 sums up this teaching by urging believers to do whatever they do in the name of the Lord Jesus. From 3:18 through 4:1 follows a series of exhortations addressed in turn to wives and husbands, children and fathers, and servants and masters. Scholars call this passage a household code (a list of exhortations that sets out, in pairs, the duties of household members toward one another). Verse 21 is the exhortation to fathers that immediately follows verse 20, in which children are urged to obey their parents.

Interpretation

• Reading as mutual obligation: Many commentators note that in Greco-Roman society of the time, the head of a household held extensive legal authority over his children. This passage does not stop at requiring obedience from children; it also places obligations on the fathers who held that authority. On this basis, the verse is read as teaching that those who hold authority must exercise self-restraint.
• Reading with attention to vocabulary: The Greek verb translated "provoke" means "to stir up" or "to incite." In 2 Corinthians 9:2 the same verb is used in a positive sense: "your zeal hath provoked very many." The word translated "be discouraged" means "to lose heart" or "to lose motivation." Those who focus on this vocabulary read the verse as a warning that excessive rebuke or unfair treatment crushes a child's spirit.
• Reading on the scope of "fathers": The original word for "fathers" can, depending on context, refer to parents in general. Some translations and interpretations therefore broaden the term to "parents." Other interpretations, by contrast, read it as specifically addressing the responsibility of the father as head of the household.

Questions of Application

The verse is not a point of significant doctrinal dispute among denominations. Several questions are raised, however, regarding its application.

• Relationship to discipline: One question is how to read this verse together with passages that affirm discipline, such as Proverbs 22:15 and Hebrews 12:6–11. The verse is generally understood not as a rejection of discipline itself but as a limit on the manner and motives of discipline.
• The character of the household code: Some scholars criticize the household codes for simply accepting the hierarchical family order of their time. Others hold that the codes transformed that order from within so that the place of its weaker members was respected.

In the Korean Church

The verse is often cited together with Ephesians 6:4 in sermons on the family around May, which is observed in Korea as Family Month and includes Children's Sunday. It is also frequently mentioned in parent education and family ministry to explain principles of child rearing.

Related Passages

• Ephesians 6:4
• Colossians 3:18–19
• Colossians 4:1
• Ephesians 6:5–9