Bible Strands
Proverbs 13:24
He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — This verse functions as a general wisdom proverb in the book of Proverbs, stating a principle about parental discipline rather than a direct address from a parent to a specific son.
The words — חוֹשֵׂ֣ךְ (cho.Sekh) translates literally as [one who] restrains, and שִׁ֭בְט/וֹ (Shiv.to/v) means rod/ his, establishing the physical imagery of correction.
The thread — The theme of discipline and its outcomes appears in Proverbs 29:17, Proverbs 23:13, and Proverbs 29:15, which similarly link corrective action with long-term moral stability.
Why it lands — The text first states that withholding the rod constitutes hatred, then defines love as the diligent pursuit of a child's discipline, leaving the reader to evaluate their own approach to correction.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 29:17 Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will bring delight to your soul.
- Proverbs 23:13 Do not withhold discipline from a child; although you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
- Proverbs 29:15 A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.
- Proverbs 19:18 Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be party to his death.
- Proverbs 22:15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
- Hebrews 12:6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.”
- Proverbs 3:12 for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights.
- Proverbs 8:36 But he who fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.”
- Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple.