Paragraph 3:11–12

3:11

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

11a My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD,

11b and do not loathe His rebuke;

3:11a–b

My son: This same phrase occurs in 3:1a.

do not reject…do not loathe: In Hebrew, the phrase do not reject means “do not refuse.” Another way to translate this phrase is:

do not ignore

In some languages, it may be preferable to use a positive equivalent for these negative commands. For example:

pay close attention (Good News Translation)

The parallel command do not loathe has a more intense meaning than the first command as it can also mean “abhor, feel repulsed by, be disgusted with.” Some other ways to translate this command are:

do not…recoil from his reproof (Revised English Bible)
-or-
don’t get angry when he corrects you (New Century Version)

the discipline of the LORD…His rebuke: The Hebrew word musar, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as discipline, refers primarily to moral instruction/training. As is common in Hebrew parallelism, the parallel term rebuke has a stronger, more specific meaning.

For more information on these two terms, see discipline and rebuke 1 in the Glossary.

General Comment on 3:11a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel terms. For example:

My son, do not turn away or become bitter when the LORD instructs or corrects you.

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