Paragraph 23:13–14 Saying 12
This saying reassures parents that physical punishment will have a positive effect in a child’s life. It will spare him from a premature death.
Verses 23:13b and 23:14b both describe the result of punishing a child by giving him a beating. Verse 23:13b explains what will not happen. Verse 23:14b explains what will happen. Together the two verses imply that if parents do not discipline their children, the children will die as a result.
Proverbs with a similar theme include 19:18 and 22:15. See the notes on those two verses. Make sure that you account for the similarities and differences when you translate this saying. In 22:15, the words for “discipline,” “rod,” and “child” are the same as here.
23:13
In this verse, the second line specifies the kind of “discipline” that is referred to in the first line. The underlined part in the second line also states in a positive way the underlined negative command in the first line. Both underlined parts encourage the parent to discipline a child.
13a
Do not withhold discipline from a child;
13b although you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
23:13a
Do not withhold discipline from a child: In Hebrew, this command indicates that a parent should not hold back or refrain from disciplining a child. He should not refuse to punish him when the child has done something that deserves punishment.
discipline: In Hebrew, this is the same word that the Berean Standard Bible translated as “instruction” in 23:12a. This word can refer to moral instruction. It can also refer to verbal or physical correction. In this context, it clearly refers to physical punishment that is intended to correct a child’s behavior.
a child: In Hebrew, the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as child can refer to any male from infancy up to early adulthood. In this context, the word you choose should not refer only to a small child. It should also refer to an older child or a young person. As with similar verses in Proverbs, the word used here is not intended to exclude female children.
Some other ways to translate this command are:
Don’t fail to punish children. (New Century Version)
-or-
Do not hesitate to discipline a child. (God’s Word)
23:13b
although you strike him with a rod: In Hebrew, this line is more literally “you will strike him with the rod.” It refers to a spanking or whipping administered with a cane, rod, or stick. Another way to translate this clause is:
If you beat him with a rod (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
In some languages, it may be more natural to not specify what is used to strike the child. For example:
If you spank them (New Century Version)
he will not die: There are two ways to interpret this clause:
(1) The child will not die from the whipping. In other words, the whipping will not cause his death. For example:
even if you strike him with the rod, he will not die (NET Bible)
-or-
A good spanking won’t kill them. (Good News Translation)
(2) The whipping will cause the child not to die. It will keep him from an early death. For example:
take the stick to him, and save him from death (Revised English Bible)
Many English versions, such as the New International Version, English Standard Version, God’s Word, New Century Version, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, and New Revised Standard Version are ambiguous. If you can translate in a way that allows either interpretation, you may do so. Both interpretations fit the context and normal patterns of parallelism. Both have good commentary support.
If you need to choose one interpretation, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most English versions.
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