For children
These verses speak to children of every age, including grown children.
“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother,' which is the first commandment with a promise, 'so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.'”
“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:”
To honor is more than to obey. Young children obey their parents “in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:1, KJV); grown children no longer live under their parents' rules, but still owe them respect, gratitude and care. Paul notes that honoring parents is “the first commandment with promise” (Ephesians 6:2, KJV). Honoring does not mean pretending a parent did no wrong, or obeying a parent who asks you to do wrong.
For the home
A home is more than a building. These verses are about what a household is built on.
“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”
Joshua spoke these words near the end of his life, when he gathered Israel at Shechem and asked them to choose whom they would serve (Joshua 23:1; 24:1). His answer, in the KJV “as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15, KJV), is a decision rather than a feeling, and it is made again in many small ways: prayer at meals, forgiveness after an argument, worship together, kindness when everyone is tired. Psalm 127:1 is a humble reminder that our effort is not enough on its own. Colossians 3:13-14 names what holds a home together: forgiving one another, and love above all.
If you want to read Scripture together, Faithero can read any chapter aloud at the speed you choose, so the whole family can listen at the table or at bedtime.
Caring for aging parents
Honoring our parents does not stop when we grow up. Often it deepens as they grow old.
“But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.”
“Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
“When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”
Paul writes that caring for one's parents is a way of living out faith at home, and that it is “good and acceptable before God” (1 Timothy 5:4, KJV). He speaks bluntly about anyone who will not provide for their own household (1 Timothy 5:8). And Jesus, while dying on the cross, made sure His mother would be cared for. Care can take many forms: visits and calls, practical help, sharing the load with brothers and sisters, or finding good care when you cannot give it yourself.
When family is hard
Some families are a refuge. Others are where the deepest wounds come from. The Bible has words for both.
“When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.”
“God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.”
“And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:”
“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”
Psalm 27:10 is for anyone who has been rejected or abandoned by their family: when father and mother forsake, the LORD takes us up. Psalm 68:6 says that God “setteth the solitary in families” (Psalm 68:6, KJV), and for many people that family is the church, which Jesus described as His own brothers, sisters and mother (Mark 3:35). Ruth's promise to her mother-in-law Naomi shows a family formed by loyalty, not only by blood: two widows who chose to stay together. And Joseph's words to the brothers who had sold him show that God can bring good out of family betrayal, and that reconciliation is sometimes possible.
Honoring your parents never means staying where you are being harmed. If someone at home is hurting you, you deserve to be safe. In the US, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788. If you are in danger right now, call your local emergency number. For words to pray, see our prayers for family.
Frequently asked
What does the Bible say about family?
The Bible presents family as a gift from God and a school of love. It calls parents to teach and nurture their children in the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Ephesians 6:4), children to honor their parents (Exodus 20:12), and every household to put God at its center (Joshua 24:15; Psalm 127:1). It is honest about family conflict, and it promises God's care to those whose families have failed them (Psalm 27:10).
What are some family scriptures for the home?
Joshua 24:15 is a good place to start: "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15, KJV). Psalm 127:1 suits a new home, Psalm 133:1 celebrates a family living in unity, and Colossians 3:13-14 fits any household that is learning to forgive. For a family going through a hard time, Psalm 27:10 and Psalm 68:6 speak to loneliness and loss.
What are good Bible verses for parents?
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 shows parents how to pass on faith in everyday moments. Ephesians 6:4 asks them to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord without provoking them. Proverbs 22:6 encourages them that early training matters. Psalm 127:3 reminds them that "children are an heritage of the LORD" (Psalm 127:3, KJV). And Isaiah 49:15 assures every parent and child that God's love is even more faithful than a mother's.
Does Proverbs 22:6 promise my child will come back to God?
Proverbs 22:6 is a proverb, a wise saying about how life usually goes, rather than a guarantee. Raising a child in the faith matters, and the verse encourages parents that it is worth the effort. But each person makes their own choices before God, and children of faithful parents sometimes wander. Keep loving, keep praying, and leave the outcome with God. The father in the parable of the lost son never stopped watching the road (Luke 15:20).
Do I have to honor parents who hurt me?
Honoring a parent does not mean excusing abuse, obeying a parent who asks you to do wrong, or staying in danger. It can mean refusing to speak of them with contempt, praying for them, and caring for their basic needs if it is safe, sometimes from a distance. If someone in your family is harming you, please get help: in the US, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. A pastor or counselor can help you think through the rest.
What does the Bible say about caring for aging parents?
It treats it as part of faith. Paul says that children should learn "to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents" (1 Timothy 5:4, KJV), and that anyone who will not provide for their own household has denied the faith (1 Timothy 5:8). Jesus made sure His mother would be cared for even as He was dying (John 19:26-27). Care can be practical, financial or simply your presence.
No perfect families, a faithful God
Every family in the Bible was complicated: Adam and Eve's sons, Abraham's household, Jacob's twelve sons, David's children. God still worked through them, and He still works through ours. If your family is a joy, give thanks and guard it. If it is a heartache, bring it to the God who calls Himself “A father of the fatherless” (Psalm 68:5, KJV).
And if you feel you have no family at all, you are not forgotten. In Christ you belong to a household bigger than any home (Ephesians 2:19), and God is still setting the lonely in families.
For parents
The Bible gives parents a high calling and a gentle one: pass on the faith, and do it in a way that does not crush.
Deuteronomy 6:7 pictures faith passed on in ordinary moments: at home and on the road, at bedtime and at breakfast. It assumes the words are first “in thine heart” (Deuteronomy 6:6, KJV); children learn most from what their parents truly love. Ephesians 6:4 and Colossians 3:21 warn fathers, and by extension all parents, not to provoke or embitter their children. Harshness can push a child away from the very faith we hope to give them.
Proverbs 22:6, which the KJV renders “Train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6, KJV), is a proverb: a wise saying about how life usually goes, not a guarantee. Many faithful parents have children who wander for a time. If that is you, the verse is an encouragement to keep going, not a verdict on your parenting. Keep praying; our prayers for children may help.