Ephesians 6:2

2 Honour thou thy father and mother, that is the first commandment in [the] promise;

Ephesians 6:2 Meaning and Commentary

Ephesians 6:2

Honour thy father and mother
This explains who parents are, and points at some branches of obedience due unto them; for they are not only to be loved, and to be feared, and reverenced, their corrections to be submitted to, offences against them to be acknowledged, their tempers to be bore with, and their infirmities covered; but they are to be honoured in thought, word, and gesture; they are to be highly thought of and esteemed; they are to be spoken to, and of, very honourably, and with great veneration and to be behaved to in a very respectful manner; and they are to be relieved, assisted, and maintained in comfortable way when aged, and in necessitous circumstances; and which may be chiefly designed. So the Jews explain (dwbk) , "the honour" due to parents, by (lykam) , "giving them food, drink", and "clothing", unloosing their shoes, and leading them out and in ^F24. Compare with this ( 1 Timothy 5:4 1 Timothy 5:17 ) ; (See Gill on Matthew 15:4);

which is the first commandment with promise:
it is the fifth commandment in the decalogue, but the first that has a promise annexed to it: it is reckoned by the Jews ^F25 the weightiest of the weightiest commands of the law; and the reward bestowed on it, is length of days, as follows.

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FOOTNOTES:

F24 T. Hieros. Kiddushin, fol. 61. 2. T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol. 31. 1, 2. Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Kiddushin, c. 1. sect. 7.
F25 Debarim Rabba, sect. 6. fol. 241. 3.

Ephesians 6:2 In-Context

1 Sons, obey ye to your father and mother, in the Lord; for this thing is rightful [for this thing is just, or rightful].

2 Honour thou thy father and mother, that is the first commandment in [the] promise;

3 that it be well to thee, and that thou be long living on the earth.

4 And, [ye] fathers, do not ye provoke your sons to wrath; but nourish ye them in the teaching and chastising of the Lord [but nourish them in the discipline and correction, or chastising, of the Lord].

5 Servants, obey ye to fleshly lords with dread and trembling, in simpleness of your heart, as to Christ;