Life and Relationships

What Does It Mean to Honor Your Parents?

Honoring parents means showing them respect, gratitude, and appropriate obedience or care throughout life, a command significant enough to be included among the Ten Commandments with an attached promise.

Published 2026-09-13 · Updated 2026-09-27

Written and reviewed by the Word Oasis Editorial Team. Read our editorial policy.

0 views
Marriage and Family

Biblical explanation

The fifth commandment instructs, “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land” (), and Paul repeats this command in Ephesians, calling it “the first commandment with promise” (). For children, this includes obedience while under parental authority (), while for adult children it shifts toward respect, gratitude, and practical care, especially as parents age, illustrated by Jesus's own concern that His mother be cared for even while He was dying on the cross (). Honoring parents does not require agreeing with every decision they make or tolerating abuse, but it calls for a consistent posture of respect and appropriate care throughout every season of life.

In brief

The fifth commandment instructs, “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land” (), and Paul repeats this command in Ephesians, calling it “the first commandment with promise” ().

Bible references

Go deeper into this topic God's Design for Marriage and Family Start the study

Editorial note

This answer is written and reviewed by the Word Oasis Editorial Team, and is presented with supporting references so you can examine each passage in context. If you notice an error or unclear statement, please suggest a correction.