The Meaning of Deuteronomy 5:16 Explained

Deuteronomy 5:16

KJV: Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

YLT: 'Honour thy father and thy mother, as Jehovah thy God hath commanded thee, so that thy days are prolonged, and so that it is well with thee, on the ground which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee.

Darby: Honour thy father and thy mother, as Jehovah thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may be well with thee in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.

ASV: Honor thy father and thy mother, as Jehovah thy God commanded thee; that thy days may be long, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Honour  thy father  and thy mother,  as the LORD  thy God  hath commanded  thee; that thy days  may be prolonged,  and that it may go well  with thee, in the land  which the LORD  thy God  giveth  thee. 

What does Deuteronomy 5:16 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The first four commandments deal primarily with man"s relationship to God. The last six deal with man"s relationship to man (cf. Matthew 22:37-39).
The first part of this verse contains a precept. "Honor" means to respect, reverence, venerate, glorify, and give heed to (cf. Leviticus 19:3; John 19:26-27). All parents are worthy of honor in word and deed regardless of their personal characters because they are responsible for giving life to their children. As we should honor God for His creative activity ( Deuteronomy 5:15; Exodus 20:11), so we should honor our parents for theirs. Parents are God"s instruments in giving us life.
"Essentially kabbed (the piel imperative of kabed) carries the nuance of weighing down with honor or respect. In the particular stem used here the idea is declaring to someone or effectively conveying to something the quality of honor. The command to honor therefore is a command to demonstrate in tangible, empirical ways the respect people must have for their parents." [1]
Obedience is one form of honor. God has commanded children to obey their parents as well as to honor them ( Colossians 3:20; cf. Luke 2:51). This responsibility to obey lasts as long as they are children. When they cease to be children the responsibility to obey ends, but the duty to honor continues.
The second part of the verse contains a promise. God promised the Israelites long life in the Promised Land of Canaan (cf. Deuteronomy 4:40; Deuteronomy 5:9-10). He has promised Christians long life on earth ( Ephesians 6:1-3).

Context Summary

Deuteronomy 5:1-21 - The Decalogue Repeated
The Law of God is for "all Israel." None are exempt. "Not with our fathers" means not with them only; Moses also uses the expression because many of the references of the Decalogue were to the settled life of Canaan. "Face to face," not in dark visions, but clearly and lucidly, Job 4:12-13. Our "face-to-face" vision is yet to come, 1 Corinthians 13:12; Revelation 22:4. Notice in Deuteronomy 5:5 the ideal mediator, Galatians 3:19; 1 Timothy 2:5.
Every soul has two givings of the Law. First, we stand under Sinai to be judged, condemned, and shut up to Christ as our only hope; then we come to it a second time, asking that the Holy Spirit should write it in our hearts, and make us to walk in obedience to its precepts, Galatians 3:23; Romans 8:4.
Adolphe Monod, on his death-bed, said: "Sin has two divisions; the evil that we have done and the good that we have left undone. As to the first, there is not a single command that I have not transgressed in letter or spirit; as to the second, it weighs on me even more than the first." [source]

Chapter Summary: Deuteronomy 5

1  The covenant in Horeb
6  The ten commandments
23  At the people's request Moses receives the law from God

What do the individual words in Deuteronomy 5:16 mean?

Honor - your father and your mother as has commanded you Yahweh your God that may be long your days that it may be well with you in the land which your God is giving you -
כַּבֵּ֤ד אֶת־ אָבִ֙יךָ֙ וְאֶת־ אִמֶּ֔ךָ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוְּךָ֖ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ לְמַ֣עַן ׀ יַאֲרִיכֻ֣ן יָמֶ֗יךָ וּלְמַ֙עַן֙ יִ֣יטַב לָ֔ךְ עַ֚ל הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־ אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ ס

כַּבֵּ֤ד  Honor 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: כָּבֵד  
Sense: to be heavy, be weighty, be grievous, be hard, be rich, be honourable, be glorious, be burdensome, be honoured.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אָבִ֙יךָ֙  your  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
אִמֶּ֔ךָ  your  mother 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֵם  
Sense: mother.
צִוְּךָ֖  has  commanded  you 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular, second person masculine singular
Root: צָוָה  
Sense: to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
לְמַ֣עַן ׀  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: לְמַעַן 
Sense: purpose, intent prep.
יַאֲרִיכֻ֣ן  may  be  long 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, Paragogic nun
Root: אָרַךְ 
Sense: to be long, prolong.
יָמֶ֗יךָ  your  days 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
וּלְמַ֙עַן֙  that 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: לְמַעַן 
Sense: purpose, intent prep.
יִ֣יטַב  it  may  be  well 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָטַב  
Sense: to be good, be pleasing, be well, be glad.
לָ֔ךְ  with  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֲדָמָה 
Sense: ground, land.
אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
נֹתֵ֥ן  is  giving 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation