Pro 22:6 | KingComments | STEP | This verse is one of the best known verses of this book. It is an encouragement to parents to give their child a proper upbringing or exercise or training. The word “train” has the idea of “consecrate”, like a house or temple are consecrated. The young man must be consecrated to God. The training up must be in accordance with “the way he should go”, with his way that is, he must be brought up in accordance with his personal qualities and abilities. These must be shaped in such a way that he becomes useful to God. The wise parent will discern the natural abilities of the individual child and train him up in them. A child who has no aptitude for music at all should not be forced to learn to play a musical instrument. There must be an understanding of the individuality of the child to which the parents must adjust the upbringing. They should not demand impossible things, but always give him assignments appropriate to his gender, age, (mental) bearing and abilities. As a matter of fact, it seems that it is primarily about the direction of the way the child should go rather than what he can and cannot do. It is about the way “he should go”, about his way of life and the purpose of his life. His life way is determined not so much by his aptitude and abilities, but by the choices he makes. Parents must teach him to make the right choices, choices that will bring and keep him on a path of dedication to God (cf. ). In the book of Proverbs, there are only two ways a child can go, which is either the way of the wise and the righteous, or the way of the fool and the wicked. The child must be taught to dedicate his life to the Lord. If he has learned from his parents in his youth to make his choices accordingly, he will do the same when he grows old. We do say: learning young is done old. The choices made for the Lord in the young years have proven its blessing time and again. A person never wants to give that up when he has grown old. Incidentally, the fact that he has grown old is evidence of God’s blessing, for reaching an old age is one of the blessings associated with trust in God. This verse is a general principle, not one that is always true in all cases. There are parents who have trained up their children in this way, yet one or some of their children have departed from the way of life to the glory of the Lord. This verse applies to children who have chosen the way of wisdom as a result of their upbringing. Unfortunately, there are also children who despite the training up by their parents still choose to go the way of the fool. For this they are fully responsible themselves. It will aggravate their punishment associated with going their own way. They have known better, but have deliberately turned away from the way of life.

‏ Proverbs 22:6

Advice For Training Up

This verse is one of the best known verses of this book. It is an encouragement to parents to give their child a proper upbringing or exercise or training. The word “train” has the idea of “consecrate”, like a house or temple are consecrated. The young man must be consecrated to God.

The training up must be in accordance with “the way he should go”, with his way that is, he must be brought up in accordance with his personal qualities and abilities. These must be shaped in such a way that he becomes useful to God. The wise parent will discern the natural abilities of the individual child and train him up in them. A child who has no aptitude for music at all should not be forced to learn to play a musical instrument. There must be an understanding of the individuality of the child to which the parents must adjust the upbringing. They should not demand impossible things, but always give him assignments appropriate to his gender, age, (mental) bearing and abilities.

As a matter of fact, it seems that it is primarily about the direction of the way the child should go rather than what he can and cannot do. It is about the way “he should go”, about his way of life and the purpose of his life. His life way is determined not so much by his aptitude and abilities, but by the choices he makes. Parents must teach him to make the right choices, choices that will bring and keep him on a path of dedication to God (cf. Gen 18:19). In the book of Proverbs, there are only two ways a child can go, which is either the way of the wise and the righteous, or the way of the fool and the wicked.

The child must be taught to dedicate his life to the Lord. If he has learned from his parents in his youth to make his choices accordingly, he will do the same when he grows old. We do say: learning young is done old. The choices made for the Lord in the young years have proven its blessing time and again. A person never wants to give that up when he has grown old. Incidentally, the fact that he has grown old is evidence of God’s blessing, for reaching an old age is one of the blessings associated with trust in God.

This verse is a general principle, not one that is always true in all cases. There are parents who have trained up their children in this way, yet one or some of their children have departed from the way of life to the glory of the Lord. This verse applies to children who have chosen the way of wisdom as a result of their upbringing. Unfortunately, there are also children who despite the training up by their parents still choose to go the way of the fool. For this they are fully responsible themselves. It will aggravate their punishment associated with going their own way. They have known better, but have deliberately turned away from the way of life.