13:24

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

24a He who spares the rod hates his son,

24b but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

These two lines form a chiasm. The parts in 13:24a occur in the opposite order from the parallel parts in 13:24b. If a chiasm is not natural in your language, you may need to change the order of the parallel parts. For example:

24a Whoever fails to use the stick hates his child ;

24b whoever is free with correction loves him. (New Jerusalem Bible)

13:24a–b

spares the rod…disciplines him diligently: In the ancient Near East, it was common to use physical punishment as a means of discipline. These phrases contrast a parent who refuses to use physical discipline with a parent who diligently uses it.

spares the rod: The word rod refers to a stick or cane. A parent who spares the rod refrains from using punishment to discipline a child who has done wrong. The purpose of disciplining with a rod was not to injure a child or to cause pain (see Proverbs 23:13), but give consequences for his/her wrong actions. Therefore, be careful to translate in a way that does not encourage harsh or violent beatings. In English, the translation of “switch” (a thin, flexible rod used for physical discipline) might be better than rod.

In some languages, it may be helpful to supply a verb indicating what the parent was doing with the rod. If the verb is specific enough, you may choose to leave the word rod out of the translation completely. A few versions translate the word rod in a way that refers to punishment in general. For example:

Whoever refuses to spank his son (God’s Word)
-or-
If you do not punish your children (New Century Version)

disciplines him diligently: A parent who loves his child takes care or is diligent to “discipline” him. The word translated as disciplines is the same word that was used in 13:18a. But here, given the mention of “the rod,” it probably means “correct” or “discipline” rather than “instruct” or “advise.” Some other ways to translate 13:24b are:

Those who love their children care enough to discipline them. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
but he who loves him disciplines him diligently (New American Standard Bible)

hates his son…loves him: The word hates is a figure of speech (hyperbole). It emphasizes that a father does not truly love his child if he does not use physical punishment to correct him. In some languages, the word hates may literally indicate that the father feels hatred for his child. If that is true in your language, it may be better to use a different expression. For example:

If you don’t punish your children, you don’t love them. (Good News Translation, New Century Version)

You can maintain the emphasis of the hyperbole hates by using the words “truly” or “actually.” For example:

24a If a person does not ⌊truly⌋ love his son

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