Ephesians 6:1-4

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

² “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise:

³ “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

⁴ And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

obey (v.1) = lit. “to hear under” (authority) — to listen to a command and to submit — the tense indicates a habitual, constant action

in the Lord (v.1) — connected with “obey” — it defines the sphere in which the obedience occurs

right (v.1) = righteous, required by law — In the parallel passage (Colossians 3:20), the motivation is that obedience is “well pleasing to the Lord.”

honor (v.2) = to estimate, fix the value — to evaluate another accurately and honestly and treat him with the deference, respect, reverence, kindness and obedience his station in life and character demands

The argument in verse 3 is not that obedient children are assured of long life on the earth but that God, in promising such physical blessing to Israel, showed the exceptional importance of this commandment. — Williams, page 927

provoke (v.4) = rouse to wrath, exasperate, anger — referring to injustice or undue severity or other actions which will make them indisposed to obey and honor

bring … up (v.4) = nourish to maturity, nurture

training (v.4) = training by act or discipline — the whole education and training related to cultivation of mind and morals

admonition (v.4) = training by word — exhortation, including encouragement and remonstrance or reproof