Exodus 20:12—“Honor Your Papa and Your Mama”

“Honor your papa and your mama, so that you go fit live long for the land wey Jehovah your God de give you.”​—Exodus 20:12, New World Translation.

Wetin Exodus 20:12 mean?

God give command to Israel people for Bible say make them honor their papa and their mama. As Jehovah add promise to this command, e give Israel people another reason to obey-am. Even though say Christians no dey under the Law wey Jehovah give Moses, wetin Jehovah want never change. The reason why Jehovah give Israel people this Law never change, so e dey important for Christians to follow-am.​—Colossians 3:20.

Whether them young or them don grow, children de honor their papa and mama when them respect and obey them. (Leviticus 19:3; Proverbs 1:8) Even when children don grow and get their own family, them go still continue to love and help their papa and mama. For example, Even when their papa and mama don old, children de make sure say them care for them.​—Matthew 15:4-6; 1 Timothy 5:4, 8.

So, children for Israel no go only honor their papa, them go still honor their mama too. This one show say mama na important person for family. (Proverbs 6:20; 19:26) Children for this our time need to de do like that too.

No be everytime children go follow the command to obey the law to honor their papa and mama. For example, if papa or mama, or any other person want make them do wetin dey against Jehovah law, children for Israel no go obey. (Deuteronomy 13:6-8) Na so e still be today, Christians must “obey God as ruler instead of people.”​—Acts 5:29.

For the Law wey God give Israel people, e promise children wey honor their papa and mama say them go “live long” and say “e go better” for them for the land wey God don give them. (Deuteronomy 5:16) Them no go suffer the kind punishment wey children wey no obey God law to honor their papa and mama go get. (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) Even as many years don pass, the reason why God give that law never change. (Ephesians 6:1-3) Whether we be small pikin or we don grow, the Person wey create us go judge us for anything wey we do. And true-true, children wey de obey God and their papa and mama go live long. In fact, them get hope to live forever.​—1 Timothy 4:8; 6:18, 19.

Things wey dey around Exodus 20:12

This command for Exodus 20:12 get important position for the Ten Commandments, or Ten Words. (Exodus 20:1-17) The commands before this particular one for verse 12 de talk about wetin Israel people need to do to fit make God happy, like to de worship only God. The commands wey de follow-am de talk about how Israel people go fit treat other people well, like the command for husband and wife to dey faithful to each other and make person no de thief. So, the command to “honor your papa and mama” come be like bridge wey connect laws wey de talk about wetin God want and how to treat people.