SPECIAL TOPIC: HONOR FATHER AND MOTHER

Exodus 20:12

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

Background
1. This is the first of the common divisions of the Ten Words into:
  1. covenant person's relationship to YHWH (Exod. 20:1-11)
  2. covenant person's relationship to the believing community (Exod. 20:12-17)
2. This division is suspect because it reflects western categories, not the holistic concepts of the Hebrews where all of life belonged in a religious context.
3. The normal interpretation in which the Ten Words were divided into subject matter and that, therefore, the two tablets reflected this division, has been shown to be suspect, based on the Hittite Suzerainty Treaty pattern (see SPECIAL TOPIC: HITTITE (SUZERAINTY) TREATIES).
Word Studies of Significant Terms
FIRST
1. "Honor" = "to make heavy" (BDB 457, 455, Piel IMPERATIVE, although a Piel INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE is possible), Exod. 20;12
2. Special usages
  1. Qal stem
    1. to be heavy in weight
    2. to be heavy as a metaphor for insensible or dull
    3. to be heavy as a metaphor for honored
  2. Niphal stem
    1. PASSIVE
      (1) be made heavy
      (2) be honored
    2. get oneself glory
  3. Piel stem
    1. make heavy, insensible
    2. make honorable, Exod. 20:12
  4. Pual - be made honorable
  5. Hiphil stem
    1. make heavy
    2. make dull or unresponsive
    3. cause to be honored
  6. Hithpael stem
    1. make oneself heavy, dense, or numerous
    2. honor oneself
3. Translation variations
  1. "honor"
  2. "regard"
  3. "give due weight to"
SECOND
1. "Prolong," BDB 73 (cf. Gen. 26:8; Exod. 20:12)
2. Related Hebrew terms
  1. to delay or be long (cf. Jdgs. 5:28)
  2. to be many or much (cf. Deut. 14:25; 19:6; 1 Sam. 7:2)
3. Translation variations
  1. "long"
  2. "prolong"
  3. "long," "endure"
  4. "lifelong"