The question what the Bible says about relationships between generations is one of the most frequently asked on our site. Below we provide essential texts, though they are not of course all the biblical texts related to this subject.

Statements of the Holy Scriptures about relationships between parents and children are very numerous, since it is an important spiritual and moral problem in people’s lives. Each era within the framework of its culture brings to the solution of this problem something of their own; the Bible proposes us a look on this problem from a spiritual point of view. The most important thing that the Word of God tells us about these relationships is that they are always built before the face of God and it is not indifferent for the Creator the way we behave towards our own parents and our children. Statements of Holy Scriptures about this subject can be divided into four groups. First, the relationship between parents and children are examined in detail in the Pentateuch, mainly within the framework of the Law of Moses. The first and one of the key words about family relationship we find at the very beginning of the Bible, in the story of the creation of man. By establishing marriage as the standard of a family life, the Lord speaks about a certain age of emancipation of the children from their parents, without canceling the moral contents of their relationship. Next, the other books of the Pentateuch, contain particularly the commandments of honoring and respecting the parents. The words about honor, included in the Ten Commandments are the basis of bases of the biblical faith and morality, - not limited to any age or to the very marital status of man; the duty to honor the parents is set here for obligation not much before the parents themselves, as before God.

Simultaneously, the law imposes on the parents a duty to care first of all about the moral character of the children (Deuteronomy 21:18). Although in some texts are heard the echoes of the patrimonial consciousness of the former Middle East, uniting all the members of the family under the power and the moral responsibility of the head of the house. Nevertheless the Word of God, asking to honor the parents, divides clearly the moral responsibility of the children and the parents for their lives (Deuteronomy 24:16).

The Law pays a special attention to the ban to speak evil of parents. Here, it is even maybe for the first time in the religious history, that the word according to its spiritual meaning is assimilated to an act.

The second group of statements about the relationship of generations is in the didactic and, partially in the historic books of the Bible. Repeating much what was said in the Law, the didactic books of the Bible pay a main attention on the duties of the parents to take care of the spiritual growth of the children. The wisdom meaning in the didactic books a life according to God's commandments, obedience to God and the avoidance of sin, - is the main thing that parents have to pass on to children. The didactic books consider righteousness as a work requiring wisdom and efforts of will. That is why the teaching of wisdom, the teaching of the bases of moral life, is associated here with the need to use parental authority. Indulgence to weaknesses and gusts of the children, drives according to Joshua Ben Sirach to disastrous consequences for the parents and for the children ((Wisdom of Sirach 30:1).

However, the didactic books emphasize that in order to pass on to children the experience of righteousness, parents themselves have to live according to the commandments (Wisdom of Sirach 41:8). Besides, the didactic books speak about the duty of gratitude towards parents for what they have done for their children (Tob. 4:3-4, Sir 7:29-30).

The third group of texts, small in volume, belongs to the prophetic books. The words of the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel have here an exceptional meaning. The prophet Isaiah compares the relation towards the earthly father and mother, who gave birth to man with the relation towards the Creator. From these types of relations ensues the duty of honor and gratitude to God, and to the parents. Simultaneously the obligation of the parents is likened to what God does towards people created by Him.

The prophet Ezekiel, refuting in the name of the Almighty the various representations of his time, announces the personal responsibility of each person before God. Neither the righteousness of the father will save the son, either the sin of the father will ruin the son; the righteousness of the son will not save the father and the sin of the son will not ruin the father. In such way, God builds the relationship with each person specially. At the same time, these words of Ezekiel emphasize that, in spite of the importance of the mutual obligations, the spiritual life of parents and the children takes place rather remotely, at least for what concerns the adult children. That is why the relations between generations can sometimes acquire a conflicting character, as says it the prophet Micah (this word will afterward be quoted by Jesus Christ). The prophets see the liberation of people from sin in the family relations as the result of God's salvational action, which has to come true through Christ. Only He can, according to the word of the prophet Malachi, turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to the fathers, that is give them the possibility of a real spiritual unity before God. In general, it is typical for the Old Testament the consideration of the relationships between parents and children in a religious context; these relationships must be dedicated to God and be built in His dignity. Already in the antiquity these representations were in contradiction with the unbiblical approach to the problem (2 Macc 7:20).

Finally, the fourth and last group of statements concerns the New Testament. To a large extend the texts of the New Testament repeat, and sometimes quote even directly the most important ideas formulated in the Old Testament. However for the New Testament the problem of relationships between generations appears as a particular case of relations between people in general; as in all other cases, the disciple of the Lord Jesus-Christ are called to love others - including the relatives. The Lord Himself, as stressed by the Gospel, submitted Himself in childhood to the parental authority of Her Blessed Mother and father called Joseph. Afterward the Lord turned not once to the words of the prophet Micah and emphasized that relations with God are fundamentally important for the construction of any human relations. By virtue of this, they can also be the reason of division between people, including relatives. The Lord calls His disciples family (Matthew 12:46), giving to relations between relatives a radically spiritual character. Among the words of the Lord Jesus-Christ, a special place occupies the parable of the prodigal son (Luc 15:11-32), in which the Lord, as earlier the prophet Isaiah, speaks about the similarity of the relationship with God and relations with parents. The example of love and compassion, connecting parents and children for all times was the affliction of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the foot of the cross.

Apostle Paul’s epistles in a new context repeat the commandment to honor parents as a call to love. The Apostle emphasizes that children and parents are called to love and their obligations towards one another are mutual. Speaking of honoring parents, the Apostle adds also the word that parents have as well to respect children.