Proverbs 13:24

"’Spare the rod and spoil the child.’ This common maxim (a one-size-fits-all approach to child discipline) is often wrongly attributed to the Bible. (This maxim comes from a poem written by Samuel Butler in 1664.) In reality the book of Proverbs, when taken as a whole, encourages its readers to use multiple levels of discipline ranging from pointing out improper behavior to the use of corporal punishment." [Note: Paul D. Wegner, "Discipline in the Book of Proverbs: ’To Spank or Not To Spank?’" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 48:4 (December 2005):715-32. See also Waltke, The Book . . ., p. 574.]

"The proverb simply commends bodily chastisement as a means of training; details are left to the judgment of parents . . ." [Note: Toy, p. 278.]