Ephesians 6:4 (GNV)

Passage

And ye, fathers, prouoke not your children to wrath: but bring them vp in instruction and information of the Lord.

Nearby Context

Ephesians 6:2 Honour thy father and mother (which is the first commandement with promise)

Ephesians 6:3 That it may be well with thee, and that thou mayst liue long on earth.

Ephesians 6:4 And ye, fathers, prouoke not your children to wrath: but bring them vp in instruction and information of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:5 Seruants, be obedient vnto them that are your masters, according to the flesh, with feare and trembling in singlenesse of your hearts as vnto Christ,

Ephesians 6:6 Not with seruice to the eye, as men pleasers, but as the seruants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fathers", "prouoke", "children", "wrath", "bring", "instruction", "information", and "lord". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fathers" and "prouoke", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "That it may be well with thee..." into verse 5's "Seruants be obedient vnto them that are...", so "fathers" and "prouoke" belong inside that flow. In Ephesians context, the local focus is grace, union with Christ, the church, and new creation.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "fathers" and "prouoke" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.