Exodus 20:12

“Honour thy father and thy mother, etc] Which is the fifth commandment of the decalogue, but is the first commandment with promise, as the apostle says, (<490602>Ephesians 6:2) and is the first of the second table: this, though it may be extended to all ancestors in the ascending line, as father’s father and mother, mother’s father and mother, etc. and to all such who are in the room of parents, as step-fathers and step-mothers, guardians, nurses, etc. and to all superiors in dignity and office, to kings and governors, to masters, ministers, and magistrates; yet chiefly respects immediate parents, both father and mother, by showing filial affection for them, and reverence and esteem of them,…”

“The Hebrew name which is rendered in our King James Version as the ten commandments occurs in Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13; Deuteronomy 10:4. It literally means “the Ten Words.” The Ten Commandments are also called the law, even the commandment Exodus 24:12, the words of the covenant Exodus 34:28, the tables of the covenant Deuteronomy 9:9, the covenant Deuteronomy 4:13, the two tables Deuteronomy 9:10, Deuteronomy 9:17, and, most frequently, the testimony (e. g. Exodus 16:34; Exodus 25:16), or the two tables of the testimony (e. g. Exodus 31:18). In the New Testament they are called simply the commandments (e. g. Matthew 19:17). The name decalogue is found first in Clement of Alexandria,…”

“We have here the laws of the second table, as they are commonly called; the six last commandments which concern our duty to ourselves, and one another, and are a comment upon the second great commandment, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. As religion towards God is, an essential branch of universal righteousness, so righteousness towards men is an essential branch of true religion: godliness and honesty must go together. The fifth commandment is concerning the duties we owe to our relations; that of children to their parents is only instanced in, honour thy father and thy mother, which includes, an inward esteem of them, outwardly expressed upon all occasions in our carriage towards…”

“20:12-17 The remaining six instructions all have to do with human relationships. Many of the stipulations of the covenant with God relate to how people treat each other. This connection of ethical behavior with religious duty is unique in the Old Testament world. There are several ethical law codes known in the ancient Near East, and several of these predate Moses, but all of them are imposed by a human king and have little to do with religion. The pagan gods, meanwhile, were patently unethical and untrustworthy, unlike the God of Israel, whose people worship him by treating others as he does. See also Matt 19:17-19. 20:12 To honor your father and mother is to recognize that you are not…”

“Honour: Exo 21:15, Exo 21:17; Lev 19:3, Lev 19:32; Kg1 2:19; Kg2 2:12; Pro 1:8, Pro 1:9, Pro 15:5, Pro 20:20; Pro 23:22-25, Pro 28:24, Pro 30:11, Pro 30:17; Mal 1:6; Mat 15:4-6; Luk 18:20; Eph 5:21, Eph 6:1-3; Col 3:20 that thy: Deu 4:26, Deu 4:40, Deu 25:15, Deu 32:47; Pro 3:16 Exodus 20:13”

“The Fifth Word, "Honour thy father and thy mother," does not refer to fellow-men, but to "those who are the representatives (vicarii) of God. Therefore, as God is to be served with honour and fear, His representatives are to be so too" (Luther decem. praec.). This is placed beyond all doubt by Lev 19:3, where reverence towards parents is placed on an equality with the observance of the Sabbath, and תּירא (fear) is substituted for כּבּד (honour). It also follows from כּבּד, which, as Calvin correctly observes, nihil aliud est quam Deo et hominibus, qui dignitate pollent, justum honorem deferre. Fellow-men or neighbours (רע) are to be loved ( Lev 19:18): parents, on the other hand, are to be…”