Overview

The second table — our duty to neighbor — opens with the sum of those commandments (Q122) and then the fifth commandment, which honors God’s appointed structures of authority. The Larger Catechism treats this commandment at unusual length, covering whom “father and mother” signifies (Q124), the general scope (Q125–126), and the reciprocal duties of inferiors (Q127), superiors (Q129–130), and equals (Q131), with the sins of each, and the reason annexed (Q133).

The Questions & Answers

Q122. What is the sum of the six commandments which contain our duty to man? A. The sum of the six commandments which contain our duty to man, is, to love our neighbour as ourselves, and to do to others what we would have them to do to us.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:39, ESV)

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.” (Matt. 7:12, ESV)

Q123. Which is the fifth commandment? A. The fifth commandment is, Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Q124. Who are meant by father and mother in the fifth commandment? A. By father and mother, in the fifth commandment, are meant, not only natural parents, but all superiors in age and gifts; and especially such as, by God’s ordinance, are over us in place of authority, whether in family, church, or commonwealth.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“…respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” (Rom. 13:1, 7, ESV)

Further proofs: Eph. 5:21–22; 6:1, 5, 9; 1 Tim. 5:1–2; Gen. 4:20–21; 2 Kings 5:13.

Q127. What is the honour that inferiors owe to their superiors? A. The honour which inferiors owe to their superiors is, all due reverence in heart, word, and behaviour; prayer and thanksgiving for them; imitation of their virtues and graces; willing obedience to their lawful commands and counsels; due submission to their corrections; fidelity to, defence, and maintenance of their persons and authority, according to their several ranks, and the nature of their places; bearing with their infirmities, and covering them in love, that so they may be an honour to them and to their government.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” (Eph. 6:1–2, ESV)

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls.” (Heb. 13:17, ESV)

Further proofs: 1 Pet. 2:18; Rom. 13:1, 5; 1 Tim. 2:1–2; 5:17; Titus 2:9–10.

Q129. What is required of superiors towards their inferiors? A. It is required of superiors, according to that power they receive from God, and that relation wherein they stand, to love, pray for, and bless their inferiors; to instruct, counsel, and admonish them; countenancing, commending, and rewarding such as do well; and discountenancing, reproving, and chastising such as do ill; protecting, and providing for them all things necessary for soul and body: and by grave, wise, holy, and exemplary carriage, to procure glory to God, honour to themselves, and so to preserve that authority which God hath put upon them.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Eph. 6:4, ESV)

Further proofs: Col. 3:19, 21; 1 Pet. 3:7; 1 Tim. 5:8; Titus 2:3–5; 1 Sam. 12:23.

Q131. What are the duties of equals? A. The duties of equals are, to regard the dignity and worth of each other, in giving honour to go one before another; and to rejoice in each other’s gifts and advancement, as their own.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Rom. 12:10, ESV)

“…in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Phil. 2:3–4; cf. 1 Pet. 5:5, ESV)

Q133. What is the reason annexed to the fifth commandment…? A. The reason annexed to the fifth commandment… is an express promise of long life and prosperity, as far as it shall serve for God’s glory and their own good, to all such as keep this commandment.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“‘Honor your father and mother’… ‘that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.’” (Eph. 6:2–3, ESV)

Further proofs: Exod. 20:12; Deut. 5:16.

Exposition: Q122 gives the sum of the second table — love of neighbor and the Golden Rule. Q124 reads “father and mother” representatively: the command honors all God-ordained authority — “in family, church, or commonwealth.” The Larger Catechism’s distinctive contribution is its careful treatment of reciprocal duties. Inferiors owe superiors reverence, obedience to lawful commands, submission, and even “bearing with their infirmities, and covering them in love” (Q127). But superiors equally owe inferiors love, instruction, provision, protection, and “exemplary carriage” (Q129) — authority is a stewardship of service, not a license for self-interest, and Q130 (in the sins forbidden) condemns those who abuse their power. Equals are to honor and outdo one another and to “rejoice in each other’s gifts and advancement, as their own” (Q131). Q133 notes the “first commandment with a promise,” wisely qualified: blessing “as far as it shall serve for God’s glory and their own good.”

Connections

• WSC Q63–66 — the fifth commandment, its duties, sins, and the reason annexed.
• WCF 23 (the civil magistrate), WCF 24 (marriage and family), WCF 25, 30–31 (church officers and government).
• Loci: The fifth commandment; authority and submission; the orders of family, church, and state; servant leadership.

Pastoral & Practical Significance

The fifth commandment is the foundation of all ordered human life, because God stands behind every legitimate authority (Rom. 13:1). The Larger Catechism’s genius is its reciprocity: it refuses to let this commandment become a charter for tyranny by those in power or for resentment by those under it. Inferiors are called to genuine honor — reverence, obedience in all that is lawful, even patient love that “covers” a superior’s faults (Q127) — which checks our culture’s reflexive contempt for authority. But superiors are bound just as strictly to love, serve, protect, provide, instruct, and set an example (Q129) — authority is a weighty stewardship before God, not a privilege to be exploited; the parent who provokes, the leader who lords it over others, the employer who oppresses all break this command. And equals are to honor one another and rejoice in each other’s success “as their own” (Q131) — a beautiful antidote to envy and rivalry. Wherever you stand — child or parent, member or leader, employee or employer — this commandment calls you to honor God by faithfully serving those in your “several places and relations.” And where any authority commands sin, honor yields to the higher rule: “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

For Memory & Reflection

• Memorize Q122 and Q124; anchor verses: Matthew 7:12 and Romans 13:1, 7. Study Q127, Q129, and Q131 for your own relationships.
• Authority is reciprocal. If I hold authority, am I loving, serving, and providing (Q129) — not just commanding?
• Q131 calls equals to rejoice in each other’s gifts “as their own.” Where do I envy rather than celebrate others’ advancement?