Overview

The second table — our duty to neighbor — opens with the fifth commandment, which honors God’s appointed structures of authority. This section (Q63–66) covers the command to honor father and mother (understood broadly as all in authority and under it), what it requires and forbids, and the reason annexed: a promise of blessing.

The Questions & Answers

Q63. 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.

Q64. What is required in the fifth commandment? A. The fifth commandment requireth the preserving the honour, and performing the duties, belonging to every one in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“Pay to all what is owed to them… respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” (Rom. 13:7, ESV)

Further proofs: Eph. 5:21–6:9; 1 Pet. 2:17; Rom. 12:10.

Q65. What is forbidden in the fifth commandment? A. The fifth commandment forbiddeth the neglecting of, or doing any thing against, the honour and duty which belongeth to every one in their several places and relations.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“…whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.” (Matt. 15:4–6, ESV)

Further proofs: Rom. 13:8; Ezek. 34:2–4; Prov. 30:17.

Q66. What is the reason annexed to the fifth commandment? A. The reason annexed to the fifth commandment is, a 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’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ‘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: The catechism reads “father and mother” representatively: the command honors all God-given relationships of authority — Q64’s “superiors, inferiors, or equals.” So it embraces parents and children, rulers and subjects, employers and employees, church officers and members, the elderly and the young. Each relationship carries reciprocal duties (Eph. 5:21–6:9): not only the obedience of inferiors but the loving care of superiors, and mutual honor among equals. Q66 notes the “first commandment with a promise” (Eph. 6:2) — long life and prosperity — but wisely qualifies it: “as far as it shall serve for God’s glory and their own good.” It is a general promise of blessing, not a mechanical guarantee, since godly people sometimes die young and the wicked prosper for a time.

Connections

• WLC Q123–133 — the fifth commandment; who are meant by father and mother; the duties of inferiors, superiors, and equals; the sins of each; the reason annexed.
• WCF 23 (Of the Civil Magistrate) — the honor due to those in civil authority; WCF 24 (marriage and family); WCF 25, 30 (the honor due to church officers).
• Loci: The fifth commandment; authority and submission; the orders of family, state, and church.

Pastoral & Practical Significance

The fifth commandment is the foundation of all ordered human life, because God Himself stands behind every legitimate authority (Rom. 13:1). To honor parents, rulers, employers, and elders is, at root, to honor the God who appointed them — and a society or church that despises authority unravels. Yet the catechism’s breadth is also a check on tyranny: authority carries duties, not just privileges (Q64). Parents are to nurture, not provoke; rulers to serve the good; the strong to care for the weak. So the commandment dignifies both the one who submits and the one who leads, calling each to honor God in their “several places and relations.” For most of us, the everyday application is honor toward those we are tempted to resent or take for granted — aging parents, imperfect leaders, ordinary authorities. And honor is not blind: where an authority commands sin, we must “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), but even then with the respect this commandment teaches. Honor flows downhill from the God who is honored above all.

For Memory & Reflection

• Memorize Q64; anchor verse: Ephesians 6:2–3. Note that “father and mother” stands for all relationships of authority.
• Authority carries duties, not just rights. If I hold any authority, am I exercising it with the care this commandment requires?
• Where am I withholding honor — from parents, leaders, or others God has placed over me — that I owe for His sake?