“‘You shall rise up before the gray head, and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God. I am Yahweh.
Parallel translations
- KJV Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.
- BSB You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, honor the aged, and fear your God. I am the LORD.
- ESV “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.
- NKJV ‘You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the Lord.
- NASB ‘You shall stand up in the presence of the grayheaded and honor elders, and you shall fear your God; I am the Lord.
- NLT “Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear your God. I am the Lord.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel is to honor the elderly, standing in their presence as an act that reflects the fear of God. Reverence for age expresses reverence for the Lord.
Overview
Rising before the gray-headed and honoring the aged was a visible mark of a society ordered under God. The command links respect for elders directly to fearing God, showing that how we treat people reveals our reverence for their Maker. This wisdom-rooted ethic dignifies every stage of life and reflects the honor due to those who bear God's image.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- 1 Tim 5:1Don’t rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father; the younger men as brothers;
- Prov 16:31Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is attained by a life of righteousness.
- Lam 5:12Princes were hanged up by their hand: The faces of elders were not honored.
- Prov 20:29The glory of young men is their strength. The splendor of old men is their gray hair.
- Job 32:6Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered, “I am young, and you are very old; Therefore I held back, and didn’t dare show you my opinion.
- Lev 19:14“‘You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind; but you shall fear your God. I am Yahweh.
- Job 32:4Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job, because they were elder than he.
- Rom 13:7Therefore give everyone what you owe: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if customs, then customs; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
- 1 Pet 2:17Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
- Isa 3:5The people will be oppressed, everyone by another, and everyone by his neighbor. The child will behave himself proudly against the old man, and the base against the honorable.
- 1 Kgs 2:19Bathsheba therefore went to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. The king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself to her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a throne to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand.
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Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 19:32 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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