Spare the rod

Posted by ESC May 14, 2004In reply to Meaning of the phrase posted by abdulhami sani on May 14, 2004

Hi, I would like to kindly request from you the meaning of the phrase 'spare the rod,spoil the child'.
Thank you for your cooperation.

Solomon (Prov. xiii. 24) says: "He that spareth the rod hateth his son;" but Samuel Butler, in his Hudibras (pt. ii. canto 1, line 843), says: 1 "Love is a boy, by poets styled,
Then spare the rod, and spoil the child."

From Bartleby.com

My interpretation is that a good parent who loves his child pays attention and guides the child's behavior in the right direction. A good shepherd uses a rod to direct his sheep to the right path.

Replies

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