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What the Bible Says About Discipline

Overview

The Bible addresses discipline across 25 verses, drawn from the Old Testament. These passages cluster most in Joshua and Judges. Closely related themes include Nation, Armies of Israel, the, Benjamin, Tribe Of and Self-Crimination. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Joshua and Achan.

Key Bible verses about discipline

Old Testament

Joshua

Joshua 7:10

And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? liest: Heb. fallest

Joshua 7:11

Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

Joshua 7:12

Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

Joshua 7:13

Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

Joshua 7:14

In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.

Joshua 7:15

And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel. folly: or, wickedness

Joshua 7:16

So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:

Joshua 7:17

And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:

Joshua 7:18

And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.

Joshua 7:19

And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

Joshua 7:20

And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:

Joshua 7:21

When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. wedge: Heb. tongue

Joshua 7:22

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

Joshua 7:23

And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. laid: Heb. poured

Joshua 7:24

And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.

Joshua 7:25

And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

Joshua 7:26

And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day. Achor: that is, Trouble

Judges

Judges 21:5

And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.

Judges 21:6

And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.

Judges 21:7

How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?

Judges 21:8

And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly.

Judges 21:9

For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.

Judges 21:10

And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.

Judges 21:11

And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. hath lain: Heb. knoweth the lying with man

Judges 21:12

And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. young: Heb. young women virgins

People in the Bible and discipline

Biblical figures whose stories intersect with this theme.

In the Bible dictionary

Studying discipline for yourself

  • Begin with Joshua 7:10, then read the passages below in canonical order.
  • Compare how Joshua and Judges each treat the theme.
  • Consider the lives of Joshua and Achan and how their stories intersect with it.
  • Widen the study to related themes: Nation, Armies of Israel, the, Benjamin, Tribe Of and Self-Crimination.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Bible say about discipline?

The Bible addresses discipline across 25 verses, drawn from the Old Testament. These passages cluster most in Joshua and Judges. Closely related themes include Nation, Armies of Israel, the, Benjamin, Tribe Of and Self-Crimination. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Joshua and Achan.

How many Bible verses are about discipline?

The Bible references discipline in 25 verses (King James Version).

Where does the Bible first mention discipline?

In canonical order, the first of these passages is Joshua 7:10: “And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? liest: Heb. fallest”

Which people in the Bible are associated with discipline?

Joshua and Achan.

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