Hebrews 12:10 Commentary and Bible Study

There are several contrasts in this verse between earthly fathers and the Father of spirits. They disciplined us for a few days or maybe we could say a few days at a time, or a few minutes at a time, every now and then. But our heavenly Father is training us every hour of every day. We are never outside of his program; he is never off duty. Then there are other differences. They trained us ‘after their own pleasure’. The modern translations tend to take a different rendering which is plausible: they disciplined us, ‘as it seemed best to them’. But the King James translators, I think have got it right because their rendering fits the context better. Not all fathers are as bad as this, but the main point is that an earthly parent trains us at his own convenience, for his own pleasure. The father may be irritated by the conduct of the child, so he trains the child not to be irritating and this may have more weight in his mind than what is in the best interest of the child. The contrast in the King James translation collapses with the more modern renderings, so in this case, the King James Version may have been a bit tough, but it is taking us in the right direction. The Lord is so different. He trains us that we might be partakers of his holiness. Can there be any greater transformation than for sinners who are committed to self-interest and serving their lusts, to be made like God in holiness. Even now that we may grow more like our Saviour and vastly better now than we were twenty years ago.