23 Bible Verses about Discipline

Most Relevant Verses

Proverbs 12:1

Whoever loves instruction and discipline loves knowledge,
But he who hates reproof and correction is stupid.

Proverbs 1:2


To know [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction;
To discern and comprehend the words of understanding and insight,

Proverbs 23:12


Apply your heart to discipline
And your ears to words of knowledge.

Proverbs 13:1

A wise son heeds and accepts [and is the result of] his father’s discipline and instruction,
But a scoffer does not listen to reprimand and does not learn from his errors.

Jeremiah 31:18


“I have surely heard Ephraim (Israel) moaning and grieving,
‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised,
Like a bull unaccustomed to the yoke or an untrained calf;
Bring me back that I may be restored,
For You are the Lord my God.

Hebrews 12:11

For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems sad and painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness [right standing with God and a lifestyle and attitude that seeks conformity to God’s will and purpose].

From Thematic Bible


Discipline » Church » The discipline of

1 Timothy 1:20

Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be disciplined and taught not to blaspheme.

2 Corinthians 10:1

Now I, Paul, urge you by the gentleness and graciousness of Christ—I who am meek [so they say] when with you face to face, but bold [outspoken and fearless] toward you when absent!

1 Corinthians 5:5

you are to hand over this man to Satan for the destruction of his body, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

2 Corinthians 13:2

I have already warned those who have sinned in the past and all the rest as well, and I warn them now even though I am absent [from you] as I did when I was with you the second time, that if I come back I will not spare anyone,

Discipline » Of children » The correction of children

Discipline » Of armies, for disobedience of orders

Joshua 7:10-26

The Lord said to Joshua, Get up! Why do you lie thus upon your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. They have taken some of the things devoted [for destruction]; they have stolen, and lied, and put them among their own baggage. That is why the Israelites could not stand before their enemies, but fled before them; they are accursed and have become devoted [for destruction]. I will cease to be with you unless you destroy the accursed [devoted] things among you. read more.
Up, sanctify (set apart for a holy purpose) the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: There are accursed things in the midst of you, O Israel. You can not stand before your enemies until you take away from among you the things devoted [to destruction]. In the morning therefore, you shall present your tribes. And the tribe which the Lord takes shall come by families; and the family which the Lord takes shall come by households; and the household which the Lord takes shall come by persons. And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be [killed and his body] burned with fire, he and all he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord and because he has done a shameful and wicked thing in Israel. So Joshua rose up early in the morning and brought Israel near by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. He brought near the family of Judah, and the family of the Zerahites was taken; and he brought near the family of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. He brought near his household man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. And Joshua said to Achan, My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and make confession to Him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me. And Achan answered Joshua, In truth, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this have I done: When I saw among the spoils an attractive mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. Behold, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath. So Joshua sent messengers, who ran to the tent, and behold, the spoil was hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. And they took them from the tent and brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and laid them out before the Lord. And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son of Zerah, and the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had; and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why have you brought trouble on us? The Lord will trouble you this day. And all Israel stoned him and those with him with stones, and afterward burned their bodies with fire. And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor or Troubling to this day.

Judges 21:5-12

And the Israelites said, Which among all the tribes of Israel did not come up with the assembly to the Lord? For they had taken a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the Lord to Mizpah, saying, He shall surely die. And the Israelites changed their purpose [and had compassion] for the Benjamites their kinsmen and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel today. What shall we do for wives for those who are left, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters as wives? read more.
And they said, Which one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord? And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead, to the assembly. For when the people were mustered, behold, not one of the citizens of Jabesh-gilead was there. And the congregation sent there 12,000 of the bravest men, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the sword, also the women and the little ones. And this is what you shall do; utterly destroy every male and every woman who is not a virgin. And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins, who had known no man by lying with him; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

Topics on Discipline

Abstinence as a discipline

Leviticus 7:22-27

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

Church Discipline

2 Corinthians 2:6-8

For such a one this punishment by the majority is sufficient,

Discipline Child

Proverbs 23:14


You shall swat him with the reed-like rod
And rescue his life from Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).

Discipline Of The Church

1 Timothy 1:3

As I urged you when I was on my way to Macedonia, stay on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain individuals not to teach any different doctrines,

Parental Discipline

Proverbs 10:13


On the lips of the discerning, [skillful and godly] wisdom is found,
But discipline and the rod are for the back of the one who is without common sense and understanding.

Self Discipline

1 Timothy 4:7

But have nothing to do with irreverent folklore and silly myths. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness [keeping yourself spiritually fit].

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Theasaurus: Discipline