Proverbs 22:6

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Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)

Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

Proverbs 22:6 (NLT)

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)

Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he grows older he will not abandon it.

Proverbs 22:6 (NASB)

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God's wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6 (AMP)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6 (AMPC)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

Point your kids in the right direction — when they're old they won't be lost.

Proverbs 22:6 (MSG)

Scripture quotations from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.

New Covenant Meaning

Chanak: Initiation, Dedication, Setting on the Path

The Hebrew chanak (train up) originally described the act of initiating or dedicating something for its intended purpose. It is related to the word Chanukah, the dedication of the temple. To chanak a child is to dedicate them, to initiate them, to introduce them into the thing they are meant for. This is not merely instruction in rules. It is consecration toward a purpose. Raising a child in the way they should go is an act of dedication, placing them before God and orienting their entire life toward Him. The parent is not just an educator. They are a consecrator.

The Way He Should Go: His Design, Not Just Rules

The Hebrew al pi darko (according to his way, his bent, his path) is nuanced. It does not simply mean the correct moral path as defined by adults. It carries the sense of the individual child's natural path and design. The Amplified captures this well: "in keeping with his individual gift or bent." Part of training is discerning and working with what God has already placed in the child: their design, their gifts, their wiring. The proverb commends attentive parenting that recognizes who this specific child is and trains them in accordance with that, not a one-size-fits-all religious program.

Proverbs 22:6 is a proverb, not an unconditional guarantee. Proverbs are wisdom principles describing general patterns, not absolute promises with zero exceptions. Parents who raised their children faithfully have sometimes seen them wander in adulthood. This verse is not a promise that removes grief or erases free will. It is wisdom that describes the long-term power of early formation: what is planted in childhood has staying power. The way of the Lord introduced in early years tends to remain as a reference point even when a person strays. It is a reason to invest faithfully, not a guarantee to claim triumphantly against evidence.

Application for Your Life

The Investment Is Long-Term: Do Not Lose Hope

Proverbs 22:6 includes the phrase "when he is old." The return on the investment of faithful training may not be visible during the child's teenage years or even young adulthood. The proverb is making a long-game argument. What is planted does not always bear fruit immediately. If you raised children in the way of the Lord and they are currently walking away from it, this proverb is not a rebuke. It is a ground for continued hope. The seed you planted is still there. The way does not depart from them even when they appear to have departed from the way.

Model the Way, Not Just Teach the Rules

Chanak (initiation, dedication) implies more than verbal instruction. Children are initiated into a way of life by watching the people who form them. Deuteronomy 6:7 describes the method of training: talking about God's commands when you sit at home, when you walk along the road, when you lie down, when you get up. The training is embedded in ordinary life, not confined to formal religious instruction. The child is introduced to a way of living God's presence in every part of daily existence. That is the chanak that sticks.

Prayer Based on This Verse

Father, I bring before You every child in my life that I have influence over. I dedicate them to You. I ask for wisdom to see who You made each one to be and to train them in the way that fits their design. Where I have invested faithfully, I trust Your long-term work in their lives. Where they are wandering, I hold onto this promise: the way planted does not disappear. Bring them back to what You placed in them. In Jesus name. Amen.