spare the rod and spoil the child

== English == === Alternative forms === spare the rod, spoil the child spare the rod and you will spoil the child === Etymology === Commonly claimed to have come from the King James Version of the Bible, Book of Proverbs, 13:24: “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” Due to the associated “spoil" concept which is not in the Bible, it more likely came from a 17th-century poem by Samuel Butler called Hudibras. In the poem, a love affair is likened to a child, and spanking is mockingly commended as a way to make the love grow stronger. The actual verse reads: What medicine else can cure the fitsOf lovers when they lose their wits?Love is a boy by poets styledThen spare the rod and spoil the child. === Pronunciation === === Proverb === spare the rod and spoil the child If one does not discipline a child, they will never learn obedience and good manners. ==== Related terms ==== keep a rod in pickle ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== give someone enough rope and they'll hang themself Orbilian === References ===