Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Hebrews 12:11

"All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, [even the fruit] of righteousness." — Hebrews 12:11 (ASV)

At the time it takes place, chastisement is never a happy affair. On the contrary, sorrow goes with it. But while it does not “seem pleasant,” it does produce a result the writer calls a “harvest of righteousness and peace.” Suffering can easily render people irritable and impatient with one another’s faults. Therefore, it is important that suffering be accepted in the right spirit in order to produce the right result. So the author goes on to speak of those who have been “trained” (GK 1214; another athletic word) by it, meaning those who have continued to exercise themselves in godly discipline. It is not a matter of accepting a minor chastisement or two with good grace; it is the habit of life that is meant. When that is present, the peaceable fruit follows.