John Calvin Commentary Ephesians 6:2

"Honor thy father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise)," — Ephesians 6:2 (ASV)

Which is the first commandment with promise. The promises attached to the commandments are intended to stir our hopes and to add greater cheerfulness to our obedience. Therefore, Paul uses this as a kind of seasoning to make the submission he requires of children more pleasant and agreeable.

He does not merely say that God has offered a reward to the one who obeys his father and mother, but that such an offer is unique to this commandment. If each of the commandments had its own promises, there would have been no basis for the commendation given in this instance. But this is the first commandment, Paul tells us, which God has been pleased, as it were, to seal with a remarkable promise. There is some difficulty here, because the second commandment also contains a promise:

I am the Lord your God, who shew mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments (Exodus 20:5–6).

But this promise is universal, applying indiscriminately to the whole law, and cannot be said to be specifically attached to that particular commandment. Paul’s assertion still holds true that no other commandment but the one that requires the obedience children owe to their parents is distinguished by a promise.