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  What it means

  “The Holy Spirit advises beating children with a switch; a switch will not harm their health at all.” An old proverb endorsing corporal punishment of children as spiritually and physically beneficial. Cited today mainly as a historical curiosity or to illustrate how attitudes have changed.

  English equivalent

  Spare the rod, spoil the child.

  Vocabulary

  • różdżka — switch, thin rod, wand
  • Duch Święty — Holy Spirit
  • dziateczki — little children (archaic diminutive plural)
  • radzić — to advise, to recommend
  • bynajmniej — not at all, by no means
  • zawadzić — to harm, to hinder, to get in the way

  Grammar note

  'Różdżką' is the instrumental of 'różdżka', indicating the instrument used. 'Dziateczek' is the genitive plural of the archaic diminutive 'dziateczki'. 'Bić radzi' — 'radzić' here means 'to advise to do something'.

  Cultural context

  This proverb reflects pre-modern attitudes toward child-rearing rooted in religious authority. It is now considered outdated and ethically unacceptable, but appears in historical collections of Polish proverbs.

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