athumeo describes children becoming disheartened as the result feared when fathers provoke them.

The attested use concerns becoming disheartened as the outcome to be avoided when fathers provoke their children.

1. Becoming disheartened after provocation · dominant

   In Colossians 3:21, ἀθυμῶσιν appears in the warning that fathers should not provoke their children; the stated outcome to be avoided is that the children become discouraged. The form is a third-person plural present active subjunctive, fitting the feared result for the children.

   Colossians 3:21

In the Anselm Project Bible: In Colossians 3:21 the APB renders the clause "lest they become discouraged." This rendering confirms the clause's overall outcome rather than isolating every feature of the Greek form.