Scripture Foundation:
Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.”
Ephesians 5:22-33 LSB
https://bible.com/bible/3345/eph.5.22-33.LSB
REFERENCE: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Philippians 2:5-8 NASB1995
REFERENCE: “The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.”
1 Corinthians 7:4 LSB
Breakdown & References:
γυναῖκες gynaikes woman; wife
ἰδίοις idiois one's own
CDWGTHB pertaining to self; own; private; separate; his acquaintance; when they were alone; apart; aside; due; his (own; proper; several)
κυρίῳ kyriō Lord
CDWGTHB supremacy; supreme; controller; Mr; God; Lord; master; Sir
For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
ὅτι ἀνήρ ἐστιν κεφαλὴ τῆς γυναικὸς ὡς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς κεφαλὴ τῆς ἐκκλησίας, αὐτὸς σωτὴρ τοῦ σώματος.
κεφαλὴ kephalē head
CDWGTHB seizing; head; taken
καὶ kai and; also
CDWGTHB copulative; cumulative; and; also; even; so; then; too; both; but; for; if; or; that; therefore; when; yet
σώματος sōmatos body
CDWGTHB body; sound; bodily; slave
Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
ἀλλὰ ὡς ἡ ἐκκλησία ὑποτάσσεται τῷ Χριστῷ, οὕτως καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἐν παντί.
ὑποτάσσεται hypotassetai subject; subordinate
CDWGTHB subordinate; obey; be under obedience (obedient); put under; subdue unto, (be, make) subject (to, unto), be (put) in subjection
παντί panti all; every
CDWGTHB all; any; every; whole; all (manner of, means); alway (-s); any (one), × daily, + ever; every (one, way); as many as, + no (-thing)
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
Οἱ ἄνδρες, ἀγαπᾶτε τὰς γυναῖκας, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησεν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ ἑαυτὸν παρέδωκεν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς,
ἀγαπᾶτε agapate love
CDWGTHB much; love; (be-) love (-ed)
ἠγάπησεν ēgapēsen love
CDWGTHB much; love; (be-) love (-ed)
παρέδωκεν paredōken hand over; deliver; betray
CDWGTHB surrender; yield up; intrust; transmit; betray; bring forth; cast; commit; deliver (up); give (over, up); hazard; put in prison; recommend
that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
ἵνα αὐτὴν ἁγιάσῃ καθαρίσας τῷ λουτρῷ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐν ῥήματι,
ἁγιάσῃ hagiasē sanctify; make holy
CDWGTHB make holy; purify; consecrate; venerate; hallow; be holy; sanctify
καθαρίσας katharisas make clean; cleanse; purify
CDWGTHB cleanse; (make) clean (-se); purge; purify
λουτρῷ loutrō washing; bath
CDWGTHB bath; baptism; washing
ῥήματι rhēmati word; saying; statement
CDWGTHB utterance; matter; topic; naught; + evil; nothing; saying; word
so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing , that she might be holy and without blemish
ἵνα παραστήσῃ αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ ἔνδοξον τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, μὴ ἔχουσαν σπίλον ἢ ῥυτίδα ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων, ἀλλʼ ἵνα ᾖ ἁγία καὶ ἄμωμος.
παραστήσῃ parastēsē present; be present; stand by
CDWGTHB stand beside; exhibit; proffer; recommend; substantiate; be at hand; ready; aid; assist; bring before; command; commend
ἔνδοξον endoxon glorious; splendid; honored
CDWGTHB in glory; splendid; noble; glorious; gorgeous [-ly]; honourable
σπίλον spilon spot; stain; blemish
CDWGTHB stain; blemish; defect; disgrace; spot
ἁγία hagia holy; holy one
CDWGTHB awful; sacred; pure; blameless; religious; consecrated; (most) holy (one, thing); saint
ἄμωμος amōmos blameless; without blemish
CDWGTHB unblemished; without blame (blemish, fault, spot); faultless; unblameable
In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
οὕτως ὀφείλουσιν καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες ἀγαπᾶν τὰς ἑαυτῶν γυναῖκας ὡς τὰ ἑαυτῶν σώματα· ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα ἑαυτὸν ἀγαπᾷ,
οὕτως houtōs thus; in this way; so
CDWGTHB in this way; after that; after (in) this manner; as; even (so); for all that; like (-wise); no more; on this fashion (-wise); so (in like manner
ὀφείλουσιν opheilousin owe; be obligated
καὶ kai and; also
CDWGTHB copulative; cumulative; and; also; even; so; then; too; both; but; for; if; or; that; therefore; when; yet
(CUMULATIVELY SPEAKING)
ἀγαπᾶν agapan love
CDWGTHB much; love; (be-) love (-ed)
RENDER THE LOVE OF G-D TO YOUR WIFE
σώματα sōmata body
CDWGTHB body; sound; bodily; slave
ACCORDING TO HER FLESH
However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
πλὴν καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ καθʼ ἕνα ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα οὕτως ἀγαπάτω ὡς ἑαυτόν, ἡ δὲ γυνὴ ἵνα φοβῆται τὸν ἄνδρα.
οὕτως houtōs thus; in this way; so
CDWGTHB in this way; after that; after (in) this manner; as; even (so); for all that; like (-wise); no more; on this fashion (-wise); so (in like manner
φοβῆται phobētai be afraid; fear; be frightened
CDWGTHB frighten; be alarmed; be in awe; revere; be (+ sore) afraid; fear (exceedingly); reverence
Key Takeaways:
Jesus yielded himself up to His purpose for the sake of His bride’s salvation. Husbands are to yield themselves up to the Lord, G-D, following the example of Jesus, so that the husbands’ purpose may be made apparent, giving himself up to the Lord, for the sake of his wife and his house. When husbands give themselves up to anything other than G-D, they become lost to themselves and their wives/families suffer for it. It needs to be stated that the wife/family is not the purpose. Their “salvation” or safekeeping, provision, teaching is the purpose and this is accomplished thru devotion and obedience to G-D. It is how the husband will endure thru the times when the wife/family goes their own way and when the task becomes too much to bear as a result. It is crucial that the wife/family submits to the Husband so as to not make this work wearisome. Herein is the balance of G-D and it is precisely what Jesus Christ requires and commands us, His bride…total faith, submission and obedience.