Wives: Duties of, to Their Husbands: To be Subject to Them
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The role of a wife in relation to her husband is a topic addressed in several passages of the Bible, emphasizing the importance of submission within the marital relationship. This concept is rooted in the biblical understanding of marriage as a covenantal union reflecting the relationship between Christ and the Church.

Biblical Foundation

The Apostle Paul provides foundational teaching on this subject in his epistle to the Ephesians. In Ephesians 5:22-24 , he writes, "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." This passage establishes the principle of submission as an act of obedience to the Lord, aligning the marital relationship with the divine order.

Similarly, in Colossians 3:18 , Paul instructs, "Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord." Here, the submission is described as fitting, suggesting that it is appropriate and harmonious with God's design for marriage.

Theological Context

The concept of submission is not indicative of inferiority or inequality but rather reflects a divinely ordained structure within the family. The husband's role as the head of the wife is paralleled with Christ's headship over the Church, emphasizing leadership, love, and sacrificial care. In Ephesians 5:25 , husbands are commanded to "love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her." This mutual relationship of love and respect forms the basis for the wife's submission.

Practical Implications

Submission involves a respectful acknowledgment of the husband's leadership and a willingness to support and cooperate with him in decision-making processes. It is an expression of trust in both the husband's leadership and God's sovereign plan for the family. This duty is exercised in the context of a loving and nurturing relationship, where both husband and wife seek to honor God through their roles.

Cultural Considerations

While the biblical mandate for wives to be subject to their husbands is clear, it is essential to understand this teaching within its cultural and historical context. The biblical model challenges both husbands and wives to transcend cultural norms by embodying Christ-like love and humility. The wife's submission is not a call to passivity or silence but an invitation to active partnership and engagement within the marriage.

Other Scriptural References

The Apostle Peter also addresses the role of wives in 1 Peter 3:1-2 , stating, "Wives, in the same way, submit yourselves to your husbands so that, even if they refuse to believe the word, they will be won over without words by the behavior of their wives when they see your pure and reverent demeanor." This passage highlights the powerful witness of a wife's respectful and godly conduct, even in challenging circumstances.

In summary, the duty of wives to be subject to their husbands is a biblical principle that underscores the importance of order, respect, and mutual love within the marriage covenant. It calls for a harmonious relationship that reflects the unity and love between Christ and His Church.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Genesis 3:16
To the woman he said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in sorrow you shall bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ephesians 5:22,24
Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Peter 3:1
Likewise, you wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Letter xv. Social and Relative Duties.
... the duties arising out of it are very properly classed as moral duties. ... As the Church
is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in ...
/.../letter xv social and relative.htm

The Domestic Relation.
... Duties Of The Wife To The Husband ... just cause of lament that so comparatively few
wives have a ... is that the young women be sober, love their husbands, love their ...
/.../orr/the gospel day /chapter xiii the domestic relation.htm

The Bishop's Burthen
... Intellectual to fulfil precisely all the duties of his ... Husbands are found loudly
claiming a right to ... for themselves, while they force their wives to conjugal ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bertrand/saint augustin/iii the bishops burthen.htm

Subject Index
... their imitation of divine things, [702]181, [703]182, [704]182, [705]183. Deuteronomy,
[706]571. ... Duties. ... of husbands and wives, [779]34, [780]81, [781]95, [782]95 ...
/.../irenaeus/fragments from the lost writings of irenaeus/subject index.htm

Mothers, Daughters, and Wives in Israel
... as to leave no leisure for the duties of married ... been quite solitary in Palestine;
we find their sisters in a ... Wives such as Priscilla, mothers such as that of ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 9 mothers daughters and.htm

Healing for the Wounded
... We have known tender wives who have laid their husbands ... there are not a few who get
their wounds glossed over by some pretended good works or duties. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/healing for the wounded.htm

Letter cxcix. Canonica Secunda.
... functions, from the fact that his sacred duties lie not ... will come under the same
principle as wives who, when ... Their heresy is, as it were, an offshoot of the ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/letter cxcix canonica secunda.htm

On Mutual Subjection {1} --(First Printed in 1744)
... apply it to humility, to the duties of charity ... to be paid, shall be the subject of
my ... their masters, children their parents, and wives their husbands, not from ...
/.../swift/three sermons three prayers/on mutual subjection 1first printed.htm

Ephesians v. 22-24
... Even so ought husbands to love their own wives," saith he ... not take place; and are
delighted when their wealth is ... He is no longer setting down the duties of love ...
/.../homily xx ephesians v 22-24.htm

An Account of the General Conference of 1796
... as also for the relief of the wives and children ... myself to my American brethren entirely
to their service, all ... but to exercise all the episcopal duties, when I ...
/.../chapter 2 an account of.htm

Resources
How many wives did King David have? | GotQuestions.org

Why did the Israelites have to abandon their foreign wives and children? | GotQuestions.org

How many wives did Abraham have? | GotQuestions.org

Wives: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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Subtopics

Wives

Wives of Ministers should be Exemplary

Wives: Bad: Herodias

Wives: Bad: Jezebel

Wives: Bad: Job's Wife

Wives: Bad: Michal

Wives: Bad: Samson's Wife

Wives: Bad: Sapphira

Wives: Bad: Zeresh

Wives: Duties of, to Their Husbands: To be Faithful to Them

Wives: Duties of, to Their Husbands: To be Subject to Them

Wives: Duties of, to Their Husbands: To Love Them

Wives: Duties of, to Their Husbands: To Obey Them

Wives: Duties of, to Their Husbands: To Remain With Them for Life

Wives: Duties of, to Their Husbands: To Reverence Them

Wives: Good are a Blessing to Husbands

Wives: Good are a Token of the Favour of God

Wives: Good are Benevolent to the Poor

Wives: Good are Diligent and Prudent

Wives: Good are from the Lord

Wives: Good are Praised by Husbands

Wives: Good: Abigail

Wives: Good: Bring Honor on Husbands

Wives: Good: Duty of, to Unbelieving Husbands

Wives: Good: Elizabeth

Wives: Good: Esther

Wives: Good: Orpah and Ruth

Wives: Good: Priscilla

Wives: Good: Sarah

Wives: Good: Secure Confidence of Husbands

Wives: Good: should be Silent in the Churches

Wives: Good: Wife of Manoah

Wives: Not to be Selected from Among the Ungodly

Wives: should be Adorned with a Meek and Quiet Spirit

Wives: should be Adorned with Good Works

Wives: should be Adorned with Modesty and Sobriety

Wives: should be Adorned: Not With Ornaments

Wives: should Seek Religious Instruction from Their Husbands

Related Terms

Servant-wives (4 Occurrences)

Concubines (18 Occurrences)

Adah (8 Occurrences)

Zillah (3 Occurrences)

Lamech (11 Occurrences)

Ahinoam (7 Occurrences)

Begetteth (52 Occurrences)

Infants (71 Occurrences)

Fathered (4 Occurrences)

Dearer (4 Occurrences)

Bashemath (6 Occurrences)

Ahin'o-am (7 Occurrences)

Subjection (40 Occurrences)

Married (152 Occurrences)

Jizreelitess (5 Occurrences)

Goblets (12 Occurrences)

Riseth (165 Occurrences)

Mahalath (6 Occurrences)

Basmath (7 Occurrences)

Consorts (3 Occurrences)

Ab'igail (16 Occurrences)

Maachah (19 Occurrences)

Subject (99 Occurrences)

Abigail (18 Occurrences)

Polygamy

Wife (437 Occurrences)

Widows (33 Occurrences)

Slain (235 Occurrences)

Provide (74 Occurrences)

Besides (178 Occurrences)

Foreign (65 Occurrences)

Captive (123 Occurrences)

Calamity (108 Occurrences)

Threescore (87 Occurrences)

Lain (57 Occurrences)

Loveth (88 Occurrences)

Queens (4 Occurrences)

Taking (445 Occurrences)

Ziklag (13 Occurrences)

Carmel (33 Occurrences)

Jabesh-gilead (12 Occurrences)

Looted (9 Occurrences)

Wounding (24 Occurrences)

Wagons (14 Occurrences)

Won (24 Occurrences)

Waggons (9 Occurrences)

Injuring (4 Occurrences)

Feasting (39 Occurrences)

Twenty-eight (13 Occurrences)

Rachel (42 Occurrences)

Raising (29 Occurrences)

Ruled (84 Occurrences)

Eighteen (22 Occurrences)

Elkanah (20 Occurrences)

Deportment (12 Occurrences)

Diminished (11 Occurrences)

Daylight (24 Occurrences)

Decrease (4 Occurrences)

Divorced (10 Occurrences)

Ma'acah (22 Occurrences)

Permitted (31 Occurrences)

Plunder (118 Occurrences)

Princesses (4 Occurrences)

Beeri (2 Occurrences)

Bruising (5 Occurrences)

Bani (15 Occurrences)

Beget (20 Occurrences)

Behavior (20 Occurrences)

Basemath (7 Occurrences)

Ben-hadad (27 Occurrences)

Carmelite (6 Occurrences)

Carts (13 Occurrences)

Captives (69 Occurrences)

Ammonite (22 Occurrences)

Anah (10 Occurrences)

Sixty (70 Occurrences)

Submit (36 Occurrences)

Shemariah (5 Occurrences)

Wives: Duties of, to Their Husbands: To be Faithful to Them
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