Ephesians 5:22-24
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 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. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The text emphasizes that a wife's submission is specifically to "your own" husbands, highlighting the unique, personal bond and covenant within marriage as the foundation for this relationship. This instruction is not a general command for all women but is rooted in the intimate union God designed between husband and wife.
Paul has just urged believers to live as children of light, avoiding sin and exposing darkness. Now, he transitions to how this transformed life plays out in specific relationships, beginning with marriage, which he uses as a powerful metaphor for Christ's relationship with the Church. This instruction about wives submitting to their husbands is immediately followed by a command for husbands to love their wives sacrificially, mirroring Christ's love for the Church.
The word 'submit' can feel heavy, even outdated. But Paul grounds this instruction in something far greater than just social custom.
In Ephesians 5:22, Paul instructs wives to 'submit yourselves.' This isn't a call for blind obedience or a statement of inferiority. Instead, it's about a voluntary yielding of one's own will and rights, a concept that flows from the deeper reality of our submission to Christ.
While this verse directly addresses wives, the commentary highlights that the husband's role is equally profound and is the essential counterpart to this submission.
Paul's instruction for wives to submit is inseparable from the husband's role as the 'head' of the wife, a concept explained through the analogy of Christ and the church.
Understand the original words
Kyriō · Greek Noun
The divine Sovereign and Master who possesses supreme authority over all creation and specifically over the Church. It denotes Jesus' lordship as the resurrected Redeemer.
kephalē · Greek Noun
An authoritative leader, source, or origin. In marriage, it denotes the husband's role as the provider of leadership and protection, modeled after Christ's care for His people.
ekklēsia · Greek Noun
The assembly or congregation of believers worldwide who are united to Christ. It is described as His body, reflecting both a living organism and a spiritual organization under His rule.
sōtēr · Greek Noun
The one who delivers or rescues from danger, bondage, or destruction. Specifically, it refers to Jesus, who saves the believer from the penalty and power of sin.
c. AD 60-62— this verse
Paul writes Ephesians from Rome
The Apostle Paul penned the letter to the Ephesians while under house arrest in Rome, likely during his first Roman imprisonment.
c. AD 48-50
Paul's First Missionary Journey
During his travels, Paul established churches and taught extensively about Christian conduct and doctrine, laying groundwork for his later letters.
c. AD 50-52
Paul in Corinth
Paul spent a significant time in Corinth, a major commercial hub, where he wrote his letters to the Thessalonians, addressing practical issues of Christian living.
c. AD 55-57
Paul writes to the Corinthians
From Ephesus, Paul addressed complex issues facing the Corinthian church, including questions about marriage and household relationships, providing foundational teachings.
c. AD 60-62
Paul writes to the Colossians
This passage directly echoes Ephesians 5:22, stating 'Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord,' reinforcing the idea that this submission is divinely ordained and should be done with the Lord in view.
1 Peter 3:1Here, Peter addresses wives similarly, urging them to 'be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without any word by the conduct of their wives.' This highlights the purpose and manner of submission as a potential means of witness.
Genesis 3:16This verse describes God's decree after the Fall: 'Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.' This provides the Old Testament backdrop and origin for the marital hierarchy mentioned in Ephesians, explaining it as a consequence of sin.
1 Corinthians 11:3Paul explains the principle of headship: 'But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.' This passage lays the theological foundation for the wife's submission to her husband as part of a God-ordained structure.
vincentEphesians 5:22: "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord."
Your own (ἰδίοις)The peculiar personal relationship is emphasized as the ground of the duty.
barnesEphesians 5:22: "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord."
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands - On this passage, compare notes on 1 Corinthians 11:3-9 . The duty of the submission of the wife to her husband is everywhere enjoined in the Scriptures; see 1 Peter 3:1 ; Colossians 3:18 ; Titus 2:5 . While Christianity designed to elevate the character of the wife, and to make her a fit companion of an intelligent and pious husband, it did not intend to destroy…
The text emphasizes that a wife's submission is specifically to "your own" husbands, highlighting the unique, personal bond and covenant within marriage as the foundation for this relationship. This instruction is not a general command for all women but is rooted in the intimate union God designed between husband and wife.
Paul has just urged believers to live as children of light, avoiding sin and exposing darkness. Now, he transitions to how this transformed life plays out in specific relationships, beginning with marriage, which he uses as a powerful metaphor for Christ's relationship with the Church. This instruction about wives submitting to their husbands is immediately followed by a command for husbands to love their wives sacrificially, mirroring Christ's love for the Church.
Paul has just urged believers to live as children of light, avoiding sin and exposing darkness. Now, he transitions to how this transformed life plays out in specific relationships, beginning with marriage, which he uses as a powerful metaphor for Christ's relationship with the Church. This instruction about wives submitting to their husbands is immediately followed by a command for husbands to love their wives sacrificially, mirroring Christ's love for the Church.
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While imprisoned in Rome, Paul also wrote to the church in Colossae, reiterating similar instructions on household codes and mutual submission within relationships.
"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 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. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in…" — The text emphasizes that a wife's submission is specifically to "your own" husbands, highlighting the unique, personal bond and covenant within marriage as the foundation for this relationship. This…
