Ephesians 5:28-29
In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse emphasizes that husbands should love their wives "as their own bodies," not just like their bodies, but as them. This highlights the profound unity and interdependence Paul intends, suggesting a husband's love for his wife is essentially a love for himself because they are "one flesh." Therefore, treating her well is not just a selfless act, but a form of self-care.
Paul has just finished drawing a profound parallel between Christ's love for the Church and the ideal marital relationship, emphasizing Christ's sacrificial and purifying love. Now, he turns directly to husbands, instructing them to mirror this divine love by cherishing their wives as they would their own bodies, seeing their union as a sacred oneness. This instruction flows directly from the preceding example of Christ's devoted love, grounding the husband's duty in that ultimate model.
The Bible tells husbands to love their wives 'as their own bodies.' What does this radical comparison actually mean for daily life?
Paul’s instruction here isn't just a poetic flourish; it's a profound call to integrate your wife's well-being with your own.
Deep Unity
This means treating your wife with the same care, attention, and protection you naturally give yourself. Just as you wouldn't intentionally harm your own body or neglect its needs, you should treat your wife with that level of intrinsic value and concern. She is, in a very real sense, part of you.
Shared Life and Happiness
When you love your wife as your own body, her joys become your joys, and her pains become your pains. Her thriving is your thriving. This isn't about a one-way sacrifice, but a profound recognition that your lives are so intertwined that her welfare directly impacts your own happiness and fulfillment.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Ephesians 5:28-29 is available in the Sola app.
The verse concludes with a striking statement: 'He who loves his wife loves himself.' How does loving your wife amount to loving yourself?
Paul is drawing a direct line between the way a husband loves his wife and the natural, inherent self-love every person possesses.
Unified Identity
Because the husband and wife are 'one flesh,' a genuine, self-sacrificing love for the wife isn't an external duty but an extension of natural self-regard. When you care for your wife, nourish her, and protect her, you are, in essence, caring for yourself.
Proactive Well-being
Think about how you take care of yourself – you eat when you're hungry, rest when you're tired, and seek healing when you're hurt. Applying this to your marriage means proactively ensuring your wife's needs are met and her well-being is prioritized, knowing that her flourishing is your flourishing.
Understand the original words
sarx · Greek Noun
The physical body of an individual, often used metaphorically in Scripture to describe humanity, human nature, or the unity of believers as one entity under Christ.
ektrephō · Greek Verb
To provide sustenance, care for, and bring to maturity. Biblically, this term reflects the active, ongoing care and provision provided by Christ to His people.
thalpō · Greek Verb
To treat with tender care, warmth, and protection. It implies an affectionate concern for the well-being of another, similar to the care one gives to their own person.
This foundational passage describes the creation of the first couple, establishing the principle of 'one flesh' that underpins the idea of a husband loving his wife as himself.
1 Corinthians 11:3This verse offers a parallel concept, stating that 'the head of Christ is God,' which, when compared to Ephesians 5:23 (husband as head of wife), helps illuminate the divinely ordained headship and the relational responsibilities involved.
Colossians 3:19This verse directly instructs husbands to 'love your wives and do not be harsh with them,' reinforcing the command found in Ephesians 5:28 with a complementary emphasis on the manner of love.
1 Peter 3:7Peter echoes Paul's teaching by instructing husbands to live with their wives 'in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life,' highlighting the respect and partnership inherent in marital love.
barnesEphesians 5:28: "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself."
So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies - Because they are one flesh; Ephesians 5:31 . This is the subject on which Paul had been speaking, and from which he had been diverted by the allusion to the glorified church. The doctrine here is, that a husband should have the same care for the comfort of his wife which he has for himself. He should regard her as one with himself…
gillEphesians 5:28: "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself."
So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies,.... It is a common saying with the Jews, that a man's wife is "as his own body" (r); and it is one of the precepts of their wise men, that a man should honour his wife more than his body, , and "love her as his body" (s); for as they also say, they are but one body (t); the apostle seems to speak in the language of his countrymen;…
The verse emphasizes that husbands should love their wives "as their own bodies," not just like their bodies, but as them. This highlights the profound unity and interdependence Paul intends, suggesting a husband's love for his wife is essentially a love for himself because they are "one flesh." Therefore, treating her well is not just a selfless act, but a form of self-care.
Paul has just finished drawing a profound parallel between Christ's love for the Church and the ideal marital relationship, emphasizing Christ's sacrificial and purifying love. Now, he turns directly to husbands, instructing them to mirror this divine love by cherishing their wives as they would their own bodies, seeing their union as a sacred oneness. This instruction flows directly from the preceding example of Christ's devoted love, grounding the husband's duty in that ultimate model.
Paul has just finished drawing a profound parallel between Christ's love for the Church and the ideal marital relationship, emphasizing Christ's sacrificial and purifying love. Now, he turns directly to husbands, instructing them to mirror this divine love by cherishing their wives as they would their own bodies, seeing their union as a sacred oneness. This instruction flows directly from the preceding example of Christ's devoted love, grounding the husband's duty in that ultimate model.
"In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church," — The verse emphasizes that husbands should love their wives "as their own bodies," not just like their bodies, but as them. This highlights the profound unity and interdependence Paul intends, sug…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
