So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Parallel translations
- WEB Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
- KJV Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
- BSB Nevertheless, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
- NKJV Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
- NASB Nevertheless, as for you individually, each husband is to love his own wife the same as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
In summary, each husband must love his wife as himself, and each wife must respect her husband. Love and respect together sustain a godly marriage.
Overview
Paul concludes the marriage instructions by restating the core duties: sacrificial love for husbands and respect for wives. These complementary callings, rooted throughout in the Christ-church relationship, summarize the section. Together they form a picture of mutual honor that reflects the gospel.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 1 Pet 3:2–7seeing your pure behavior in fear.
- Esth 1:20When the king’s decree which he shall make is published throughout all his kingdom (for it is great), all the wives will give their husbands honor, both great and small.”
- Eph 5:25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it;
- Eph 5:22Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
- Col 3:19Husbands, love your wives, and don’t be bitter against them.
- Eph 5:28–29Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.
- Heb 12:9Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live?
- 1 Kgs 1:31Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and showed respect to the king, and said, “Let my lord king David live forever!”
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Christ at the center
Every spiritual blessing is 'in Christ,' the head over all things for the church, in whom Jew and Gentile are made one new man by his blood.
How Ephesians 5:33 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.