The Meaning of Ephesians 5:24 Explained

Ephesians 5:24

KJV: Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

YLT: but even as the assembly is subject to Christ, so also are the wives to their own husbands in everything.

Darby: But even as the assembly is subjected to the Christ, so also wives to their own husbands in everything.

ASV: But as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their husbands in everything.

Discover Ephesians 5:24

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Ephesians 5:24?

MEANING: What does Ephesians 5:24 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Ephesians 5:24 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Ephesians 5:24?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Therefore  as  the church  is subject  unto Christ,  so  [let] the wives  [be] to their own  husbands  in  every thing. 

What does Ephesians 5:24 Mean?

Verse Meaning

This verse continues the comparison. Submission is the proper response to sovereignly designated authority in the church-Christ relationship and in the wife-husband relationship. [1] "In everything" means in everything within the wife-husband relationship, the context within which the apostle was speaking. Paul probably did not mean in absolutely everything since the wife has a higher responsibility to obey the Lord. When she encounters conflicting authorities, the Lord, through His Word, telling her to do one thing and her husband telling her to do a contradictory thing, she should obey the Lord. [2]
"The Scripture is the guide for faith and life in the Christian home. A husband"s authority in the home is derivative: as a servant of God, his authority comes from God. He Isaiah , therefore, subject to Scripture in all that he does, and has no freedom to guide his family in ways which contradict it. Should he clearly do Song of Solomon , individual members must follow God before man. The example of Sapphira"s willing sin and personal accountability makes this clear ( Acts 5:9)." [3]
What about a Christian wife whose unsaved husband beats or otherwise abuses her? Is she to be submissive to him in everything? Peter addressed such a situation in 1 Peter 3:1-3 and commanded wives in those situations to "be submissive." He did not add "in everything." I would counsel such a woman to maintain a submissive attitude but to take measures to protect herself from danger. In commanding submission neither Paul nor Peter was saying wives must submit to situations in which they are in danger. They wanted them to submit to their husbands as God"s appointed head over them. They dealt with the basic principles believers should observe, not all the possible situations that might arise.
"The final addition in every thing might seem more than can be accepted as God"s purpose by this present generation with its stress on emancipation of womanhood, and the place of woman outside the home in every sphere of life that man occupies. Has not a woman equal rights with a man to self-determination? May not a married woman make herself a career as well as her husband? The answer that the New Testament would give is that she may do Song of Solomon , provided that it does not mean the sacrifice of the divine pattern for home life, for family relationships and for the whole Christian community. She may fulfill any function and any responsibility in society, but if she has accepted before God the responsibility of marriage and of a family these must be her first concern, and this is expressed here in terms of her relationship to her husband as head of the home." [4]

Context Summary

Ephesians 5:22-33 - Love Of Husband And Wife
The Apostle has been urging us to be filled with the Spirit, and now proceeds to show how Spirit-filled people should act in their homes. He has been exhorting to praise and joyfulness, and now urges that our lives, as well as our lips, should be attuned to music.
What a lofty ideal of wedded love is here! Chrysostom says: "Wouldest thou that thy wife obey thee as the Church doth Christ? Have care for her, then, as Christ for the Church." Our earthly relationships are similitudes and emblems of sacred realities, and the more we can import into the time sphere the inspiration and virtue of the eternal, the more transcendental and beautiful will they become. The Lord has taught us the utter renunciation of love. Men of the world reckon how much love they can get; the children of eternity how much they can give; but such giving always means getting back with compound interest. Notice those phrases about nourishing and cherishing. O wounded member of Christ's body, He suffers in thee, nourishes, cherishes, and will heal! [source]

Chapter Summary: Ephesians 5

1  After general exhortations to love;
3  to flee sexual immorality;
4  and all uncleanness;
7  not to converse with the wicked;
15  to walk carefully;
18  and to be filled with the Spirit;
22  he descends to the particular duties, how wives ought to obey their husbands;
25  and husbands ought to love their wives,
32  even as Christ does his church

Greek Commentary for Ephesians 5:24

But [αλλα]
Perhaps, “nevertheless,” in spite of the difference just noted. Once again the verb υποτασσω — hupotassō has to be supplied in the principal clause before τοις ανδρασιν — tois andrasin either as indicative (υποτασσονται — hupotassontai) or as imperative (υποτασσεστωσαν — hupotassesthōsan). [source]
Therefore [ἀλλὰ]
Rev, correctly, but. Offsetting the relation of savior. The comparison does not hold in respect of salvation, but it does hold in respect of subjection. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Ephesians 5:24

Romans 15:5 Grant you [δωιη υμιν]
Second aorist active optative (Koiné{[28928]}š form for older δοιη — doiē) as in 2 Thessalonians 3:16; Ephesians 1:17; 2 Timothy 1:16, 2 Timothy 1:18; 2 Timothy 2:25, though MSS. vary in Ephesians 1:17; 2 Timothy 2:25 for δωηι — dōēi (subjunctive). The optative here is for a wish for the future (regular idiom). According to Christ Jesus (κατα Χριστον Ιησουν — kata Christon Iēsoun). “According to the character or example of Christ Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:17; Colossians 2:8; Ephesians 5:24). [source]
Romans 15:5 According to Christ Jesus [κατα Χριστον Ιησουν]
“According to the character or example of Christ Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:17; Colossians 2:8; Ephesians 5:24). [source]
Ephesians 1:22 Gave him to be head [αυτον εδωκεν κεπαλην]
Gave (εδωκεν — edōken first aorist active indicative of διδωμι — didōmi) to the church (the universal spiritual church or kingdom as in Colossians 1:18, Colossians 1:24) Christ as Head (κεπαλην — kephalēn predicate accusative). This conception of εκκλησια — ekklēsia runs all through Ephesians (Ephesians 3:10, Ephesians 3:21; Ephesians 5:23, Ephesians 5:24, Ephesians 5:25, Ephesians 5:27, Ephesians 5:29, Ephesians 5:32). [source]
Ephesians 1:22 Gave [εδωκεν]
This conception of εκκλησια — ekklēsia runs all through Ephesians (Ephesians 3:10, Ephesians 3:21; Ephesians 5:23, Ephesians 5:24, Ephesians 5:25, Ephesians 5:27, Ephesians 5:29, Ephesians 5:32). [source]
Colossians 3:10 New [νέον]
See on Matthew 26:29. Compare Ephesians 5:24. [source]
Titus 2:9 To please them well in all things [ἐν πᾶσιν εὐαρέστους εἶναι]
Wrong. Const. in all things with to be in subjection. Note the position of ἐν πᾶσιν in 1 Timothy 3:11; 1 Timothy 4:15; 2 Timothy 2:7; 2 Timothy 4:5, and comp. ὑπακούειν κατὰ πάντα obey in all things, Colossians 3:20, Colossians 3:22; and ὑποτάσσεται - ἐν παντί issubject in everything, Ephesians 5:24. Ἑυάρεστος wellpleasing, only here in Pastorals. Almost exclusively in Paul. See also Hebrews 13:21. Ευαρέστως acceptably Hebrews 12:28. [source]
Hebrews 12:23 To the general assembly [πανηγυρει]
Old word (from πας — pas and αγυρισ αγειρω — aguris class="normal greek">Πανηγυριζω — ageirō). Here only in N.T. αγγελων — Panēgurizō occurs in Isaiah 66:10 for keeping a festal holiday. Possibly to be connected with εκκλησιαι πρωτοτοκων — aggelōn though not certain. Church of the firstborn (εκκλησια — ekklēsiāi prōtotokōn). Probably an additional item besides the angelic host as the people of Israel are called firstborn (Exodus 4:22). The word απογεγραμμενων εν ουρανοις — ekklēsia here has the general sense of all the redeemed, as in Matthew 16:18; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 5:24-32, and equivalent to the kingdom of God. Who are enrolled in heaven (απογραπω — apogegrammenōn en ouranois). Perfect passive participle of κριτηι τεωι παντων — apographō old verb to write off, to copy, to enroll as in Luke 2:1, Luke 2:3, Luke 2:5 (only N.T. examples). Enrolled as citizens of heaven even while on earth (Luke 10:20; Philemon 1:27; Philemon 3:20; Philemon 4:3; Revelation 13:8, etc.). To God the Judge of all (τετελειωμενων — kritēi theōi pantōn). All these chief substantives in the dative case. People should not forget that God is the Judge of all men. Made perfect (τελειοω — teteleiōmenōn). Perfect passive participle of teleioō perfected at last (Hebrews 11:40). [source]
James 4:4 Ye adulteresses [μοιχαλιδες]
Μοιχοι και — Moichoi kai (ye adulterers) is spurious (Syrian text only). The feminine form here is a common late word from the masculine μοιχοι — moichoi It is not clear whether the word is to be taken literally here as in Romans 7:3, or figuratively for all unfaithful followers of Christ (like an unfaithful bride), as in 2 Corinthians 11:1.; Ephesians 5:24-28 (the Bride of Christ). Either view makes sense in this context, probably the literal view being more in harmony with the language of James 4:2. In that case James may include more than Christians in his view, though Paul talks plainly to church members about unchastity (Ephesians 5:3-5). [source]

What do the individual words in Ephesians 5:24 mean?

But even as the church is subjected - to Christ so also - wives to the own husbands in everything
ἀλλὰ ὡς ἡ ἐκκλησία ὑποτάσσεται τῷ Χριστῷ οὕτως καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἐν παντί

ὡς  even  as 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ὡς 
Sense: as, like, even as, etc.
ἐκκλησία  church 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: ἐκκλησία  
Sense: a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly.
ὑποτάσσεται  is  subjected 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ὑποτάσσω  
Sense: to arrange under, to subordinate.
τῷ  - 
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: ὁ  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Χριστῷ  to  Christ 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: Χριστός  
Sense: Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God.
οὕτως  so 
Parse: Adverb
Root: οὕτως  
Sense: in this manner, thus, so.
καὶ  also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
αἱ  - 
Parse: Article, Vocative Feminine Plural
Root: ὁ  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
γυναῖκες  wives 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Feminine Plural
Root: γυνή  
Sense: a woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow.
τοῖς  to  the  own 
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: ὁ  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἀνδράσιν  husbands 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀνήρ  
Sense: with reference to sex.
παντί  everything 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Neuter Singular
Root: πᾶς  
Sense: individually.

What are the major concepts related to Ephesians 5:24?

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