Ephesians 5:26 What did Paul mean?

[e.r.m.]

I've heard this means basically sharing God's Word with your wife. Letting God's word transform her. Certainly the translations seem to indicate that.

Ephesians 5:26 NASB so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word

Ephesians 5:26 NKJV
that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

Ephesians 5:26 NIV
to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,


But when I read the greek, I see something different.
http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/Greek_Index.htm
Ephesians 5:26 That her he should be holyizing/hallowing cleansing to the bath of the water in declaration.

I have no idea what this means. Or did the translators get this right?

Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[savagewind]

I think Ephesians 5:26 is referring to the church. ( Ephesians 5:25 ) ekklēsian ἐκκλησίαν

 

[lovemuffin]

Interlinear bibles are more useful for looking up a specific word or as a concordance to find various usages of a specific greek word, but they aren't really supposed to "make sense" as a translation because they are showing you the words in the order they appear in Greek, and Greek grammar is different from English.

As far as the verse, it continues a thought that begins in verse 22 and runs at least through 33 and I don't think you can make sense of 5:26 by itself.

"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 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, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."
​

I'm not going to attempt any sort of complete exegesis of Paul's views about gender roles in marriage or society, but the entirety of this passage is a metaphor that compares the proper attitude of a husband towards his wife to Christ's attitude towards humanity exemplified by the Church (as in the body of Christians in its entirety). The "her" in verse 26 refers to the church of verse 25, and the cleansing is a reference to baptism, which is itself of course a symbol of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. Hopefully that makes the flow of thoughts clearer.

In the same way that Christ loves and gives himself up for the sake of the church, so husbands should love their wives. That is the main metaphor of the passage.

 

[outhouse]

In the same way that Christ loves and gives himself up for the sake of the church, so husbands should love their wives. That is the main metaphor of the passage.

Very well put. Excellent reply. But I would say it would only address partial context.

It also addresses ritual purification, and in context, ones wife should also be in the same like minded belief as the husband.

In part it is addressing many church members that had spouses that did not follow or address this new movement as the other devoted individual.

In this context the husband is to get his wife to the same level of theological understanding, knowing she ran the house and all those in it while the husband was out, and that she needed to be on the same page as said husband. The household would then follow.

These houses were often large and were small communities in themselves ran by one man [the husband] and the wife often ran these houses under the "lord" meaning "head of house." .

 

[Awoon]

Interlinear bibles are more useful for looking up a specific word or as a concordance to find various usages of a specific greek word, but they aren't really supposed to "make sense" as a translation because they are showing you the words in the order they appear in Greek, and Greek grammar is different from English.

As far as the verse, it continues a thought that begins in verse 22 and runs at least through 33 and I don't think you can make sense of 5:26 by itself.

"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 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, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."
​

I'm not going to attempt any sort of complete exegesis of Paul's views about gender roles in marriage or society, but the entirety of this passage is a metaphor that compares the proper attitude of a husband towards his wife to Christ's attitude towards humanity exemplified by the Church (as in the body of Christians in its entirety). The "her" in verse 26 refers to the church of verse 25, and the cleansing is a reference to baptism, which is itself of course a symbol of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. Hopefully that makes the flow of thoughts clearer.

In the same way that Christ loves and gives himself up for the sake of the church, so husbands should love their wives. That is the main metaphor of the passage.

There wasn't any "church" at the time of Jesus, so "Christ" must be a different type of person. Paul, does he ever say "Jesus Christ of Nazareth," in his writings?

 

[outhouse]

There wasn't any "church" at the time of Jesus,

Nor in Pauls time.


The word eclessia ekklēsian ἐκκλησίαν simply means "assembly"

And that existed in both times, just not as today, and not in a church as today.

Gathering of like minded people is the context of the Koine word.

 

[lovemuffin]

It's clear from Paul's usage that the word is intended to denote the general body of Christians in this case, because of the reference to baptism. Ekklesia is used in more than one way in the N.T. but there are lots of good reasons to hear in Paul's usage across his epistles (and some of the deutero-Pauline epistles probably influenced by him, like Ephesians 2-3) a sort of extension of the idea of the Hebrews as God's people. Ekklesia can refer to a specific assembly, such as the ekklesia of Corinth, or to that general "body of Christ" as in the metaphor of 1 Cor 12 or the "ekklesia tou theou" of 1 Cor 10:32. It would seem likely that this usage influenced the later authors of the gospels, for example in Matthew 16:18

So, "church" in modern English certainly carries connotations about institutions or organizations that don't apply to the 1st century, but it's an oversimplification to say that there is no "church" in Paul's time. The word just needs to be contextualized.

It also addresses ritual purification, and in context, ones wife should also be in the same like minded belief as the husband

I agree, I was just trying to talk about the smallest amount of context

 

[outhouse]

but it's an oversimplification to say that there is no "church" in Paul's time.

At this time the were meeting in secret around dinner tables in pater familias, correct?

The movement was still more a version of Hellenistic Judaism that allowed more gentiles then any sort of Christian church concept as we know it.

And agreed diversity and belief were wide and varied to the point in pauls time there was no "one way" that a church would represent?

The word just needs to be contextualized

Agreed.

 

[rusra02]

I've heard this means basically sharing God's Word with your wife. Letting God's word transform her. Certainly the translations seem to indicate that.

Ephesians 5:26 NASB so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word

Ephesians 5:26 NKJV
that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

Ephesians 5:26 NIV
to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,


But when I read the greek, I see something different.
http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/Greek_Index.htm
Ephesians 5:26 That her he should be holyizing/hallowing cleansing to the bath of the water in declaration.

I have no idea what this means. Or did the translators get this right?

Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you.

The context shows Paul was speaking of Christ and the Christian congregation. "Husbands, continue loving your wives, just as the Christ also loved the congregation and gave himself up for it, in order that he might sanctify it, cleansing it with the bath of water by means of the word, so that he might present the congregation to himself in its splendor, without a spot or a wrinkle or any of such things," (Ephesians 5:25-27)

 

[e.r.m.]

The context shows Paul was speaking of Christ and the Christian congregation. "Husbands, continue loving your wives, just as the Christ also loved the congregation and gave himself up for it, in order that he might sanctify it, cleansing it with the bath of water by means of the word, so that he might present the congregation to himself in its splendor, without a spot or a wrinkle or any of such things," (Ephesians 5:25-27)

Thank you. I looked up the greek today. We are to love our wives in the sense of

γαπάω,v \{ag-ap-ah'-o}
1) of persons 1a) to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly

as He loved the church.