TRV
Translation
King James Version
Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Complete Jewish Bible
Just as the Messianic Community submits to the Messiah, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Berean Standard Bible
Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
American Standard Version
But as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their husbands in everything.
World English Bible Messianic
But as the assembly is subject to Messiah, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Therfore as the Church is in subiection to Christ, euen so let the wiues be to their husbands in euery thing.
Young's Literal Translation
but even as the assembly is subject to Christ, so also are the wives to their own husbands in everything.
In the KJVVerse 29,329 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Ephesians 5 verses 21–33
21 ¶ Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Here the apostle begins his exhortation to the discharge of relative duties. As a general foundation for these duties, he lays down that rule Eph 5:21. There is a mutual submission that Christians owe one to another, condescending to bear one another's burdens: not advancing themselves above others, nor domineering over one another and giving laws to one another. Paul was an example of this truly Christian temper, for he became all things to all men. We must be of a yielding and of a submissive spirit, and ready to all the duties of the respective places and stations that God has allotted to us in the world. In the fear of God, that is, so far as is consistent with the fear of God, for his sake, and out of conscience towards him, and that hereby we may give proof that we truly fear him. Where there is this mutual condescension and submission, the duties of all relations will be the better performed. From Eph 5:22 to the end he speaks of the duties of husbands and wives; and he speaks of these in a Christian manner, setting the church as an example of the wife's subjection, and Christ as an example of love in husbands.
I. The duty prescribed to wives is submission to their husbands in the Lord (Eph 5:22), which submission includes the honouring and obeying of them, and that from a principle of love to them. They must do this in compliance with God's authority, who has commanded it, which is doing it as unto the Lord; or it may be understood by way of similitude and likeness, so that the sense may be, "as, being devoted to God, you submit yourselves unto him." From the former sense we may learn that by a conscientious discharge of the duties we owe to our fellow-creatures we obey and please God himself; and, from the latter, that God not only requires and insists on those duties which immediately respect himself, but such as respect our neighbours too. The apostle assigns the reason of this submission from wives: For the husband is the head of the wife, Eph 5:23. The metaphor is taken from the head in the natural body, which, being the seat of reason, of wisdom, and of knowledge, and the fountain of sense and motion, is more excellent than the rest of the body. God has given the man the pre-eminence and a right to direct and govern by creation, and in that original law of the relation, Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. Whatever there is of uneasiness in this, it is an effect of sin coming into the world. Generally, too, the man has (what he ought to have) a superiority in wisdom and knowledge. He is therefore the head, even as Christ is the head of the church. There is a resemblance of Christ's authority over the church in that superiority and headship which God has appointed to the husband. The apostle adds, and he is the Saviour of the body. Christ's authority is exercised over the church for the saving of her from evil, and the supplying of her with every thing good for her. In like manner should the husband be employed for the protection and comfort of his spouse; and therefore she should the more cheerfully submit herself unto him. So it follows, Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ (Eph 5:24), with cheerfulness, with fidelity, with humility, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing - in every thing to which their authority justly extends itself, in every thing lawful and consistent with duty to God.
II. The duty of husbands (on the other hand), is to love their wives (Eph 5:25); for without this they would abuse their superiority and headship, and, wherever this prevails as it ought to do, it will infer the other duties of the relation, it being a special and peculiar affection that is required in her behalf. The love of Christ to the church is proposed as an example of this, which love of his is a sincere, a pure, an ardent, and constant affection, and that notwithstanding the imperfections and failures that she is guilty of. The greatness of his love to the church appeared in his giving himself unto the death for it. Observe, As the church's subjection to Christ is proposed as an exemplar to wives, so the love of Christ to his church is proposed as a pattern to husbands; and while such exemplars are offered to both, and so much is required of each, neither has reason to complain of the divine injunctions. The love which God requires from the husband in behalf of his wife will make amends for the subjection which he demands from her to her husband; and the prescribed subjection of the wife will be an abundant return for that love of the husband which God has made her due. The apostle, having mentioned Christ's love to the church, enlarges upon it, assigning the reason why he gave himself for it, namely, that he might sanctify it in this world, and glorify it in the next: That he might sanctify and cleanse it, with the washing of water by the word (Eph 5:26) - that he might endue all his members with a principle of holiness, and deliver them from the guilt, the pollution, and the dominion of sin. The instrumental means whereby this is affected are the instituted sacraments, particularly the washing of baptism and the preaching and reception of the gospel. And that he might present it to himself, etc., Eph 5:27. Dr. Lightfoot thinks the apostle alludes here to the Jews' extraordinary carefulness in their washings for purification. They were careful that there should be no wrinkle to keep the flesh from the water, and no spot nor dirt which was not thoroughly washed. Others understand him as alluding to a garment come newly out of the fuller's hand, purged from spots, stretched from wrinkles, the former newly contracted, the latter by long time and custom. That he might present it to himself - that he might perfectly unite it to himself in the great day, a glorious church, perfect in knowledge and in holiness, not having spot, nor wrinkle, nor any such thing, nothing of deformity or defilement remaining, but being entirely amiable and pleasing in his eye, holy and without blemish, free from the least remains of sin. The church in general, and particular believers, will not be without spot or wrinkle till they come to glory. From this and the former verse together we may take notice that the glorifying of the church is intended in the sanctifying of it: and that those, and those only, who are sanctified now, will be glorified hereafter. - So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies, etc., Eph 5:28. The wife being made one with her husband (not in a natural, but in a civil and in a relative sense), this is an argument why he should love her with as cordial and as ardent an affection as that which he loves himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, Eph 5:29 - (no man in his right senses ever hated himself, however deformed, or whatever his imperfections might be); so far from it that he nourishes and cherishes it; he uses himself with a great deal of care and tenderness, and is industrious to supply himself with every thing convenient or good for him, with food and clothing, etc. Even as the Lord the church: that is, as the Lord nourishes and cherishes the church, which he furnishes with all things that he sees needful or good for her, with whatever conduces to her everlasting happiness and welfare. The apostle adds, For we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones, Eph 5:30. He assigns this as a reason why Christ nourishes and cherishes his church - because all who belong to it are members of his body, that is, of his mystical body. Or, we are members out of his body: all the grace and glory which the church has are from Christ, as Eve was taken out of the man. But, as one observes, it being the manner of the sacred writings to express a complex body by the enumeration of its several parts, as the heaven and earth for the world, evening and morning for the natural day, so here, by body, flesh, and bones, we are to understand himself, the meaning of the verse being that we are members of Christ. - For this cause (because they are one, as Christ and his church are one) shall a man leave his father and mother; the apostle refers to the words of Adam, when Eve was given to him for a meet help, Gen 2:24. We are not to understand by this that a man's obligation to other relations is cancelled upon his marriage, but only that this relation is to be preferred to all others, there being a nearer union between these two than between any others, that the man must rather leave any of those than his wife. - And they two shall be one flesh, that is, by virtue of the matrimonial bond. This is a great mystery, Eph 5:32. Those words of Adam, just mentioned by the apostle, are spoken literally of marriage; but they have also a hidden mystical sense in them, relating to the union between Christ and his church, of which the conjugal union between Adam and the mother of us all was a type: though not instituted or appointed by God to signify this, yet it was a kind of natural type, as having a resemblance to it: I speak concerning Christ and the church.
After this, the apostle concludes this part of his discourse with a brief summary of the duty of husbands and wives, Eph 5:33. "Nevertheless (though there be such a secret mystical sense, yet the plain literal sense concerns you) let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself, with such a sincere, peculiar, singular, and prevailing affection as that is which he bears to himself. And the wife see that she reverence her husband." Reverence consists of love and esteem, which produce a care to please, and of fear, which awakens a caution lest just offence be given. That the wife thus reverence her husband is the will of God and the law of the relation.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 21–33. Public domain.
Copy as
AmbrosiasterAD 384
EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 5.24
Here is Paul’s analogy: As the church takes its beginning from Christ and therefore is subject to him, so too does woman take hers from the man and is subject to him. There is a crucial difference, however, between Christ and the church as opposed to man and woman. The essential difference is that the woman is of the same nature as the man. The church, on the other hand, can participate in Christ in name but not in nature.
John ChrysostomAD 407
Homily on Ephesians 20
Then, he proceeds with arguments and says that "the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the Church, being Himself the Saviour of the body. But as the Church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their husbands in everything."
Then after saying, "The husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is of the Church," he further adds, "and He is the Saviour of the body." For indeed the head is the saving health of the body. He had already laid down beforehand for man and wife, the ground and provision of their love, assigning to each their proper place, to the one that of authority and forethought, to the other that of submission. As then "the Church," that is, both husbands and wives, "is subject unto Christ, so also ye wives submit yourselves to your husbands, as unto God."
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
Interpretation of the Epistle to the Ephesians 5.24
As one who is giving instruction to the pious, Paul here adds the words “subject in all things.” It is evident from this analogy that he is speaking essentially to the pious, to those well trained in religious life. None of those reared in piety would think of putting their own affairs before God.
CS LewisAD 1963
Mere Christianity, Chapter 6 - Christian Marriage
Something else, even more unpopular, remains to be dealt with. Christian wives promise to obey their husbands. In Christian marriage the man is said to be the 'head'. Two questions obviously arise here. (1) Why should there be a head at all - why not equality? (2) Why should it be the man?
(1) The need for some head follows from the idea that marriage is permanent. Of course, as long as the husband and wife are agreed, no question of a head need arise; and we may hope that this will be the normal state of affairs in a Christian marriage. But when there is a real disagreement, what is to happen? Talk it over, of course; but I am assuming they have done that and still failed to reach agreement. What do they do next? They cannot decide by a majority vote, for in a council of two there can be no majority. Surely, only one or other of two things can happen: either they must separate and go their own ways or else one or other of them must have a casting vote. If marriage is permanent, one or other party must, in the last resort, have the power of deciding the family policy. You cannot have a permanent associated without a constitution.
(2) If there must be a head, why the man? Well, firstly is there any very serious wish that it should be the woman? As I have said, I am not married myself, but as far as I can see, even a woman who wants to be the head of her own house does not usually admire the same state of things when she finds it going on next door. She is much more likely to say 'Poor Mr X! Why he allows that appaling woman to boss him about the way she does is more than I can imagine.' I do not think she is even very flattered if anyone mentions the fact of her own 'headship'. There must be something unnatural about the rule of wives over husbands, because the wives themselves are half ashamed of it and despise the husbands whom they rule.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as
Continue studying Ephesians 5:24 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
CNTR CollationThe earliest Greek manuscripts of this verse, collated letter by letter.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Ephesians 5:24, a core verse in Paul's instructions on Christian household order, establishes a profound parallel between the church's voluntary submission to Christ and a wife's respectful posture toward her husband. This verse, situated within a broader discussion of Spirit-filled living and mutual submission, highlights a divine design for marital harmony, portraying the marital bond as a living illustration of Christ's headship and the church's response of love and obedience.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The most prominent literary device in Ephesians 5:24 is Analogy or Simile. Paul explicitly uses the comparison "as...so" (hōsper...houtō kai) to draw a direct parallel between the church's relationship with Christ and a wife's relationship with her husband. This analogy elevates the marital bond to a profound spiritual mystery, making it a living illustration of divine truths. Furthermore, there is an element of Parallelism, where the structure of the two relationships (Church-Christ, Wife-Husband) is presented side-by-side to highlight their similar dynamics of headship and submission. The entire passage also functions as an extended Metaphor, where marriage itself becomes a metaphor for the divine relationship between Christ and His church, revealing deeper theological truths about love, sacrifice, and covenant.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ephesians 5:24 articulates a profound theological truth about the nature of order within God's creation and particularly within the covenant of marriage. It posits that the marital relationship is not merely a social construct but a sacred institution designed to reflect the ultimate divine relationship between Christ and His church. This verse underscores the concept of complementary roles, where distinct functions contribute to a harmonious whole, rather than implying inferiority. The wife's submission is framed not as a diminishment of her personhood but as a willing participation in a divine pattern of order and love, mirroring the Church's joyful and voluntary alignment with its Head. This theological framework ensures that submission is always understood within the context of Christ's loving headship and the husband's sacrificial love, preventing any distortion into oppressive or unbiblical forms of authority.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ephesians 5:24 calls believers, particularly wives, to consider the profound spiritual implications of their marital relationships. It invites wives to embrace a posture of respect and cooperation towards their husbands, not out of obligation or inferiority, but as a conscious act of worship that mirrors the church's devotion to Christ. This understanding transforms the concept of submission from a burdensome duty into a beautiful expression of faith and trust in God's design. For this to be truly transformative, however, it must be lived out in the context of a husband who embodies Christ's sacrificial love, cherishing and nourishing his wife as Christ does the church. When both husband and wife embrace their God-given roles with humility and love, their marriage becomes a powerful testimony to the world, demonstrating the beauty and order of Christ's kingdom. It challenges us to move beyond cultural paradigms and embrace a counter-cultural, Spirit-empowered way of relating that honors God and blesses the family.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does "in every thing" mean a wife must obey her husband even if he asks her to do something sinful or harmful?
Answer: Absolutely not. The phrase "in every thing" (Greek: pâs) refers to the general sphere of marital life, indicating a comprehensive disposition of respect and cooperation within the marriage, rather than an absolute, unqualified obedience to any and all commands. A wife's primary allegiance is always to Christ, and no biblical command can supersede the higher call to obey God rather than men. The context of Ephesians 5:25 where husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the church—that is, sacrificially, selflessly, and for their good—provides the essential framework. True biblical submission flourishes in an environment of Christ-like love and protection, never in one that demands sin or harm.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ephesians 5:24 finds its ultimate fulfillment and meaning in Christ. The analogy of the church's submission to Christ is not merely a comparison but a revelation of the divine mystery that marriage is intended to portray. Christ, as the Head of the Church, demonstrates perfect, loving, and self-sacrificial leadership, laying down His life for His bride (Ephesians 5:25). The church's response of submission is therefore a joyful, willing yielding to His perfect will, born out of gratitude for His redemptive work and trust in His unfailing love. This divine pattern, established in Christ, provides the only true foundation for a wife's submission to her husband. Her submission is not to a flawed human being in isolation, but to a husband who is called to embody Christ's love and leadership, thereby reflecting the gospel itself. Thus, the verse points beyond human roles to the glorious reality of Christ's headship and the church's ultimate union with Him, foreshadowing the marriage supper of the Lamb where Christ and His redeemed bride are eternally united in perfect harmony and love.