Ephesians 5:22-24

Exhortations to Households

5:22 ¹ Wives, submit ²  to your husbands as to the Lord, 5:23 because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church – he himself being the savior of the body. 5:24 But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Ephesians 5:1

Live in Love

5:1 Therefore, be ³  imitators of God as dearly loved children

Ephesians 2:12

2:12 that you were at that time without the Messiah, ⁴  alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, ⁵  having no hope and without God in the world.

Titus 2:4-5

2:4 In this way ⁶  they will train ⁷  the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, 2:5 to be self-controlled, ⁸  pure, fulfilling their duties at home, ⁹  kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the message ¹⁰  of God may not be discredited. ¹¹ 

[5:22]  ¹ tn Many scholars regard Eph 5:21 as the verse which introduces this section, rather than 5:22. This is due in part to the lack of a main verb in this verse (see tc note which follows). This connection is not likely, however, because it requires the participle ὑποτασσόμενοι (Jupotassomenoi, “submitting”) in 5:21 to act as the main verb of the section, and this participle more likely is linked to the command “be filled by the Spirit” in 5:18 as a participle of result (see sn above). In any case, 5:21 does form a strong link between 5:18-21 and what follows, so the paragraph division which has been placed between 5:21 and 22 should not be viewed as a complete break in the author’s thought.

[5:22]  ² tc The witnesses for the shorter reading (in which the verb “submit” is only implied) are minimal (Ì⁴⁶ B Cl Hier^mss), but significant and early. The rest of the witnesses add one of two verb forms as required by the sense of the passage (picking up the verb from v. 21). Several of these witnesses have ὑποτασσέσθωσαν (Jupotassesqwsan), the third person imperative (so א A I P Ψ 0278 33 81 1175 1739 1881 al lat co), while other witnesses, especially the later Byzantine cursives, read ὑποτάσσεσθε (Jupotassesqe), the second person imperative (D F G Ï sy). The text virtually begs for one of these two verb forms, but the often cryptic style of Paul’s letters argues for the shorter reading. The chronology of development seems to have been no verb – third person imperative – second person imperative. It is not insignificant that early lectionaries began a new day’s reading with v. 22; these most likely caused copyists to add the verb at this juncture.

[5:1]  ³ tn Or “become.”

[2:12]  ⁴ tn Or “without Christ.” Both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” Because the context refers to ancient Israel’s messianic expectation, “Messiah” was employed in the translation at this point rather than “Christ.”

[2:12]  ⁵ tn Or “covenants of the promise.”

[2:4]  ⁶ tn Grk “that they may train” (continuing the sentence of 2:3).

[2:4]  ⁷ tn This verb, σωφρονίζω (swfronizw), denotes teaching in the sense of bringing people to their senses, showing what sound thinking is.

[2:5]  ⁸ tn Or “sensible.”

[2:5]  ⁹ tn Grk “domestic,” “keeping house.”

[2:5]  ¹⁰ tn Or “word.”

[2:5]  ¹¹ tn Or “slandered.”