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NASB | Ephesians 5:33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 5:33 However, each man among you [without exception] is to love his wife as his very own self [with behavior worthy of respect and esteem, always seeking the best for her with an attitude of lovingkindness], and the wife [must see to it] that she respects and delights in her husband [that she notices him and prefers him and treats him with loving concern, treasuring him, honoring him, and holding him dear]. [1 Pet 3:2] |
Subject: love...as himself (if no self-love?) |
Bible Note: Help Meet................................ Greetings Sebkin! Allow me to answer your question first and then make some observations. 1) Who is Walter Kaiser Jr.? Dr. Kaiser is dean and vice president of education at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has taught theology and Old Testament for more than 20 years. 2) Observations: While Dr. Kaiser is eminently qualified to speak to the meaning of a Hebrew word, obviously Scripture must be the final arbitrator. So, let's examine what Scripture has to say about the meaning of 'help meet'. The translation 'help meet' in Gen. 2:18 is based upon two Hebrew words: a) Ezer (Strong's 5828), and b) The phrase 'corresponding to'. The suggestion in your post seems to have been that this word indicates a subordinate relationship between a superior and an inferior. However, this very word is used 21 times in the Old Testament and it is frequently used of God in relation to man. For instance, Ps. 70:5 says, "But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying." Are we to suppose then that God is inferior to man? Nay! The word is consistently used in the Old Testament to indicate a power or source of help greater than one's self. If it were not for the second phrase in Gen. 2:18, one could make the case that woman was superior to man! :-) Yet, the second phrase qualifies this power called Eve. She is to be 'corresponding to' Adam. Consider the context and one will see the meaning quite clearly. Why was Adam made to name the animals? Why was the creation of Eve mentioned immediately after the naming passage? Simply this: God wanted Adam to see that in all of creation there was no one or nothing else like him. What was God's verdict about this situation? God said, "It is not good". Eve was made to correct this situation. A good idiomatic translation of the phrase in Gen. 2:18 would be this: Eve was created that there might be 'someone like' Adam. So, Gen. 2:18 does not teach the inferiority of woman and the superiority of man. Rather, it teaches the kind of relationship which man and woman was meant to have. A relationship in which both find a partner who completes them. Unfortunately, sin ruined this relationship. Now, as a consequence of sin, both would seek to rule the other. Does this mean that wives are not supposed to submit to their husbands? Of course it doesn?t! But, it does mean that Biblical submission is not based upon some supposed inferiority, but rather upon the voluntary decision to become one flesh with another human being. The goal of Christian relationships is simple: each one submitting to one another and to God. Each one seeking the best for others. Wives seeking the best for their husbands while they love, submit to, and revere him. Husbands seeking the best for their wives while they love, protect, and provide for their wives. All the while, both of them loving God and submitting to Him. It is just as un-biblical for a husband to say, "Submit to me because I'm better than you" as it is for a wife to say, "I don't have to submit to anyone because I'm just as good as you"! Thus, I think the Biblical evidence very much supports Dr. Kaiser's comments. If you wish to refute them, please demonstrate where in the Old Testament this word refers to an inferior being! I hope this answers your questions my new friend! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |