Ephesians 5:29

Ephesians 5:29. For. We may supply: if a man does not love his wife he acts against nature, for, etc.

Ho one, no human being, ever hated his own flesh. ‘Flesh' as here used is nearly equivalent to ‘body,' but was probably chosen by the Apostle, ‘because he already had in mind the quotation (Ephesians 5:31), which refers to the institution of marriage before the fall' (Braune); this of course excludes any ethical reference.

But nourisheth and cherisheth it. The latter word means to ‘warm,' but here probably includes the notion of protecting and preserving.

Even as Christ (‘the Lord' is supported only by the less weighty authorities) also doth the church. Christ's love toward His Church is manifested in His nourishing and cherishing it. This clause is ‘the sacred refrain of the entire Christian conjugal ethics; comp. Ephesians 5:23; Ephesians 5:25 ' (Meyer). It is altogether unnecessary to distinguish between the expressions, ‘nourisheth' and ‘cherisheth,' as applied to Christ; and to find a reference to His feeding His Church in the Lord's Supper seems unwarranted.