Ephesians 5:29

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: FOR. Grant that a man's wife is himself (Ephesians 5:28), he is sure to love her, "For no man," etc. HIS OWN FLESH (Ephesians 5:31, end) - for "body:" in allusion to Genesis 2:23. NOURISHETH, [ektrephei] - 'nourisheth it up;' namely, to maturity. Referring to internal sustenance: "cherisheth" [ thalpei (G2282)], to clothing and external fostering. Two grounds of love of husbands to wives are mentioned: (1) Love to one's self, and so...

29._Even as Christ the church. _He proceeds to enforce the obligations of marriage by representing to us Christ and his Church; for a more powerful example could not have been adduced. The strong affection which a husband ought to cherish towards his wife is exemplified by Christ, and an instance of that unity which belongs to marriage is declared to exist between himself and the Church. This is a remarkable passage on the mysterious intercourse which we have with Christ....

22-33 The duty of wives is, submission to their husbands in the Lord, which includes honouring and obeying them, from a principle of love to them. The duty of husbands is to love their wives. The love of Christ to the church is an example, which is sincere, pure, and constant, notwithstanding her failures. Christ gave himself for the church, that he might sanctify it in this world, and glorify it in the next, that he might bestow on all his members a principle of holiness, and deliver them from the guilt, the pollution, and the dominion of sin, by those influences of the Holy Spirit, of which baptismal water was the outward sign. The church and believers will not be without spot or wrinkle till they come to glory. But those only who are sanctified now, shall be glorified hereafter. The words of Adam, mentioned by the apostle, are spoken literally of marriage; but they have also a hidden...

Verse 29. _NO MAN EVER YET HATED HIS OWN FLESH_] And this is a natural reason why he should love his wife, and nourish and cherish her....

FOR NO MAN EVER YET HATED HIS OWN FLESH - This is urged as an argument why a man should love his wife and show kindness to her. As no man disregards the happiness of his own body, or himself, so he should show equal care to promote the happiness of his wife. A sentiment similar to this is found in the classic writers. Thus, Curtius (lib. vii.) says, “Corporibus nostris quoe utique non odimus” - “We do not hate those things that pertain to our own bodies.” So Seneca (Epis. 14), “Fateor insitam nobis esse corporis nostri charitatem” - “I confess that there is implanted in us the love of our own body.” The word nourisheth here means properly to bring up, as e. g., children. The sense here is, that he provides for it, and guards it from exposure and want. The word “cherisheth” - θάλπει thalpei - means properly to “warm;” and may mean here that he defends it from cold by clothing - and the t...

EXPOSITION EPHESIANS 5:1 BE YE THEREFORE IMITATORS OF GOD, AS CHILDREN BELOVED. These words are closely connected with the preceding. In Ephesians 4:32 he had urged the example of God in one very momentous matter; he now urges it in a more general sense and on another ground. We ought to forgive men because God has forgiven us—all admit that; but moreover, we ought to imitate our Father in his forgiveness and in his loving spirit, be-because beloved children should always imitate, and will always strive to imitate, what is good in a beloved father. Forgiving love is one of the great glories of our Father; it has been made peculiarly attractive in our eyes, because it has been exercised by him towards us; every consideration, therefore, ought to ind

FOR NO MAN EVER YET HATED HIS OWN FLESH,.... This is unnatural, contrary to the first principles of nature; see Isaiah 58:7; which the u Jews understand of one that is near akin, and there is none nearer than a wife: BUT NOURISHETH AND CHERISHETH IT; feeds and clothes it: EVEN AS THE LORD THE CHURCH; who never hated her, but nourishes and cherishes her: Christ never hated his church and people; for his love is not only a love of benevolence, but of complacency and delight: there is a difference between anger and hatred, Christ may be angry with them, but not hate them; and there is a difference between persons and actions, Christ may hate their actions, but not their persons; and there is a difference between desert and fact, they may be deserving of his wrath and hatred, but are not the objects of it in fact; and there is a difference between what is rea

Ephesians 5:1. _Be ye therefore followers of God,_ Or, imitators of God,- Ephesians 5:1. _As dear children;_ Children are naturally imitators. They are usually inclined to imitate their father; this is, therefore, a most comely and appropriate precept: «Be ye therefore imitators of God, as dear children.» Ephesians 5:2. _And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor._ What a path to walk in! «Walk in love.» What a well-paved way it is! «As Christ also hath loved us.» What a blessed Person for us to follow in that divinely royal road! It would have been hard

4. MANIFESTATION IN THE FAMILY-RELATIONSHIP Chapter S 5:22-6:4 _ 1. Wives representative of the Church (Ephesians 5:22)_ 2. Husbands representative of Christ (Ephesians 5:25) 3. The mystery: concerning Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:30) 4. Exhortations to children and parents (Ephesians 6:1) The exhortations which follow concern the Christian family. The mystery concerning Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:32) is to be manifested in the family relationship. While before we have seen the

EPHESIANS 5:22 TO EPHESIANS 6:9. SUBORDINATION IN THE FEAR OF CHRIST. The principle is illustrated by the relation (_a)_ of wives to husbands, (_b)_ of children to parents, (_c_) of slaves to masters. The writer does not attack existing social institutions slavery, the _patria potestas,_ the dependent position of women. He accepts the relationships as they exist in the world he knows, and seeks to interpret them in the light of the gospel (p. 649). If he enforces upon wives, children, and slaves, the duty of subordination, he insists also upon the corresponding obligations of conjugal love and protection, parental nurture and admonition, kind treatment and forbearance towards slaves. All these relationships are now relationships in the Lord. That of husband and wife in particular is g