1 Peter (TNTC) by Wayne A. Grudem

Author:Wayne A. Grudem [Grudem, Wayne A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian Books & Bibles, Bible Study & Reference, Bible Study, New Testament, Commentaries, Religion & Spirituality, New Testament Study
ISBN: 9781783593392
Amazon: B00V8DX6CM
Publisher: IVP
Published: 2009-05-14T16:00:00+00:00

2. Husbands: Live considerately with your wives (3:7)

7. Now Peter speaks briefly but just as forcefully to husbands. The word likewise here has the sense ‘also’ or ‘continuing on the same area of discussion’ (BAGD, p. 568; cf. 1 Pet. 5:5), for the idea of similarity in submission is excluded by the fact that here (unlike 2:18 and 3:1) Peter does not command submission to, but rather considerate use of, authority.

The verb live … with does not carry any special nuance beyond its sense in English, except that it is used several times in the LXX to refer to a husband and wife who ‘live together’.20

Live considerately with your wives is literally, ‘living together according to knowledge’ (for the use of the participle as imperative see the note at 1:14). Peter does not specify what kind of knowledge he means by ‘according to knowledge’, so some general phrase like ‘in an understanding way’ (NASB) is a good translation. The RSV’s ‘considerately’ (similarly, NIV) gives too much emphasis to a considerate attitude alone while neglecting the focus on actual ‘knowledge’ or information which is also implied by Peter’s word. The ‘knowledge’ Peter intends here may include any knowledge that would be beneficial to the husband-wife relationship: knowledge of God’s purposes and principles for marriage; knowledge of the wife’s desires, goals, and frustrations; knowledge of her strengths and weaknesses in the physical, emotional and spiritual realms; etc. A husband who lives according to such knowledge will greatly enrich his marriage relationship—yet such knowledge can only be gained through regular study of God’s Word and regular, unhurried times of private fellowship together as husband and wife.21

Bestowing honour on the woman as the weaker sex affirms a theme found frequently in the New Testament, namely, that God is often pleased to give honour to those who are weaker or less honoured in the eyes of the world (cf. Matt. 5:3–12; 1 Cor. 1:26–30; 12:22–25; Jas 2:5; 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5). In this case such honour ought to include kind and affirming words both privately and in public, and high priority in choices regarding the use of one’s time and money. (The NIV’s ‘treat them with respect’ is too weak—one can treat someone with detached, formal ‘respect’ and yet give no special honour to the person at all.) None the less, just as wives are not to obey their husbands when commanded to disobey God (see notes on 2:13 and 3:1), so husbands must never allow love for their wives to become an excuse for sin—a principle tragically ignored by Solomon (1 Kgs 11:3–8), Ahab (1 Kgs 21:25), Abraham (Gen. 16:2), and perhaps even Adam (Gen. 3:6).

The woman translates a rare word (meaning, more literally ‘the feminine one’). It suggests that Peter looks to the characteristic nature of womanhood or femininity and suggests that a wife’s ‘femaleness’ should itself elicit honour from her husband.

Peter does not specify the way in which he understands the woman to be the weaker sex, but the context would make

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.