First Peter 3:7

 

3:7

“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the
weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”

 

1 Peter 3:7

oi  andreV HUSBANDS          omoiwV  LIKEWISE

sunoikounteV DWELLING WITH THEM         kata ACCORDING

gnwsin TO KNOWLEDGE        wV  AS        asqenesterw WITH A WEAKER EVEN skeuei  VESSEL              
tw WITH THE                 gunaikeiw FEMALE aponemonteV RENDERING           
timhn THEM HONOUR           wV AS

kai ALSO BEING               sugklhronomoi  JOINT HEIRS

caritoV OF THE GRACE            zwhV OF LIFE                  eiV  to SO AS

mh NOT                   ekkoptesqai TO BE CUT OFF

taV  proseucaV  umwn  YOUR PRAYERS

 

 

Christian Husbands are to be:

1)    Considerate and dwell with knowledge with their wife

2)    Protective and Supportive of the physically weaker

3)    Honoring their unique spouse

4)    Cooperative with a daughter of God who is joint heir in Christ

 

omoiwV  LIKEWISE

Goes back to 2:17

These directions have been to believers in general, believing slaves,                 

believing wives and now believing husbands.

There is no instructions here for the unsaved.  God’s only advice, command       

and requirement for the unbeliever is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Includes submission to human institutions

There is no discussion of a believing husband having a non-believing wife.

Husbands in this culture could forbid idols and require conformity

 

 

 

sunoikounteV DWELLING WITH THEM        

“Dwell” refers to living as a domestic couple

“Dwelling” is used only here in the NT but occurs in the LXX in Dt.22:13;   

24:1; 25:5; Is. 62:5; Pr. 19:14

“Dwelling” has an overtone of living with a wife in a married state and      

includes the bedroom, the kitchen, the family room and the garage.

 

 

kata ACCORDING  gnwsin TO KNOWLEDGE

“Knowledge” refers to a scriptural understanding of marriage

This is insight into God’s plan and Christian character and sensitivity to the wife.

 

asqenesterw WITH A WEAKER EVEN

“Weaker” does not refer to intelligence or will but to the physical structure.

Women were created different than men. 

Genesis 2:7 – “the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground.”

Genesis 2:22 – “the Lord God made a woman from the rib “part” he had taken out of the man.”

 

skeuei  VESSEL

“vessel” is used in the NT to refer to temple vessels and household vessels

Vessels where chosen and used to accomplish a purpose

Acts 9:15 – Paul is a chosen vessel o fGod

The husband is to dwell in a domestic relationship with his wife but realize she
            is vessel with a purpose

 

Four uses of vessel in Greek:

1)     Person is an instrument of God as Paul was in Acts 9:15

2)     Physical Body is a vessel containing:

a.      The soul as in 1 Thessalonians 4:4

b.      The glory of God as in 2 Corinthians 4:7

3)     An object or creation of the Creator or the Potter as in 2 Timothy 2:20

4)     The Rabbi’s taught that husbands had a possession in the wife and she was their vessel or

       object of possession.  This is attitude is not supported in scripture

 

Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18:6 shows Abraham telling Sarah to prepare a meal but yet he himself  

went out to get the meat, set the table, served the meal and waited on the guests.

 

tw WITH THE    gunaikeiw FEMALE

 

aponemonteV RENDERING

“Giving” means “to assign to , to portion off.”
There is a special portion of respect, gentleness, recognition that the husband gives the wife that:

1)    he does not give to anyone else

2)    she does not receive or accept from anyone else

Titus did this to the troops when they destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD

 

timhn THEM HONOUR          

“Honor” same word in 1:19 translated “precious” which referred to Christ’s “precious           

blood” but not in monetary value but as rare, one of a kind, unique blood.  The           

only way to  God.  So it is with the husband honoring the wife.  She is unique,            

one of a kind and rare among females.

This includes words, attitude, and deeds

 

 

sugklhronomoi  JOINT HEIRS

Same privileges, rights and calling in Christ as husband in reference to “the grace of life”.

This does not mean that men and women are the same.  They are created  differently for different purposes. 

This is obvious in the physical realm.  But this difference is only for this age.

Galatians 3:28 – in Christ natural differences such as race, gender and social standing do not matter. 

They do in the natural realm but not in the     spiritual.

Society in the first century AD didn’t teach this. 

This was a new and radical Christian way that believing men were to treat their wives.

 

caritoV OF THE GRACE zwhV OF LIFE   

 

 

ekkoptesqai TO BE CUT OFF

This word means to “to cut in” or “to interrupt”

This word is used to describe the breaking up of a road to slow someone    down.

1 Thessalonians 2:18 – Paul was “hindered” by Satan

Gal. 5:7 – Someone cut in and hindered the Galatians when Paul asks, “Who broke up the road for you?”

Spiritual warfare teaches us here that we must not let our prayers and fellowship with God be broken up                because of our improper behavior with our wives in our homes, bedrooms, kitchens, garages, etc.

 

Failure to live in knowledge with his wife or to recognize her for who she is        

will result in an interruption in the husband’s prayers.

 

 

taV  proseucaV  umwn  YOUR PRAYERS

“Your” refers to the husbands who are being addressed here. This is not a reference to both the husband and wife.