complete verse (Ephesians 5:28)

Following are a number of back-translations of Ephesians 5:28:

  • Uma: “So, like Kristus’ love for us, so also a husband must love his wife, like his love for his own body. Whoever loves his wife, it’s like him loving himself / his own body.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Likewise also you men, you should love your wives as you love your bodies. If you love your wives, that is what you love, your bodies/yourselves.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And in the same way also the man, he must hold his wife precious in his breath just like he holds precious his own body. For his holding his wife precious is just the same as holding his own body precious, because as for married couples, they are just only one body.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Therefore you men, you must love your spouses like your way-of-loving yourselves. If you do that, it will indeed also be yourselves that you are loving, because of course you who are married-couples have-become-one.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The valuing by the men of their wives, it’s necessary that he (ie: the man) regard it as his own body he is valuing. For the man who values his wife, he is valuing his own self.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The men must love their wives. Like they love their own bodies, they must do so concerning their wives. Because the man who loves his wife should think of it as though he were loving his own body.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Ephesians 5:28

The verse begins with the Greek adverb “in this way, in such a manner,” which may refer back to the way in which Christ loves the church (verse 25) or refer forward to “as their own bodies”; the latter seems more likely (see the same construction in verse 32). The meaning of the statement ought to love their wives just as they love their own bodies is made clear by the following verses; a husband and wife become “one flesh,” so, in effect, a husband’s love for his wife is his love for his own body. See New English Bible “In loving his wife a man loves himself.” It is possible to understand the Greek to mean “A man should love his wife as if she were his own body.” The Greek verb for ought expresses the necessity or compulsion that arises from a given set of circumstances.

As in some preceding verses it may be important in verse 28 to use a singular expression rather than a plural one because of the problem of polygamy in certain areas of the world, for example, “a man ought to love his wife just as he loves his own body” or “each man ought to love his own wife….” There may, however, be something rather unusual in the use of the same term for loving a wife and loving one’s own body. In fact, it may be necessary to use an expression such as “show deep appreciation for” or “be deeply concerned for.”

In translating the statement a man who loves his wife loves himself, it may be necessary to make somewhat more evident the inferred relationship or to use two different words for “love,” for example, “a man who loves his wife is, as it were, loving himself” or “a man who loves his wife shows real concern for himself.”

Abbott and Beare object to rendering the Greek for “as” by “as they love” (as Good News Translation, New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible translate); they contend that it means here “as being their own bodies”; so Barth, who translates “to love their wives for they are their bodies.” But it is by no means absolutely certain that this is so; no one would contend that the command “Love your neighbor as yourself,” Leviticus 19.18; Mark 12.31, means “love your neighbor as being yourself”; it means “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” If one follows this interpretation of as they love, it may be useful to translate “… to love his wife, for she is, in a sense, his own body.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1982. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 5:28

5:28a

In the same way: There is implied information here. The husbands are to love their wives in the same way as Christ loved the church. If this is not clear in the translation you may want to include the implied information. For example:

In the same way ⌊that Christ loved the church⌋ so a husband should love his wife.”

husbands ought to love their wives: This means that each husband should love his own wife. In areas where there is polygamy, it may be better to use a singular subject instead of a plural. For example:

…each man should love his own wife as he loves his own body.

This fits well with the singular verb (loves himself) that follows in 5:28b.

as their own bodies: These words mean that a husband should love his wife just like he loves his own body. When Paul says that a husband loves his own body, he means that he does things to protect himself from harm. He wants to survive, and so he does what helps him survive and live well. (as mentioned in 5:29a). If it is not natural in your language to talk about loving your body, you can translate this as:

as he loves himself (Contemporary English Version)

5:28b

He who loves his wife loves himself: There is implied information here. Paul is making a comparison by referring back to the metaphor of 5:23: The husband is the head of his wife just as Christ is the head of the church. Using that metaphor, Paul reminds the Ephesians that a husband is united to his wife in the same way that Christ is united to the church. So, figuratively, the wife is the “body” of her husband just as the church is the “body” of Christ.

In translating this sentence, it may be helpful to show that Paul is making a comparison. For example:

When a man loves his wife, it is like he loves himself too.

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