Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands
The apostle proceeds from those duties which related to them as
church members one towards another, for their mutual good and
edification, and the glory of God, to such as concerned them in
their own houses and families, as in a natural relation to each
other; as husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and
servants; showing hereby, that the Gospel does not at all break
in upon, but establishes the duties of common and civil life.
Concerning the duty wives to their husbands, here exhorted to,
(See Gill on
Ephesians 5:22). The reason urging to a regard to it is,
as it is fit in the Lord;
that is, Christ, as the Syriac version reads it. Subjection of
wives to their own husbands is "fit" and proper in its own
nature, by reason of the original creation of man, and of the
woman from him: man was made first, and then the woman; and the
woman was made out of the man, out of one of his ribs; and so,
though not to be trampled under his feet, but to be by his side,
and an help meet to him, yet not to be head, or to rule over him.
Moreover, the woman was made for the man, and not the man for the
woman; add to this, that the woman was in the transgression, and
the means of the fall of man, which gave a fresh reason for, and
made the obligation to subjection to him the stronger: and it is
also a "decent" and becoming thing for wives to be subject to
their husbands; for as it is giving honour to them, it is a real
ornament to themselves, and is one of those good works which
women professing godliness should adorn themselves with; and
makes more comely and beautiful than broidered hair; gold,
pearls, or costly array, yea, than their natural favour and
beauty: it is what is fitting "in the Lord": it is what he
requires, not only what the law of God requires, see ( 1
Corinthians 14:34 ) and which was enjoined originally, see (
Genesis
3:16 ) and was charged as a duty under the legal
dispensation; but is what is commanded by Christ under the Gospel
dispensation, and is to be observed by all those that are "in"
him, that profess to be new creatures, converted persons, that so
the word of God be not blasphemed, and the enemy have no occasion
to reproach, see ( Titus 2:5 ) ( 1 Timothy
5:14 ) though this phrase may also be considered as a
restriction and limitation of this subjection; that though it
reaches to all things, yet only to such as are agreeable to the
will of the Lord, and not contrary to the Gospel of Christ; for
in these they are not to be subject to them, but to Christ the
Lord; but in all other things they are, even as the church is
subject to Christ: and when this is the case, such subjection is
regarded by Christ as if it was done to himself; and indeed his
honour and glory should be the governing view in it; see (
Ephesians 5:22 ) .