ARAMAIC WORD STUDY – LOVING SERVICE עבד
I Peter 3:1: “Likewise, ye wives, submit to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;”
If you look up your Greek word for submit in an interlinear you will discover that it is the word hypotassomenai from the root word hupotasso which means to be of a lower rank, to be submissive or subjected to. This works in lock step with the teachings of the church that women are inferior to men and men are the masters. A wife must obey her husband no matter what. But as I tried to show yesterday, I find it hard to believe that Peter was some chauvinistic male supremacist
As discussed yesterday, Peter spoke Aramaic and most likely had his scribe Silvanus transcribe his letter into Greek. The Aramaic uses the word ‘avad which can have a wide range of meanings and to put it into Greek is very difficult as you would have to make a decision as to precise nuance of ‘avad the author intended as the Greek is a more precise language than the Aramaic.
In looking through extra Biblical literature I find the Aramaic word ‘avad is most often used for a one who assists another person or helps another person voluntarily. In some cases it is used for a servant, rarely as a slave but more of a bond servant. It is used for one who loves his or her master and willingly serves or helps the master.
Just between you and I, like many Christians, I have a real problem with this submission business. Somewhere deep inside I just cannot accept the idea that Peter and Paul were teaching women to subject themselves to their husbands as a slave or servant would be submissive. I just cannot accept the fact that a wife is to submit to her husband no matter what as it taught in some circles. If the husband demands she not attend church then she is obligated to not attend as she must submit. I cannot accept the idea that Peter meant for a woman to submit to abusive or even sexually abusive situations in a relationship.
In Ephesians 5:22 Paul says the same thing in English, “Wives submit yourselves to your husbands.” Yet Paul uses a different Greek word idiouis. This is really a word used by most scholarly Greek speaking people of that day. It comes from the Attica Greek used by Aristotle. Attica predated the Koine Greek of the New Testament. To Aristotle it meant something that is owned for its uniqueness and is specialness like a precious gem or jewel. It is owned not for what service it could perform but because it is so desired. I mean a gem is just pretty and nothing else. It does not cook your meals wash your clothes etc. The owner wants to own it just because he desires it. It is possible Paul’s education in Greek included a study of Aristotle who lived some 350 years before Paul. Although Paul wrote in Koine Greek we find that there was a great Attica Greek influence in his writings. Could it be that he did not at all intend to convey the idea that a wife was to submit to her husband like a slave or servant to a master but was to be something unique and special to her husband. He might even have been saying:“Wives make yourselves desirable to your husbands.”
If that still makes you uncomfortable, then let’s take a closer look at the Aramaic word which would have been more familiar to Paul and Peter as they both used the word ‘avad which we render as submit. As I said ‘avad is a word used in extra Biblical literature for a bond servant or one who serves, assists or even helps another out of love and not duty.
I am entirely convinced that God gave us the marriage relationship to demonstrate our relationship with Him. If that is the case then Hosea 2:16 gives us the proper hermeneutical reason to reject any concept of a husband as a master: “In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master.’ Hosea could have forced his wife to serve him out of duty and fear of having her put to death for her adultery, yet that would make him a master and not a husband. He wanted no he longed for a wife and husband relationship not a slave and master relationship, the same relationship God desires with us. God wants us to go to church, give offering and tithes, keep His laws out of love, not fear, not duty, not to escape hell and earn a home in heaven, but because we love Him.
For a man to get his wife to follow him and obey him by saying; “Do it or elses” is the easy way. God did not call us to the easy way and yes, even the cowardly way, neither did Peter or Paul. We have to do it the hard way and that is getting your mate to follow you out of love and respect. That is not easy and takes a lot of work, humility, respect and true love.
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