Those
committed to male leadership in marriage love to quote I Peter 3:6, which reads,
As Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him lord,
whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror. They
fail, however, to look at the whole story of Sarah and Abraham; nor do
they examine the entire message of I Peter 3:1-7. If they would do so they would find
a beautiful picture of mutuality and partnership emerging.
Here are 3 reasons this
verse cannot be used to teach male hierarchy in marriage.
1) The
word used by Sarah that is here translated as “lord” was a term of respect and
did not necessarily denote submission to a superior.
2) When we read the complete story of Sarah
and Abraham we find that not only did Sarah show respect for Abraham, but he (and
God) showed an equal respect for Sarah.
3) Peter balances out 3:1-6 with 3:7 where he
tells husband to honor their wives, with “honor” being from a Greek word that
refers to the respect that is shown to someone of a higher rank.
The
Meaning of “lord” in this Passage
The New Testament translators
have tried to alert us of the diminished authoritarian content of this word by
translating it in all lower case letters,
i.e., “lord.” Indeed, the word that was used by Sarah (Genesis 18:12) was the
Hebrew adonai, a word that expressed
respect, but did not necessarily denote submission to a superior. For example, Aaron
called Moses adonai (Numbers 12:11); Jacob
called Esau adonai (Genesis 32:40); David
called Saul adonai (I Samuel 24:8);
and Hazael, who became king of Syria, called Elisha adonai (II Kings 8:12). In each of these verses, adonai is translated in all lower case letters as "lord."
Adonai
was also used by individuals in the Old Testament when addressing God or when
referring to Him, where it is translated with the first letter capitalized, as in
“Lord.” Yahweh, the personal and
covenant name of God, is translated with all caps, i.e., “LORD.” It is obvious that adonai is not a name for God, but was a term or designation of
honor and respect
As pointed out above, adonai was also used by individuals in
addressing one another when they wanted to show honor and respect; but it did
not indicate an inferior status for the one using the word, or the superior
status of the one being addressed. It was merely a word of respect, which is why, in such cases, it is translated in all lower case letters as "lord."
There is a similar situation in the New Testament. The Greek word used by
Peter in this passage is kurion,
which is from Kurios, a word that is
used of Jesus Christ in the New Testament and is translated as "Lord." But in the larger Greco-Roman
world, the word was used as a word of respect similar to “sir.” For example, the Philippian
jailer used this word in addressing Paul and Silas in Acts 16:30. Overwhelmed
by the sequence of events, including the earthquake, he fell down before Paul
and Silas and cried out, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” “Sirs” in this verse
is a translation of the same root word that is translated “lord” in I Peter
3:6.
So Sarah showed respect
to Abraham. Respect is, indeed, an attitude that should be present in all
Christian marriages and amongst all believers. And when we look at the full
story of Sarah and Abraham, we find that there was equal respect shown by
Abraham toward Sarah.
God Required Abraham to Obey and
Respect Sarah
In Genesis 21:9-12, Sarah
confronted Abraham over his passive and tolerant attitude toward Ishmael’s
destructive behavior toward Isaac. She insisted that he get rid of Hagar and
Ishmael. Abraham was reluctant to do so and the Scriptures say that Sarah’s
demand was very displeasing to him. Nonetheless, God took Sarah’s side and said
to Abraham, Whatever Sarah has said to
you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. It was
not a matter of who had authority over whom; it was a matter of what was right
in that situation. Sarah happened to be right and God ordered Abraham to carry
out her desire.
In her book, In the Spirit We’re Equal, Susan Hyatt points
out that in Genesis 20:3 God referred to Sarah as Abraham’s baal, which is normally translated as “lord,”
“master,” or “owner.” In a few places baal
is translated as “husband,” as in Proverbs 12:4, which says that a virtuous or
excellent wife is the crown of her husband, or baal. But Genesis 20:3 is the only place in the Old Testament that baal is ever translated as “wife.” Perhaps
the translators cannot bring themselves to translate the word literally, for
that would be saying that Sarah was Abraham’s “lord.”
It is true that Sarah
was Abraham’s wife, but the question is why did God not say she was a man’s ishshah, the normal Hebrew word for
wife? Why did He say she was a man’s baal,
a word carrying obvious connotations of authority, honor, and respect. The
answer is probably to be found in the context in which the word was used.
The setting of this
verse is when Abraham, in fear for his own safety, told the people of Gerar that
Sarah was his sister (she was his half-sister). He let Sarah down out of fear.
As a result, the king of Gerar, Abimelech, took Sarah and made her a part of his
harem. However, before he could go any further, God spoke a severe warning to
him in a dream, saying, Indeed you are a
dead man because of the woman whom you have taken for she is a man’s wife
(baal).
As pointed out above,
this is the only place that baal is
translated as “wife.” So whatever meaning we may seek to derive from its use in
this passage, the bottom line is that God used it to communicate to this pagan
king that he was in big trouble for the woman he had taken was a woman
deserving of great honor and respect, first of all from her husband and then
from him. She was a man’s (Abraham’s) baal.
God Himself defended Sarah and gave her the favor and status that she needed by
calling her a baal.
Ladies, even when those
closest to you let you down, you don’t have to have to fight in the flesh and
toot your own horn. Trust in God, walk in obedience to Him, and He will be your
shield and your defense. He will honor you and raise you up.
Peter Tells Husbands to Honor and
Respect their Wives
Peter balances out his
instructions to the wives in I Peter 3:1-6 with instructions to the husbands in
3:7. Peter tells husbands to give honor
to the wife as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace
of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
The word “honor” in
this verse is translated from the Greek word timen, which Thayer’s
Greek-English Lexicon defines as “to honor, revere, venerate,” and as “the
honor of one who outranks others.” This is the attitude Peter instructs
husbands to show toward their wives. They are to show their wives the kind of
honor and respect they would show to a boss or superior.
Peter, in this passage,
refers to the wife as the “weaker vessel.” This cannot be a reference to a
moral or intellectual weakness. It is likely a reference to the weaker status of
the woman in the culture of that day where she was demeaned and treated as a second-class
citizen, and often as a child. Peter is instructing husbands to treat their
wives the very opposite of how the pagans treated their wives in that culture.
This is probably the source
for the custom in Western societies of men opening doors for women, allowing
them to go first, saying “Ladies and Gentlemen” rather than Gentlemen and
Ladies.” Indeed, Peter is instructing the husbands to minister an opposite
spirit of what they see in the world toward their wives. He goes on to tell the
husbands that their wives are “co-heirs” with them of the grace of life. If they do
not treat their wives in this manner, Peter warns, their prayers will be
hindered.
Concluding Remarks
So, on one occasion,
Sarah showed respect to Abraham, calling him “lord.” On another occasion God
showed the respect that was due Sarah by calling her Abraham’s baal, or “lord.” Mutual respect in
marriage, or any relationship, is an absolute necessity in establishing a
healthy, life-long relationship. And men, it will also help you obtain answers
to your prayers.
by Eddie L. Hyatt
www.eddiehyatt.com
by Eddie L. Hyatt
www.eddiehyatt.com
Very good insights.
ReplyDeleteAnd every time Abraham called her Sarah, he called her "princess" for that is what the word means.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi, just wanted to say that I agree with Eddie’s remarks regarding 1 Peter 3:7. But I think we must go one step further and notice the Greek word for “giving” that Peter uses when he says that the husband is to be “giving" honor unto his wife. This is not the usual Greek word used for “give” but is "aponemo", and this is the sole use in the NT. According to Vines, it means to apo, “away”, nemo, “to distribute”; to assign; apportion.
DeleteThis can only mean that the husband is in possession of something that his wife presently doesn’t have and he is to be presently distributing it, sharing it together with her. This idea is confirmed by the following phrase that they are heirs “together”. It is the “honor” that he possesses as a man which he is to distribute to her, the weaker vessel. Obviously a woman does not have the physical strength of a man so in that sense she is weaker physically and temporarily subjected to unique infirmities because of her gender. But that is not the point being made here.
The other word used here is vessel [G4632-skeuos], not body. The word vessel means an “implement” or “instrument”. Both the man and woman are VESSELS designed to be filled with the Holy Spirit and used BY GOD for HIS purposes. The husband is to see his wife this way because this is how God sees her. The husband is to humbly accept the fact that God has bestowed “honor” upon all Believer’s through Christ and he being the stronger vessel, is not to hoard it to himself.
The saved husband is obligated to distribute honor to his wife by elevating her status to the same level as his own before the eyes of the world. He is also to cleave to her. Although she is physically weaker, her spiritual strength is oftentimes much greater than his.
The elevation of the woman in marriage and the church to the same status as the man is only one of the many ways that the holy nation of God shows forth the light of God’s Kingdom to the unsaved world. Women on equal footing with men displays God's original and future design for the male and female who are both made in His image, even as in the coming kingdom, kings will not be solitary, Gen 2:18, but will have queens [H8282 – sarah], Isaiah 49:23.
Due to the historical dominance of the man over the woman in general throughout society, and her inferior status, even in the church today, she really can’t “take” that honor for herself. He is to give it to her as a “co-heir” or fellow-heir of the FUTURE inheritance of the children of God, 1 Peter 1:4. There’s also no reason why women can’t speak up about their due “inheritance” just as the daughters of Zelophedad did in Numbers 27:1-7.
The church must show forth the praises of God to an unbelieving, corrupt world system, right now, in this world, 1 Peter 2:9. That includes showing the world that God honors both male and female who are both made in His image. Did you ever notice how pagan deities seem to be designated as either male or female? (Deut 4:16) So the husband is not to use his stronger position in this world to elevate himself above his wife, but to lift up her status to his own level.
The husband who does not follow the instructions in v 7 will be penalized by God. If he will not allow her voice to be heard, God will not hear his. This principle applies not only to Christian marriage, but also to the church. Elevating the woman to equal status in the eyes of a wicked and unbelieving world sets an important and protective example and shows forth the light of the one true God.
The word “hindered” [1581 – ekkpoto] means to cut or strike out; to cut off or cut down, as a tree. The idea here is that God will cut off the prayers of the husband, the “stronger” vessel who cuts off his wife, the “weaker” vessel, from the honor that is due her, that is, the same honor that he has.
Peter is calling the saved husband and by extension, the male leadership in the church, to come out from the wrong thinking of the world and align themselves with the knowledge of God regarding women.
Blessings
It is refreshing to see the hierarchical underpinnings of marriage being called into question from a religious view point. If a marriage is to be a partnership it makes sense that the participants must be equal in some ways, or at least co-participants. The increasingly common same gender marriages are reinforcing this point as well - roles, duties, statuses can all be shared instead of being doled out according to tradition and differential power.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteSomeone mentioned this page in a Facebook discussion a while back and I thought I would check it out. I think the article makes a mistake saying that Sarah was Abraham's 'baal.' I found a couple of sources to confirm this including the Orthodox Jewish Bible, which is a more raw literal type translation.
Genesis 20:3
3 But Elohim came to Avimelech in a chalom halailah, and said to him, See, thou art met (dead), for the isha which thou hast taken; for she is be’ulat ba’al (married of a husband).
"Ba'al" means husband or lord. It doesn't mean wife. Here, Sarah is married of a husband. Abraham is her "ba'al".
Young's literal translation translates "ba'al" here 'husband'.
3 And God cometh in unto Abimelech in a dream of the night, and saith to him, `Lo, thou [art] a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken -- and she married to a husband.'
Is there any commentary that the author of the article can refer to, or any student of Hebrew who could read the passage that the author of the book could cite to support her assertions about the passage?