Troublesome Topic: How Is a Wife a Weaker Vessel? 1 Peter 3

1 Peter 3:7

Translation

Husbands likewise [have become sons of Abraham]

by living jointly with your wife in knowledge as with a weaker vessel, and by giving her the high value

due her as joint heirs of the grace of life, in order that your prayers not be hindered.

Paraphrase

In the same way a husband has become the son of Abraham by living out his marriage relationship with his wife in a way that understands that she has certain weaknesses that he does not have, and by giving her the honor, respect and high value she deserves as someone who has also inherited God’s grace to live life as He designed. In all of this the husband needs to keep in mind that if he does not treat his wife well, God will not listen to him when he prays.

HOW IS A WIFE A WEAKER VESSEL?

The text does not explain what is meant by “the weaker vessel,” and much speculation has been entered into about its meaning. Some say it refers to differing levels of physical strength. I doubt that is the case because I see no connection to physical strength in this passage. Some see here a reference to the fact that women are more emotional than men. Women cannot shut off their emotions the way men can. I agree that this is likely the intended meaning. Peter was saying that a wife will respond emotionally to many things in life and the man needs to understand and expect it. He needs to treat his wife in a way that shows he understands that she cannot shut off her emotions. He should not berate her for her reactions; he should not try to change her to be more like him regarding emotions (as if that would ever work, right?). These are some of the things meant by “giving her the high value due her.”

The next lesson is: What Is the Connection to a Husband’s Prayers? 1 Peter 3

Footnotes

1

No punctuation was used in the original manuscripts so we are left to deduce where sentences stopped; usually this is done looking at the primary verbs because every sentence needs to have a primary verb that is stated or can easily be assumed. This verse contains only participles, not primary verbs, thus it appears that it is a continuation of the part about women in verses 1-6 (they used long sentences in Kione Greek). The words [have become sons of Abraham] can be assumed because of the construction of the sentence (which I have split up to make it read more easily in English).

2

Their word for “honor and respect” started out simply as the idea of “high value.” A husband should treasure his wife as a special gift of extremely high value. To treasure her in that way is to show her the honor and respect she deserves.