What does this Bible passage say?

Monica was in what we would call an unequally yoked marriage.  She was a follower of Jesus, but her husband was not. Needless to say, such a marital relationship can become quite tense, even contentious.  

In situations like Monica’s, some women use worldly ways to gain their husband’s affection or approval.  Others will nag or manipulate their husbands to get them to be more compatible, easier to live with.  Too many women leave their husbands.

But Monica did something different.  In her son’s autobiography, written in A.D. 397, Augustine wrote, as if speaking to God, about his mother’s burden for her husband’s salvation:

“She served her husband as her master, and did all she could to win him for You, speaking to him of You by her conduct, by which You made her beautiful.… Finally, when her husband was at the end of his earthly span, she gained him for You.”

David R. Helm, 1 & 2 Peter and Jude:
Sharing Christ’s Sufferings,
Preaching the Word
(Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2008), 101.

It sounds like Monica read, took to heart and properly responded to the letter of 1 Peter.  We should too – not just married women, but there are principles here for single women too.  And guess what – for men also – married or not.

First, let’s see what the passage says:

Read the study text slowly, thoughtfully, and prayerfully from your own Bible and the study text provided on this web page.

You may also find reading from other translations helpful, such as these on the Blue Letter Bible website:

• Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)
• New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Study Passage

 Wives and Husbands

(Song 1:1–17;
Ephesians 5:22–33)

3 ^<1>Wives, in the same way, submit yourselves to your husbands, so that even if they refuse to believe the word, they will be won over without words by the behavior of their wives ^<2>when they see your pure and reverent demeanor.

^<3>Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes, ^<4>but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight. ^<5>For this is how the holy women of the past adorned themselves. They put their hope in God and were submissive to their husbands, ^<6>just as Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. And you are her children if you do what is right and refuse to give way to fear.

^<7>Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

What did this Bible passage mean
to the people of its day?

What is the message
of this Bible passage
for people today?

(Learn about them, then)

You may have noticed that the NLT uses the word “authority” while other translations use the words “subject” or “submissive”.  The Greek word translated here means:

to be submissive v. — to be or become inclined or willing to submit to orders or wishes of others or showing such inclination.Faithlife, LLC. “To Be Submissive.”
Logos Bible Study, Computer software. Sense Lexicon.
Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, LLC, 2024. 

► If you have a study bible, read the study notes to understand what Peter is teaching and what Monica experienced (see above).

► Go to: https://www.bibleref.com/1-Peter/3/1-Peter-3-1.html

• On the right side of the webpage, click on the “Expand” button under the Context Summary section and read the commentary there.
• Then, on the left side of the webpage, under the word VERSE, click on each of the verse numbers in this lesson (1-7), one at a time, and read the article “What does [this verse] mean?” on the right side of the webpage.  (Click on the button “Expand” to see the whole article.)

► What did you learn from the notes and articles on these verses?

► What did God want or not want people to know, feel, think, say or do back when Peter wrote this letter?

(Learn for us, now)

Note from the Faithlife Study Bible:

3:1 be subject The Greek verb used here, hypotassō, is also used in Eph 5:21 and Eph 5:24 for the submission of believers to one another and wives to husbands; husbands are encouraged to truly love their wives. [Also see text (and notes) on 1 Cor 14:34; Ephesians 5:22–33; Titus 2:1–5.]

First Peter 3:8 contextualizes all of Peter’s commands within a larger framework of Christian humility and love. Peter’s words are meant to be practiced by those who understand that their larger purpose is to live as people who reflect Christ’s character.John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible
(Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), 1 Pe 3:1.

► What does God want or not want you to know, feel, think, say or do?

► How should you respond to this study passage? (Click HERE for ways that can help you respond to God’s word.)

► How will you make this happen this week?