Wife

A wife is the female partner in a marriage. Her male counterpart is her husband. Feminists and conservatives have long debated whether authority in marriage should be the same or whether the husband should have greater say; see Equal Rights Amendment.

Bible quotes

Wives are mentioned several times in the book of Ephesians.

• "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing." Ephesians 5:22-24

• "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it" Ephesians 5:25

• "Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband." Ephesians 5:33

Titus:

• To be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands ... 2:4-5

1 Corinthians:

• But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife.1 Corinthians 7:2-4

Other quotes about women and marriage:

• I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. 1 Tim. 5:14

• If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married. Deuteronomy 24:5

See also

• Christian marriage
• Husband
• Christianity by continent