Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 38:4 (Autumn 2024)
Article: The Exhortation To The Husbands And Its Significance In The Conversation About The Household Codes: 1 Peter 3:7
Author: Abeneazer G. Urga

PP 38:4 (Autumn 2024) p. 9

The Exhortation To The Husbands And Its Significance In The Conversation About The Household Codes: 1 Peter 3:7

Abeneazer G. Urga

Abeneazer G. Urga (PhD, Columbia International University) lectures in biblical studies at Evangelical Theological College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is an adjunct professor at Columbia International University and Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology. His most recent book is Intercession of Jesus in Hebrews (Mohr Siebeck, 2023).

Much scholarly discussion by conservative and liberal theologians focuses on 1 Pet 3:1–6. The submission of wives to their husbands, the exhortation’s descriptive or prescriptive nature,1 whether Sarah addressed Abraham as “Lord” and obeyed him,2 the extent of the obedience or submission of wives to their husbands,3 the abuse that this passage has fostered throughout church history,4 the function of the participles,5 the silent witnessing of the wives,6 whether wives are supposed to teach,7 and how to live with an unbelieving husband8—all these topics have generated discussions and even heated debates.

However, these important conversations seem to neglect the equally crucial following verse: “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Pet 3:7; NIV). If it is picked up at all, the discussion of this verse is usually confined to the meaning of the “weaker partner” or “weaker vessel.”9 As such, this article will show the responsibility of Christian husbands concerning their wives and investigate whether in this text Peter accommodates the Greco-Roman culture to promulgate the oppression of wives. The passage will be analyzed in its social/ historical, theological, and literary contexts. This will be followed by a lexical analysis of 1 Pet 3:7. Finally, we consider the theological implications of the passage.

The Social/Historical, Literary, And Theological Contexts Of 1 Peter 3:7

In this section, we use the “hermeneutical tr...