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Ephesians 5:22 — What Changed in the Bible Text

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What the source readsthe earliest Greek gives verse 22 no verb of its own — 'wives, to your own husbands as to the Lord' — the word 'submit' carried over from verse 21: 'submitting to ONE ANOTHER in the fear of Christ'

What this version reads'Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands' — the KJV (with later manuscripts) supplies a fresh command, cutting the verse loose from the mutual submission it hung on

In the oldest text there is no separate order to wives: verse 22 has no verb at all; it leans on verse 21, where everyone submits to everyone. Supply a new imperative and 'Wives, submit' becomes a free-standing rule — the mutuality quietly gone. The single most-read verse at weddings, resting on one inserted word.

Read this chapter side by side — Ephesians 5:22 →

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