Efesus 5:31-33

5:31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become ¹  one flesh. ²  5:32 This mystery is great – but I am actually ³  speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 5:33 Nevertheless, ⁴  each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, ⁵  and the wife must ⁶  respect ⁷  her husband.

[5:31]  ¹ tn Grk “the two shall be as one flesh.”

[5:31]  ² sn A quotation from Gen 2:24.

[5:32]  ³ tn The term “actually” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in the English translation to bring out the heightened sense of the statement.

[5:33]  ⁴ tn The translation of πλήν (plhn) is somewhat difficult in this context, though the overall thrust of the argument is clear. It could be an adversative idea such as “but,” “nevertheless,” or “however” (see NIV, NASB, NRSV), or it could simply be intended to round out and bring to conclusion the author’s discussion. In this latter case it could be translated with the use of “now” (so A. T. Lincoln, Ephesians [WBC], 384).

[5:33]  ⁵ tn Grk “Nevertheless, you also, one by one, each his own wife so let him love as himself.” This statement is cumbersome and was cleaned up to reflect better English style.

[5:33]  ⁶ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause was taken as imperatival, i.e., “let the wife respect….”

[5:33]  ⁷ tn The Greek verb φοβέομαι (fobeomai) here has been translated “respect” and the noun form of the word, i.e., φόβος (fobos), has been translated as “reverence” in 5:21.