Ephesians 5:29
New International Version
After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—

New Living Translation
No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.

English Standard Version
For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,

Berean Standard Bible
Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.

Berean Literal Bible
For no one at any time hated his flesh. But he nourishes and cherishes it just as Christ also does the church.

King James Bible
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

New King James Version
For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

New American Standard Bible
for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,

NASB 1995
for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,

NASB 1977
for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,

Legacy Standard Bible
for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,

Amplified Bible
For no one ever hated his own body, but [instead] he nourishes and protects and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,

Christian Standard Bible
For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church,

American Standard Version
for no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as Christ also the church;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For no man ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cares for his own, just as The Messiah does also for his church.

Contemporary English Version
None of us hate our own bodies. We provide for them and take good care of them, just as Christ does for the church,

Douay-Rheims Bible
For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, as also Christ doth the church:

English Revised Version
for no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as Christ also the church;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
No one ever hated his own body. Instead, he feeds and takes care of it, as Christ takes care of the church.

Good News Translation
None of us ever hate our own bodies. Instead, we feed them, and take care of them, just as Christ does the church;

International Standard Version
For no one has ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, as the Messiah does the church.

Literal Standard Version
for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and nurtures it, as also the LORD—the Assembly,

Majority Standard Bible
Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

New American Bible
For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church,

NET Bible
For no one has ever hated his own body but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ also does the church,

New Revised Standard Version
For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church,

New Heart English Bible
For no one ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ also does the church;

Webster's Bible Translation
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

Weymouth New Testament
For never yet has a man hated his own body. On the contrary he feeds and cherishes it, just as Christ feeds and cherishes the Church;

World English Bible
For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly,

Young's Literal Translation
for no one ever his own flesh did hate, but doth nourish and cherish it, as also the Lord -- the assembly,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Wives and Husbands
28In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church. 30For we are members of His body.…

Cross References
Genesis 2:23
And the man said: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for out of man she was taken."

Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns--and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Ephesians 5:28
In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

Ephesians 5:30
For we are members of His body.


Treasury of Scripture

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord the church:

hated.

Ephesians 5:31
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

Proverbs 11:17
The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.

Ecclesiastes 4:5
The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.

nourisheth.

Isaiah 40:11
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Ezekiel 34:14,15,27
I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel…

Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Jump to Previous
Assembly Body Care Cares Cherish Cherishes Cherisheth Christ Church Contrary Feeds Flesh Food Gives Hate Hated Hates Nourish Nourishes Nourisheth
Jump to Next
Assembly Body Care Cares Cherish Cherishes Cherisheth Christ Church Contrary Feeds Flesh Food Gives Hate Hated Hates Nourish Nourishes Nourisheth
Ephesians 5
1. After general exhortations to love;
3. to flee sexual immorality;
4. and all uncleanness;
7. not to converse with the wicked;
15. to walk carefully;
18. and to be filled with the Spirit;
22. he descends to the particular duties, how wives ought to obey their husbands;
25. and husbands ought to love their wives,
32. even as Christ does his church.














(29) His own flesh--i.e., as above (Ephesians 5:28), his own body. There are two parts of the natural care for our own bodies; first, "to nourish" (properly, to rear them up from childhood, as in Ephesians 6:4), and then "to cherish" (literally, to keep them warm), to provide all they need for health, and comfort, and life. In all that corresponds to both, the husband is to show love to the wife, not only as a self, but as a weaker self, for whom he is bound to think and to act. It may be noted in passing that the very comparison accords with the Christian idea of the body as a part of the true self, redeemed to be a temple of God; and is utterly incongruous with the Gnostic conceptions (already beginning at Colossae, probably not unknown in other Asiatic churches) of all matter as the source of evil, and of the body as that for which the spirit should not deign to care.

(29, 30) Even as the Lord the church: for we . . .--Again St. Paul escapes from the type to rest on the Antitype (see Ephesians 5:32). The idea of the natural rearing and cherishing the body suggests the thought of the tender care of Christ, in which He "rears up" His Church from weak infancy to full maturity in heaven, and all the while "cherishes it (comp. 1Thessalonians 2:7, spoken of His servants) as a nurse cherisheth her children," "carrying it in His bosom" (Isaiah 40:11), comforting and cheering its childlike weakness. Hence he goes back again to speak with great and special emphasis of our unity with Him. . . .

Verse 29. - For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as Christ also the Church. To hate one's wife is as irrational as to hate one's own flesh, and as, on the other hand, men constantly nourish and cherish their flesh, protecting it from hurt, seeking to heal it when hurt, and generally to promote its welfare and comfort, so ought husbands to act towards their wives. In this aspect of the case, too, the sharp eye of the apostle finds an analogy between the relation of the wife to the husband and that of the Church to Christ, expanded in the next verso.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Indeed,
γάρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

no one
οὐδεὶς (oudeis)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3762: No one, none, nothing.

ever
ποτε (pote)
Particle
Strong's 4218: At one time or other, at some time, formerly. From the base of pou and te; indefinite adverb, at some time, ever.

hated
ἐμίσησεν (emisēsen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3404: To hate, detest, love less, esteem less. From a primary misos; to detest; by extension, to love less.

his
ἑαυτοῦ (heautou)
Reflexive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1438: Himself, herself, itself.

[own]
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

body,
σάρκα (sarka)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4561: Flesh, body, human nature, materiality; kindred.

but
ἀλλὰ (alla)
Conjunction
Strong's 235: But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise.

he nourishes
ἐκτρέφει (ektrephei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1625: To nourish, nurture, bring up. From ek and trepho; to rear up to maturity, i.e. to cherish or train.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

cherishes
θάλπει (thalpei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2282: (properly: I warm, then) I cherish, nourish, foster, comfort. Probably akin to thallo; to brood, i.e. to foster.

it,
αὐτήν (autēn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

just as
καθὼς (kathōs)
Adverb
Strong's 2531: According to the manner in which, in the degree that, just as, as. From kata and hos; just as, that.

Christ
Χριστὸς (Christos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5547: Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. From chrio; Anointed One, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.

[does]
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

the
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

church.
ἐκκλησίαν (ekklēsian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1577: From a compound of ek and a derivative of kaleo; a calling out, i.e. a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation.


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NT Letters: Ephesians 5:29 For no man ever hated his own (Ephes. Eph. Ep)
Ephesians 5:28
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