Ephesians 5:29For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly;
The setting
Rome, ~60 AD. Paul writes from house arrest to believers in Ephesus, Turkey...
The emotion here: passionate about correcting Roman marriage culture
The original word
ektrepho (ἐκτρέφω) — to nourish to full growth, like raising children
Why it matters
Roman men legally owned their wives' bodies and could divorce at will
Read with care
What most readers miss in Ephesians 5:29
Paul uses parenting language — husbands should 'raise up' their wives
Common misconceptionPeople think this is about self-love psychology, but Paul is using basic human self-preservation to show how radical Christ's love is for the church.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Ephesians 5:29
Bible Genome reading
Ephesians 5:29 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Ephesians 5:29 comes from the book of Ephesians, written during the early_church period. These words are attributed to Paul. The dominant emotion in this verse is growing, with a comfort power of 60% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the teaching genre of biblical literature. Key themes include care, church body, analogy. Notable phrases: nourishes and cherishes; as the Lord also does.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same growing
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
— Proverbs 22:6
“So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
— Romans 10:17
“He must increase, but I must decrease.”
— John 3:30
“Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
— Galatians 6:2
“He believed in Yahweh; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.”
— Genesis 15:6
Your reflection
What does Ephesians 5:29 mean to you, today?
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