1 Corinthians 7:3 Meaning and Explanation
“Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Husband and wife each owe the other affectionate, faithful intimacy as a matter of loving duty.
What Does 1 Corinthians 7:3 Mean?
Continuing his counsel to the married, Paul describes the marriage bed as a place of mutual obligation. "Due benevolence" renders a word for what is owed; each spouse has a loving debt to pay the other. Strikingly for his day, Paul addresses husband and wife as equals in this.
The point is generosity, not demand. Love within marriage gives rather than grasps, attending to the other's good before one's own. This mutual self-giving guards the union against selfishness and neglect, and it quietly reflects the way Christ gives himself for those he loves. Intimacy becomes an act of kindness rendered, not a right seized.
Frequently Asked Questions About 1 Corinthians 7:3
What does 1 Corinthians 7:3 mean?
Husband and wife each owe the other affectionate, faithful intimacy as a matter of loving duty.