[B-Greek] Use of GUNAIKEIO in 1 Peter 3:7

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Thu Jun 14 13:49:04 EDT 2007


On Jun 14, 2007, at 10:58 AM, Calvin Lindstrom wrote:

> Paul J. Achtemeier in his commentary on 1 Peter finds importance that
> Peter uses two different but related words referring to women/wives.
> For example on p. 208 of his commentary he argues that it is
> significant that Peter uses GUNAIKEIO (adjective) in verse 7 and uses
> GUNAIKES (noun) in verse 1. Similarly, on p. 217 he notes that the
> use of GUNAIKEIO (adjectival substantive) instead of the noun "points
> to a wider meaning, and probably refers to the way males in a
> household deal with its female members."
>
> Is this is a legitimate insight or is Peter simply using the two
> different words for variety? Any thoughts or comments would be  
> helpful.

(a) I think you mean GUNAIKEIWi (in our standard BG transliteration  
we differentiate between Omicron and Omega and note the iota- 
subscript with a lower-case "i."

(b) I don't understand what other word than GUNAIKES we should expect  
in verse 1, since the sense is pretty clearly "wives" in relationship  
to "their own husbands."

(c) Text of verse 7: hOI ANDRES hOMOIWS, SUNOIKOUNTES KATA GNWSIN hWS  
ASQENESTERWi SKEUEI TWi GUNAIKEIWi, APONEMONTES TIMHN hWS KAI  
SUGKLHRONOMOIS CARITOS ZWHS EIS TO MH EGKOPTESQAI TAS PROSEUCAS hUMWN.

I don't think that ASQENESTERWi in verse 7 is an adjectival  
substantive at all but rather an adjective used attributively with  
SKEUEI. Here in verse 7 as in verse 1 previously, so far as I can  
tell the focus is upon husbands and their own wives. While SKEUOS  
('instrument," "tool," "implement") might seem an odd word to use of  
a marriage-partner -- or sexual partner -- , it is used elsewhere in  
such a sense (e.g. 1 Thess. 4:4, where the phrasing seems rather  
similar to what we find here in 1 Peter 3:7). I frankly don't see any  
bearing whatsoever of this verse on other women in a household --  
unless one imagines that the master of the house has several  
concubines, each of whom he is treat with respect on grounds that she  
is "a weaker vessel." But I really think what's at stake here is the  
relationship between husbands and their own wives.

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad2 at mac.com
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/





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