Last week I introduced this potentially controversial topic, and today I'm sharing the potentially controversial verse--or one of the verses--that is sometimes used to "prove" that women should not work outside the home. Let's take a close look at Titus 2:5.
Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. (NIV)
The main phrase pulled out of this verse to argue that women should remain at home is "to be busy at home." The Greek word used in his phrase is oikouros, which indicates such things as "guider of the home" or "diligent ruler of the home" and yes, even "stayer at home." With the rich layers of meaning, the phrase "busy at home" lifts the role of homemaker to a noble and respectable place. It acknowledges that:
-managing a home is hard work
-a woman has a great deal of influence in her home
-it takes focus, and time AT HOME, to manage a household well
However, to concentrate only on the words "at home" rather than "to be busy at home'" does not do the passage justice. Note the cadence of the verse. There are several "to be's" that relate to a woman's characteristics and behavior and it is logical to read them in that fashion: "to be..." The complete phrase here is "to be busy at home," not simply "to be at home." Is Paul then emphasizing the "what" of being at home more than the "where?"
It is quite possible for a woman to remain at home and yet not be productive and busy. Donna Partow shares in her book, Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be, "Let's think about this. One can be at home but not be busy. There are plenty of times that a woman can be lazy at home. Paul seems to be reminding women to be productive contributors at home."
Note also that the focus of this passage is that older women teach younger women. (Read Titus 2:4) They are to mentor them regarding behavior and attitudes. Perhaps the reference to "younger" women does indeed encourage those that would likely have young children consider a role primarily at home to be a desireable and honorable thing. In any case, Paul exhorts older women to invest in younger women and help them develop their valuable role in the home.
So, then, by encouraging women to regard the role of "diligent ruler (manager) at home) with dignity, is the Bible forbidding a woman to work outside the home? Next week we'll consider another Scripture that speaks to this type of question. Until them, be careful not to pull one verse out of Scripture on which to build a conviction without being willing to see what the Bible teaches as a whole on the subject.
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Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. (NIV)
The main phrase pulled out of this verse to argue that women should remain at home is "to be busy at home." The Greek word used in his phrase is oikouros, which indicates such things as "guider of the home" or "diligent ruler of the home" and yes, even "stayer at home." With the rich layers of meaning, the phrase "busy at home" lifts the role of homemaker to a noble and respectable place. It acknowledges that:
-managing a home is hard work
-a woman has a great deal of influence in her home
-it takes focus, and time AT HOME, to manage a household well
However, to concentrate only on the words "at home" rather than "to be busy at home'" does not do the passage justice. Note the cadence of the verse. There are several "to be's" that relate to a woman's characteristics and behavior and it is logical to read them in that fashion: "to be..." The complete phrase here is "to be busy at home," not simply "to be at home." Is Paul then emphasizing the "what" of being at home more than the "where?"
It is quite possible for a woman to remain at home and yet not be productive and busy. Donna Partow shares in her book, Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be, "Let's think about this. One can be at home but not be busy. There are plenty of times that a woman can be lazy at home. Paul seems to be reminding women to be productive contributors at home."
Note also that the focus of this passage is that older women teach younger women. (Read Titus 2:4) They are to mentor them regarding behavior and attitudes. Perhaps the reference to "younger" women does indeed encourage those that would likely have young children consider a role primarily at home to be a desireable and honorable thing. In any case, Paul exhorts older women to invest in younger women and help them develop their valuable role in the home.
So, then, by encouraging women to regard the role of "diligent ruler (manager) at home) with dignity, is the Bible forbidding a woman to work outside the home? Next week we'll consider another Scripture that speaks to this type of question. Until them, be careful not to pull one verse out of Scripture on which to build a conviction without being willing to see what the Bible teaches as a whole on the subject.
Print This
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