γυνή

From the study of Matthew 5:28

Range of meaning

Adult woman; wife. Greek has no separate everyday word for 'wife', so context decides which is meant.

Against the English

All the major versions say 'a woman'. That is a fair rendering, but it hides the possibility, strong given the context, that a married woman is meant.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exod 20:17 in the Greek Old Testament: 'your neighbour's gynē', meaning his wife. Matt 5:31–32, the next saying, uses the same word for a man's wife in divorce. Matt 1:20, 24: Mary is Joseph's gynē.

From the study of Sirach 25:25

Range of meaning

Gynē means woman or wife; context decides which. Ponēros covers bad, worthless, harmful, malicious and evil, from 'troublesome' up to 'wicked'.

Against the English

Brenton/KJV/WEB 'wicked woman' makes the statement sound general, and to modern ears 'wicked woman' suggests sexual immorality or near-demonic malice. NRSV and similar versions say 'evil wife', which fits the household context better.

How it drifted

Modern English separates 'woman' and 'wife'; Greek does not. 'Wicked' has also narrowed toward the sensational.

Used elsewhere in the period

'Bad wife' and 'good wife' is a stock pairing in ancient wisdom literature: Proverbs 21:9, 19; 25:24; 27:15–16 (the quarrelsome wife like constant dripping); Proverbs 31 (the capable wife); Sirach 26:1–4 (the good wife) and 26:7–9 (the bad wife). Greek moralists had similar lists, such as Semonides' satire on types of women.

From the study of Ephesians 5:22

Range of meaning

Gynē means woman or wife. Anēr means man (male) or husband. Greek has no separate words for 'wife' and 'husband'. Context decides.

Against the English

English versions rightly choose 'wives' and 'husbands' here. 'Own' and the marriage theme of 5:22–33 make it certain.

Used elsewhere in the period

The same pairing appears in Colossians 3:18–19, 1 Peter 3:1–7, and in Aristotle's and Plutarch's writing on how a household should be run.