Ephesians 5:25-29

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.

Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Read all of Ephesians 5

36 songs meet this passage

“I'm proud to call you my bitch”
I Don't Mind (feat. Juicy J) · USHER
strains against Ephesians 5:25-29
Love here is described as sacrificial and nourishing; the lyric instead boasts of possession and degradation dressed as affection.
“Be the man that I need, baby”
Man I Need · Olivia Dean
strains against Ephesians 5:25
The song's ask is for emotional presence and communication, while Scripture's picture of a man's love calls for sacrificial depth beyond just talking.
“I don't deserve this”
Perfect · Ed Sheeran
resonates with Ephesians 5:25
The humility of feeling undeserving of love reflects the self-giving, sacrificial posture Scripture calls husbands to have toward their wives.
“Maybe next time you'll give your woman a little respect”
My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It) · En Vogue
strains against Ephesians 5:25
The demand for respect implicitly points to a standard of sacrificial love the offending partner has failed to show.
“I can be the man that she deserves”
When She Cries · Restless Heart
resonates with Ephesians 5:25
His longing to become a sacrificially devoted husband echoes the call for husbands to love as Christ loved the church.
“Treat me like a lady”
One Woman · Jade
resonates with Ephesians 5:25
Her call for a partner who shows sacrificial, attentive love echoes the kind of devoted love Scripture asks husbands to give.
Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman? (From "Don Juan DeMarco" Soundtrack) · Bryan Adams
resonates with Ephesians 5:25
The call to sacrificial, gentle devotion toward one's partner resonates with Paul's charge for husbands to love as Christ loved the church.
I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By · Method Man
resonates with Ephesians 5:25
The language of sacrificial devotion mirrors this call to selfless love, though here it stops short of any higher reference point.
“You know I give myself to you”
I Live My Life for You · FireHouse
resonates with Ephesians 5:25
Self-giving devotion to a spouse or beloved reflects the sacrificial love Scripture calls for in marriage.
“And you're smart enough to be a real man”
Why I Love You So Much · Monica
resonates with Ephesians 5:25
Her appreciation for a man who honors and protects her reflects the kind of sacrificial, respectful love Scripture calls husbands to show.
Never Make a Promise · Dru Hill
resonates with Ephesians 5:25
The singer's vow to protect and cherish echoes the call for sacrificial, protective love between partners.
“I could never be the right kind of girl for you”
Your Woman · White Town
strains against Ephesians 5:25
The absence of sacrificial love in the relationship stands in contrast to the self-giving love Scripture calls for; her leaving is a sane response to its lack.
“Hoping the beatings'll go away”
Do for Love · 2Pac
strains against Ephesians 5:25
This is a jarring picture of a relationship devoid of sacrificial love; Scripture's standard for love stands in sharp contrast to the cycle of harm described.
Happily Ever After (Rerecorded) [Full Mix] [Full Mix] · Case
resonates with Ephesians 5:25
The promise to protect and cherish echoes the call for husbands to love sacrificially and steadfastly.
Angel (feat. Rayvon) · Shaggy
resonates with Ephesians 5:25
The song's overall posture of finally honoring a woman who gave selflessly echoes the call to love sacrificially, though it arrives late and imperfectly.
Always on Time · Ja Rule
strains against Ephesians 5:25
Love modeled after Christ gives itself sacrificially; here the woman's care is dismissed as irrelevant to the man's freedom to roam.
“I'm your friend, your father, and confidant, bitch”
P.I.M.P. · 50 Cent
strains against Ephesians 5:25
Real self-giving love for a woman is the opposite of posing as her protector while controlling and exploiting her.
Put That Woman First · Jaheim
strains against Ephesians 5:25
The call to love sacrificially is the standard the singer admits he failed to live up to while chasing money and status.
“So girly try to understand that a man is just a man”
I'm Still in Love with You (feat. Sasha) · Sean Paul
strains against Ephesians 5:25
Rather than calling the man to sacrificial faithfulness, the song excuses inconstancy as just how men are.
Walk Away · Kelly Clarkson
resonates with Ephesians 5:25
Her longing for sacrificial devotion mirrors the self-giving love Scripture calls for in genuine relationship, even in a purely romantic context.
“Cause he's taken you for granted”
If I Were a Boy · Beyoncé
strains against Ephesians 5:25
The neglect described stands in contrast to the self-sacrificial love this passage calls for in a relationship.
“Baby these fists, will always protect ya, lady”
Adorn · Miguel
resonates with Ephesians 5:25
The impulse to protect and sacrifice for a beloved mirrors the posture Scripture calls husbands toward, even if the song's context is more casual.
“Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you”
All of Me · John Legend
resonates with Ephesians 5:25-28
Mutual, sacrificial self-giving between spouses is the pattern Scripture holds up for marital love.
“All that you want, I'll be all that you need”
Anything · SWV
strains against Ephesians 5:25-28
Scripture frames self-giving love as sacrificial and mutual within covenant, not as unconditional surrender to someone else's wants.
“I showed them other brothers how to treat a lady”
Like You (feat. Ciara) · Bow Wow
resonates with Ephesians 5:25-28
The desire to treat a partner well and sacrificially mirrors this call to honor and cherish, though without any reference to Christ as the model.
“You gotta know how to treat me like a lady”
Dear Future Husband · Meghan Trainor
resonates with Ephesians 5:25-28
The desire to be cherished and honored by a spouse reflects a true longing, even if the song's version is more demand than mutual self-giving.
“Baby, anything you say I'll do”
I Wanna Know · Joe
strains against Ephesians 5:28
Devotion here centers on pleasing the partner's every wish rather than the self-giving, sacrificial love Scripture calls for; total compliance isn't quite the same as selfless love.
One Of The Girls · The Weeknd, JENNIE & Lily Rose Depp
strains against Ephesians 5:28-29
Scripture frames love as nourishing and cherishing the other; here love is expressed through harm and domination, inverting that picture.
“A man don't really love you if he hits ya”
U.N.I.T.Y. · Queen Latifah
resonates with Ephesians 5:28-29
The verse's picture of a husband cherishing his wife as his own body directly condemns the violence she describes and names it as a counterfeit of love.
“How a man deserve you if he hurt you”
You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time) [feat. Mase] · Brian McKnight
resonates with Ephesians 5:28-29
The critique of a man who mistreats his partner rightly echoes the call for husbands (and partners) to cherish and nourish those they love rather than harm them.
“If you a pimp and you know you don't love them hoes”
Southern Hospitality · Ludacris & Pharrell Williams
strains against Ephesians 5:28-29
Scripture calls for love and care toward others as toward oneself; this line openly admits the absence of love in these relationships.
Superman (feat. Dina Rae) · Eminem
strains against Ephesians 5:28-29
Where Scripture calls for a man to nourish and cherish a woman as his own body, the song threatens control and expulsion instead.
Slow Motion (feat. Soulja Slim) · Juvenile
strains against Ephesians 5:28-29
Husbands and partners are called to nourish and cherish, not wound; this casual reference to violence against women stands in stark opposition to that call.
“Hit her and go, I won't call her again”
Bugatti (feat. Future & Rick Ross) · Ace Hood
strains against Ephesians 5:28-29
The casual discarding of a woman here stands far from the call to cherish and care for another person.
“I break a bitch, like Chyna did Rob”
No Limit (feat. A$AP Rocky & Cardi B) · G-Eazy
strains against Ephesians 5:28-29
The call to love and nourish rather than degrade is directly inverted here, treating people as disposable.
“Boy, don't pretend that you don't love the pain”
Sweet but Psycho · Ava Max
strains against Ephesians 5:29
Scripture assumes people nourish and care for what they love; this line celebrates embracing pain as part of romantic thrill.

36 songs meet this passage

Elsewhere in Ephesians 5