Deficiency of Woman's Mind According to the Bible

by 

Bassam Zawadi

Here is a verse from the New Testament talking about husbands and wives and how they should treat each other:

1 Peter 3:7

⁷Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker (asthenes) partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

The word asthenes means:

1) weak, infirm, feeble 

Source: http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/words/7/1146844809-9534.html

It usually refers to weakness in a physical sense. However, it could also refer to weakness in a mental sense as well:

1 Corinthians 8:7,10

⁷But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak (asthenes), it is defiled. ¹⁰For if anyone with a weak (asthenes) conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols?

So does this mean that the wife is not only weaker physically but mentally as well? Well, a well-known commentator sure did think so:

and here "the weaker"; being so for the most part, both as to strength of body, and endowments of mind; (John Gills Exposition to the Bible, Commentary on 1 Peter 3:7, Source)

For more on the Bible's perspective of the woman's intellect, please read the following articles...

Commentary on 1 Timothy 2:14-15

Biblical view on a woman's intellect

Does the Bible only prohibit authoritative teaching?

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