Colossians 3:19 (ASV)

Passage

Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

Nearby Context

Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:18 Wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

Colossians 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing in the Lord.

Colossians 3:21 Fathers, provoke not your children, that they be not discouraged.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "husbands", "love", "wives", "bitter", and "against". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "husbands" and "love", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Wives be in subjection to your husbands..." into verse 20's "Children obey your parents in all things...", so "husbands" and "love" belong inside that flow. In Colossians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "husbands" and "love" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.