Colossians 3:19 (GNV)

Passage

Husbands, loue your wiues, and be not bitter vnto them.

Nearby Context

Colossians 3:17 And whatsoeuer ye shall doe, in worde or deede, doe all in the Name of the Lord Iesus, giuing thankes to God euen the Father by him.

Colossians 3:18 Wiues, submit your selues vnto your husbands, as it is comely in the Lord.

Colossians 3:19 Husbands, loue your wiues, and be not bitter vnto them.

Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all thing for that is well pleasing vnto the Lord.

Colossians 3:21 Fathers, prouoke not your children to anger, least they be discouraged.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Wiues submit your selues vnto your husbands..." into verse 20's "Children obey your parents in all thing...", so "husbands" and "loue" 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 "loue" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.