Footnote

b Marital rape occurs when a husband overpowers his wife and forces himself on her sexually. Some husbands may believe that the “authority” the apostle Paul says a man has over his wife’s body is absolute. However, Paul also stated that “husbands ought to be loving their wives as their own bodies.” The apostle Peter states that husbands should assign wives “honor as to a weaker vessel, the feminine one.” That leaves no room for violence or forced sex.​—1 Corinthians 7:3-5; Ephesians 5:25, 28, 29; 1 Peter 3:7; Colossians 3:5, 6; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7.