The Meaning of Suffer and Suffrage in Biblical and Modern Usage

The passages in view are:

"And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.’’ (Matthew 3:15) "For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.’’ (2 Corinthians 11:19–20)

In these King James usages, “suffer” does not primarily mean “to experience pain,” but “to allow, permit, or put up with.” In Matthew 3:15, “Suffer it to be so now” means “allow it for now”; “then he suffered him” means “he permitted him.” In 2 Corinthians 11:19–20, “ye suffer fools gladly” means “you put up with fools gladly,” and “ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage” means “you tolerate it.”

Biblical Usage of "Suffer"

The underlying Greek verb in Matthew 3:15 is a form of aphiēmi, which fundamentally means “to allow, to let, to permit,” and by extension can also mean “to let go, to remit, to forgive.” Hence related theological uses, such as forgiveness, carry the idea of “letting something go” or “sending it away.”

In both Matthew 3:15 and 2 Corinthians 11:19–20, “suffer” fits this “allow/permit/endure” sense. There is an element of “bearing with” something, but the emphasis is on granting room for it to happen.

The Word "Suffrage"

“Women's suffrage” uses “suffrage” in a different sense. Etymologically, English “suffer” comes from Latin sufferre: sub (“under”) + ferre (“to bear, to carry”), yielding the idea “to bear under, to endure, to put up with.”

“Succor,” “transfer,” “offer,” “confer,” “refer,” and similar words also trace back to ferre (“to carry”). But “suffrage” does not come from sufferre. Instead, it comes from Latin suffragium, which refers to a vote, a ballot, or a means of expressing support. Thus “women's suffrage” means “women’s right to vote.”

While “suffer” and “suffrage” sound similar in English, they are derived from different Latin roots (sufferre vs. suffragium) and carry distinct meanings.

Answering the Comparison

Given this, neither Matthew 3:15 nor 2 Corinthians 11:19–20 is especially “close” to the modern political term “women’s suffrage.” The biblical “suffer” means “allow, permit, endure, bear with,” while “suffrage” means “the right to vote.”

There is a conceptual overlap in that both “suffer” (in older English) and “suffrage” may involve the idea of something being allowed or granted. But linguistically and historically, they are not directly related. The apparent connection is largely due to sound, not to shared meaning or root.

So the best answer is that neither passage truly reflects the modern usage “women’s suffrage.” Both passages use “suffer” in the sense of “allow/put up with,” while “suffrage” is a separate word referring to voting rights.

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