4:17 So I say this, and insist 15 in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility 16 of their thinking. 17
1 tn The words “I pray” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied to clarify the meaning; v. 17 is a subordinate clause to v. 16 (“I pray” in v. 17 is implied from v. 16). Eph 1:15-23 constitutes one sentence in Greek, but a new sentence was started here in the translation in light of contemporary English usage.
2 tn Or “glorious Father.” The genitive phrase “of glory” is most likely an attributive genitive. The literal translation “Father of glory” has been retained because of the parallelism with the first line of the verse: “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory.”
3 tn Or “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,” or “a spirit of wisdom and revelation.” Verse 17 involves a complex exegetical problem revolving around the Greek term πνεῦμα (pneuma). Some take it to mean “the Spirit,” others “a spirit,” and still others “spiritual.” (1) If “the Spirit” is meant, the idea must be a metonymy of cause for effect, because the author had just indicated in vv. 13-14 that the Spirit was already given (hence, there is no need for him to pray that he be given again). But the effect of the Spirit is wisdom and revelation. (2) If “a spirit” is meant, the idea may be that the readers will have the ability to gain wisdom and insight as they read Paul’s letters, but the exact meaning of “a spirit” remains ambiguous. (3) To take the genitives following πνεῦμα as attributed genitives (see ExSyn 89-91), in which the head noun (“S/spirit”) functions semantically like an adjective (“spiritual”) is both grammatically probable and exegetically consistent.
4 tn Grk “in the knowledge of him.”
5 tn Or possibly “to the Aeons who are about to come.”
6 tn Or “upon.”
9 tn Grk “who made the both one.”
13 tn Grk “which.” Verse 5 is technically a relative clause, subordinate to the thought of v. 4.
14 tn Grk “the sons of men” (a Semitic idiom referring to human beings, hence, “people”).
15 tn Grk “other.”
16 tn Or “in.”
17 tn Grk “of which I was made a minister,” “of which I became a servant.”
18 tn Grk “according to.”
19 sn On the exercise of his power see 1:19-20.
21 tn On the translation of μαρτύρομαι (marturomai) as “insist” see BDAG 619 s.v. 2.
22 tn On the translation of ματαιότης (mataioth") as “futility” see BDAG 621 s.v.
23 tn Or “thoughts,” “mind.”
25 tn The Greek article has been translated as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
29 tn The use of the pronoun αὐτός (autos) is intensive and focuses attention on Christ as the one who has made the church glorious.
30 tn Grk “but in order that it may be holy and blameless.”
33 tn Grk “flesh.”
37 tn Grk “the two shall be as one flesh.”
38 sn A quotation from Gen 2:24.
41 tn Both “pray” and “be alert” are participles in the Greek text (“praying…being alert”). Both are probably instrumental, loosely connected with all of the preceding instructions. As such, they are not additional commands to do but instead are the means through which the prior instructions are accomplished.
42 tn Grk “and toward it.”
45 tn Grk “the things concerning us.”