Ephesians 3:1

Paul's Relationship to the Divine Mystery

3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus ¹  for the sake of you Gentiles –

Ephesians 4:1

Live in Unity

4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, ²  urge you to live ³  worthily of the calling with which you have been called, ⁴ 

Ephesians 6:20

6:20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may be able to speak boldly as I ought to speak.

Philippians 1:7

1:7 For ⁵  it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, ⁶  since both in my imprisonment ⁷  and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you became partners in God’s grace ⁸  together with me.

Philippians 1:13-14

1:13 The ⁹  whole imperial guard ¹⁰  and everyone else knows ¹¹  that I am in prison ¹²  for the sake of Christ, 1:14 and most of the brothers and sisters, ¹³  having confidence in the Lord ¹⁴  because of my imprisonment, now more than ever ¹⁵  dare to speak the word ¹⁶  fearlessly.

Philippians 1:2

1:2 Grace and peace to you ¹⁷  from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Philippians 1:16

1:16 The latter do so from love because they know that I am placed here for the defense of the gospel.

Philippians 2:9

2:9 As a result God exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

¹ tc Several early and important witnesses, chiefly of the Western text (א* D* F G [365]), lack ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou, “Jesus”) here, while most Alexandrian and Byzantine mss (Ì⁴⁶ א¹ A B [C] D¹ Ψ 33 1739 [1881] Ï lat sy bo) have the word. However, because of the Western text’s proclivities to add or delete to the text, seemingly at whim, serious doubts should be attached to the shorter reading. It is strengthened, however, by א’s support. Nevertheless, since both א and D were corrected with the addition of ᾿Ιησοῦ, their testimony might be questioned. Further, in uncial script the nomina sacra here could have led to missing a word by way of homoioteleuton (cMuiMu). At the same time, in light of the rarity of scribal omission of nomina sacra (see TCGNT 582, n. 1), a decision for inclusion of the word here must be tentative. NA²⁷ rightly places ᾿Ιησοῦ in brackets.

² tn Grk “prisoner in the Lord.”

³ tn Grk “walk.” The verb “walk” in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.

⁴ sn With which you have been called. The calling refers to the Holy Spirit’s prompting that caused them to believe. The author is thus urging his readers to live a life that conforms to their saved status before God.

⁵ tn Grk “Just as.” The sense here is probably, “So I give thanks (v. 3) just as it is right for me…”

⁶ tn Or possibly “because you have me in your heart.”

⁷ tn Grk “in my bonds.” The meaning “imprisonment” derives from a figurative extension of the literal meaning (“bonds,” “fetters,” “chains”), L&N 37.115.

⁸ tn The word “God’s” is supplied from the context (v. 2) to clarify the meaning.

⁹ tn Grk “so that the whole imperial guard.” The ὥστε (Jwste) clause that begins v. 13 indicates two results of the spread of the gospel: Outsiders know why Paul is imprisoned (v. 13) and believers are emboldened by his imprisonment (v. 14).

¹⁰ sn The whole imperial guard (Grk “praetorium”) can refer to the elite troops stationed in Rome or the headquarters of administrators in the provinces (cf. Matt 27:27; Mark 15:16; John 18:28, 33; 19:9; Acts 23:35). In either case a metonymy is involved, with the place (the praetorium) put for those (soldiers or government officials) who were connected with it or stationed in it.

¹¹ tn Grk “it has become known by the whole imperial guard and all the rest.”

¹² tn Grk “my bonds [are].”

¹³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

¹⁴ tn Or “most of the brothers and sisters in the Lord, having confidence.”

¹⁵ tn Grk “even more so.”

¹⁶ tc A number of significant mss have “of God” after “word.” Although τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou) is amply supported in the Alexandrian and Western texts (א A B [D*] P Ψ 048^vid 075 0278 33 81 1175 al lat co), the omission is difficult to explain as either an intentional deletion or unintentional oversight. To be sure, the pedigree of the witnesses is not nearly as great for the shorter reading (Ì⁴⁶ D² 1739 1881 Ï), but it explains well the rise of the other reading. Further, it explains the rise of κυρίου (kuriou, “of the Lord”), the reading of F and G (for if these mss had followed a Vorlage with τοῦ θεοῦ, κυρίου would not have been expected). Further, τοῦ θεοῦ is in different locations among the mss; such dislocations are usually signs of scribal additions to the text. Thus, the Byzantine text and a few other witnesses here have the superior reading, and it should be accepted as the original.

¹⁷ tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”