Ephesians 5:21

5:21 and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. ¹ 

Hebrews 13:17

13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls and will give an account for their work. ²  Let them do this ³  with joy and not with complaints, for this would be no advantage for you.

Hebrews 13:1

Final Exhortations

13:1 Brotherly love must continue.

Hebrews 5:5

5:5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming high priest, but the one who glorified him was God, ⁴  who said to him, “You are my Son! Today I have fathered you,” ⁵ 

[5:21]  ¹ sn Eph 5:19-21. In Eph 5:18 the author gives the command to be filled by means of the Holy Spirit. In 5:19-21 there follows five participles: (1) speaking; (2) singing; (3) making music; (4) giving thanks; (5) submitting. These participles have been variously interpreted, but perhaps the two most likely interpretations are (1) the participles indicate the means by which one is filled by the Spirit; (2) the participles indicate the result of being filled by the Spirit. The fact that the participles are present tense and follow the command (i.e., “be filled”) would tend to support both of these options. But it seems out of Paul’s character to reduce the filling of the Spirit to a formula of some kind. To the extent that this is true, it is unlikely then that the author is here stating the means for being filled by the Spirit. Because it is in keeping with Pauline theology and has good grammatical support, it is better to take the participles as indicating certain results of being filled by the Spirit. See ExSyn 639.

[13:17]  ² tn Or “as ones who will give an account”; Grk “as giving an account.”

[13:17]  ³ tn Grk “that they may do this.”

[5:5]  ⁴ tn Grk “the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:5]  ⁵ tn Grk “I have begotten you”; see Heb 1:5.