Ephesians 1:2

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

Ephesians 3:14

Prayer for Strengthened Love

3:14 For this reason ²  I kneel ³  before the Father, ⁴ 

Ephesians 4:6

4:6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Ephesians 6:23

6:23 Peace to the brothers and sisters, ⁵  and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:18

2:18 so that ⁶  through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Ephesians 5:20

5:20 always giving thanks to God the Father for each other ⁷  in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Ephesians 6:2

6:2 “Honor your father and mother,” ⁸  which is the first commandment accompanied by a promise, namely,

Ephesians 6:4

6:4 Fathers, ⁹  do not provoke your children to anger, ¹⁰  but raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Ephesians 1:3

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

1:3 Blessed ¹¹  is ¹²  the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed ¹³  us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.

Ephesians 1:17

1:17 I pray that ¹⁴  the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, ¹⁵  may give you spiritual wisdom and revelation ¹⁶  in your growing knowledge of him, ¹⁷ 

Ephesians 5:31

5:31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become ¹⁸  one flesh. ¹⁹ 

[1:2]  ¹ tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”

[3:14]  ² sn For this reason resumes the point begun in v. 1, after a long parenthesis.

[3:14]  ³ tn Grk “I bend my knees.”

[3:14]  ⁴ tc Most Western and Byzantine witnesses, along with a few others (א² D F G Ψ 0278 1881 Ï lat sy), have “of our Lord Jesus Christ” after “Father,” but such an edifying phrase cannot explain the rise of the reading that lacks it, especially when the shorter reading is attested by early and important witnesses such as Ì⁴⁶ א* A B C P 6 33 81 365 1175 1739 co Or Hier.

[6:23]  ³ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[2:18]  ⁴ tn Or “for.” BDAG gives the consecutive ὅτι (Joti) as a possible category of NT usage (BDAG 732 s.v. 5.c).

[5:20]  ⁵ tn Grk “for all.” The form “all” can be either neuter or masculine.

[6:2]  ⁶ sn A quotation from Exod 20:12 and Deut 5:16.

[6:4]  ⁷ tn Or perhaps “Parents” (so TEV, CEV). The plural οἱ πατέρες (Joi patere", “fathers”) can be used to refer to both the male and female parent (BDAG 786 s.v. πατήρ 1.b).

[6:4]  ⁸ tn Or “do not make your children angry.” BDAG 780 s.v. παροργίζω states “make angry.” The Greek verb in Col 3:21 is a different one with a slightly different nuance.

[1:3]  ⁸ sn Eph 1:3-14 comprises one long sentence in Greek, with three major sections. Each section ends with a note of praise for God (vv. 6, 12, 14), focusing on a different member of the Trinity. After an opening summary of all the saints’ spiritual blessings (v. 3), the first section (vv. 4-6) offers up praise that the Father has chosen us in eternity past; the second section (vv. 7-12) offers up praise that the Son has redeemed us in the historical past (i.e., at the cross); the third section (vv. 13-14) offers up praise that the Holy Spirit has sealed us in our personal past, at the point of conversion.

[1:3]  ⁹ tn There is no verb in the Greek text; either the optative (“be”) or the indicative (“is”) can be supplied. The meaning of the term εὐλογητός (euloghtos), the author’s intention at this point in the epistle, and the literary genre of this material must all come into play to determine which is the preferred nuance. εὐλογητός as an adjective can mean either that one is praised or that one is blessed, that is, in a place of favor and benefit. The meaning “blessed” would be more naturally paired with an indicative verb here and would suggest that blessedness is an intrinsic part of God’s character. The meaning “praised” would be more naturally paired with an optative verb here and would suggest that God ought to be praised. Pauline style in the epistles generally moves from statements to obligations, expressing the reality first and then the believer’s necessary response, which would favor the indicative. However, many scholars regard Eph 1:3-14 as a berakah psalm (cf. A. T. Lincoln, Ephesians [WBC], 10-11). Rooted in the OT and Jewish worship, berakah psalms were songs of praise in which the worshiper gave praise to God; this would favor the optative (although not all scholars are agreed on this genre classification here; see H. W. Hoehner, Ephesians, 153-59, for discussion and an alternate conclusion). When considered as a whole, although a decision is difficult, the indicative seems to fit all the factors better. The author seems to be pointing to who God is and what he has done for believers in this section; the indicative more naturally fits that emphasis. Cf. also 2 Cor 1:3; 1 Pet 1:3.

[1:3]  ¹⁰ tn Or “enriched,” “conferred blessing.”

[1:17]  ⁹ 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.

[1:17]  ¹⁰ 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.”

[1:17]  ¹¹ 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.

[1:17]  ¹² tn Grk “in the knowledge of him.”

[5:31]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “the two shall be as one flesh.”

[5:31]  ¹¹ sn A quotation from Gen 2:24.