Discovery BoxEphesians 2:11--3:19
Context2:11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh – who are called “uncircumcision” by the so-called “circumcision” that is performed on the body 1 by human hands – 2:12 that you were at that time without the Messiah, 2 alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, 3 having no hope and without God in the world. 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 4 2:14 For he is our peace, the one who made both groups into one 5 and who destroyed the middle wall of partition, the hostility, 2:15 when he nullified 6 in his flesh the law of commandments in decrees. He did this to create in himself one new man 7 out of two, 8 thus making peace, 2:16 and to reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by which the hostility has been killed. 9 2:17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, 2:18 so that 10 through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 2:19 So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 2:20 because you have been built 11 on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, 12 with Christ Jesus himself as 13 the cornerstone. 14 2:21 In him 15 the whole building, 16 being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 2:22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus 17 for the sake of you Gentiles – 3:2 if indeed 18 you have heard of the stewardship 19 of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3:3 that 20 by revelation the divine secret 21 was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly. 22 3:4 When reading this, 23 you will be able to 24 understand my insight into this secret 25 of Christ. 3:5 Now this secret 26 was not disclosed to people 27 in former 28 generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by 29 the Spirit, 3:6 namely, that through the gospel 30 the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members 31 of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. 3:7 I became a servant of this gospel 32 according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by 33 the exercise of his power. 34 3:8 To me – less than the least of all the saints 35 – this grace was given, 36 to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ 3:9 and to enlighten 37 everyone about God’s secret plan 38 – a secret that has been hidden for ages 39 in God 40 who has created all things. 3:10 The purpose of this enlightenment is that 41 through the church the multifaceted wisdom 42 of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms. 3:11 This was according to 43 the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 3:12 in whom we have boldness and confident access 44 to God 45 because of 46 Christ’s 47 faithfulness. 48 3:13 For this reason I ask you 49 not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you, 50 which 51 is your glory. 52
3:14 For this reason 53 I kneel 54 before the Father, 55 3:15 from 56 whom every family 57 in heaven and on the earth is named. 3:16 I pray that 58 according to the wealth of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love, 3:18 you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 59 3:19 and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to 60 all the fullness of God.
[2:11] 1 tn Grk “in the flesh.”
[2:12] 2 tn Or “without Christ.” Both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” Because the context refers to ancient Israel’s messianic expectation, “Messiah” was employed in the translation at this point rather than “Christ.”
[2:12] 3 tn Or “covenants of the promise.”
[2:13] 4 tn Or “have come near in the blood of Christ.”
[2:14] 5 tn Grk “who made the both one.”
[2:15] 6 tn Or “rendered inoperative.” This is a difficult text to translate because it is not easy to find an English term which communicates well the essence of the author’s meaning, especially since legal terminology is involved. Many other translations use the term “abolish” (so NRSV, NASB, NIV), but this term implies complete destruction which is not the author’s meaning here. The verb καταργέω (katargew) can readily have the meaning “to cause someth. to lose its power or effectiveness” (BDAG 525 s.v. 2, where this passage is listed), and this meaning fits quite naturally here within the author’s legal mindset. A proper English term which communicates this well is “nullify” since this word carries the denotation of “making something legally null and void.” This is not, however, a common English word. An alternate term like “rendered inoperative [or ineffective]” is also accurate but fairly inelegant. For this reason, the translation retains the term “nullify”; it is the best choice of the available options, despite its problems.
[2:15] 7 tn In this context the author is not referring to a new individual, but instead to a new corporate entity united in Christ (cf. BDAG 497 s.v. καινός 3.b: “All the Christians together appear as κ. ἄνθρωπος Eph 2:15”). This is clear from the comparison made between the Gentiles and Israel in the immediately preceding verses and the assertion in v. 14 that Christ “made both groups into one.” This is a different metaphor than the “new man” of Eph 4:24; in that passage the “new man” refers to the new life a believer has through a relationship to Christ.
[2:15] 8 tn Grk “in order to create the two into one new man.” Eph 2:14-16 is one sentence in Greek. A new sentence was started here in the translation for clarity since contemporary English is less tolerant of extended sentences.
[2:16] 9 tn Grk “by killing the hostility in himself.”
[2:18] 10 tn Or “for.” BDAG gives the consecutive ὅτι (Joti) as a possible category of NT usage (BDAG 732 s.v. 5.c).
[2:20] 11 tn Grk “having been built.”
[2:20] 12 sn Apostles and prophets. Because the prophets appear after the mention of the apostles and because they are linked together in 3:5 as recipients of revelation about the church, they are to be regarded not as Old Testament prophets, but as New Testament prophets.
[2:20] 13 tn Grk “while Christ Jesus himself is” or “Christ Jesus himself being.”
[2:20] 14 tn Or perhaps “capstone” (NAB). The meaning of ἀκρογωνιαῖος (akrogwniaio") is greatly debated. The meaning “capstone” is proposed by J. Jeremias (TDNT 1:792), but the most important text for this meaning (T. Sol. 22:7-23:4) is late and possibly not even an appropriate parallel. The only place ἀκρογωνιαῖος is used in the LXX is Isa 28:16, and there it clearly refers to a cornerstone that is part of a foundation. Furthermore, the imagery in this context has the building growing off the cornerstone upward, whereas if Christ were the capstone, he would not assume his position until the building was finished, which vv. 21-22 argue against.
[2:21] 15 tn Grk “in whom” (v. 21 is a relative clause, subordinate to v. 20).
[2:21] 16 tc Although several important witnesses (א1 A C P 6 81 326 1739c 1881) have πᾶσα ἡ οἰκοδομή (pasa Jh oikodomh), instead of πᾶσα οἰκοδομή (the reading of א* B D F G Ψ 33 1739* Ï), the article is almost surely a scribal addition intended to clarify the meaning of the text, for with the article the meaning is unambiguously “the whole building.”
[3:1] 17 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
[3:2] 18 sn If indeed. The author is not doubting whether his audience has heard, but is rather using provocative language (if indeed) to engage his audience in thinking about the magnificence of God’s grace. However, in English translation, the apodosis (“then”-clause) does not come until v. 13, leaving the protasis (“if”-clause) dangling. Eph 3:2-7 constitute one sentence in Greek.
[3:2] 19 tn Or “administration,” “dispensation,” “commission.”
[3:3] 20 tn Or “namely, that is.”
[3:3] 22 tn Or “as I wrote above briefly.”
[3:4] 23 tn Grk “which, when reading.”
[3:4] 24 tn Grk “you are able to.”
[3:5] 26 tn Grk “which.” Verse 5 is technically a relative clause, subordinate to the thought of v. 4.
[3:5] 27 tn Grk “the sons of men” (a Semitic idiom referring to human beings, hence, “people”).
[3:6] 30 sn The phrase through the gospel is placed last in the sentence in Greek for emphasis. It has been moved forward for clarity.
[3:6] 31 tn Grk “and fellow members.”
[3:7] 32 tn Grk “of which I was made a minister,” “of which I became a servant.”
[3:7] 33 tn Grk “according to.”
[3:7] 34 sn On the exercise of his power see 1:19-20.
[3:8] 35 sn In Pauline writings saints means any true believer. Thus for Paul to view himself as less than the least of all the saints is to view himself as the most unworthy object of Christ’s redemption.
[3:8] 36 sn The parallel phrases to proclaim and to enlighten which follow indicate why God’s grace was manifested to Paul. Grace was not something just to be received, but to be shared with others (cf. Acts 13:47).
[3:9] 37 tn There is a possible causative nuance in the Greek verb, but this is difficult to convey in the translation.
[3:9] 38 tn Grk “what is the plan of the divine secret.” Earlier the author had used οἰκονομία (oikonomia; here “plan”) to refer to his own “stewardship” (v. 2). But now he is speaking about the content of this secret, not his own activity in relation to it.
[3:9] 39 tn Or “for eternity,” or perhaps “from the Aeons.” Cf. 2:2, 7.
[3:9] 40 tn Or “by God.” It is possible that ἐν (en) plus the dative here indicates agency, that is, that God has performed the action of hiding the secret. However, this usage of the preposition ἐν is quite rare in the NT, and even though here it does follow a perfect passive verb as in the Classical idiom, it is more likely that a different nuance is intended.
[3:10] 41 tn Grk “that.” Verse 10 is a subordinate clause to the verb “enlighten” in v. 9.
[3:10] 42 tn Or “manifold wisdom,” “wisdom in its rich variety.”
[3:11] 43 tn Grk “according to.” The verse is a prepositional phrase subordinate to v. 10.
[3:12] 44 tn Grk “access in confidence.”
[3:12] 45 tn The phrase “to God” is not in the text, but is clearly implied by the preceding, “access.”
[3:12] 46 tn Grk “through,” “by way of.”
[3:12] 48 tn Or “faith in him.” A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated “faith in Jesus Christ,” an increasing number of NT scholars are arguing that πίστις Χριστοῦ (pisti" Cristou) and similar phrases in Paul (here and in Rom 3:22, 26; Gal 2:16, 20; 3:22; Phil 3:9) involve a subjective genitive and mean “Christ’s faith” or “Christ’s faithfulness” (cf., e.g., G. Howard, “The ‘Faith of Christ’,” ExpTim 85 [1974]: 212-15; R. B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ [SBLDS]; Morna D. Hooker, “Πίστις Χριστοῦ,” NTS 35 [1989]: 321-42). Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when πίστις takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive (cf. Matt 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Rom 1:8; 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Cor 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Cor 10:15; Phil 2:17; Col 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thess 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thess 1:3; Titus 1:1; Phlm 6; 1 Pet 1:9, 21; 2 Pet 1:5). On the other hand, the objective genitive view has its adherents: A. Hultgren, “The Pistis Christou Formulations in Paul,” NovT 22 (1980): 248-63; J. D. G. Dunn, “Once More, ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ,” SBL Seminar Papers, 1991, 730-44. Most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view.
[3:13] 49 tn Grk “I ask.” No direct object is given in Greek, leaving room for the possibility that either “God” (since the verb is often associated with prayer) or “you” is in view.
[3:13] 50 tn Grk “my trials on your behalf.”
[3:13] 51 sn Which. The antecedent (i.e., the word or concept to which this clause refers back) may be either “what I am suffering for you” or the larger concept of the recipients not losing heart over Paul’s suffering for them. The relative pronoun “which” is attracted to the predicate nominative “glory” in its gender and number (feminine singular), making the antecedent ambiguous. Paul’s suffering for them could be viewed as their glory (cf. Col 1:24 for a parallel) in that his suffering has brought about their salvation, but if so his suffering must be viewed as more than his present imprisonment in Rome; it would be a general description of his ministry overall (cf. 2 Cor 11:23-27). The other option is that the author is implicitly arguing that the believers have continued to have courage in the midst of his trials (as not to lose heart suggests) and that this is their glory. Philippians 1:27-28 offers an interesting parallel: The believers’ courage in the face of adversity is a sign of their salvation.
[3:13] 52 tn Or “Or who is your glory?” The relative pronoun ἥτις (Jhti"), if divided differently, would become ἤ τίς (h ti"). Since there were no word breaks in the original
[3:14] 53 sn For this reason resumes the point begun in v. 1, after a long parenthesis.
[3:14] 54 tn Grk “I bend my knees.”
[3:14] 55 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.
[3:15] 57 tn Or “the whole family.”
[3:16] 58 tn Grk “that.” In Greek v. 16 is a subordinate clause to vv. 14-15.
[3:18] 59 sn The object of these dimensions is not stated in the text. Interpreters have suggested a variety of referents for this unstated object, including the cross of Christ, the heavenly Jerusalem (which is then sometimes linked to the Church), God’s power, the fullness of salvation given in Christ, the Wisdom of God, and the love of Christ. Of these interpretations, the last two are the most plausible. Associations from Wisdom literature favor the Wisdom of God, but the immediate context favors the love of Christ. For detailed discussion of these interpretive options, see A. T. Lincoln, Ephesians (WBC), 207-13, who ultimately favors the love of Christ.
