Ephesians 3:2

3:2 if indeed ¹  you have heard of the stewardship ²  of God’s grace that was given to me for you,

Ephesians 4:24

4:24 and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image ³  – in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth. ⁴ 

Ephesians 1:11

1:11 In Christ ⁵  we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, ⁶  since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will

Ephesians 1:14

1:14 who is the down payment ⁷  of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, ⁸  to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 2:19

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,

Ephesians 3:7

3:7 I became a servant of this gospel ⁹  according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by ¹⁰  the exercise of his power. ¹¹ 

Ephesians 3:9

3:9 and to enlighten ¹²  everyone about God’s secret plan ¹³  – a secret that has been hidden for ages ¹⁴  in God ¹⁵  who has created all things.

Ephesians 5:6

Live in the Light

5:6 Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience. ¹⁶ 

[3:2]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Or “administration,” “dispensation,” “commission.”

[4:24]  ³ tn Or “in God’s likeness.” Grk “according to God.” The preposition κατά used here denotes a measure of similarity or equality (BDAG 513 s.v. B.5.b.α).

[4:24]  ⁴ tn Or “in righteousness and holiness which is based on truth” or “originated from truth.”

[1:11]  ⁵ tn Grk “in whom,” as a continuation of the previous verse.

[1:11]  ⁶ tn Grk “we were appointed by lot.” The notion of the verb κληρόω (klhrow) in the OT was to “appoint a portion by lot” (the more frequent cognate verb κληρονομέω [klhronomew] meant “obtain a portion by lot”). In the passive, as here, the idea is that “we were appointed [as a portion] by lot” (BDAG 548 s.v. κληρόω 1). The words “God’s own” have been supplied in the translation to clarify this sense of the verb. An alternative interpretation is that believers receive a portion as an inheritance: “In Christ we too have been appointed a portion of the inheritance.” See H. W. Hoehner, Ephesians, 226-27, for discussion on this interpretive issue.

[1:14]  ⁷ tn Or “first installment,” “pledge,” “deposit.”

[1:14]  ⁸ tn Grk “the possession.”

[3:7]  ⁹ tn Grk “of which I was made a minister,” “of which I became a servant.”

[3:7]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “according to.”

[3:7]  ¹¹ sn On the exercise of his power see 1:19-20.

[3:9]  ¹¹ tn There is a possible causative nuance in the Greek verb, but this is difficult to convey in the translation.

[3:9]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Or “for eternity,” or perhaps “from the Aeons.” Cf. 2:2, 7.

[3:9]  ¹⁴ 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.

[5:6]  ¹³ sn The expression sons of disobedience is a Semitic idiom that means “people characterized by disobedience.” In this context it refers to “all those who are disobedient.” Cf. Eph 2:2-3.