Ephesians 5:33

5:33 Nevertheless, ¹  each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, ²  and the wife must ³  respect ⁴  her husband.

Ephesians 5:15

Live Wisely

5:15 Therefore be very careful how you live – not as unwise but as wise,

Ephesians 3:9

3:9 and to enlighten ⁵  everyone about God’s secret plan ⁶  – a secret that has been hidden for ages ⁷  in God ⁸  who has created all things.

Ephesians 3:14

Prayer for Strengthened Love

3:14 For this reason ⁹  I kneel ¹⁰  before the Father, ¹¹ 

Ephesians 3:18

3:18 you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹² 

Ephesians 3:10

3:10 The purpose of this enlightenment is that ¹³  through the church the multifaceted wisdom ¹⁴  of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 4:1

Live in Unity

4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, ¹⁵  urge you to live ¹⁶  worthily of the calling with which you have been called, ¹⁷ 

[5:33]  ¹ tn The translation of πλήν (plhn) is somewhat difficult in this context, though the overall thrust of the argument is clear. It could be an adversative idea such as “but,” “nevertheless,” or “however” (see NIV, NASB, NRSV), or it could simply be intended to round out and bring to conclusion the author’s discussion. In this latter case it could be translated with the use of “now” (so A. T. Lincoln, Ephesians [WBC], 384).

[5:33]  ² tn Grk “Nevertheless, you also, one by one, each his own wife so let him love as himself.” This statement is cumbersome and was cleaned up to reflect better English style.

[5:33]  ³ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause was taken as imperatival, i.e., “let the wife respect….”

[5:33]  ⁴ tn The Greek verb φοβέομαι (fobeomai) here has been translated “respect” and the noun form of the word, i.e., φόβος (fobos), has been translated as “reverence” in 5:21.

[3:9]  ⁵ tn There is a possible causative nuance in the Greek verb, but this is difficult to convey in the translation.

[3:9]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Or “for eternity,” or perhaps “from the Aeons.” Cf. 2:2, 7.

[3:9]  ⁸ 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.

[3:14]  ⁹ sn For this reason resumes the point begun in v. 1, after a long parenthesis.

[3:14]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “I bend my knees.”

[3:14]  ¹¹ 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.

[3:18]  ¹³ 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.

[3:10]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “that.” Verse 10 is a subordinate clause to the verb “enlighten” in v. 9.

[3:10]  ¹⁸ tn Or “manifold wisdom,” “wisdom in its rich variety.”

[4:1]  ²¹ tn Grk “prisoner in the Lord.”

[4:1]  ²² tn Grk “walk.” The verb “walk” in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.

[4:1]  ²³ 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.