Ephesianschapter 3
21 verses · Paul, by tradition · AD 60 to 62 · Paul's letters
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles...
Introduction
Paul, by tradition, Paul's letters, Ephesians Overview.
Paul wrote this chapter as a prisoner, to Gentile churches that might have been shaken by his chains. He starts to pray for them and then stops to tell them about the task God gave him. The chapter explains a secret once hidden and now made known, and it shows what that secret means for a small church watched by the powers of heaven. Listen for the sentence that breaks off at the first verse and picks up again later, and for the four measures near the end. Read it as the close of everything the letter has taught so far.
Context
- Who
- Gentile congregations who might be discouraged that the man who brought them the message was in chains.
- What
- Paul's account of the mystery of Christ and his commission to the Gentiles, set inside a prayer that ends in a doxology.
- Where
- Written from Paul's custody, traditionally at Rome, to the churches of Asia.
- When
- About AD 60 to 62 on the traditional dating, during Paul's first Roman imprisonment.
- Why
- To assure Gentile believers of their full share in the promise and to pray that they may know the love of Christ.
Historical context
"Mystery" in this letter does not mean a puzzle. It is a plan that was hidden and has now been disclosed, the word used in Jewish apocalyptic writing for secrets of God revealed to a chosen messenger. The content of this particular mystery is stated flatly: Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, sharers in the promise.
Show the rest of the historical context, 3 more paragraphs
Paul calls himself a steward of God's grace, the household manager entrusted with someone else's property. He is not the owner of the message.
The remark that his imprisonment is on their behalf, and that they should not lose heart over it, addresses a real problem. In an honour culture, a leader in chains was a discredited leader, and the sect he represented looked defeated. Paul calls the same chains their glory.
"Every family in heaven and on earth" plays on the Greek words for father and family, which share a root. In a world organized by paternal households, tracing every household back to one Father was a large claim.
Significance
For churches in the shadow of imperial power and cosmic anxiety, the astonishing claim was that God's wisdom in its rich variety is now being made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. A handful of house congregations were the demonstration.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
The prayer that closes the chapter asks for inner strength, for Christ dwelling in their hearts, and for power to grasp dimensions of love that surpass knowledge, followed by a doxology to the God who can do far more than all we ask or think.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
The Mystery Hidden for Ages: Gentiles as Fellow Heirs
the prisoner of Christ Jesus: The sentence begun with For this reason breaks off and resumes at verse fourteen. Verses two through thirteen form a digression on the mystery.
Ephesians 3:1
“For this cause - On account of preaching this doctrine; that is, the doctrine that the gospel was to be proclaimed to the Gentiles. I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ - A prisoner in the service of the Lord Jesus; or made a prisoner in his cause. Not a prisoner for crime or debt, or as a captive in war, but a captive in the service of the Redeemer. This proves that at the time of writing this, Paul was in bonds, and there can he no question that he was in Rome.”
3 more voices on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
Ephesians 3:1
“We often read that the body is called the prison of the soul. The soul is confined as if in a cage. Paul, for example, was constrained by the ties of the body and did not return to be with Christ so that the preaching to the Gentiles might be perfectly accomplished through him. But I grant that there are some who introduce another meaning here: Paul before his birth was predestined and sanctified from his mother's womb for the purpose of preaching to the Gentiles. For this vocation he took on the bonds of flesh.”
Jerome · written before 420 · Commentary on Ephesians 3:1patristic
Ephesians 3:1
“For this cause - That ye may be so "built together," I am a prisoner for you gentiles - For your advantage, and for asserting your right to these blessings. This it was which so enraged the Jews against him.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Ephesians 3:1
“In the presence of the world and of wicked men, this might have appeared to be foolish boasting; but, in addressing godly persons, it was a dignified and faithful manner. The glory of Christ not only overcomes the ignominy of the chains, but converts what was in itself a reproach into the highest honor.”
John Calvin · Commentaries (1554)reformed
Ephesians 3:2-3
the stewardship of God’s grace: renders oikonomia, a trust committed to a household manager. Paul uses the word of his apostolic office elsewhere.
the mystery made known to me by revelation: The oldest manuscripts read the passive, was made known, and Clarke counts it the true reading. Calvin explains the stress on revelation. Some might think Paul had acted rashly in his apostleship and was now paying the penalty, so he grounds every step in God's authority.
Ephesians 3:3
Rightly, therefore, the divine apostle says, "By revelation the mystery was made known to me (as I wrote before in brief, in accordance with which, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it is now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets."
Clement of Alexandria · written before 215 · The Stromata Book 5patristic
3 more voices on this verse
Ephesians 3:3
“How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery,.... Or "is made known unto me": so the Alexandrian copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version.”
Ephesians 3:3
“The mystery - Of salvation by Christ alone, and that both to Jews and gentiles. As I wrote before - Namely, chap. i, 9, 10; the very words of which passage he here repeats.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Ephesians 3:3
“Here we may observe that the coalition of Jews and Gentiles in the gospel church was a mystery, a great mystery, what was designed in the counsel of God before all worlds, but what could not be fully understood for many ages, till the accomplishment expounded the prophecies of it.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
my insight into the mystery of Christ: In reading this expects the letter itself to do the teaching, the Ephesians grasping Paul's understanding by reading it. My insight into the mystery of Christ is revelation given to be shared. The clause closes the aside begun at verse three, and the main argument continues in verse five.
Ephesians 3:4
“Whereby, when ye read - When ye refer back to them. Ye may understand my knowledge - Ye may see what God has given me to know concerning what has been hitherto a mystery - the calling of the Gentiles, and the breaking down the middle wall between them and the Jews, so as to make both one spiritual body, and on the same conditions.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Ephesians 3:4
“By perceiving his understanding of the mysteries, they, too, will be enabled to understand. the mystery of Christ--The "mystery" is Christ Himself, once hidden, but now revealed (Col 1:27).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
God’s holy apostles and prophets: Not made known to men in other generations stands against as it has now been revealed, a mystery held hidden until Christ. God’s holy apostles and prophets most naturally names the New Testament's office holders, the same pairing found at 2:20 and 4:11. The disclosure comes by the Spirit.
Ephesians 3:5
“Men must then be saved by learning the truth through Christ, even if they attain philosophy. For now that is clearly shown "which was not made known to other ages, which is now revealed to the sons of men." For there was always a natural manifestation of the one Almighty God, among all right-thinking men; and the most, who had not quite divested themselves of shame with respect to the truth, apprehended the eternal beneficence in divine providence.”
Clement of Alexandria · written before 215 · The Stromata Book 5patristic
3 more voices on this verse
Ephesians 3:5
“Which in other ages - The great purposes of God in regard to the salvation of mankind were not revealed; see the notes at Rom 16:25. And prophets - Those who exercised the office of a prophet or inspired teacher in the Christian church; see the notes at 1Co 12:1. By the Spirit - This proves that those who exercised the office of prophet in the Christian church were inspired. They were persons endowed in this manner for the purpose of imparting to the newly formed churches the doctrines of the Christian system.”
Ephesians 3:5
“Which in other - In former, ages was not so clearly or fully made known to the sons of men - To any man, no, not to Ezekiel, so often styled, "son of man;" nor to any of the ancient prophets. Those here spoken of are New Testament prophets.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Ephesians 3:5
“They probably did not know that the Gentiles were to be admitted without circumcision or that they were to be on a level with the Jews in partaking of the grace of God. The gift of "the Spirit" in its fulness was reserved for the New Testament that Christ might thereby be glorified.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
the Gentiles are fellow heirs: The mystery is named plainly: the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise. The three are Greek compounds built on the same syn- prefix. The promise is Israel's own, the commonwealth named at 2:12.
Ephesians 3:6
“That the gentiles are joint-heirs - Of God. And of the same body - Under Christ the head. And joint-partakers of his promise - The communion of the Holy Ghost.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Ephesians 3:6
“Now the meaning of fellow heirs is this: Just as there are many members in one body … and these, though in one body, have their differences and feel their own joy and grief in turn, so those who have believed in Christ, even if they have different gifts, are bonded together in the one body of Christ.”
Jerome · written before 420 · Commentary on Ephesians 3:5-7patristic
Ephesians 3:7-8
a servant of this gospel: Less than the least of all the saints translates elachistoteros, a word Paul appears to have coined. It is a comparative built on a superlative, reaching for a humility Greek could not express.
the unsearchable riches of Christ: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note the present tense. Paul still counts himself less than the least of all the saints, where 1 Corinthians 15:9 said apostles. The unsearchable riches are read two ways, hidden until the Passion laid them open, or beyond human search and known only by revelation.
Ephesians 3:8
“Although it is a token of humility to call oneself "the least of all the saints," one is guilty of deceit if one conceals the truth in the heart and says something else with the tongue. We must therefore look for an argument showing how Paul truly was "the least of all the saints" and yet did not fall from the rank of an apostle. The Lord says in the Gospel.”
Jerome · written before 420 · Commentary on Ephesians 3:8-9patristic
the stewardship of this mystery: Kept hidden in God is the third beat in the mystery thread, following 1:9 and 3:3-4. It places the secret inside God's own counsel for ages past. To illuminate for everyone the stewardship of this mystery is Paul's task, a trust given him to carry out.
Ephesians 3:9
“These riches of his generosity were "hidden from all past ages in God," the Creator of all. Where are Marcion, Valentinus and the other heretics who say that there is one creator of the visible world and another creator of the invisible?… However, the phrase "mystery hidden from the ages" could also be understood to mean that the very ages of time remained ignorant of his generosity when all spiritual and rational creatures who inhabited all previous ages remained unenlightened.”
Jerome · written before 420 · Commentary on Ephesians 3:9patristic
4 more voices on this verse
Ephesians 3:9
AS God created "the whole range of things" (so the Greek), physical and spiritual alike, He must have an absolute right to adjust all things as He will. Hence, we may see His right to keep the mystery of world-wide salvation in Christ "hidden in Himself," till his own good time for revealing it. The oldest manuscripts omit "by Jesus Christ."
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Ephesians 3:9
“What is the fellowship of the mystery - What those mysterious blessings are whereof all believers jointly partake. Which was, in a great measure, hidden from eternity by God, who, to make way for the free exercise of his love, created all things - This is the foundation of all his dispensations.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Ephesians 3:9
“And to make all men see - In order that the whole human family might see the glory of God in the plan of salvation. Hitherto the revelation of his character and plans had been confined to the Jews. Now it was his design that all the race should be made acquainted with it. What is the fellowship of the mystery - Instead of “fellowship” here - κοινωνία koinōnia - most mss. and versions read οἰκονομία oikonomia - “dispensation;” see Mill.”
Ephesians 3:9
“It is true that both the first creation, when God made all things out of nothing, and the new creation, whereby sinners are made new creatures by converting grace, are of God by Jesus Christ.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
the manifold wisdom of God: The audience is the rulers and authorities, the ranked orders set under Christ at 1:21, who learn through the church what they did not know. The manifold wisdom of God translates polypoikilos, many-colored or richly varied, shown in Jew and Gentile joined in one body.
Ephesians 3:10
“For the apostle goes on to infer (from his own statement): "in order that unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might become known through the church the manifold wisdom of God." Whose principalities and powers does he mean? If the Creator's, how does it come to pass that such a God as He could have meant His wisdom to be displayed to the principalities and powers, but not to Himself? For surely no principalities could possibly have understood anything without their sovereign Lord.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · Against Marcion Book Vpatristic
2 more voices on this verse
Ephesians 3:10
“That now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places - Who are these principalities and powers? Some think evil angels are intended, because they are thus denominated, Eph 6:12. Others think good angels are meant; for as these heavenly beings are curious to investigate the wondrous economy of the Gospel, though they are not its immediate objects, see 1Pe 1:12, it is quite consistent with the goodness of God to give them that satisfaction which they require.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Ephesians 3:10
“THE "principalities and powers in heavenly places" to whom the Apostle here refers, are, no doubt, the angels. These bright and glorious spirits, never having fallen into sin, did not need to be redeemed, and therefore, in the sense of being cleansed from guilt, they have no share in the atoning sacrifice of Christ. Yet it is interesting to notice how our Lord did, as it were, pass and pass again their shining ranks when He sped His way down to the regions of death, and when He came back triumphant to the realms of Glory.”
Ephesians 3:11-12
the eternal purpose that He accomplished: Enter God’s presence renders prosagoge, the word for being led into a royal presence already used at 2:18. It is joined to parrhesia, boldness, free and open speech.
Ephesians 3:11
“According to the eternal purpose - see the note, Eph 1:4. Literally, “the purpose of ages,” or of eternity. Locke, Chandler, and Whitby render this, “according to that disposition or arrangement of the ages which he made in Jesus Christ, or through him.” The object of such an interpretation seems to be to avoid the doctrine that God had a purpose or plan in the salvation of people, and hence such expositors suppose it refers to the arrangement of the “ages” of the world by which the plan of redemption was introduced.”
with boldness and confidence: Wesley pictures petitioners brought before a king by a trusted favourite. The boldness, he adds, is the free speech of children who tell an indulgent father every want. Chrysostom contrasts this approach with that of prisoners or those still seeking pardon, since believers come with cheerful trust.
Ephesians 3:12
“Translate, "our boldness and our access (Eph 2:18) in confidence through our faith in Him." ALFORD quotes as an instance, Ro 8:38, &c. "THE access" (Greek) implies the formal introduction into the presence of a monarch.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
2 more voices on this verse
Ephesians 3:12
“By whom we have free access - Such as those petitioners have, who are introduced to the royal presence by some distinguished favourite. And boldness - Unrestrained liberty of speech, such as children use in addressing an indulgent father, when, without fear of offending, they disclose all their wants, and make known all their requests.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Ephesians 3:12
“In whom we have boldness - By whom we, Gentiles, have την παρῥησιαν, this liberty of speech; so that we may say any thing by prayer and supplication, and την προσαγωγην, this introduction, into the Divine presence by faith in Christ. It is only in his name we can pray to God, and it is only by him that we can come to God; none can give us an introduction but Christ Jesus, and it is only for his sake that God will either hear or save us.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
my sufferings for you, which are your glory: The imprisonment is a direct result of the Gentile mission just described. Which are your glory turns the expected shame of his chains into their honor. Paul's bonds are a credential of the gospel that reached them.
Ephesians 3:13
“One person will say that he attaches the words "which is your glory" to the tribulations … another to the boldness or else to the access or the faith. For boldness [or freedom of speech] is the glory to the one who possesses it, and access can be called the glory of the one who has access to God and faith the glory of the one with faith.”
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Epistle to the Ephesianspatristic
3 more voices on this verse
Ephesians 3:13
"I entreat you not to be dispirited." for you--in your behalf. which is--rather, "which are your glory," namely, inasmuch as showing that God loved you so much, as both to give His Son for you, and to permit His apostles to suffer "tribulations" for you [CHRYSOSTOM] in preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Ephesians 3:13
“Observe, Not only the faithful ministers of Christ themselves, but their people too, have some special cause for joy and glorying, when they suffer for the sake of dispensing the gospel.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Ephesians 3:13
“Wherefore I desire that ye faint not - The connection here is this. Paul was then a prisoner at Rome. He had been made such in consequence of his efforts to diffuse the Christian religion among the Gentiles; see the notes at Eph 3:1. His zeal in this cause, and the opinions which he held on this subject, had roused the wrath of the Jews, and led to all the calamities which he was now suffering. Of that the Ephesians. he supposes, were aware.”
Rooted and Grounded, and Able to Do Far More
Ephesians 3:14-15
I bow my knees before the Father: Every family in heaven and on earth derives its name plays on the Greek pater and patria, father and family. So each family takes its very name from the one Father.
Ephesians 3:14
“For this cause I bow my knees - That you may not faint, but persevere, I frequently pray to God, who is our God and the Father of our Lord Jesus. Some very ancient and excellent MSS. and versions omit the words του Κυριου ἡμων Ιησου Χριστου, of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in them the passage reads: I bow my knees unto the Father. The apostle prays to God the Father, that they may not faint; and he bows his knees in this praying.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Ephesians 3:14
“For this cause--Resuming the thread of Eph 3:1, "For this cause." Because ye have such a standing in God's Church [ALFORD]. bow my knees--the proper attitude in humble prayer. Posture affects the mind, and is not therefore unimportant.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
every family in heaven and on earth: Jerome weighs the verb named. Creatures receive the title of father by adoption, he argues, while the only begotten Son is Son by nature. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown find the same one community of heaven and earth in the Lord's Prayer.
Ephesians 3:15
“Of whom the whole family - This expression “of whom,” may refer either to “the Father,” or to the Lord Jesus. Commentators have been divided in opinion in regard to it. Bloomfield, Chandler, Erasmus, Koppe, and some others, refer it to the Father. Locke, Doddridge, Calvin, and some others, refer it to the Lord Jesus. This is the more natural interpretation. The whole “family of God,” means all his children; and the idea is, that they all bear the same name, derived from the Redeemer; all are Christians.”
2 more voices on this verse
Ephesians 3:15
“The whole family of angels in heaven, saints in paradise, and believers on earth is named. Being the "children of God," (a more honourable title than "children of Abraham,") and depending on him as the Father of the family.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Ephesians 3:15
“We who are not of Abraham's race are called Abraham's children if we possess his faith. Similarly, I think that the angels and other invisible powers have something like princes of their own in heaven whom they rejoice to call fathers.… Our term fatherhood may now be used in the light of the awareness that God is Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the only begotten Son is so not by adoption but by nature. It is by adoption that creatures also are allowed to participate in fathering and hence are given the name of fathers.”
Jerome · written before 420 · Commentary on Ephesians 2.3patristic
Ephesians 3:16-17
strengthen you with power through His Spirit: Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith uses katoikeo. The verb means to settle down and make a permanent home.
Ephesians 3:16
“That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory,.... Or according to, and out of that rich, plenteous, and glorious fulness of grace and strength in Christ Jesus. To be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; this is the petition which the apostle puts up on his bended knees to the Father of Christ, that he would strengthen these saints, that so they might not faint at the tribulations which either he or they endured.”
1 more voice on this verse
Ephesians 3:16
“And the apostle prays that this may be according to the riches of his glory, or according to his glorious riches--answerable to that great abundance of grace, mercy, and power, which resides in God, and is his glory: and this by his Spirit, who is the immediate worker of grace in the souls of God's people.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
rooted and grounded in love: Clarke hears an echo of Solomon at the dedication in 2 Chronicles 6, as Paul prays for God to come into a temple of believers. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown call faith the door that opens the heart to Christ. The heart, they add, is his proper seat.
Ephesians 3:17
“Thus when, writing to the Ephesians, he spoke of "Christ dwelling in their inner man," he meant, no doubt, that the Lord ought to be admitted into their senses. He then added, "in your hearts by faith, rooted and grounded in love,"-making "faith" and "love" not substantial parts, but only conceptions of the soul.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · On the Resurrection of the Fleshpatristic
1 more voice on this verse
Ephesians 3:17
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith - see the notes, Eph 2:22. Expressions like this often occur in the Scriptures, where God is said to dwell in us, and we are said to be the temples of the Holy Spirit; see the Joh 14:23, note; 1Co 6:19, note. That ye being rooted - Firmly established - as a tree is whose roots strike deep, and extend afar. The meaning is, that his love should be as firm in our hearts, as a tree is in the soil, whose roots strike deep into the earth.”
Ephesians 3:18-19
together with all the saints: makes comprehension a shared exercise, a grasp no believer reaches alone. To know this love that surpasses knowledge holds a deliberate paradox, knowing what exceeds knowing. The final ask, to be filled with all the fullness of God, reaches for a capacity no creature owns.
Ephesians 3:18
“Let us think first about physical "breadth and length, depth and height" in order that we may be able to pass through these physical dimensions to their spiritual dimensions. For the sake of argument, let the physical length be that of heaven and earth, that is, of the whole world, from east to west. Let the breadth be from south to north. Let the depth be from the abyss and the infernal regions. Let the height be to all that is elevated above the heavens. But they say that the earth is round and rotates as a sphere.”
Jerome · written before 420 · Commentary on Ephesians 3:16patristic
3 more voices on this verse
Ephesians 3:18
“May be able to comprehend with all saints - Ἱνα εξισχυσητε καταλαβεσθαι. These words are so exceedingly nervous and full of meaning, that it is almost impossible to translate them. The first word, εξισχυσητε , from εξ, intensive, and ισχυω, to be strong, signifies that they might be thoroughly able, by having been strengthened with might, by God’s power. The second word καταλαβεσθαι, from κατα, intensive, and λαμβανω , to take, catch, or seize on, may be translated, that ye may fully catch, take in, and comprehend this wonderful mystery of God.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Ephesians 3:18
“That being rooted and grounded - That is, deeply fixed and firmly established, in love. Ye may comprehend - So far as an human mind is capable. What is the breadth of the love of Christ - Embracing all mankind.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Ephesians 3:18
“I prefer to understand "the breadth," &c., to refer to the whole of the vast mystery of free salvation in Christ for all, Gentile and Jew alike, of which Paul had been speaking (Eph 3:3-9), and of which he now prays they may have a fuller comprehension. As subsidiary to this, and the most essential part of it, he adds, "and to know the love of Christ" (Eph 3:19).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
this love that surpasses knowledge: Clarke eases the paradox by giving the verb gnonai its frequent sense of acknowledging with approval. Chrysostom reads God's fullness two ways: the knowledge of worship offered to Father, Son and Holy Spirit, or every virtue of which God is full. Henry measures it by each believer's capacity.
Ephesians 3:19
“Even as God's power exceeds our thoughts (Eph 3:20). filled with--rather, as Greek, "filled even unto all the fulness of God" (this is the grand goal), that is, filled, each according to your capacity, with the divine wisdom, knowledge, and love; "even as God is full," and as Christ who dwells in your hearts, hath "all the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in Him bodily" (Col 2:9).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
2 more voices on this verse
Ephesians 3:19
“We are not to understand it of his fulness as God in himself, but of his fulness as a God in covenant with us, as a God to his people: such a fulness as God is ready to bestow, who is willing to fill them all to the utmost of their capacity, and that with all those gifts and graces which he sees they need.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Ephesians 3:19
“And to know the love of Christ - The love of Christ toward us; the immensity of redeeming love. It is not merely the love which he showed for the Gentiles in calling them into his kingdom, which is here referred to; it is the love which is shown for the lost world in giving himself to die. This love is often referred to in the New Testament, and is declared to surpass all other which has ever been evinced; see the Rom 5:7-8, notes; Joh 15:13, note.”
Ephesians 3:20-21
immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine: translates hyperekperissou, a compound Paul stacks to reach past the highest superlative ordinary Greek offered him. According to His power that is at work within us grounds the claim in a power already active in the readers.
Ephesians 3:20
“Now unto him - Having finished his short, but most wonderfully comprehensive and energetic prayer, the apostle brings in his doxology, giving praise to Him from whom all blessings come, and to whom all thanks are due. That is able to do exceeding abundantly - It is impossible to express the full meaning of these words, God is omnipotent, therefore he is able to do all things, and able to do ὑπερ εκ περισσου, superabundantly above the greatest abundance. And who can doubt this, who has any rational or Scriptural views of his power or his love?”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Ephesians 3:20
“Take notice how he describes God, and how he ascribes glory to him. He describes him as a God that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. There is an inexhaustible fulness of grace and mercy in God, which the prayers of all the saints can never draw dry.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Ephesians 3:20
“Now to him - This doxology is admirably adapted to strengthen our faith, that we may not stagger at the great things the apostle has been praying for, as if they were too much for God to give, or for us to expect from him. That is able - Here is a most beautiful gradation.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
throughout all generations, forever and ever: The Greek joins generations to the age of the ages, and Clarke reads the pair as the whole line of human history followed by eternity. Irenaeus reports that the teachers he refutes read the phrase as naming their Aeons. Chrysostom adds that the church alone lasts into eternity.
Ephesians 3:21
“Unto him be glory - see the notes, Rom 16:27. In the church - Or, by the church; Eph 3:10. The church was to be the instrument by which the glory of God would be shown; and it was by the church that his praise would be celebrated. Throughout all ages, world without end - There is a richness and amplification of language here which shows that his heart was full of the subject, and that it was difficult to find words to express his conceptions.”
How this psalm is built
The form: A prayer begun in verse 1, broken off by a digression on Paul's ministry, and taken up again at verse 14, as Henry classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| The broken sentence | The Berean text ends verse 1 with an ellipsis and opens verse 14 with one, and both verses begin For this reason. Matthew Henry reads verses 2 to 13 as a digression, after which Paul proceeds with what he began in the first verse.Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, on Ephesians 3:14. | Ephesians 3:1, Ephesians 3:14 |
| The mystery, four times | The word mystery stands four times in the Berean text of verses 3 to 9, at verses 3, 4, 6 and 9, and verse 6 states its content. Wesley records that Paul points back to 1:9 and 1:10, where he first wrote of it.John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, on Ephesians 3:3. | Ephesians 3:3, Ephesians 3:4, Ephesians 3:6, Ephesians 3:9 |
| Fellow heirs, fellow members, fellow partakers | Verse 6 names the Gentiles' share with the same prefix three times over. Jerome reads the three through the picture of one body, whose members differ in their gifts and are bound together in Christ.Jerome, Commentary on Ephesians, on Ephesians 3:5 to 7. | Ephesians 3:6 |
| Four measures of the love of Christ | Verse 18 names length, width, height and depth, and verse 19 says the love so measured surpasses knowledge. Matthew Henry calls these the dimensions of redeeming love, and Wesley reads its breadth as embracing all mankind.Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, on Ephesians 3:18. | Ephesians 3:18, Ephesians 3:19 |
The structure
5 more paragraphs on the patterns
Verse 1 begins a prayer and breaks off. Verses 2 to 13 explain Paul's stewardship of the mystery and ask the readers not to lose heart over his sufferings. Verse 14 takes up the prayer again, verses 16 to 19 give its requests, and verses 20 and 21 close with a doxology. That doxology ends the first three chapters, and the next verse, 4:1, opens the letter's commands with the word then.
The debate: what For this reason picks up
Matthew Henry reads verse 14 as resuming the prayer of verse 1 after a digression (Commentary on the Whole Bible, on Ephesians 3:14), and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read it the same way. Albert Barnes records that reading and holds it more probable that the words refer to what immediately precedes (Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on Ephesians 3:14). Each position is stated by its holder and the page settles neither.
Where the chapter reaches
The mystery of verses 3 to 6 points back to 1:9 and 1:10, as Wesley records, and forward to 5:32, where the same word names Christ and the church. Verse 10 carries the rulers and authorities of 1:21 and looks ahead to the struggle against them in 6:12.
Keep studying
Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The context
Charles Hodge, A Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians; J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul's Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon and Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm.
The form and classifications
Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on Ephesians 3:14; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, on Ephesians 3:14 and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, on Ephesians 3:14.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament; Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book I; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Chrysostom, Homily on Ephesians 7; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.