Ephesians 4:6
in Ephesians 4one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.
KJV
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
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This verse in Ephesians 4
Commentary
23 notes on this verseFor the Father bears the creation and His own Word simultaneously, and the Word borne by the Father grants the Spirit to all as the Father wills. To some He gives after the manner of creation what is made; but to others [He gives] after the manner of adoption, that is, what is from God, namely generation. And thus one God the Father is declared, who is above all, and through all, and in all.
This site's exposition
There is one body and one Spirit
on Ephesians 4:4-6
Seven ones stand in three verses. One body, one Spirit and one hope answer to the Spirit, and one Lord, one faith, one baptism to the Son. One God and Father answers to the Father.
This site's exposition
one God and Father of all
Athanasius reads the three phrases of the Trinity. The Father is over all as author and source, through all by the Word, in all by the Holy Spirit. Origen compares the sun, which stands above the earth, passes through it by its rays, and is present wherever its light reaches.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
God the Father owes his existence to no one. Hence he is declared to be "over all" and "through all." He is "through all" in the sense that all things come from him. Necessarily he will be "over all" the things that come from him. …
These things then, brethren, are declared by the Scriptures. And the blessed John, in the testimony of his Gospel, gives us an account of this economy (disposition) and acknowledges this Word as God, when he says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." If, then, the Word was with God, and was also God, what follows? Would one say that he speaks of two Gods? I shall not indeed speak of two Gods, but of one; of two Persons however, and of a third economy (disposition), viz., the grace of the Holy Ghost. For the Father indeed is One, but there are two Persons, because there is also the Son; and then there is the third, the Holy Spirit. The Father decrees, the Word executes, and the Son is manifested, through whom the Father is believed on. The economy of harmony is led back to one God; for God is One. It is the Father who commands, and the Son who obeys, and the Holy Spirit who gives understanding: the Father who is above all, and the Son who is through all, and the Holy Spirit who is in all. And we cannot otherwise think of one God, but by believing in truth in Father and Son and Holy Spirit. For the Jews glorified (or gloried in) the Father, but gave Him not thanks, for they did not recognise the Son. The disciples recognised the Son, but not in the Holy Ghost; wherefore they also denied Him. The Father's Word, therefore, knowing the economy (disposition) and the will of the Father, to wit, that the Father seeks to be worshipped in none other way than this, gave this charge to the disciples after He rose from the dead: "Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." And by this He showed, that whosoever omitted any one of these, failed in glorifying God perfectly. For it is through this Trinity that the Father is glorified. […]
Now, that this God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Paul the apostle also has declared, [saying,] "There is one God, the Father, who is above all, and through all things, and in us all." I have indeed proved already that there is only one God; but I shall further demonstrate this from the apostles themselves, and from the discourses of the Lord. For what sort of conduct would it be, were we to forsake the utterances of the prophets, of the Lord, and of the apostles, that we might give heed to these persons, who speak not a word of sense?
For with Him were always present the Word and Wisdom, the Son and the Spirit, by whom and in whom, freely and spontaneously, He made all things, to whom also He speaks, saying, "Let Us make man after Our image and likeness;" He taking from Himself the substance of the creatures [formed], and the pattern of things made, and the type of all the adornments in the world. Truly, then, the Scripture declared, which says, "First of all believe that there is one God, who has established all things, and completed them, and having caused that from what had no being, all things should come into existence:" He who contains all things, and is Himself contained by no one. Rightly also has Malachi said among the prophets: "Is it not one God who hath established us? Have we not all one Father?" In accordance with this, too, does the apostle say, "There is one God, the Father, who is above all, and in us all." Likewise does the Lord also say: "All things are delivered to Me by My Father;" manifestly by Him who made all things; for He did not deliver to Him the things of another, but His own.
It is impossible to speak of any parts or division in the incorporeal, but he is "in all and through all" … insofar as he is understood as either Wisdom or Word or life or truth, an interpretation which undoubtedly excludes all local confinement.
15 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers7 voices
Here is a physical analogy to a spiritual truth: We can agree that the sun is "above all" things on earth. But by its rays it might be said at the same time to be "through all." And insofar as the power of its light penetrates everywhere, it could also be said to be "in all." It is in this way, I think, that God's majesty is denoted by the phrase "above all." God's all-sufficiency is denoted in the words "through all." It also belongs to the power of God to penetrate into all, so that because of his being in all no one is entirely void of him.
A commentator
Gregory of NyssaREFUTATION OF EUNOMIUS'S CONFESSION OF FAITH 169 · Written before 395.
proposed
One God contains all and guides all as is fitting and is in all. This one saying of Paul suffices by itself to express everything succinctly, when he says that God is "over all and through all and in all."
A commentator
Athanasius of Alexandria296–373
Commentary (church-history corpus) · Written before 373.
proposed
The Father makes all things by the Word in the Spirit. So it is that the Unity of the Trinity is safeguarded. So it is that in the Church is proclaimed the one God who is 'above all and through all and in all (Eph 4.6)'. He is 'above all' as Father, as author and source; 'through all' by the Word; 'in all' in the Holy Spirit." - "Letters to Serapion on The Holy Spirit, 1.28"
A commentator
Philoxenus of Mabbug13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 12 -- First Discourse on Fornication · Written before 523.
proposed
Now when the body hath intercourse with the soul, and the soul with the spirit, and through the spirit with the Trinity, in very deed are accomplished the words, "The Lord is over all, and in us all", and, "Ye are the temple of the …
Ye then who in the spiritual world have so great equality of privileges, whence is it that ye are high-minded? Is it that one is wealthy and another strong? How ridiculous must this be? For tell me, if the emperor some day were to take ten persons, and to array them all in purple, and seat them on the royal throne, and to bestow upon all the same honor, would any one of these, think ye, venture to reproach another, as being more wealthy or more illustrious than he? Surely never. And I have not yet said all; for the difference is not so great in heaven as here below we differ. There is "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." Behold "the hope of your calling. One God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all." For can it be, that thou art called by the name of a greater God, another, of a lesser God? That thou art saved by faith, and another by works? That thou hast received remission in baptism, whilst another has not? "There is one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all." "Who is over all," that is, the Lord and above all; and "through all," that is, providing for, ordering all; and "in you all," that is, who dwelleth in you all. Now this they own to be an attribute of the Son; so that were it an argument of inferiority, it never would have been said of the Father.
He is "God and Father of all" by being the God but not the Father of some and both God and Father of others. It is as if, picking out ten men of whom five were someone's sons and five his slaves, one said, "this is the lord and father of all ten."
Those who read very closely recognize the Trinity in this passage. Paul writes of God the Father "who is above all and through all and in all." All things are "from God," who owes his existence to no one. All things are "through him," as though to say through the Mediator. All things are "in him," as though to say in the One who contains them, that is, reconciles them into one.
The Medieval Church2 voices
Fourthly, the Church has the same goal, God. The Son leads us to the Father: "when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God and the Father; when he shall have brought to nought all principality and power and virtue" (1 Cor. 15:24). In …
That is, He is over all and through all He penetrates with His providence and governance, and dwells in all of us. Note also that the heretics apply the preposition "through" to the Son, and the preposition "in" to the Spirit, as though it had …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
One God and Father of all - That believe. Who is above all - Presiding over all his children, operating through them all by Christ, and dwelling in all by his Spirit.
One God and Father of all,....
If then there be so many ones, it is a pity but there should be one more--one heart, or one soul. Consider the variety of gifts that Christ has bestowed among Christians: But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
One God - The fountain of all being, self-existent and eternal; and Father of all, both Jews and Gentiles, because he is the Father of the spirits of all flesh. Who is above all - Ὁ επι παντων· Who is over all; as the King of kings, and Lord of lords. And through all - Pervading every thing; being present with every thing; providing for all creatures; and by his energy supporting all things.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
above--"over all." The "one God over all" (in His sovereignty and by His grace) is the grand source and crowning apex of unity (Eph 2:19, end). through all--by means of Christ "who filleth all things" (Eph 4:10;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
One God - The same God; therefore there should be unity. Were there many gods to be worshipped, there could be no more hope of unity than there is among the worshippers of Mammon and Bacchus, and the various other idols that people set up. People who have different pursuits, and different objects of supreme affection, can be expected to have no union. People who worship many gods, cannot hope to be united. Their affections are directed to different objects, and there is no harmony or sympathy of feeling. But where there is one supreme object of attachment there may be expected to be unity. The children of a family that are devoted to a parent, will be united among themselves; and the fact that all Christians have the same great object of worship, should constitute a strong bond of union among themselves - a chain always kept bright. And Father of all - One God who is the Father of all; that is, who is a common Father to all who believe. That this refers to the Father, in contradistinction from the Son and the Holy Spirit, seems evident. The Spirit and the Son are mentioned in the previous verses. But the fact that the “Father of all” is mentioned as “God,” does not prove that the Spirit and the Son are not also endowed with divine attributes. That question is to be determined by the attributes ascribed to the Son and the Holy Spirit in other places. All sincere Christians worship “one” God, and “but” one. But they suppose that this one God subsists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, united in a mysterious manner, and constituting the one God, and that there is no other God. That the Father is divine, they all hold, as Paul affirms here; that the Son and the Holy Spirit are also divine, they also hold; see the John 1 note; Heb. 1 note; Php 2:6 note; Rom 9:5 note. […]
The words behind it
14 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| εἷς | heis | one | G1520 → | 343 times |
| θεὸς | theos | God | G2316 → | 1312 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| πατὴρ | pater | Father | G3962 → | 410 times |
| πάντων, | panton | of all, | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| ὁ | ho | who [is] | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἐπὶ | epi | over | G1909 → | 883 times |
| πάντων | panton | all | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| διὰ | dia | through | G1223 → | 664 times |
| πάντων | panton | all [times] | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| πᾶσιν | pasin | all | G3956 → | 1235 times |
εἷςone
heisG1520 →343 times
θεὸςGod
theosG2316 →1312 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
πατὴρFather
paterG3962 →410 times
πάντων,of all,
pantonG3956 →1235 times
ὁwho [is]
hoG3588 →19766 times
ἐπὶover
epiG1909 →883 times
πάντωνall
pantonG3956 →1235 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
διὰthrough
diaG1223 →664 times
πάντωνall [times]
pantonG3956 →1235 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
πᾶσινall
pasinG3956 →1235 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Romans 11:36For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 8:6
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Colossians 1:15–17
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
- Hebrews 2:10
In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting for God, for whom and through whom all things exist, to make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
- 1 Timothy 1:17
Now to the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
- 1 Corinthians 8:6
Through
Malachi 2:10Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why then do we break faith with one another so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?
it leads to
- Psalms 100:3
Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
- Malachi 2:11
Judah has broken faith; an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the LORD’s beloved sanctuary by marrying the daughter of a foreign god.
- Psalms 100:3
Through
1 Corinthians 8:6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and…
it leads to
- Romans 11:36
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.
- John 1:3
Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.
- Romans 11:36
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies26
On this verse
On this chapter
- Afterlife Vocabulary
- Anger and Murder of the Heart
- The Fivefold Ministry (Ephesians 4:11-13)
- Forgiveness and Health
- Grieving & Quenching the Spirit
- Kindness
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About Ephesians

This page draws on 21 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrosiaster, EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 4.5.1-2; Athanasius of Alexandria, Commentary (church-history corpus); Augustine of Hippo, On Faith and the Creed 19; Gregory of Nyssa, REFUTATION OF EUNOMIUS'S CONFESSION OF FAITH 169; Hippolytus of Rome, Fragments - Dogmatic and Historical; Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book V; Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book II; Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book IV; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Ephesians 11; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS; Origen of Alexandria, ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 4.4.31; Philoxenus of Mabbug, 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 12 -- First Discourse on Fornication; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Ephesians and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Ephesians.
