Ephesians 2:14
in Ephesians 2For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For he is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle wall of partition,
KJV
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
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This verse in Ephesians 2
Commentary
19 notes on this verse" For the Creator's righteousness no less than His peace was announced in Christ, as we have often shown already. Therefore he says: "He is our peace, who hath made both one" -that is, the Jewish nation and the Gentile world.
This site's exposition
the dividing wall of hostility
on Ephesians 2:14-15
The wall had stone under it: the soreg ringed the temple's inner courts, its inscriptions warning any foreigner that passing meant death. Paul, once accused of taking Trophimus the Ephesian past it (Acts 21:29), writes that Christ has torn down the dividing wall of hostility.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
Christ, conferring immortality on us through his resurrection, has put an end to this division [between Jew and Gentile], for there can be no circumcision of an immortal nature.
The passion of the Savior made peace between the circumcision and the uncircumcision. For the enmity, which was between them like a wall and divided the circumcision from the uncircumcision and the uncircumcision from the circumcision, was abolished by the Savior. His command is that …
A commentator
Hippolytus of RomeHippolytus Exegetical Fragments - Of the visions of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar · Written before 235.
proposed
In order, then, to show the time when He is to come whom the blessed Daniel desired to see, he says, "And after seven weeks there are other threescore and two weeks," which period embraces the space of 434 years. For after the return of the people from Babylon under the leadership of Jesus the son of Josedech, and Ezra the scribe, and Zerubbabel the son of Salathiel, of the tribe of David, there were 434 years unto the coming of Christ, in order that the Priest of priests might be manifested in the world, and that He who taketh away the sins of the world might be evidently set forth, as John speaks concerning Him: "Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!" And in like manner Gabriel says: "To blot out transgressions, and make reconciliation for sins." But who has blotted out our transgressions? Paul the apostle teaches us, saying, "He is our peace who made both one; " and then, "Blotting out the handwriting of sins that was against us."
A commentator
Gaius Marius VictorinusEPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 1.2.14-15 · Written before 370.
proposed
Christ, he says, "is our peace." Elsewhere Paul calls him mediator. He interposed himself of his own accord between divided realms. Souls born of God's fountain of goodness were being detained in the world. There was a wall in their midst, a sort of fence, …
"And brake down," he proceeds, "the middle wall of partition." What the middle wall of partition is, he interprets by saying, "the enmity having abolished in His flesh, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances." Some indeed affirm that he means the wall of the Jews against the Greeks, because it did not allow the Jews to hold intercourse with the Greeks. To me, however, this does not seem to be the meaning, but rather that he calls "the enmity in the flesh," a middle wall, in that it is a common barrier, cutting us off alike from God. As the Prophet says, "Your iniquities separate between you and Me;" for that enmity which He had both against Jews and Gentiles was, as it were, a middle wall. And this, whilst the law existed, was not only not abolished, but rather was strengthened; "for the law," saith the Apostle, "worketh wrath." Just in the same way then as when he says in that passage, "the law worketh wrath," he does not ascribe the whole of this effect to the law itself, but it is to be understood, that it is because we have transgressed it; so also in this place he calls it a middle wall, because through being disobeyed it wrought enmity. The law was a hedge, but this it was made for the sake of security, and for this reason was called "a hedge," to the intent that it might form an inclosure. For listen again to the Prophet, where he says, "I made a trench about it." And again, "Thou hast broken down her fences, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her." Here therefore it means security and so again, "I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be trodden down." And again, "He gave them the law for a defence." And again, "The Lord executeth righteous acts and made known His ways unto Israel." It became, however, a middle wall, no longer establishing them in security, but cutting them off from God. […]
12 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers1 voice
"For He is our peace, Who made both one." What is this, "both one?" He does not mean this, that He hath raised us to that high descent of theirs, but that he hath raised both us and them to a yet higher. Only that the blessing to us is greater, because to these it had been promised, and they were nearer than we; to us it had not been promised, and we were farther off than they. Therefore it is that he says, "And that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy." The promise indeed He gave to the Israelites, but they were unworthy; to us He gave no promise, nay, we were even strangers, we had nothing in common with them; yet hath He made us one, not by knitting us to them, but by knitting both them and us together into one. I will give you an illustration. Let us suppose there to be two statues, the one of silver, the other of lead, and then that both shall be melted down, and that the two shall come out gold. Behold, thus hath He made the two one. Or put the case again in another way. Let the two be, one a slave, the other an adopted son: and let both offend Him, the one as a disinherited child, the other as a fugitive, and one who never knew a father. Then let both be made heirs, both trueborn sons. Behold, they are exalted to one and the same dignity, the two are become one, the one coming from a longer, the other from a nearer distance, and the slave becoming more noble than he was before he offended.
The Medieval Church3 voices
The Lord was looking upon our redemption, we who come from the Gentile people, when he said he would bring other sheep also. This you see happening daily, brethren; this you see accomplished today with the reconciled Gentiles. For he makes one fold, as it were, from two flocks, because he unites the Jewish and Gentile peoples in his faith, as Paul attests, who says: "He is our peace, who has made both one." For while he chooses the simple from both nations for eternal life, he leads his sheep to their proper fold.
Having recounted the blessings imparted to the Ephesians through Christ in a general way (2:13), he now recounts them in greater detail. Concerning this he makes two points: First, he shows how they have converged with the Jewish people. Secondly, how they are drawn closer …
For before the incarnation of the Word there was great enmity between circumcision and uncircumcision; but now we have been reconciled, having become one faith. For now we are called no longer circumcision and uncircumcision, but we have one sign — faith. Imagine: two men, …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
For he is our peace - Not only as he purchased it, but as he is the very bond and center of union. He who hath made both - Jews and gentiles, one church.
For he is our peace,....
He made peace by the sacrifice of himself; and came to reconcile, 1. Jews and Gentiles to each other. He made both one, by reconciling these two divisions of men, who were wont to malign, to hate, and to reproach each other before.
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
For he is our peace - Jesus Christ has died for both Jews and Gentiles, and has become a peace-offering, שלום shalom, to reconcile both to God and to each other. Who hath made both one - Formed one Church out of the believers of both people. The middle wall of partition - By abolishing the law of Jewish ordinances, he has removed that which kept the two parties, not only in a state of separation, but also at variance.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Thus this twofold wall represented the Sinaitic law, which both severed all men, even the Jews, from access to God (through sin, which is the violation of the law), and also separated the Gentiles from the Jews. As the term "wall" implies the strength of the partition, so "fence" implies that it was easily removed by God when the due time came.
A commentator
Charles Spurgeon1834–1892
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 3386: “Christ Our Peace” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) · Written before 1892.
proposed
THE true minister of Christ is not satisfied to be long away from his main theme. There are many things which it is very proper for him to speak upon in your hearing. We dare not forget the Doctrines of the Word of God, or the precepts, or the experiences of God's people. But recognizing the claims of all these, God forbid that we should glorify save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ! It is the preaching of Christ which is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
A commentator
Charles Spurgeon1834–1892
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 3386: “Christ Our Peace” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) · Written before 1892.
proposed
THE true minister of Christ is not satisfied to be long away from his main theme. There are many things which it is very proper for him to speak upon in your hearing. We dare not forget the Doctrines of the Word of God, or the precepts, or the experiences of God's people. But recognizing the claims of all these, God forbid that we should glorify save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ! It is the preaching of Christ which is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Therefore, wherever we may wander around the circumference, we always feel a drawing in of our soul toward the center, which is "Christ in you, the hope of Glory." And if the preacher feels that he cannot go on long in the pulpit without preaching up his Lord and Master, I am quite sure that all the saints of God feel that they cannot be long content without this theme. They must constantly have Christ. As often as the table is spread in our homes, we need bread. We do not care to have the same meats and drinks in the morning, at mid-day and at the evening meal. We like to have a frequent change of food, but we always want the bread—and the table is badly furnished, let it have what it may upon it, if there is not there the bread which is the staff of life! So the Believer delights in the variety of God's Word and there is no Truth which is not precious to him. He counts the very shavings of truth to be like the dust of diamonds.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
For he is our peace - There is evident allusion here to Isa 57:19. See the notes at that verse. The “peace” here referred to is that by which a “union” in worship and in feeling has been produced between the Jews and the Gentiles Formerly they were alienated and separate. They had different objects of worship; different religious rites; different views and feelings. The Jews regarded the Gentiles with hatred, and the Gentiles the Jews with scorn. Now, says the apostle, they are at peace. They worship the same God. They have the same Saviour. They depend on the same atonement. They have the same hope. They look forward to the same heaven. They belong to the same redeemed family. Reconciliation has not only taken place with God, but with each other. “The best way to produce peace between alienated minds is to bring them to the same Saviour.” That will do more to silence contentions, and to heal alienations, than any or all other means. Bring people around the same cross; fill them with love to the same Redeemer, and give them the same hope of heaven, and you put a period to alienation and strife. The love at Christ is so absorbing, and the dependence in his blood so entire, that they will lay aside these alienations, and cease their contentions. The work of the atonement is thus designed not only to produce peace with God, but peace between alienated and contending minds. The feeling that we are redeemed by the same blood, and that we have the same Saviour, will unite the rich and the poor, the bond and the free, the high and the low, in the ties of brotherhood, and make them feel that they are one. This great work of the atonement is thus designed to produce peace in alienated minds every where, and to diffuse abroad the feeling of universal brotherhood. Who hath made both one - Both Gentiles and Jews. […]
The words behind it
17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| αὐτὸς | autos | he himself | G846 → | 5565 times |
| γάρ | gar | for | G1063 → | 1039 times |
| ἐστιν | estin | is | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| ἡ | he | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| εἰρήνη | eirene | peace | G1515 → | 91 times |
| ἡμῶν, | hemon | of us, | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| ὁ | ho | which | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ποιήσας | poiesas | having made | G4160 → | 569 times |
| τὰ | ta | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀμφότερα | amphotera | both | G297 → | 14 times |
| ἓν | hen | one | G1520 → | 343 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| τὸ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| μεσότοιχον | mesotoichon | barrier | G3320 → | |
| τοῦ | tou | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| φραγμοῦ | phragmou | fence | G5418 → | |
| λύσας, | lusas | having broken down, | G3089 → |
αὐτὸςhe himself
autosG846 →5565 times
γάρfor
garG1063 →1039 times
ἐστινis
estinG1510 →2333 times
ἡthe
heG3588 →19766 times
εἰρήνηpeace
eireneG1515 →91 times
ἡμῶν,of us,
hemonG3165 →1936 times
ὁwhich
hoG3588 →19766 times
ποιήσαςhaving made
poiesasG4160 →569 times
τὰ<the>
taG3588 →19766 times
ἀμφότεραboth
amphoteraG297 →14 times
ἓνone
henG1520 →343 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τὸthe
toG3588 →19766 times
μεσότοιχονbarrier
mesotoichonG3320 →
τοῦof the
touG3588 →19766 times
φραγμοῦfence
phragmouG5418 →
λύσας,having broken down,
lusasG3089 →
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
Galatians 3:28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 12:12–13
The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ.
- Colossians 3:11
Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all and is in all.
- Romans 3:29–30
Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,
- Galatians 5:6
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. All that matters is faith, expressed through love.
- 1 Corinthians 12:12–13
Through
Colossians 3:15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body. And be thankful.
it leads to
- Philippians 4:6–7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.
- Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You.
- Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Philippians 4:6–7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies32
On this verse
About Ephesians
This page draws on 17 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Alfred Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services; Ambrosiaster, EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 2.14.1; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 3386: “Christ Our Peace” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Gaius Marius Victorinus, EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 1.2.14-15; Gregory the Dialogist, Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 14; Hippolytus of Rome, Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments - Of the visions of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Ephesians 5; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Tertullian, Against Marcion Book V; Theodore of Mopsuestia, CATENA 2.13; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Ephesians and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Ephesians.