Efesus 2:14

2:14 For he is our peace, the one who made both groups into one ¹  and who destroyed the middle wall of partition, the hostility,

Efesus 3:8-10

3:8 To me – less than the least of all the saints ²  – this grace was given, ³  to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ 3:9 and to enlighten ⁴  everyone about God’s secret plan ⁵  – a secret that has been hidden for ages ⁶  in God ⁷  who has created all things. 3:10 The purpose of this enlightenment is that ⁸  through the church the multifaceted wisdom ⁹  of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.

Efesus 3:20-21

3:20 Now to him who by the power that is working within us ¹⁰  is able to do far beyond ¹¹  all that we ask or think, 3:21 to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Efesus 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. ¹² 

Efesus 5:33

5:33 Nevertheless, ¹³  each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, ¹⁴  and the wife must ¹⁵  respect ¹⁶  her husband.

[2:14]  ¹ tn Grk “who made the both one.”

[3:8]  ² sn In Pauline writings saints means any true believer. Thus for Paul to view himself as less than the least of all the saints is to view himself as the most unworthy object of Christ’s redemption.

[3:8]  ³ sn The parallel phrases to proclaim and to enlighten which follow indicate why God’s grace was manifested to Paul. Grace was not something just to be received, but to be shared with others (cf. Acts 13:47).

[3:9]  ⁴ tn There is a possible causative nuance in the Greek verb, but this is difficult to convey in the translation.

[3:9]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Or “for eternity,” or perhaps “from the Aeons.” Cf. 2:2, 7.

[3:9]  ⁷ 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.

[3:10]  ⁸ tn Grk “that.” Verse 10 is a subordinate clause to the verb “enlighten” in v. 9.

[3:10]  ⁹ tn Or “manifold wisdom,” “wisdom in its rich variety.”

[3:20]  ¹⁰ sn On the power that is working within us see 1:19-20.

[3:20]  ¹¹ tn Or “infinitely beyond,” “far more abundantly than.”

[5:6]  ¹² 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.

[5:33]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause was taken as imperatival, i.e., “let the wife respect….”

[5:33]  ¹⁶ 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.