Efesus 2:1

New Life Individually

2:1 And although you were ¹  dead ²  in your transgressions and sins,

Efesus 3:4

3:4 When reading this, ³  you will be able to ⁴  understand my insight into this secret ⁵  of Christ.

Efesus 3:14

Prayer for Strengthened Love

3:14 For this reason ⁶  I kneel ⁷  before the Father, ⁸ 

[2:1]  ¹ tn The adverbial participle “being” (ὄντας, ontas) is taken concessively.

[2:1]  ² sn Chapter 2 starts off with a participle, although you were dead, that is left dangling. The syntax in Greek for vv. 1-3 constitutes one incomplete sentence, though it seems to have been done intentionally. The dangling participle leaves the readers in suspense while they wait for the solution (in v. 4) to their spiritual dilemma.

[3:4]  ³ tn Grk “which, when reading.”

[3:4]  ⁴ tn Grk “you are able to.”

[3:4]  ⁵ tn Or “mystery.”

[3:14]  ⁶ sn For this reason resumes the point begun in v. 1, after a long parenthesis.

[3:14]  ⁷ tn Grk “I bend my knees.”

[3:14]  ⁸ 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.