Ephesians 1
Paul, apostle through God’s will, to the holy ones [in Ephesus] — the base text brackets the name. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who chose us in Christ before the founding of the world, foreordained us to adoption as sons, and graced us in the beloved. Redemption through his blood, forgiveness of trespasses, the mystery of his will — to recapitulate all things in Christ when the times are full. We were allotted; you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise, the deposit of the inheritance. I do not cease giving thanks — for a spirit of wisdom and revelation, for the eyes of the heart to be given light, to know the hope of the calling, the riches of the inheritance, the greatness of the power. With that power God raised Christ from the dead, seated him at his right hand above all rule, authority, power and lordship, subjected all things under his feet, and gave him as head to the assembly — his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Why this rendering
Eph.1.1 Observation
Syntactic observation
Παῦλος ἀπόστολος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ διὰ θελήματος θεοῦ τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῖς οὖσιν [ἐν Ἐφέσῳ] καὶ πιστοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ — Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the holy ones who are [in Ephesus] and faithful in Christ Jesus: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The base text prints ἐν Ἐφέσῳ inside ⸂[ ]⸃ — the brackets are the editors’ mark of lowered standing, and this edition carries the brackets across (as at Luke 22:19b-20, 24:40, 51, 52). Without them the letter names no place for its readers — τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῖς οὖσιν … καὶ πιστοῖς, ‘to the holy ones who are … and faithful’. ⸂Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ⸃ is a matter of order (the Received Text Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ). διὰ θελήματος θεοῦ is the phrase of 1 Cor 1:1 and 2 Cor 1:1. Verse 2 is the greeting of Gal 1:3 — there ἡμῶν is on ‘our Lord’, here on ‘our Father’.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The base text’s mark of standing is not erased by translation; how many of the twenty-five comparison versions keep it is a separate measurement under the sixth finding’s rule.
Basis The familiar form of the versions.
Rejected It turns the editors’ doubt into certainty.
Basis One article (τοῖς) binds the two words to one group — Korean shows the binding with ‘곧’, English keeps ‘and’ open.
Lost in translation
The brackets of [ἐν Ἐφέσῳ] — carried as they stand.
The single article of τοῖς ἁγίοις … καὶ πιστοῖς — ‘and’ keeps the binding open, ‘곧’ closes it.
The place of ἡμῶν (v.2 ‘our Father’ ↔ Gal 1:3 ‘our Lord’) — the two greetings differ.
Why this rendering
Eph.1.3 Observation
Syntactic observation
Εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεὸς … ὁ εὐλογήσας ἡμᾶς ἐν πάσῃ εὐλογίᾳ πνευματικῇ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν Χριστῷ, καθὼς ἐξελέξατο ἡμᾶς ἐν αὐτῷ πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου, εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἁγίους καὶ ἀμώμους κατενώπιον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀγάπῃ, προορίσας ἡμᾶς εἰς υἱοθεσίαν … κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ, εἰς ἔπαινον δόξης τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἧς ἐχαρίτωσεν ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ — Blessed be the God … who blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the founding of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him, in love, having foreordained us to adoption as sons … according to the good pleasure of his will, to the commendation of the glory of his grace, with which he graced us in the beloved. Verses 3-14 are one sentence in Greek — this edition cuts it with full stops (the decision of 2 Cor 1:3). Three on one root — εὐλογητός (blessed) · εὐλογήσας (blessed) · εὐλογίᾳ (blessing): English keeps all three; Korean splits the first as ‘praised’ (the fixed rendering of Mark 14:61, 2 Cor 1:3 — a recorded loss). ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις five times in this letter (1:3, 20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12) — ‘in the heavenlies’, the word of John 3:12 τὰ ἐπουράνια. ἐν ἀγάπῃ stands at the end of v.4 and can attach to v.4 (blameless) or v.5 (foreordained) — this edition leaves it where the text puts it. ἐχαρίτωσεν is the verb of Luke 1:28 ‘you who have been graced’ — here active, with χάρις twice in the same clause. εἰς ἔπαινον δόξης three times, vv.6, 12, 14 — a refrain.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The word of John 3:12 ‘heavenly things’ — not filled in as ‘heavenly places’ or ‘heaven’; one rendering for the letter’s five places.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected It supplies ‘places’; at 6:12 the same phrase locates evil spirits, and the supplied word would decide the sense.
Basis Where the text puts it — with v.4 ‘blameless in love’, with v.5 ‘in love having foreordained’. Not moved, so both remain.
Lost in translation
εὐλογητός · εὐλογέω · εὐλογία — ‘blessed / blessed / blessing’ keep one root.
Where ἐν ἀγάπῃ attaches — left at the end of v.4, both readings remain.
χάρις / ἐχαρίτωσεν — ‘grace / graced’ keep the root.
εἰς ἔπαινον δόξης ×3 — the refrain ‘to the commendation of glory’ in the same words.
Why this rendering
Eph.1.7 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἐν ᾧ ἔχομεν τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ, τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν παραπτωμάτων, κατὰ τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ … γνωρίσας ἡμῖν τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ … εἰς οἰκονομίαν τοῦ πληρώματος τῶν καιρῶν, ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι τὰ πάντα ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ … ἐν ᾧ καὶ ἐκληρώθημεν προορισθέντες κατὰ πρόθεσιν τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐνεργοῦντος κατὰ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ … ἐσφραγίσθητε τῷ πνεύματι τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τῷ ἁγίῳ, ὅ ἐστιν ἀρραβὼν τῆς κληρονομίας ἡμῶν, εἰς ἀπολύτρωσιν τῆς περιποιήσεως — in whom we have the redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of trespasses … having made known to us the mystery of his will … for a management of the fullness of the times, to recapitulate all things in the Christ … in whom also we were allotted … according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will … you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise, which is a deposit of our inheritance, unto the redemption of the possession. ἀπολύτρωσις in v.7 and v.14 — the ‘redemption’ of Luke 21:28. ἄφεσις τῶν παραπτωμάτων is ‘forgiveness of trespasses’ (Matt 26:28 has sins). πλοῦτος carries ⸂⸃ — neuter (the Received Text masculine). οἰκονομία is the word of Luke 16:2, ‘management’ — not raised to ‘dispensation’. ἀνακεφαλαιόω, with Rom 13:9 ‘recapitulated’, two places — a verb from κεφαλή (head); ‘head’ follows in v.22. κληρόω occurs once in the New Testament — ‘be allotted’ — sharing its root with κληρονομία (vv.14, 18). Verse 11 has three words of will — πρόθεσις (purpose) · βουλή (counsel) · θέλημα (will). προελπίζω also once — ‘hope beforehand’. ἐσφραγίσθητε is the passive of John 3:33 ‘set a seal’; ἀρραβών the ‘deposit’ of 2 Cor 1:22. περιποίησις is ‘possession’ — the word of 1 Pet 2:9, a people for a possession.
Rendering options · 3
Basis As fixed at Luke 16:2, 1 Cor 9:17 — one word, one rendering; ‘dispensation’ belongs to another world.
Basis The familiar theological term.
Rejected It loses the steward’s household and cuts the thread to Luke 16 and 1 Cor 9:17.
Basis Rom 8:28 πρόθεσις ‘purpose’ · Acts 4:28 βουλή ‘counsel’ · Matt 6:10 θέλημα ‘will’ — three in one verse, kept apart by site rule.
Lost in translation
κληρόω / κληρονομία — ‘allotted / inheritance’ lose the shared root.
ἀνακεφαλαιόω / κεφαλή (v.22) — ‘recapitulate / head’: the Latin root keeps it, the word does not show it.
πρόθεσις · βουλή · θέλημα — ‘purpose · counsel · will’ stand three.
ἀπολύτρωσις ×2 (v.7, v.14) — one ‘redemption’.
Why this rendering
Eph.1.15 Observation
Syntactic observation
οὐ παύομαι εὐχαριστῶν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν μνείαν ποιούμενος ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν μου, ἵνα ὁ θεὸς … δώῃ ὑμῖν πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως ἐν ἐπιγνώσει αὐτοῦ, πεφωτισμένους τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν εἰς τὸ εἰδέναι ὑμᾶς τίς ἐστιν ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς κλήσεως αὐτοῦ, τίς ὁ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης τῆς κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις, καὶ τί τὸ ὑπερβάλλον μέγεθος τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ … κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ κράτους τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ — I do not cease giving thanks for you, making remembrance in my prayers … may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation … the eyes of your heart having been given light, so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance … and what the surpassing greatness of his power … according to the working of the might of his strength. μνείαν ποιούμενος is the phrase of Rom 1:9, ‘make remembrance’. ‘The eyes of the heart’ (v.18) is a phrase found only here in the New Testament; πεφωτισμένους is the perfect passive of 1 Cor 4:5 ‘give light to’. τίς … τίς … τί — three questions ask hope, riches, greatness. Verse 19 ends with four words of power — δύναμις (power) · ἐνέργεια (working) · κράτος (might) · ἰσχύς (strength): κράτος was re-set from ‘strength’ to ‘might’ (Luke 1:51, Acts 19:20) so that four stand as four. ὑπερβάλλω is the ‘surpass’ of 2 Cor 3:10; μέγεθος occurs once in the New Testament.
Rendering options · 3
Basis δύναμις ‘power’ · the noun of ἐνεργέω ‘work’ · κράτος ‘might’ (re-set) · ἰσχύς ‘strength’ (Mark 12:30) — four in one phrase, none shared.
Basis The familiar rendering that reduces four to two.
Rejected The text piles four nouns; the rendering keeps two.
Basis John 1:9, 1 Cor 4:5 ‘give light to’ as fixed — not ‘enlightened’.
Lost in translation
δύναμις · ἐνέργεια · κράτος · ἰσχύς — four words, four renderings.
ἐνέργεια / ἐνεργέω (vv.11, 20) — ‘working / works’ keep the root.
ἐπίγνωσις / εἰδέναι — ‘knowledge / know’ merge two words.
The mood of δώῃ (subjunctive or optative, one form) — ‘may give’ keeps both.
Why this rendering
Eph.1.20 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἣν ἐνήργηκεν ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ ἐγείρας αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν, καὶ καθίσας ἐν δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ὑπεράνω πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ δυνάμεως καὶ κυριότητος καὶ παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομαζομένου οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι· καὶ πάντα ὑπέταξεν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸν ἔδωκεν κεφαλὴν ὑπὲρ πάντα τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἥτις ἐστὶν τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ, τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν πληρουμένου — which he has worked in the Christ, having raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand … far above all rule and authority and power and lordship, and every name that is named … and he subjected all things under his feet, and gave him as head over all things to the assembly, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all things in all. ⸀ἐνήργηκεν is perfect (the Received Text aorist) · ⸀ἐκ · ⸀καθίσας (the Received Text ἐκάθισεν). ‘Rule · authority · power · lordship’ — the three of 1 Cor 15:24 (rule, authority, power) with κυριότης added, the noun of κύριος (‘Lord’). Verse 22 is Psalm 8:6 — the sentence of 1 Cor 15:27, in the same words. κεφαλή is the ‘head’ of 1 Cor 11:3; ἐκκλησία ‘assembly’. In v.23 πληρουμένου reads as middle or passive — ‘who fills’ or ‘who is being filled’ — this edition closes to the middle and records it. πλήρωμα is one word with v.10 ‘the fullness of the times’.
Rendering options · 3
Basis τὰ πάντα stands as object, so the middle (‘fills’) carries the sentence; the passive reading is the rejected option.
Basis The passive reading — the assembly fills Christ.
Rejected It must turn τὰ πάντα into an adverb; the text’s openness is recorded, not chosen.
Basis As fixed at Matt 16:18, Rom 16:1 — one word even where the body is cosmic.
Lost in translation
πληρουμένου, middle or passive — closed to ‘fills’.
πλήρωμα (vv.10, 23) / πληρόω (v.23) — ‘fullness / fills’ keep the root.
Verse 22 = 1 Cor 15:27 — Psalm 8:6 in the same rendering.
κυριότης / κύριος — ‘lordship / Lord’ keep the root.