Ephesians 6
Children, obey your parents — the first commandment in a promise, that it be well and long. Fathers, do not anger your children; nourish them in the Lord’s discipline and admonition. Slaves, obey your lords according to flesh with fear and trembling — not eye-service but as slaves of Christ; slave or free, each receives the good from the Lord. Lords, give up the threat — with the Lord in the heavens there is no partiality of face. Be strengthened in the Lord; put on the whole armour of God — the wrestling is not against blood and flesh but against rules, authorities, world-rulers of this dark, spiritual things of wickedness in the heavenlies. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the readiness of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith quenching the burning arrows, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. Keep awake in all prayer and supplication — and for me, an ambassador in a chain, that I may speak openly. Tychicus will tell all. Peace, love, faith — grace with all who love the Lord in imperishability.
Why this rendering
Eph.6.1 Observation
Syntactic observation
Τὰ τέκνα, ὑπακούετε τοῖς γονεῦσιν ὑμῶν ἐν κυρίῳ, τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν δίκαιον· τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐντολὴ πρώτη ἐν ἐπαγγελίᾳ, ἵνα εὖ σοι γένηται καὶ ἔσῃ μακροχρόνιος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Καὶ οἱ πατέρες, μὴ παροργίζετε τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν, ἀλλὰ ἐκτρέφετε αὐτὰ ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ κυρίου — Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is righteous. ‘Honour your father and mother’ — which is the first commandment in a promise — ‘so that it may be well with you and you will be long-lived on the earth.’ And fathers, do not make your children angry, but nourish them in the discipline and admonition of the Lord. From 5:22 three pairs (wives/husbands · children/fathers · slaves/lords) are each addressed with the lesser first — articular vocatives (Τὰ τέκνα · οἱ πατέρες). Verses 2-3 are Exod 20:12 / Deut 5:16 — the ‘honour’ of Matt 15:4; ‘the first commandment’ is first ‘in a promise’. εὖ is the word of Matt 25:21 ‘well done’ — ‘be well’. μακροχρόνιος occurs once in the New Testament. παροργίζω is Rom 10:19 ‘make angry’ — one root with 4:26 ‘be angry · provoked anger’. ἐκτρέφω, two places with 5:29 ‘nourish’. παιδεία (discipline — the word of Heb 12:5) · νουθεσία (admonition — 1 Cor 10:11). ‘Righteous’ (δίκαιον) is the predicate of obeying — not softened to ‘right’.
Rendering options · 3
Basis δίκαιος ‘righteous’ as fixed at Rom 1:17 — ‘right’ belongs to another word.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected It cuts the root shared with v.14 ‘the breastplate of righteousness’.
Basis ‘With a promise’ would lose ἐν; the text’s phrase is kept.
Lost in translation
δίκαιον (v.1) / δικαιοσύνη (v.14) — ‘righteous / righteousness’ keep the root.
παροργίζετε (v.4) / ὀργίζεσθε (4:26) — ‘make angry / be angry’ keep the root.
The articular vocative (Τὰ τέκνα) — ‘Children’ carries no article.
μακροχρόνιος — ‘long-lived’ keeps it one word.
Why this rendering
Eph.6.5 Observation
Syntactic observation
Οἱ δοῦλοι, ὑπακούετε τοῖς κατὰ σάρκα κυρίοις μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου ἐν ἁπλότητι τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς τῷ Χριστῷ, μὴ κατ’ ὀφθαλμοδουλίαν ὡς ἀνθρωπάρεσκοι ἀλλ’ ὡς δοῦλοι Χριστοῦ ποιοῦντες τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐκ ψυχῆς μετ’ εὐνοίας δουλεύοντες … εἴτε δοῦλος εἴτε ἐλεύθερος. Καὶ οἱ κύριοι, τὰ αὐτὰ ποιεῖτε πρὸς αὐτούς, ἀνιέντες τὴν ἀπειλήν, εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ αὐτῶν καὶ ὑμῶν ὁ κύριός ἐστιν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ προσωπολημψία οὐκ ἔστιν παρ’ αὐτῷ — Slaves, obey your lords according to flesh with fear and trembling … not by eye-service as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ … serving as slaves with good will … whether slave or free. And lords, do the same things to them, giving up the threat, knowing that both their Lord and yours is in the heavens, and there is no partiality of face with him. κύριος five times in vv.5-9 — lords according to flesh (v.5) · the Lord (vv.7, 8) · lords (v.9) · the Lord in the heavens (v.9) — one word for men and for God; English keeps ‘lord / Lord’, Korean divides ‘주인 / 주’ (recorded). δοῦλος / δουλεύω five times — slave · serve as slaves. φόβου καὶ τρόμου is 1 Cor 2:3 ‘fear and trembling’. ὀφθαλμοδουλία (two places with Col 3:22 — eye + slavery) · ἀνθρωπάρεσκος (two places with Col 3:22 — man + please) — both compounds spelled out. ἐκ ψυχῆς is ‘from the life’ — the word of Mark 12:30 ‘out of your whole life’. εὔνοια occurs once in the New Testament. ἀνίημι is the verb of Acts 16:26 ‘be loosed’ — here ‘give up’ the threat. προσωπολημψία is Rom 2:11 ‘partiality of face’ — one root with 2:6 ‘take a face’. Verse 5 ⸂κατὰ σάρκα κυρίοις⸃ (order) · v.6 ⸀δοῦλοι · v.8 ⸂ἕκαστος, ὃ ἂν⸃ · ⸀κομίσεται · ⸀παρά · v.9 ⸂αὐτῶν καὶ ὑμῶν⸃ (the Received Text ‘your own Lord also’).
Rendering options · 3
Basis English keeps one word and lets the capital carry the shift; Korean divides ‘주인 / 주’ and records the loss.
Basis One word, one rendering.
Rejected ‘Lords according to flesh’ stands in English; the capital records only the reference.
Basis The pieces ὀφθαλμός + δουλεία, ἄνθρωπος + ἀρέσκω are all kept.
Lost in translation
κύριος ×5 — ‘lord / Lord’ keep one word, the capital marking the reference.
δοῦλος / δουλεύω — ‘slave / serve as slaves’ keep the root.
ὀφθαλμοδουλία · ἀνθρωπάρεσκος — the pieces of both compounds show in the renderings.
προσωπολημψία ↔ 2:6 πρόσωπον λαμβάνω — ‘partiality of face / take a face’ keep the face.
Why this rendering
Eph.6.10 Observation
Syntactic observation
Τοῦ λοιποῦ ἐνδυναμοῦσθε ἐν κυρίῳ καὶ ἐν τῷ κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ. ἐνδύσασθε τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι ὑμᾶς στῆναι πρὸς τὰς μεθοδείας τοῦ διαβόλου· ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχάς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις … στῆτε οὖν περιζωσάμενοι τὴν ὀσφὺν ὑμῶν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, καὶ ἐνδυσάμενοι τὸν θώρακα τῆς δικαιοσύνης, καὶ ὑποδησάμενοι τοὺς πόδας ἐν ἑτοιμασίᾳ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης, ἐν πᾶσιν ἀναλαβόντες τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς πίστεως … καὶ τὴν περικεφαλαίαν τοῦ σωτηρίου δέξασθε, καὶ τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅ ἐστιν ῥῆμα θεοῦ — be strengthened in the Lord and in the might of his strength. Put on the whole armour of God … our wrestling is not against blood and flesh … Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the readiness of the gospel of peace, in all things having taken up the shield of the faith … and receive the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. τὸ κράτος τῆς ἰσχύος is the phrase of 1:19 — ‘the might of his strength’. πανοπλία is Luke 11:22 ‘the whole armour’. στῆναι · ἀντιστῆναι · στῆναι · στῆτε — standing four times. πάλη occurs once in the New Testament (wrestling). αἷμα καὶ σάρκα reverses the order of Gal 1:16 ‘flesh and blood’. πρός six times in v.12. κοσμοκράτωρ occurs once — κόσμος (world) with κράτος (might). Six pieces — belt (truth) · breastplate (righteousness) · shoes (readiness of the gospel of peace) · shield (faith) · helmet (salvation) · sword (Spirit — the word of God): θώραξ · ὑποδέομαι (Mark 6:9 ‘wear’) · ἑτοιμασία (once) · θυρεός (once) · βέλος (once) · περικεφαλαία (two places, with 1 Thess 5:8) · the clothing of Isa 59:17, 11:5. Five participles (περιζωσάμενοι … ἀναλαβόντες) hang on στῆτε, and an imperative (δέξασθε) rises again in v.17. σβέννυμι is the transitive of Matt 25:8 ‘go out’. ⸂Τοῦ λοιποῦ⸃ (the Received Text τὸ λοιπόν) · ⸀σκότους (the Received Text ‘of this age’) · ⸀ἐν (v.16) · ⸀πονηροῦ · ⸀δέξασθε.
Rendering options · 3
Basis ‘World-rulers’ is the compound; Korean keeps κράτος ‘might’ inside the word — ‘ruler’ belongs to ἄρχων (2:2).
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected It merges with ἄρχων and loses the κράτος piece.
Basis The order differs from Gal 1:16 ‘flesh and blood’ — not reversed to the familiar.
Lost in translation
στῆναι · ἀντιστῆναι · στῆναι · στῆτε — ‘stand / withstand’ carry all four.
κράτος τῆς ἰσχύος ↔ 1:19 — ‘the might of his strength’ in the same words.
The κράτος in κοσμοκράτωρ — ‘world-rulers’ shows the world, not the might.
αἷμα καὶ σάρκα ↔ Gal 1:16 σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα — ‘blood and flesh / flesh and blood’ keep the orders.
Why this rendering
Eph.6.18 Observation
Syntactic observation
διὰ πάσης προσευχῆς καὶ δεήσεως, προσευχόμενοι ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ἐν πνεύματι, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ ἀγρυπνοῦντες ἐν πάσῃ προσκαρτερήσει καὶ δεήσει περὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, ἵνα μοι δοθῇ λόγος ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματός μου, ἐν παρρησίᾳ γνωρίσαι τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ὑπὲρ οὗ πρεσβεύω ἐν ἁλύσει, ἵνα ἐν αὐτῷ παρρησιάσωμαι ὡς δεῖ με λαλῆσαι … Τυχικὸς ὁ ἀγαπητὸς ἀδελφὸς καὶ πιστὸς διάκονος ἐν κυρίῳ … Εἰρήνη τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς καὶ ἀγάπη μετὰ πίστεως … ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων τῶν ἀγαπώντων τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ — through all prayer and supplication, praying at every time in the Spirit, and for this keeping awake in all persistence and supplication for all the holy ones, and for me … that a word may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known in openness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in a chain … Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord … Peace to the brothers, and love with faith … Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in imperishability. πᾶς four times in v.18 — all prayer · every time · all persistence · all the holy ones. προσευχή (prayer) / δέησις (supplication) is the pair of Luke 1:13. ἀγρυπνέω is Mark 13:33 ‘keep awake’; προσκαρτέρησις occurs once in the New Testament — the noun of Acts 1:14 ‘persist’. ἄνοιξις also once — ‘the opening of the mouth’. παρρησία / παρρησιάζομαι pair in vv.19-20. πρεσβεύω ἐν ἁλύσει — 2 Cor 5:20 ‘be an ambassador’ with ‘in a chain’ — ambassador and chain in one clause. Verses 21-22 are almost letter for letter Col 4:7-8 (Tychicus). The close of vv.23-24 — peace · love · faith · grace, and whether ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ (in imperishability) attaches to the love or to the grace the text leaves open; this letter has no ‘Amen’ (⸀ — the Received Text adds it). ⸀αὐτό (v.18) · ⸂εἰδῆτε καὶ ὑμεῖς⸃ · ⸂γνωρίσει ὑμῖν⸃.
Rendering options · 3
Basis 2 Cor 5:20 πρεσβεύω ‘be an ambassador’ · Mark 5:3 ἅλυσις ‘chain’ as fixed — not ‘an ambassador in bonds’.
Basis The familiar gloss.
Rejected The chain (the chain of Acts 28:20) disappears.
Basis ‘Sincerely’ or ‘undyingly’ would cut the thread of Rom 2:7, 1 Cor 15:42 ‘imperishability’; the attachment stays open.
Lost in translation
πᾶς ×4 (v.18) — ‘all / every’ carry all four.
παρρησίᾳ / παρρησιάσωμαι — ‘openness / speak openly’ keep the root.
προσκαρτέρησις ↔ προσκαρτερέω (Acts 1:14) — ‘persistence / persist’.
The attachment of ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ — left open by keeping its place.