Ephesians 6 is the sixth (and the last) chapter of the

Epistle to the Ephesians The Epistle to the Ephesians is the tenth book of the New Testament. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to Paul the Apostle but starting in 1792, this has been challenged as Deutero-Pauline, that is, pseudepigrapha written in Pau ...

in the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

of the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

. Traditionally, it is believed to be written by

Apostle Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

while he was in prison in Rome (around AD 62), but more recently, it is suggested to be written between AD 80 and 100 by another writer using Paul's name and style. This chapter is a part of Paul's exhortation (

Ephesians 4 Ephesians 4 is the fourth chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Traditionally, it is believed to have been written by Apostle Paul while he was in prison in Rome (around AD 62), but more recentl ...

–6), with the particular section about how Christians should live in their responsibilities as households (5:21–6:9) and in the battle against spiritual forces (6:10–20), with a final benediction to close the epistle (6:21–24).

Text

The original text was written in

Koine Greek Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...

. This chapter is divided into 24 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: *

Papyrus 46 Papyrus 46 (''P. Chester Beatty II''), designated by siglum (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), is an early Greek New Testament manuscript written on papyrus, and is one of the manuscripts comprising the Chester Beatty Papyri. Manuscripts among ...

(c. AD 200) *

Codex Vaticanus The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), designated by siglum B or 03 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), δ 1 ( von Soden), is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old ...

(325-350) *

Codex Sinaiticus The Codex Sinaiticus (Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), designated by siglum [Aleph] or 01 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 2 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts) ...

(330-360) *

Codex Alexandrinus The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII), designated by the siglum A or 02 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 4 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts), is a manu ...

(400-440) *

Codex Freerianus Codex Freerianus, designated by I or 016 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), α 1041 ( von Soden), also called the ''Washington Manuscript of the Pauline Epistles'', is a 5th-century manuscript in an uncial hand on vellum in Greek. It is named afte ...

(c. 450; extant verses 1, 10-12, 19-21) * Codex Claromontanus (c. 550)

Old Testament references

* : ;

Household Rules (6:1–9)

Commencing from 5:21, this part is built on "the tabulated framework of the rules for good household management rules", as the health and stability of the society depend on the "basic relationships within the household: "husband and wife", "father and children", "master and slaves". The first pairing, husband and wife, is discussed in previous chapter, so in this chapter, the second ("children and parents"; verses 1–4) and the third pairing ("slaves and masters"; verses 5–9) are in focus.

Verse 2

: ''"Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise:'' Citation from the

Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ� ...

, in particular or

Verse 3

: ''"that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."'' Citation from:

Verse 4

: ''"And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."''

Verse 5

: ''"Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;"'' Note that the original Greek text uses the term "δοῦλοι" (translated in the NKJV as "Bondservants"), which is generally translated as "slave", and which, in the context of first-century Greece under Roman rule, referred to chattels.

Verse 6

: ''"not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,"''

Verse 7

: ''"with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,"''

Verse 8

: ''"knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free."''

Verse 9

:''"And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him."'' *"Your own Master": the NU renders it "He who is both their Master and yours is".

Put on the Armour of God (6:10-20)

This exhortation is the most vivid portrayal of the Christian spiritual struggle, in a metaphor of warfare, with detailed list of equipment of the Divine Warrior.

Verse 10

:''Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.'' *"Be strong": the Greek word here is in present tense, not aorist, suggesting the 'maintenance' rather than the 'attainment' of strength, whereas the Latin versions read ''confortamini'', recalling the original idea of "comfort", "comforter,” in older English usage.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges is a biblical commentary set published in parts by Cambridge University Press from 1882 onwards. Anglican bishop John Perowne was the general editor. The first section published was written by theologian ...

Ephesians 6
Accessed 28 April 2019.

Verse 13

:''Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.'' NKJV * "Take up the whole armour of God": a repetition of the exhortation in Ephesians 6:11, which seems necessary due to many powerful enemies as mentioned in the previous verse, to be followed by an account of the several parts of this armour. * "You may be able to withstand in the evil day": which is "be able to stand against the wiles, stratagems and power of Satan", opposing his schemes, and resisting his temptations, as the Syriac version renders it, "that ye may be able to meet the evil one" (to face him in the battle), while the Greek and other versions read, "in the evil day". * "Having done all": or "having overcome" or "withstand the enemy", as in "having routed the enemy", and then to stand as conquerors.
/ref>

Conclusion and Benediction (6:21-24)

Paul's benediction in this epistle contains the "two great Pauline words—love and faith", with the balance between "divine enabling ('from othGod the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ') and human response ('all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ')".

References

Bibliography

External links

* King James Bible - Wikisource
English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
Multiple bible versions at ''Bible Gateway''
(NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) {{Epistle to the Ephesians 06