4:11a

In this verse Paul resumes the thoughts he was expressing in 4:7–8.

And it was He who gave some to be apostles: In this clause, Paul continues his thought in 4:8 of giving gifts to men. According to Paul, Christ gave the church these apostles as a gift to benefit the church. So it was Christ who chose or appointed them to their different positions.

apostles: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as apostles is literally “sent ones.” See how you translated apostles in 2:20a and 3:5c. See apostle in the Glossary for more information.

General Comment on 4:11–12

Some English versions have made explicit Paul’s reference to “gifts to men” in 4:8d to Christ’s giving officers to the church in 4:11. For example:

11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-

11 He also gave apostles, prophets, missionaries, as well as pastors and teachers as gifts [ to his church ] (God’s Word)
-or-

11 It was he who “gave gifts to people”; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers. (Good News Translation)

You may want to follow one of these examples in your translation.

4:11b

some to be prophets: The word prophets refers to people to whom God gave a special spiritual gift. This gift enabled the person to speak a message from God. See how you translated prophets in 2:20a and 3:5c. See prophet in the Glossary for more information.

some to be evangelists: The word evangelists refers to people who preach the good news. See evangelist in the Glossary if you want more information. Another way to translate evangelists is:

people who preach the good news
-or-
some to go and tell the Good News (New Century Version)

4:11c

some to be pastors and teachers: The word pastors literally means “shepherds.” Here, it refers to people who look after and care for the believers.

pastors: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pastors literally means shepherds, that is, people who take care of sheep. Here it is used figuratively to refer to leaders of the church who care for their fellow believers.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

leaders who care for other believers
-or-
spiritual overseers
-or-
leaders who oversee their congregations

teachers: The word teachers means spiritual teachers, or people who teach God’s truth. They are not school teachers.

The word teachers does not mean a completely separate group of people from “pastors.” Paul linked “pastors” and teachers together because they do similar jobs. You could translate “pastors and teachers” as:

people who care for the believers and teach them

See both pastor and teacher in the Glossary for more information.

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