SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 4:4

4:4a

There is one body: The phrase one body refers to the group of believers called the church. This group of Christians is the body of Christ (1:23). All of us believers are like ⌊parts of⌋ the same body. So, another way to translate this phrase is a simile. For example:

We are like one body

one Spirit: The phrase one Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit. All believers have the same Holy Spirit living/dwelling in them.

4:4b

just as you were called to one hope: The clause just as you were called to one hope is a comparison. There is one body and one Spirit just as there is one hope. (See General Comment below for ways to translate this.)

you were called: The phrase you were called is passive. If it would be more natural in your language to use an active clause here, you can say:

just as ⌊God⌋ called you to one hope

called: As in 4:1c, here are some other ways to translate the verb called :

invited
-or-
chosen

See how you translated “calling” in 4:1c and called in 1:18b.

one hope: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as hope means “to confidently expect and wait for something that we know will happen.” The meaning of the Greek word that is translated as hope is different from the modern English meaning. In modern English, hope is closer to a “wish.”

In many languages hope is easier to understand if translated as a verb rather than a noun. So you may need to say:

you are hoping for/expecting the same good things/blessings

See how you translated hope in 1:18b and 2:12d.

when you were called: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as when you were called is literally “of your calling” (as in the New Revised Standard Version). This phrase repeats the phrase “you were called” that is found earlier in 4:4b. So some translations combine these two phrases. For example:

just as there is one hope to which God has called you (Good News Translation)

Here are some other ways to translate 4:4b:

In the same way you were called to share one hope. (God’s Word)
-or-
…and God called you to have one hope. (New Century Version)
-or-
In the same way, when God called/chose you, he chose you to hope/expect the same good things/blessings.

© 1999, 2019 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments