SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 2019 – Page 13

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 6:12

6:12a

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For here introduces the basis or reason for the previous statement. What Paul said in 6:12 was the basis for what he told the Ephesians in 6:11, “take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Not all English versions translate this conjunction. Translate For in a way that is natural in your language.

Here are some other ways to translate this in English:

Because
-or-
The reason ⌊I say this is that⌋

our struggle is not against flesh and blood: In this context, struggle refers to a fight or conflict. Paul was saying that we do fight, but that we are not fighting against other people.

You may want to change the noun struggle into a verb. For example:

we are not fighting against human beings (Good News Translation)

But make sure that your translation is clear: Paul was not saying “we are not fighting…” He said that we do fight, but we don’t fight against ordinary people. For example:

⌊For it is like we are in a battle.⌋ But it is not people we are fighting. No, we are fighting…

flesh and blood: The phrase flesh and blood is a figure of speech that refers to human beings or people. See flesh, Meaning 4, in the Glossary for more information.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

people on earth (New Century Version)
-or-
human beings (Good News Translation)

Here is another way to translate all of 6:12a:

The fight we are in, is not a fight with people of the earth, no it’s with…

6:12b–c

against the rulers…the authorities…the powers…the spiritual forces: This list of four terms refers to all ranks of evil spirits that are ruling our world. The list does not refer to earthly rulers. This list is very similar to the list in 1:21a. See how you translated them there.

Also see the notes below for more information on these four terms and for translation advice at the end of this note.

6:12b

against: Paul repeated the word against four times in this sentence: “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers…against the spiritual forces….” This repetition is emphatic. Look for ways to communicate this emphasis in your language. Perhaps you will want to repeat the verb “fight,” for example:

⌊We are fighting⌋ ⌊the invisible⌋ ones who have authority and power. ⌊We are fighting⌋ the chiefs of darkness that rule in this world. ⌊We are fighting⌋ all kinds of evil spirits that control the sky.

Or you could repeat the first clause:

⌊We are fighting⌋ against the rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. ⌊It is against all these that we are fighting.⌋

rulers…authorities: The first two words Paul used, rulers and authorities, are the same words he used in 1:21a and 3:10b. The words rulers and authorities in this verse refer to all types of evil spirit beings.

powers of this world’s darkness: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates of this world’s darkness is literally “of this darkness.”

There is an interpretation issue here.

(1) Most versions translate this phrase so that “dark/darkness” refers to the world. For example:

against mighty powers in this dark world (New Living Translation (2004))

(Berean Standard Bible, New Living Translation (2004), New International Version, Revised Standard Version. NET Bible, God’s Word, New Century Version, New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) Another interpretation is the darkness refers to “this age.” For example:

this dark age (Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow (1) as it is supported by a majority of translations.

The word darkness is a metaphor for evil here, as in 5:8–11. This phrase means “the world-chiefs or powerful spiritual beings who rule this dark (evil) world.” See world, Meaning 2 in the Glossary for more information.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

mighty powers in this dark world (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the powers who govern this world of darkness (God’s Word)

6:12c

spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms: The phrase spiritual forces of evil is another way of saying evil spirits or demons. These evil spirits are in the heavenly realms.

Here are some other ways to translate spiritual forces of evil :

spiritual powers of evil (New Century Version)
-or-
evil spirits (New Living Translation (2004))

in the heavenly realms: The phrase the heavenly realms refer to the area above the earth where the spirits were thought to live. This does not refer to heaven where God is. The term in the heavenly realms also occurs in 3:10b.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

above the earth from the very headquarters of evil (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
In the spiritual world (Contemporary English Version)

General Comment on 6:12a–c

It is not necessary to find an equivalent term in your language for each of these four terms listed above. It is possible to translate these four terms by one, two or three terms. For example:

Because our enemy is not human but the leader of demons and all his servants and they are all bad/evil; their place is there in the sky. They have supernatural power and some of them have authority and they rule over all people in darkness here in this world.
-or-
For we are not fighting against people, but we are fighting against evil supernatural powers that dwell above the earth. These spiritual forces rule over people during these dark days in which we live.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 2:3

2:3a

All of us: In 2:1–2, Paul was talking about the Ephesian Christians, who were not Jews. But in this verse he includes himself also. So the phrase All of us refers to both Jews and non-Jews.

lived among them: The pronoun them refers to those people who are disobedient in 2:2c.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

were like them (Good News Translation)
-or-
behaved like them
-or-
as they did so we (incl.) also did

at one time: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as at one time is one word in Greek and it means “in the past.” It refers to a time before they believed in Christ.

This time word can also be put earlier in the clause. For example:

In the past all of us lived like them (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh (Revised Standard Version)

2:3b

fulfilling the cravings of our flesh: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fulfilling literally means “doing” or “making.” In this context it means to do the sinful things we desire to do.

cravings: The word cravings refers to very strong desires. In this context, it refers to lusts or selfish desires.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

desires to sin
-or-
ungodly wants

flesh: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as flesh refers to the evil/selfish character of humans. See flesh, Meaning 6 in the Glossary for more information.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

doing whatever suited the wishes of our own bodies and minds (Good News Translation)
-or-
following the passions and desires of our evil nature (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
trying to please our sinful selves (New Century Version)

2:3c

This verse part restates the same idea that is found in 2:3b.

indulging its desires and thoughts: The pronoun its refers to the sinful nature in 2:3b.

indulging: The Greek participle that the Berean Standard Bible translates as indulging is literally “doing.” It is another way of expressing “fulfilling” in 2:3b. People did whatever their sinful nature caused them to want to do.

desires and thoughts: The phrase desires and thoughts is similar in meaning to “cravings” in 2:3b.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

doing the evil we want to do and think about

2:3d

Like the rest: The phrase Like the rest means that the Ephesians and Jews were just like all the other people in the world.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

just like everyone else (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
We were the same as all other people (New Century Version)
-or-
as they did so have all of us (incl.) done

by nature: The phrase by nature refers to the condition that believers were in before God showed them mercy. They were naturally sinful.

Here are some other ways this phrase has been translated:

We were born with an evil nature (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
In our natural condition (Good News Translation)

children of wrath: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as children of wrath is a Jewish figure of speech that means “deserving of or subject to God’s wrath.” The word wrath means “anger.” In the New Testament, the word translated as wrath often represents the idea of punishment. So the idea of punishment is also implied in this phrase. See the second meaning line of the display for an example of including this implied information.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

subject to God’s anger (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
destined to suffer God’s anger (Good News Translation)
-or-
people whom God would punish

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 3:13

3:13a

So I ask you: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a So is the conjunction that is often translated as “therefore.” Some other versions place this conjunction after I ask you because it is good English style. You should place it in this sentence where it is most natural in your language.

So: The conjunction So refers back to what Paul has said in 3:2–12. So, Paul made his request here based on what he had said in 3:2–12: “So since God has given me this wonderful job of preaching to you Gentiles, and since you Gentiles who believe have many blessings, I request…”

Some English versions do not translate this word So. However, here are some other ways to translate this word:

then (Good News Translation)
-or-
therefore (New International Version)
-or-
For this reason (NET Bible)

You should translate it in a way that is natural in your language.

I ask you: Some other ways to say I ask you are:

I request…
-or-
I urge that you ⌊please⌋…
-or-
I want you to

not to be discouraged: To be discouraged means “to cause to lose heart” or “to give up.” For example:

do not lose heart (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
do not give up

If your language has an idiom that means to be discouraged, you should consider using it here.

because of my sufferings for you: Paul was in prison and was suffering for preaching the gospel to the Ephesians and other Gentiles. The Ephesian Christians might have become discouraged when they heard this, so Paul asked them not to be discouraged.

Just how Paul was suffering was not made explicit. It was probably physical and spiritual. Your translation should be in a general sense that includes all kinds of suffering.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

when I suffer for you (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
by the troubles I suffer for you (God’s Word)

3:13b

which are your glory: There are two ways to interpret the clause which are your glory here:

(1) It gives a reason for the Ephesians to feel proud. They should be proud that Paul was willing to be imprisoned for the gospel, For example:

you should feel honored (New Living Translation (2004))

(2) It is for the benefit or good of the Ephesians. For example,

it is all for your benefit (Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

glory: Here glory refers to “honor.” Honor came to the Ephesians because Paul was willing to suffer imprisonment for preaching to them and other Gentiles. See how you translated glory in 1:12b and 1:14c. See glory, Meaning 3 in the Glossary for more information.

Section 3:14–21

Paul prayed again for the believers at Ephesus

In this section, Paul resumed his prayer for the Ephesian Christians. He asked God to strengthen them by the Holy Spirit so that Christ could live in them. He prayed that they would love each other, and that they would know how much Christ loved them, even though he loved them more than people could understand. Paul finished his prayer by praising God for his great power.

Here are some other titles for this section:

Paul prayed that God would strengthen the Ephesians
-or-
Paul’s prayer for spiritual strength and love for the Ephesians

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 4:24

4:24a

to put on the new self: The clause put on the new self is a figure of speech. It means to “start behaving like the new person God made you to be (when you became a Christian).” Just like a person puts on new, clean clothes, so we are to start living a new, clean life. This is the same image as “put off your old self” in 4:22a.

You should translate it in a way that is consistent with how you translated 4:22a.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

to become a new person (God’s Word)
-or-
make you into a new person (Contemporary English Version)

created to be like God: This is a passive clause. If it is more natural in your language to use an active verb, you can say:

which God created/made to be like himself
-or-
God created your new self to be like himself

4:24b

in true righteousness and holiness: There are two issues which you must decide before you translate this part of the verse.

The first issue is how this phrase is connected to 4:24a. The SSA considers this phrase to state the ways in which the new man is to be like God. He is to be truly righteous and truly holy. A good model to follow is the New Century Version which says:

24a That new person is made to be like God—24b made to be truly good and holy (New Century Version)

The second issue to decide is how the word true is connected to righteousness and holiness. A literal English translation of the Greek text is “in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” Scholars differ about how to connect “truth” to righteousness and holiness. Some of the main alternatives are:

(1) Truth goes with both righteousness and holiness. For example:

truly righteous and holy (God’s Word)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, New Century Version)

(2) Truth goes with only holiness. For example:

in righteousness and true holiness (King James Version)

(Contemporary English Version, King James Version)

(3) Truth is the source of righteousness and holiness. For example:

in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth (NET Bible)

(NET Bible, UBS Handbook)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) and the majority of English versions.

In many languages it will not be clear to translate the phrase in true righteousness and holiness literally. It may be best to begin a new sentence instead. For example:

Your behavior should be truly righteous and holy.

righteousness and holiness: The words righteousness and holiness are very similar in meaning. The word righteousness means “morally upright,” “straight,” “pleasing to God.” Another way righteousness has been translated is:

upright (Good News Translation)

See righteous in the Glossary for more information.

holiness: The word holiness means “morally clean and pure.” See how you translated “holy” in 2:21b and 3:5c. See holy, Meaning 5 in the Glossary.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 5:24

5:24a

Now: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Now is normally translated “but.” Here, however, scholars do not agree about the meaning of this conjunction. There are three possibilities:

(1) It indicates that Paul resumed his theme of submitting and marks the connection to that theme. For example:

Now as the church submits to Christ…

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, probably English Standard Version)

(2) It marks a contrast and means “but.” Christ is the savior of the church, (not the husband). But the wife should still submit to her husband. For example:

But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

(NET Bible, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible)

(3) It marks the conclusion of the paragraph on submitting and means “so” or “therefore.” For example:

And so wives must submit themselves completely to their husbands… (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, King James Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), as it best fits the context. But there is strong support for (2) so if your national translation follows (2) you may want to follow their interpretation.

submits: See how you translated submit in 5:21a and 5:22.

5:24b

submit: See how you translated submit in 5:21a and 5:22. There is a similarity here between how the church submits to Christ (5:24a) and how wives should submit to their husbands (5:24b). Translate in a way that shows this comparison.

General Comment on 5:24a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of the clauses in this verse. For example:

24b Wives should submit to their husbands in everything 24a as the church submits to Christ. (Good News Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 6:23

6:23–24

Paul’s final words are a blessing or prayer or wish. Paul ended some of his letters with a short blessing, such as “Grace be with you all” (Titus 3:15, see also Colossians 4:18, 1 Thessalonians 5:28, 2 Thessalonians 3:18, 1 Timothy 6:21 and 2 Timothy 4:22). In other letters he has a longer blessing at the end (see Romans 16:25–27, 2 Corinthians 13:14).

6:23

Peace to the brothers: The word Peace refers to serenity and calm well-being. It can also refer to having a good relationship with God. See how you translated Peace in 1:2 and 6:15.

brothers: The word brothers should be translated so as to include the women believers too, but avoid a long construction. You could say:

all the believers

It is unusual that Paul uses the third person instead of the second person here. That is, he says “Peace to the brothers ” instead of “Peace to you.” Some translators prefer to translate this as:

Peace be to ⌊you⌋ Christian brothers

You may use the second person if the third person is unnatural or would be misleading.

Here are some other ways to translate “Peace to the brothers”:

⌊May God give⌋ peace to the brothers
-or-
I pray to God and ask him to give peace to the brothers

love with faith: In 1:15 Paul told the Ephesian Christians that he had heard about their “faith in the Lord Jesus” and their “love for all the saints.” Now here at the end of his letter, he prays that they will continue to have love and faith. It may be more natural for you to translate these nouns by verbs. For example:

love each other and continue believing in Christ

See love, meaning 2 in the Glossary for more information.

faith: Here, the word faith refers to the action of trusting and believing in Jesus Christ. See faith, Meaning 1 in the Glossary for more information.

God the Father: See how you translated this phrase in 5:20a.

Lord Jesus Christ: See how you translated this phrase in 5:20b.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 1:5

1:5a

He predestined us: The verb predestined means “to decide something beforehand” or “to determine ahead of time what one plans to do.” The pronoun He refers to “God.”

Here are some other ways to translate this verb:

God had already decided (Good News Translation)
-or-
God decided in advance (New Living Translation (2004))

for adoption as His sons: This is a passive. If it would be more natural in your language to make this active, you can say:

God would adopt us as His children

In some languages, it is redundant or even confusing to include the phrase as His sons along with the noun adoption. If this is the case in your language, you can simply say:

God would adopt us

for adoption: The word adoption means “to make someone your child” or “to accept another child into your family as your own.”

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

to be his sons (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
make us his children (Good News Translation)

through Jesus Christ: The phrase through Jesus Christ tells how God made us his children. He did it by means of (or because of) what Jesus Christ has done. In some languages, there are special ways to express this, for example:

by the hand of Jesus Christ
-or-
because of what Jesus Christ did

1:5b

according to the good pleasure of His will: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as according to the good pleasure of His will uses the word pleasure emphasizes the delight God felt in making his decision in 1:5a.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

this was his pleasure and purpose (Good News Translation)
-or-
that was what he wanted and what pleased him (New Century Version)

In some languages it is good to begin a new sentence here with some introduction, for example:

⌊God did this⌋ according to the good pleasure of His will…

Also in many languages the translation will be clearer if you change the nouns pleasure and will into verbs, for example:

because it pleased him and this is what he wanted to do

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 2:14

Paragraph 2:14–18

In order to unite Jews and Gentiles, Christ had to remove two things: the hatred between them and the Jewish law. He did this through his death on the cross. He died for both groups. So he united them and made peace between them. So now all believers of whatever race can come near to God.

2:14a

He Himself is our peace: The pronoun He refers to Christ. In Greek, this pronoun is emphatic. So the Berean Standard Bible has translated it as He Himself.

our peace: In these verses the word peace refers to a good relationship or understanding between people. Christ has made peace between the Jews and non-Jews.

Some commentators think that Paul was also talking about the fact that Christ has made peace between God and mankind. But in 2:11–15 Paul is specifically talking about how Christ united the Jews and non-Jews.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

For Christ himself has brought us peace (Good News Translation)
-or-
Christ has made peace between Jews and Gentiles (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Because Christ has made it possible for the Jews and Gentiles to live in harmony

See how you translated peace in 1:2.

2:14b–2:15a

The Greek grammar in this passage is difficult, and commentators and versions differ as to the exact meaning. However, the general meaning is clear: Christ has destroyed that which separated the Jews and Gentiles.

As you study this passage in different English versions, focus on the following seven elements and how they are connected. These elements are listed in the order in which they appear in Greek.

(a) made the two one

(b) the dividing wall

(d) hostility

(e) in his flesh

(f) the law

(g) having abolished

All English versions agree that:

(b) the dividing wall and (c) destroyed

go together.

All English versions also agree that:

(f) the law and (g) having abolished

go together.

The main difference in English versions is to which part of the verse (d) “hostility” and (e) “in his flesh” are connected. Different options for each of these clauses are discussed below.

2:14b

the two: The phrase the two refers to the two groups of people in this passage: the Jews and Gentiles.

one: The word one here refers to one group of people, the church. Some translations make this explicit. For example:

one people (Good News Translation)

the dividing wall: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the dividing wall is literally “the wall of separation.” See the General Comment note below for more information.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

the wall which separated them (Good News Translation)

hostility: The word hostility means “hatred.” There are two views regarding to which part of the text it is connected:

(1) It is connected to the word wall. For example:

…he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. (New Living Translation (2004))

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

(2) It is connected to the word law in 2:15a. For example:

14b by destroying in his own person the hostility, 15a that is, the Law of commandments (New Jerusalem Bible)

(New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) and the majority of English versions.

General Comment on the phrase the dividing wall of hostility

Paul used these words as a metaphor. The hatred between Jews and Gentiles was like a barrier between them. You could translate the phrase “the dividing wall of hostility” something like this:

The Jews and non-Jews were hostile towards each other. It was as if there was a wall that kept them apart.
-or-
The Jews and Gentiles hated each other. It was as if there was a wall that separated them.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 2019

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 6:12

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 2:3

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 3:13

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 4:24

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 5:24

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 6:23

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 1:5

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 2:14

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