SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 2019 – Page 7

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 5:15

Paragraph 5:15–17

In 5:15, 5:17 and 5:18, Paul gives three pairs of commands:

5:15 “walk…not as unwise but as wise”

5:17 “do not be foolish, but understand…”

5:18 “do not get drunk…. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Revised Standard Version).

In each case Paul gives a negative command (something to not do) followed by “but” or “Instead,” then a positive command (something to do). Think how to translate these commands naturally in your language. Here are some possibilities:

• In some languages, it will be better to use a conjunction other than “but” to link the negative and positive commands, for example:

Do not behave like unwise people; instead, behave like wise people.

• In some languages, it is best to use no conjunction at all, for example:

Do not behave like unwise people. Behave like wise people!

• In some languages, it is more natural to put the positive first. For example:

Behave like wise people; do not behave as unwise people.

5:15a

Pay careful attention: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Pay careful attention is literally “Therefore look/see carefully,” which is a Greek way of telling them “to pay or give attention to” something. Paul is giving a warning to his audience about how they should live their lives.

then: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as then is a logical connector that introduces an appeal based on what he has said in the earlier part of chapter 5. This word is not a time word. It can be translated as:

therefore (NET Bible)
-or-
so (New Century Version)
-or-
so then (God’s Word)

walk: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as walk means “to behave or live.” See the notes on “walk” in 2:2a, 2:10c, 4:1b and 5:8c.

5:15b

unwise…wise: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as wise refers to the ability to understand what happens and decide on the right action. So unwise has the opposite meaning. Here is another way to translate the word unwise :

foolish people (God’s Word)

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 6:14

Paragraph 6:14–20

In this paragraph, Paul used six metaphors to describe the way a Christian should prepare himself to fight against Satan. Paul based these metaphors on the armor a Roman soldier wore. The specific pieces of armor are:

(a) belt (6:14b)

(b) breastplate (6:14c)

(d) shield (6:16b–c)

(e) helmet (6:17a)

(f) sword (6:17b)

In many places in the world, people do not know what breastplates, helmets, shields and other armor of the Roman soldiers looked like. So you may want to put a picture of a Roman soldier in your Bible translation at this place when it is printed.

6:14a

Stand firm then: The clause Stand firm then introduces a list of instructions on how to stand firm. These are his concluding appeals on the basis of what he had said before. So you can translate it as:

So then, take your stand! (God’s Word)
-or-
So stand ready (Good News Translation)
-or-
Therefore prepare yourselves

In some languages, it may be more natural to translate this command as a statement. For example:

Therefore, here is how you are to prepare yourselves ⌊to resist Satan⌋.

6:14b

with the belt of truth buckled around your waist: A belt was made of pieces of leather. It was probably a wide belt, not just some thin strings of leather. See the belt of a soldier in the picture at Section 6:10–20.

In Paul’s time, a soldier used a belt to tie his loose clothing round his waist. He did this so that he could move faster and more freely in battle. A belt also helped to protect the soldier’s waist.

The phrase belt of truth is also a metaphor. Paul compared truth to a belt.

One way to fully explain this metaphor is like this: The truth that God gives you is like a Roman soldier’s belt. The belt holds up his long clothes so that he is able to run and fight. God’s truth supports you in your fight with Satan.

belt of truth buckled: The Greek text is literally “having tied your waist with truth.” Notice that the word belt does not occur in Greek.

Some languages may be like Greek and have a verb like “tie” to indicate this action. Other languages will have to translate this as the Berean Standard Bible and supply the word belt. Another simple way to say this is:

the rope to tie your waist

truth: Paul did not specifically say what aspect of truth he was talking about. Scholars interpret this in two ways:

(1) “God’s truth” or “the truth about God”

(2) “tell the truth” or “be truthful”

If you can translate without specifying the type of truth, it is better to do so. If you must make a choice, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

In some languages, the word “true” may be more natural than the word truth. If this is the case in your language, you could say something like:

do what you know to be true

Here are some ways to translate 6:14b:

• Keep the metaphor. Some ways to express the metaphor are:

Take truth and tie your waist with it.
-or-
Tie the belt round your waist. The belt is ⌊God’s⌋ truth.

• Make the metaphor a simile. For example:

Fasten truth around your waist like a belt. (God’s Word)
-or-
Live according to what is true. This will be like tying a ⌊soldier’s⌋ belt round your waist.

• Give the full meaning of the metaphor. For example:

⌊As a soldier⌋ ties a belt round his waist ⌊to prepare himself to fight⌋, ⌊follow God’s⌋ truth ⌊to prepare yourself⌋ ⌊to fight against the devil⌋.

6:14c

with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed: A breastplate was a piece of armor that a Roman soldier wore on his chest, and sometimes it also extended to cover his back. It protected him from the enemy’s swords, arrows and spears. It was made of tough leather or metal. See the breastplate of a soldier in the picture at Section 6:10–20.

This is a metaphor. Paul compared righteousness to a breastplate. One way to fully explain this metaphor is like this: “Just as a breastplate protects a soldier in a battle, so your confidence in the truth of Christ making you righteous will protect you when Satan attacks you.”

righteousness: Paul did not specifically say what aspect of righteousness he was talking about. Scholars interpret this in two ways:

(1) God’s righteousness or God considers a believer as righteous because of Christ. For example:

let God’s justice protect you like armor

(Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word)

(2) The believer does what is right or the believer has behavior that is righteous/upright. For example:

the protection of right living on your chest

(New Century Version, Revised English Bible)

If you can translate without specifying the type of righteousness, it is better to do so. Many English versions do this (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation and others). If you must make a choice, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). See righteous in the Glossary.

Here are some ways to translate 6:14c:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

Put on Christ’s right behavior as your breastplate.
-or-
Put on the breastplate. The breastplate is Christ’s right behavior.

• Make the metaphor a simile. For example:

Christ behaved righteously ⌊for you⌋. Realizing this will be like putting on a breastplate.

• Give the full meaning of the metaphor. For example:

⌊As a soldier⌋ puts on a breastplate ⌊to protect himself in battle⌋, depend on Christ’s righteousness ⌊to protect you when the devil attacks⌋.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 2:5

2:5a

made us alive with Christ: The clause made us alive with Christ is a metaphor. It refers to a Christian’s spiritual life. When we believe in Christ, God gives us a new, spiritual life just as he gave Christ a new life.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

brought us to life with Christ (Good News Translation)
-or-
gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
God gave us Christ and we live through/because of him

when we were dead in our trespasses: As in 2:1, the word dead is a metaphor and refers to spiritual death. The word trespasses is a synonym of “sin.” So the phrase means that “because of our sins, we were like dead people.”

In many languages, it is better to translate this as a simile. For example:

we were like dead people
-or-
it was as if we were dead

In some languages, it may be necessary to make the point of comparison explicit. For example:

we were as unable to please God as a dead person is unable to please God

trespasses: As stated above, the word trespasses means “sins.”

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

sins (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
disobedience (Good News Translation)
-or-
the things we did against God (New Century Version)

2:5b

It is by grace: The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the words It is to emphasize the word grace here. Try to keep this emphasis in your translation.

grace: Here grace means “showing kindness or generosity to someone.”

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

special favor (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
wonderful kindness (Contemporary English Version)

See how you translated grace in 1:2, 1:6a, and 1:7c. Also see grace, Meaning 2 in the Glossary.

you have been saved!: This is a passive form. If your language would not use a passive verb here, you may need to say:

God saved you (plur.)

saved!: To be saved means to be rescued from danger. In this case, God is rescuing believers from the spiritual danger of being punished for their sins. See save, Word 1, in the Glossary for more information.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 3:15

3:15

from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name: The phrase from whom refers back to God the Father in 3:14. God is the one from whom each family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

whom: In the Berean Standard Bible, whom refers to God. (See the discussion on “whole family” below.)

every family: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as every generally means “all.” So there is an interpretation issue here. This phrase can mean:

(1) each or every family. For example:

…from whom every family in heaven and on the earth is named. (NET Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version, English Standard Version)

According to this interpretation, the phrase translated as every family refers to human beings as well as angels.

(2) every family. For example:

Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. (King James Version)

(New International Version, King James Version, God’s Word)

According to this interpretation, the phrase translated as every family refers to the whole family of believers: both those in heaven and those on earth.

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

family in heaven and on earth: The phrase family in heaven and on earth is a figure of speech. The phrase in heaven refers to angels (beings who are spiritual or in heaven). The phrase on earth refers to humans (beings who are on earth).

The angels and humans are referred to as belonging to families. Here the word family refers to extended families like “clans” or “races,” or even “nations” of people. (It does not refer to the more common meaning of family consisting of a father, mother and their children.)

Since angels are not normally considered to be in families, the word family may cause some problems. For examples of ways to translate the phrase family in heaven and on earth, see below.

derives its name: The phrase derives its name is a figurative way to say that God gives every heavenly being and every human being its life and character. He is the Creator of everything in heaven and earth. He causes every group to exist.

Be careful to avoid a translation that gives the impression that God has given every family its surname.

Here are some ways to translate this phrase:

the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
All beings in heaven and on earth receive their life from him. (Contemporary English Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 4:26

4:26a

Paul quoted from Psalm 4:4. Several English versions indicate this by using quote marks (as in the Berean Standard Bible), other special formatting, or a footnote. Use the form here that you use for other Old Testament quotations in your translation.

You may also want to add a footnote stating that this is a quotation from Psalm 4:4. For example:

In this verse Paul quotes Psalm 4:4. To indicate this, the Berean Standard Bible has put quotation marks around the part that is quoted.

Be angry: Another way to say Be angry is: “If/when you become angry.” In this verse Paul taught us that we can be angry without sinning. But we need to be careful, because it is easy to sin when we are angry.

yet do not sin: The word sin refers to an offense against God. Sin includes an act, thought, and attitude that is not what God wants or approves of. A person can also offend God by not doing what God wants him to do.

It is helpful to translate sin with a general term that can include any offense against God. Here are some problems to avoid:

(a) The term should not imply that only serious crimes like murder or stealing are sins. Other offenses like gossip and greed are also sins.

(b) The term should not include accidents or mistakes that are not against God’s will.

Some ways to translate sin are:

wrong act
-or-
offense ⌊against God⌋
-or-
evil deed

4:26b

Do not let the sun set upon your anger: Paul is using figurative language here. In his culture, sunset marked the end of a day and the beginning of the next day. So, this sentence means “stop being angry before the end of the day” or “end your anger before you go to bed.”

Paul said that we should not continue being angry for a long time.

Here are some other ways to translate this sentence:

Don’t go to bed angry. (God’s Word, Contemporary English Version)
-or-
do not stay angry all day (Good News Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 5:26

5:26–27

In the Greek, 5:25–27 are one continuous sentence. But it may be clearer to start a new sentence at 5:26, for example:

He did this in order to…
-or-
He died in order to….

In 5:26–27, Paul gave two purposes for which Christ gave himself up for the church: Christ did this:

(a) in order to make the church holy (5:26a),

(b) in order to present the church to himself in a perfect, beautiful condition (5:27).

The second purpose is the ultimate purpose, Christ’s long-range goal. He died for us so that in the future when he comes to get us, we will be radiant, holy and blameless.

5:26a

to sanctify her: The clause to sanctify her is the purpose Christ gave himself for the church (5:25b). Christ gave himself for the church in order to sanctify her.

to sanctify: Some English versions translate the Greek verb here as “to…make holy.” The Berean Standard Bible and older English versions translate this verb as sanctify. There are two possible ways to interpret the meaning of the Greek verb here.

(1) It means to make holy/pure. For example:

to make her holy (New Living Translation (2004))

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) It means “to set apart, to make God’s special people.” For example:

He did this to dedicate the church to God (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). In the NT, sanctify usually means “set apart for the service of God,” but here the meaning is “made pure” because of the word “cleansing” which follows. You can translate this:

⌊He did this⌋ to make them pure

See holy, Meaning 4 in the Glossary for more information.

5:26b

cleansing her by the washing with water: The clause cleansing her by the washing with water is a metaphor. Paul meant that Christ “washed away” or removed our sins (cf. 1 John 1:7, 9). It is another way to say Christ made us holy (5:26a). Paul was not referring to Christ literally washing the church or Christians to get the dirt off their bodies.

by the washing with water: Paul said that Christ removed our sins by the washing with water. This probably refers to baptism. Paul may have been comparing baptism to the ceremonial bath taken by a Jewish bride before marriage. Just as a Jewish bride was given a bath before her marriage, so Christ washed away our sins through baptism when we became his bride.

In order to avoid implying that Christ physically washed the church, you may need to include your word for “baptism” in your translation. For example:

…to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God’s Word (New Living Translation (1996))

(In the above quote from the New Living Translation (1996), the word “her” refers to the church.)

through the word: There are two interpretation issues that you need to consider when you translate this phrase:

Issue 1 : The meaning of the phrase the word. Here the word means the words that God or Christ spoke. It refers to God’s Word, the Christian message. When we heard and believed God’s Word, trusted in Christ and were baptized, Christ made us pure and cleansed us from sin.

Issue 2 : To which part of the verse is word connected. Two of the main interpretations are:

(1) word goes with “cleansed.” According to this interpretation, Christ cleansed the church both with water and with the word. For example:

washed by baptism and God’s word (New Living Translation (2004))

(New Living Translation (1996), God’s Word, Revised English Bible)

(2) word goes with sanctify/make holy in 5:26a. According to this interpretation, Christ cleansed the church with water, and then he sanctified it by the word. For example:

dedicate the church to God by his word, after making it clean by washing it in water (Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) as this seems to have the most support among commentaries.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 1:7

Paragraph 1:7–10

Paul continued to speak of the blessings that we have through Christ. God has redeemed us and revealed to us his plan to unite all things under the control of Christ.

1:7a

In Him: The pronoun Him refers to Christ. The phrase means “through Christ” or “by means of Christ” all these blessings come to us. (Compare 1:7a with Colossians 1:14 where Paul used the same expression.)

redemption: The word redemption means “to free a slave or a prisoner by paying a ransom.” Here Paul used this word in a figurative sense. It refers to our freedom from sin.

In many languages, it will be clearer to translate the noun redemption as a verb, for example:

God redeemed us
-or-
God freed us ⌊from the guilt and penalty of our sins⌋

See redeem in the Glossary for more information.

through His blood: The phrase through His blood refers to the death of Jesus. That is the reason the Good News Translation has translated it:

by the death of Christ (Good News Translation)

If you decide to keep the word blood here in your translation, you may need to complete the idea by saying:

by shedding his blood ⌊when he died⌋
-or-
the blood which he shed/bled ⌊when he died⌋

Notice that the Display meaning lines combine the phrase “in him” and the phrase “through his blood” as some English versions do (Good News Translation, God’s Word).

1:7b

the forgiveness of our trespasses: In this context the phrase the forgiveness of our trespasses means “that God chooses not to punish a person for the evil things that he has done and thought.” God cancels his guilt and treats him as though he had never offended God.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

release from sins
-or-
the taking away of sins
-or-
canceling sins/guilt

In some languages it may be necessary to translate the noun forgiveness with a verb. For example:

pardon sins
-or-
cancel sins
-or-
treat us as if we had not sinned

See forgive in the Glossary for more information.

To say that “God redeemed us (1:7a)” and that “he forgave our sins (1:7b)” are two ways to say almost the same thing. For example:

…we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. (Good News Translation)

1:7c

according to: The phrase according to introduces the reason why God redeemed us (1:7a) and forgave us (1:7b). He redeemed us and forgave us according to or because of his grace.

the riches of His grace: Paul used the word riches in a figurative sense to mean “abundant” or “great.” (Paul also used riches in a figurative sense in 1:18, 2:4, 2:7 and 3:16.) The word grace means “God is kind or generous to people even when they do not deserve it.” So the phrase the riches of His grace refers to the abundance of God’s grace/kindness.

Some other ways to translate the riches of His grace are:

• as an exclamation. For example:

How rich is God’s grace! (New Century Version)
-or-
God is so gracious and kind!

• as a rhetorical question. For example:

Isn’t God’s grace great?

See how you translated “grace” in 1:6a. See grace, Meaning 2 in the Glossary for more information.

General Comment on 1:7

In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder the parts of 1:7. One way to do this is:

7c God’s grace/kindness is very great. 7a ⌊That is why⌋ he redeemed us through Christ’s blood 7b ⌊and⌋ forgave our sins.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 2:16

2:16a

reconciling both of them to God: The word reconciling means “making those who are enemies into friends.” By his death on the cross, Christ made the Jews and the Gentiles into friends of God.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

brought them back to God (Good News Translation)
-or-
made peace between us and God (Contemporary English Version)

See reconcile in the Glossary for more information.

in one body: The phrase in one body means the same thing as the phrase “one new man” in 2:15b. It means that the Jews and Gentiles are now “one (new) group.”

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

as one united people
-or-
like one ⌊harmonious⌋ group of people

through the cross: The phrase through the cross means “through Christ’s death on the cross” or “by Christ’s dying on the cross.”

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

his death on the cross (Good News Translation)

2:16b

by which: The word which refers to “the cross” in 2:16a. By dying on the cross, Christ ended the hatred between Jews and Gentiles.

He extinguished their hostility: The phrase He extinguished their hostility is a figure of speech. It means that what Christ did caused the Jews and Gentiles to stop hating each other.

Here are some other ways this phrase has been translated:

Christ did away with our hatred for each other (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Christ’s purpose (was) to end the hatred between the two groups (New Century Version)

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 2019

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 5:15

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 6:14

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 2:5

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 3:15

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 4:26

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 5:26

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 1:7

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 2:16

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