SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 2019 – Page 9

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.

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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.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 4:3

4:3a–b

and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace: The basic meaning of this verse is this: the Holy Spirit has united believers into one group, so they must do all they can to maintain this unity by living in peace with each other.

This verse has several difficult phrases that contain abstract nouns. To make it easier to understand, you may have to translate these nouns as verbs. For example:

with diligence: You can restate as:

Do your best (Good News Translation)
-or-
Try hard
-or-
Use all your strength

to preserve the unity of the Spirit: You can restate this as:

to maintain/preserve the harmony which the Holy Spirit gives
-or-
the Holy Spirit has united you all into one group. Continue to be one group

through the bond of peace: This is a metaphor. Peace is compared to a rope or something that binds two objects together. So, the idea here is that peace binds Christians together and keeps them unified the way a rope binds or ties two objects together. You can restate this metaphor as:

Through the peace that ties you together (God’s Word)
-or-
by living together in peace which binds/holds us together
-or-
by the peace that binds/ties us together ⌊like a rope that binds/ties two objects together⌋

4:4–6

In verses 4:4–6, Paul listed some of the things that unite all believers:

• they have become one body/group

• they have received the same Holy Spirit

• they confidently expect to receive the same blessings from God

• they have the same Lord

• they believe the same truths

• they have received the same baptism

Furthermore, there is only one God who is the Father of all people.

Paul used the word “one” six times in 4:4–6 to stress that Christians are united. In your language, it may not be possible to use “one” with things like “faith” and “baptism.” This is especially true if you translate these words as verbs instead of nouns. Think of a natural way to translate these verses so that Paul’s emphasis on unity is clear. For example, you could translate “one Spirit” as:

we all have received the same Spirit

In 4:4, Paul uses the pronoun “you.” But the things he says in 4:4–6 are true not only for the Ephesians, but also for Paul and all believers. Because of this, some translators use “we (incl.) ” in these verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 5:3

5:3a–b

But among you…there must not be even a hint: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as not be even a hint is literally “not even be named.” There are several ways to understand this expression. It can mean:

(1) There should not even be a reason for rumors or gossip that the Ephesians committed these sins. In other words, Christians should have such pure behavior that it will never cause non-Christians to even talk about Christians doing these kinds of sins. For example:

don’t let it be said that any of you are immoral (Contemporary English Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Contemporary English Version, UBS Handbook, SSA)

(2) These sins should not be mentioned by the Ephesians. This means that Christians themselves should not even talk about such sins in their conversation. For example:

don’t even talk about such things (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, God’s Word, English Standard Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(3) These sins should not occur among Christians. For example:

Such sins have no place among God’s people. (New Living Translation (2004))

(NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), New Century Version)

Paul is urging the Ephesians to keep themselves far away from this sort of sinful behavior. Since Paul is himself, discussing and warning the Ephesians against these sins, (2) seems unlikely. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), but (3) is also acceptable.

5:3a

as is proper: The word proper means “suitable.”

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

right (New Century Version)
-or-
it should be

among the saints: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as saints is literally “holy ones.” It means “people set apart for God.” This Greek word refers to every believer. It can be translated as:

God’s people
-or-
people who belong to God

Many English versions translate this word as saints. All Christians are saints. This word does not refer only to special people that the modern church regards as “saints.”

See how you translated the similar phrase “saints” in 4:12a. And see Holy, Meaning 1, special use in the Glossary, if you want more information.

5:3b

sexual immorality: The term sexual immorality refers to all types of sexual behavior that are forbidden in God’s law. It includes adultery and all sexual relations outside of marriage. Another way this phrase has been translated is:

sexual sin (New Century Version)

5:3c

impurity: The word impurity is a stronger word for immorality and includes all perverted and unnatural sexual behavior. In the New Testament, this word is often used together with “sexual immorality.” (See Galatians 5:19 and Colossians 3:5.)

In your language, there may not be two different words that mean exactly the same things as “sexual immorality” and impurity. But you can probably find ways to talk about the same things. For example:

adultery and other kinds of sleeping around
-or-
taking a woman who is not your wife or other unacceptable actions like that

Try to make your translation clear, but do not use coarse words that are not appropriate to read in public.

greed: The word greed refers to a never-ending desire to get more than you have or deserve. While it is usually associated with material gain, in this context, it could also refer to a strong desire for sexual pleasure.

Your translation of greed should allow for a general understanding of the word.

General Comment on 5:3a–b

In some languages, it will be more natural to reorder parts of 5:3. For example:

3a Since you are holy people, 3b you must not do anything sexually immoral or 3c shameful/perverted, and you must not be greedy. 3b There must not even be a cause for rumors of such behavior 3a among you.
-or-

3a But among you 3b there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, 3c or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, 3a because these are improper for Godʼs holy people. (New International Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 6:2

6:2a

“Honor your father and mother”: The command Honor your father and mother is a quote from the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16). Most English translations put quote marks around these words, or make some kind of mark to show that it is a quote. You should introduce this quote in a way similar to the quote in 5:31a. For example, you could say:

It is written in God’s Book

Honor: The word Honor means to “respect, esteem greatly and act accordingly.” See the note above for 6:1–2 for more information.

your father and mother: In Greek, this command is singular: “Honor your (sing.) father….” This command is not just for one person, of course, but is meant for all people. In Hebrew, all of the commands in the Ten Commandments are singular. This is a common way in the Hebrew language to give commands that are meant for everyone. You should translate this command in a way that is natural in your language.

6:2b

(which is the first commandment with a promise): Here, Paul interrupts his quotation from the Old Testament to add a comment. It is not part of the quotation. The Berean Standard Bible makes this explicit by enclosing 6:2b in parentheses. Other versions such as the New International Version use dashes to show that this clause is not part of the quotation.

One other way to translate this clause is to put it at the end of 6:3. For example:

6:3a–b that everything may go well for you, and you may have a long life on earth.” 6:2b This is an important commandment with a promise. (God’s Word)

Translate this clause in a way that is natural in your language to show that it is not a part of the quotation.

Paul meant that out of all the commandments that God gave, this is the first time he added a promise to his command. Take care that your translation does not say that the command to honor one’s parents is the first commandment in the Ten Commandments. (It is not. It is the fifth commandment.)

General Comment on 6:2–3

It may be clearer to change the order of 6:2a and 6:2b, so that this verse connects better with 6:3 (see 6:2–3 in Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English):

2b The first commandment which the Lord gave and joined a promise to it is this: 2a “Honor your father and mother, 3 so that things may be good for you and you may live for a long time.”

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 1:16

1:16a

I have not stopped giving thanks: The clause I have not stopped giving thanks contains a figure of speech. Paul used the negative expression not stopped to emphasize a positive idea. The meaning is “I give thanks all the time.” If this figure of speech does not occur naturally in your language, translate the meaning directly. For example:

I thank God continually for you (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

1:16b

remembering you in my prayers: The clause remembering you in my prayers means that when Paul prayed, he spoke to God about them. This does not mean that at other times Paul forgot about the Christians!

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

as I mention you in my prayers (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
I pray for you constantly (New Living Translation (2004))

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 3:3

3:3a

that is: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as that is is literally “that.” It is used to introduce the content of the “grace” given to Paul. Some versions do not translate it. Here is another way to translate this:

how (Revised Standard Version)

Translate this word in a way that is natural in your language.

the mystery: The word mystery here refers to God’s plan that was unknown to mankind in the past. God had not yet explained his plan to man. Another way to say mystery is “hidden matter.” Paul also used this word in 1:9a.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

mysterious plan (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
secret plan (Good News Translation)

Paul wrote about God’s plan in 3:3–5, but he did not clearly state what God’s plan is until 3:6.

made known to me by revelation: Paul knew God’s plan only because God revealed it to him.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

God revealed his secret plan to me
-or-
God explained his hidden course of action to me

3:3b

as I have already written briefly: There is an interpretation issue here. We do not know exactly which passage in his letters Paul was referring to:

• Most commentators think that he was referring to what he wrote in this letter, specifically to 2:11–22 and perhaps also to 1:9–10.

• A few commentators think that he was referring to something he wrote in another letter.

Some languages distinguish between events that just happened a short time ago and events that happened a long time ago. If this is true in your language, you should use terms for something that happened a short time ago.

General Comment on 3:a-b

In some languages, it may be more natural to reverse the order of 3a and 3b. For example:

3b As I briefly wrote earlier, 3a God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. (New Living Translation (2004))

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 2019

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 6:23

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 1:5

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 2:14

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 4:3

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 5:3

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 6:2

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 1:16

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 3:3

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