Translation commentary on Ephesians 4:13

This verse in Greek continues from verse 12 with the conjunction “until” expressing the final goal, the ultimate result, of all that precedes. Good News Translation we shall all come together brings out the collective meaning of the text: not all, one by one, separately, but all together (see Beare). As Lightfoot says: “we Christians all as a body, not simply pantes [all of us].”

There is a subtle ambiguity in the statement we shall all come together, for this may be understood to mean merely “to gather together.” It may therefore be better to translate “all of us together shall come to….”

Come … to translates the Greek verb “arrive at, reach, attain to.” There are three goals to be reached, indicated in Greek by the threefold use of the preposition “into”:

(1) “The oneness of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God”: for oneness see 4.3; faith is here defined by Furnish as the “totality of Christian doctrines and practices.” For knowledge see 1.17. Only here in Ephesians is the title the Son of God used. Robinson takes both faith and knowledge to be governed by the genitive of the Son of God: “faith in and knowledge of the Son of God” (so Translator’s New Testament). But it is also possible to take faith absolutely (so Good News Translation).

A literal translation of the expression to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God might imply “to a point of agreeing about our faith and about our knowledge concerning the Son of God.” But this passage is not about diverse doctrines and heresies but about the unity of believers. Therefore it is better to translate to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God as “to that place of being like one in the way we trust Christ and in our experiencing the Son of God.” In this context knowledge implies much more than “knowing about.” Here the emphasis is upon “experiencing the presence of the Son of God” or “experiencing the power of the Son of God.” That is to say, experiencing his power in the life of the believer.

(2) We shall become mature people: the Greek phrase “the mature man” is a way of speaking of growth and maturity in the Christian life; the singular is used because the corporate nature of the experience is being emphasized. It is the church as a body, the “one new man” (Revised Standard Version) in 2.15. Murray, however, thinks each individual Christian is meant; in that case, however, one would expect the Greek to use the noun anthrōpos, more appropriate for the meaning “person,” and not the noun anēr, which is specifically a male. The figure is in contrast to the immature and indecisive children of verse 14.

The use of the phrase mature people suggests both growth and the completion of such a process. It may even be possible in some languages to say “we shall become like grown people in our faith” or “we shall completely grow up in our faith.”

(3) Reaching to the very height of Christ’s full stature; “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”: this clause is closely parallel to the second one and serves to define what it means to be a “mature man.” For “measure” see 4.7; here it means “full measure,” that is, “the desired height.” The Greek noun translated stature can mean “age” (as in John 9.21), and some (see Abbott) prefer that meaning here. Of course both age and size are usually implied in the expression “a full-grown man,” “a mature man.”

Here the Greek phrase “the fullness of Christ” (for “fullness” see 1.10, 23; 3.19) is the standard set for the body, the church; see New English Bible “to mature manhood, measured by nothing less than the full stature of Christ”; Translator’s New Testament, somewhat differently, “that full maturity which comes from Christ”; Jerusalem Bible “fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.” So the “fullness” of Christ here is either to be indicated by stature, maturity, perfection, completeness, or whatever else best fits the context of the language.

It may be difficult to employ the figure of height and stature in speaking of Christ, since such a figure of speech may be interpreted as purely physical in the sense that people would grow up to be as tall as Christ was. Therefore reaching to the very height of Christ’s full stature may be better rendered in some instances as “becoming as mature as Christ was” or “in our trust in God becoming completely like Christ.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1982. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ephesians 4:13

4:13a-d

In the Greek text, 4:13 contains three phrases each of which start with the same preposition eis, “to”:

• to become unified…

• to become mature…

• to become perfect like Christ…

Commentators connect these phrases in many ways. The two main interpretations are:

(1) all three phrases are separate goals. For example:

13a This is to continue

13b
until all of us are united in our faith and in our knowledge about God’s Son,

13c
until we become mature,

13d
until we measure up to Christ, who is the standard. (God’s Word)

(Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word)

(2) the first two phrases are separate goals, and the third phrase further describes the second. For example:

13a This work must continue

13b until we are all joined together in the same faith and in the same knowledge of the Son of God.

13c We must become like a mature person, 13d growing until we become like Christ and have his perfection. (New Century Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The three goals for the church are that they shall:

(a) be united in their faith and knowledge of Christ (4:13b),

(b) become mature believers (4:13c) and

(c) become completely like Christ (4:13d).

4:13a

until: The word until here means that this is the goal of what Paul said in 4:11–12. Christ gave special abilities to some believers (4:11) in order to prepare all believers to work for him (4:12a) and to make us all united (4:12b). This will continue until we all become united (4:13b), mature (4:13c) and like Christ (4:13d).

we all: The words we all refer to all of us who are believers.

4:13b

reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God: Here, faith and knowledge are the means of our coming to unity. We become united because we believe in the Son of God and know him. In some languages, it will be clearer to translate these three abstract nouns (unity, faith, knowledge) as verbs. These are discussed below.

reach unity in the faith: Here, reach unity means “to come together like one,” “to become joined together as one” or “to become united.”

the faith: Here the faith refers to a general belief or trust in something or someone. There are two main interpretations.

(1) This refers to belief in the true Christian teachings. If you follow this interpretation, you could say:

by believing in the truth/teaching ⌊about Christ⌋ and knowing the Son of God

(2) This refers to belief in the Son of God. Some commentators say that “Son of God” is the object of both “knowledge” and faith. If you follow this interpretation, you could say:

by believing in the Son of God and knowing him

In 4:5a, Paul listed “one faith” and its meaning was “belief in the true Christian teachings.” The context suggested that the faith has the same meaning here. So, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

See faith, Meaning 1 in the Glossary for more information.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
are all joined together in the same faith and in the same knowledge of the Son of God. (New Century Version)

the Son of God: The phrase the Son of God is a title for Jesus. This title was often used to refer to a savior who would be a descendant of King David. God would send this savior to rescue his people. This person was often referred to as the “Messiah” or “Christ.”

The title the Son of God also indicates that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. The relationship between God the Father and Jesus, his Son, is similar in some way to the relationship between human fathers and sons. God the Father does not have a physical body. He did not have a sexual relationship with Mary that resulted in her becoming pregnant and giving birth to Jesus. The Son of God existed eternally as the Son with his Father.

In areas where people do not understand the title the Son of God in this way, you may want to include a footnote that explains the correct meaning. Here is a suggested footnote:

This title refers to Jesus. It indicates that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. It does not mean that God the Father had a sexual relationship with Mary that resulted in her becoming pregnant and giving birth to Jesus. Mary became pregnant with Jesus in a miraculous way by the Holy Spirit of God.

In some languages, it is natural to speak of a son as a “child,” without specifying male or female. If that is true in your language, you may use a more general term, such as:

the Child of God

Other verses will usually make clear that Jesus was a male child. If you use a phrase such as “the male child of God,” be sure that it does not imply that God had another child who was female.

4:13c

as we mature: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as as we mature is literally “to a mature man.” The second goal of the church is to mature. Here, this refers to becoming fully grown, fully developed, like adults in our faith (in contrast to children in 4:14). The meaning is “mature as Christians.” For example:

mature in the Lord (New Living Translation (2004))

4:13d

to the full measure of the stature of Christ: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to the full measure of the stature of Christ is literally “at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” It means “to become exactly like Christ, who is perfect.”

Paul is using a metaphor here, comparing the physical maturity of children to the spiritual maturity of Christians. Just as a child grows up until he becomes an adult like his parents, so we Christians are to grow up in our faith until we are like Christ.

In some languages people may not understand the meaning of the metaphor. If that is true in your language, consider translating the meaning directly. For example:

and become completely mature, just as Christ is

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
until we measure up to Christ, who is the standard (God’s Word)
-or-
grow up and be strong the way Christ is strong

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