The Letters · New Testament

Ephesians 3

Ephesians 3: a sentence broken off and a prayer to comprehend

General context

Paul begins to say something about himself as the prisoner of Jesus Christ for the Gentiles, then breaks off to explain his commission. He says the mystery was made known to him by revelation, refers to what he wrote before in few words, and says that when the readers read it they can see his understanding of the mystery of Christ. That mystery, not made known to earlier generations, is now revealed to the holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ. He says he was made a minister of it by the gift of God's grace, calls himself less than the least of all saints, and describes his task as preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ among the Gentiles and making everyone see the fellowship of the mystery hidden in God. The point of this, he says, is that the manifold wisdom of God should now be made known through the church to the principalities and powers in heavenly places, according to an eternal purpose in Christ, in whom there is boldness and access with confidence. He asks the readers not to faint at his tribulations for them. Then he picks up the sentence he dropped and bows his knees to the Father, asking that they be strengthened by the Spirit in the inner man, that Christ dwell in their hearts by faith, that being rooted and grounded in love they be able to comprehend the breadth and length and depth and height, and that they know the love of Christ which passes knowledge. It closes with praise to the one able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.

Cited passages: Ephesians 3:1, Ephesians 3:2, Ephesians 3:3, Ephesians 3:4, Ephesians 3:5, Ephesians 3:6, Ephesians 3:7, Ephesians 3:8, Ephesians 3:9, Ephesians 3:10, Ephesians 3:11, Ephesians 3:12, Ephesians 3:13, Ephesians 3:14, Ephesians 3:16, Ephesians 3:17, Ephesians 3:18, Ephesians 3:19, Ephesians 3:20, Ephesians 3:21

Ephesians 3 (KJV)

¹For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

²If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

³How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

⁴Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

⁵Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

⁶That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

⁷Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

⁸Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

⁹And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

¹⁰To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

¹¹According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

¹²In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

¹³Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

¹⁴For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁵Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

¹⁶That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

¹⁷That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

¹⁸May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

¹⁹And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

²⁰Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

²¹Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The chapter calls Paul a prisoner in its first words, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, but it does not say where he is held, by whom, or on what charge. It refers to an earlier piece of writing, as I wrote afore in few words, without saying what that was or whether the readers have it. It also makes the readers' knowledge conditional, opening with If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward, which suggests the letter does not assume face to face acquaintance. The revelation is described as given to him personally and also as revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets, and none of those people are named. The tribulations mentioned at verse 13 are not described. No scripture is quoted, and no place, date or companion appears anywhere in the chapter.

Cited passages: Ephesians 3:1, Ephesians 3:2, Ephesians 3:3, Ephesians 3:5, Ephesians 3:7, Ephesians 3:13

Literary context

The chapter is built on an interruption the writer never hides. Verse 1 starts For this cause I Paul, and then the sentence stops; twelve verses of explanation follow, and verse 14 begins again with the same words, For this cause I bow my knees. The digression is itself interrupted by a parenthesis about earlier writing, so there is a bracket inside a broken sentence. Sight and size govern the prayer. The request is to comprehend a shape given in four dimensions with no object attached to them, breadth, and length, and depth, and height, followed immediately by a love which passeth knowledge, so the thing measured is declared immeasurable in the next breath. The closing praise repeats the pattern, ranking the giver above all that we ask or think before ending on world without end.

Cited passages: Ephesians 3:1, Ephesians 3:3, Ephesians 3:4, Ephesians 3:13, Ephesians 3:14, Ephesians 3:16, Ephesians 3:18, Ephesians 3:19, Ephesians 3:20, Ephesians 3:21

Key moments

The sentence begins (Ephesians 3:1). Paul names himself a prisoner and then breaks off.
Made known by revelation (Ephesians 3:3). He says the mystery came to him by revelation, not instruction.
Gentiles as fellowheirs (Ephesians 3:6). The content of the mystery is stated plainly.
Less than the least (Ephesians 3:8). Paul places himself below all saints while describing his commission.
The sentence resumes (Ephesians 3:14). Twelve verses later the opening words return and the prayer begins.
Breadth, length, depth, height (Ephesians 3:18). The prayer asks for comprehension of a shape with no object named.

For reflection

Paul asks that the readers be able to comprehend something he then calls a love which passeth knowledge. How do you hold onto something you have understood only partly?