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All of us once lived among these people, and followed the desires of our corrupt nature. We did what our corrupt desires and thoughts wanted us to do. So, because of our nature, we deserved God’s anger just like everyone else.

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among whom[a] all of us[b] also[c] formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath[d] even as the rest…[e]

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 2:3 sn Among whom. The relative pronoun phrase that begins v. 3 is identical, except for gender, to the one that begins v. 2 (ἐν αἵς [en hais], ἐν οἵς [en hois]). By the structure, the author is building an argument for our hopeless condition: We lived in sin and we lived among sinful people. Our doom looked to be sealed as well in v. 2: Both the external environment (kingdom of the air) and our internal motivation and attitude (the spirit that is now energizing) were under the devil’s thumb (cf. 2 Cor 4:4).
  2. Ephesians 2:3 tn Grk “we all.”
  3. Ephesians 2:3 tn Or “even.”
  4. Ephesians 2:3 sn Children of wrath is a Semitic idiom which may mean either “people characterized by wrath” or “people destined for wrath.”
  5. Ephesians 2:3 sn Eph 2:1-3. The translation of vv. 1-3 is very literal, even to the point of retaining the awkward syntax of the original. See note on the word dead in 2:1.

among whom also we all formerly lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the will[a] of the flesh and of the mind, and we were children of wrath[b] by nature, as also the rest of them were.

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 2:3 Or “desires”
  2. Ephesians 2:3 This phrase is a Semitic idiom which can mean either (1) “children characterized by wrath” or (2) “children destined for wrath”

All of us also lived among them at one time,(A) gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a](B) and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 2:3 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.

Among them [a]we too all (A)previously lived in (B)the lusts of our flesh, [b]indulging the desires of the flesh and of the [c]mind, and were (C)by nature (D)children of wrath, (E)just as the rest.

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 2:3 I.e., Jewish believers
  2. Ephesians 2:3 Lit doing
  3. Ephesians 2:3 Lit thoughts