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New Life Individually

And although you were[a] dead[b] in your offenses and sins, in which[c] you formerly lived[d] according to this world’s present path,[e] according to the ruler of the domain[f] of the air, the ruler of[g] the spirit[h] that is now energizing[i] the sons of disobedience,[j] among whom[k] all of us[l] also[m] 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[n] even as the rest…[o]

But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you are saved![p] and he raised us up together with him and seated us together with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, to demonstrate in the coming ages[q] the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward[r] us in Christ Jesus.

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 2:1 tn The adverbial participle “being” (ὄντας, ontas) is taken concessively.
  2. Ephesians 2:1 sn Chapter 2 starts off with a participle, although you were dead, that is left dangling. The syntax in Greek for vv. 1-3 constitutes one incomplete sentence, though it seems to have been done intentionally. The dangling participle leaves the readers in suspense while they wait for the solution (in v. 4) to their spiritual dilemma.
  3. Ephesians 2:2 sn The relative pronoun which is feminine as is sins, indicating that sins is the antecedent.
  4. Ephesians 2:2 tn Grk “walked.” sn The Greek verb translated lived (περιπατέω, peripateō) in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.
  5. Ephesians 2:2 tn Or possibly “Aeon.”sn The word translated present path is the same as that which has been translated [this] age in 1:21 (αἰών, aiōn).
  6. Ephesians 2:2 tn That is, “[place of] authority”; see BDAG 353 s.v. ἐξουσία 6.
  7. Ephesians 2:2 tn Grk “of” (but see the note on the word “spirit” later in this verse).
  8. Ephesians 2:2 sn The ruler of the kingdom of the air is also the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience. Although several translations regard the ruler to be the same as the spirit, this is unlikely since the cases in Greek are different (ruler is accusative and spirit is genitive). To get around this, some have suggested that the genitive for spirit is a genitive of apposition. However, the semantics of the genitive of apposition are against such an interpretation (cf. ExSyn 100).
  9. Ephesians 2:2 tn Grk “working in.”
  10. Ephesians 2:2 sn Sons of disobedience is a Semitic idiom that means “people characterized by disobedience.” However, it also contains a subtle allusion to vv. 4-10: Some of those sons of disobedience have become sons of God.
  11. 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).
  12. Ephesians 2:3 tn Grk “we all.”
  13. Ephesians 2:3 tn Or “even.”
  14. Ephesians 2:3 sn Children of wrath is a Semitic idiom which may mean either “people characterized by wrath” or “people destined for wrath.”
  15. 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.
  16. Ephesians 2:5 tn Or “by grace you have been saved.” The perfect tense in Greek connotes both completed action (“you have been saved”) and continuing results (“you are saved”).
  17. Ephesians 2:7 tn Or possibly “to the Aeons who are about to come.”
  18. Ephesians 2:7 tn Or “upon.”

By Grace Through Faith

And you [a]were (A)dead [b]in your transgressions and sins, in which you (B)formerly walked according to the [c]course of (C)this world, according to (D)the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in (E)the sons of disobedience, among whom we all also (F)formerly conducted ourselves in (G)the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the [d]mind, and were (H)by nature (I)children of wrath, (J)even as the rest. But God, being (K)rich in mercy because of (L)His great love with which He loved us, even when we were (M)dead [e]in our transgressions, made us alive together [f]with Christ—(N)by grace you have been saved— and (O)raised us up with Him, and (P)seated us with Him in (Q)the heavenly places in (R)Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing (S)riches of His grace in (T)kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 2:1 Lit being
  2. Ephesians 2:1 Or by reason of
  3. Ephesians 2:2 Lit age
  4. Ephesians 2:3 Lit thoughts
  5. Ephesians 2:5 Or by reason of
  6. Ephesians 2:5 Two early mss in Christ