Ephesians 2:3-5
New English Translation
3 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]
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 5 even though we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you are saved![f]—
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 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).
- Ephesians 2:3 tn Grk “we all.”
- Ephesians 2:3 tn Or “even.”
- Ephesians 2:3 sn Children of wrath is a Semitic idiom which may mean either “people characterized by wrath” or “people destined for wrath.”
- 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.
- 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”).
Ephesians 2:3-5
New International Version
3 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. 4 But because of his great love for us,(C) God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions(D)—it is by grace you have been saved.(E)
Footnotes
- 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.
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