CVG Ephesians Chapter 5

1  2  3  4  5  6 

1. Therefore be imitators of God just as [His] beloved children.

2. And walk in love, just as also Christ loved you and gave Himself on your behalf as a offering and sacrifice to God as a sweet-smelling aroma.

3. But let sexual sin, and uncleanness and all insatiable greed not be named among you, as is proper for saints.

4. And obscene speech and foolish talk or unholy witty humor which are not necessary, but rather the giving of thanks.

5. For this reason, know, as you are knowing, that every sexually impure person or unclean person or one with insatiable greed, which things are idolatry, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

6. Let none of you go astray with vain words. For this reason the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience.

7. Therefore be not fellow parts of them. [NOTE: this word is used elsewhere talking about being fellow parts with the church, here Paul turns that and says, "hey, when you act like this you are an evil church body with pagans."]

8. For you were at one time darkness, but now you are the light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

9. --For the fruit of light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth--

10. Approving what is well-pleasing to the Lord.

11. And have no fellowship together with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather also reprove them.

12. For the things which happen in secret by them are shameful also to [even] speak of.

13. But the all things which are reproved by the light, are made manifest.

14. For everything made manifest is light. For this reason it says,

"Rise up, O sleeping one! (Isaiah 26:19; 51:17; 52:1; 60:1)

and rise from the dead (Isaiah 26:19),

and Christ will shine upon you! (Isaiah 60:1)

[NOTE: This is a very interesting use of the Old Testament. While Paul divorces the scriptures from their original context somewhat, he does still retain the flavor of judgment, that is that Israel must return to faithfulness because either the Lord will come in judgment (Isaiah 26) or He has judged them (Isaiah 51;52;60). He also does not quote the LXX verbatim. Isaiah 60 doesn't even use the same word for shine (Isaiah:fwtizw/Ephesians:epifauw). In spite of this the passage sound very familiar in the Greek. Isaiah 60:1 from the LXX (Rahlfs): "Shine, shine Jerusalem, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has been made to rise upon you." It is very feasible that Paul knew the passage, but not verbatim in the Greek, therefore he chooses other words.]

15. See therefore accurately how you walk not as unwise, but as wise.

16. Buying up all [NOTE: this is an interesting word, Plutarch uses it to mean, buying up something in the market] the occasions, because the days are evil.

17. For this reason be not senseless, but make the connection what the will of God is.

18. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.

19. Speaking to one another in Psalms and in hymns and in spiritual songs, singing and plucking strings in your heart to the Lord.

20. Being thankful always over all things to God, namely, the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

21. Being in submission to one another in fear of Christ.

22. Wives be obedient to your own husbands as to the Lord.

23. Because the husband is the head of the wife just as also Christ is the head of the church, He Himself is the Savior of the body.

24. But just as the church is obedient to Christ, in this way also wives are to be obedient to their own husbands in everything.

25. Husbands, love your wives just as also Christ loved the church and gave Himself on her behalf.

26. In order that He may make her holy, cleansed by a bath of water in the spoken word [hrema].

27. In order that He Himself may present to Himself a glorious church, not having a stain or wrinkle or anything of this sort, but in order that she may be holy and blameless.

28. In this way husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. The one who loves his own wife loves himself.

29. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but cherishes and nourishes it, just as also Christ does to the church.

30. Because we are parts of His body.

31. "Compared with this, a man will leave a father and mother and will be glued to his wife, and the two will be one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).
[NOTE: When I compare this quotation to the LXX, Genesis 2:24 it is verbatim, using the same tenses and vocabulary. The one change is the transition word. Paul uses 'anti toutou,' instead of 'heneken toutou,' but I believe this is intentional. Paul ostensibly didn't want to use the same connecting word because Adam had just stated that Eve was taken out of him. In the previous verse we do however see the same thing, as Christians, we are all parts of the same body, namely, Christ's body. I believe Paul uses anti instead of heneken because he is making a comparison, not a direct conclusion as in the Genesis passage.]

32. This mystery is great. But I am speaking in reference to Christ and His church.

33. However, you one by one, let each one love his own wife just as himself, and let the wife see to it that she fears her husband.
OR
However, you one by one, let each one love his own wife just as himself, and let the wife love that she would fear her husband.
[NOTE: 'See to it' doesn't appear, but the Greek is strange because we need an imperative. Nicoll says to understand an imperative blepw (to see) from verse 15. Or perhaps more naturally, according to the Greek, we could understand an imperative of agapaw (to love) from the same verse. Whether this love is to Christ or her husband, it would motivate the proper biblical response.]