ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Ephesians 2.11-22

Book: Ephesians · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

9. not of works, that no man should glory. 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.

11. Wherefore remember, that once ye, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands; 12. that ye were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13. But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ. 14. For he is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle wall of partition, 15. having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that he might create in himself of the two one new man, so making peace; 16. and might reconcile them both in one body unto God through the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17. and he came and preached peace to you that were far off, and peace to them that were nigh: 18. for through him we both have our access in one Spirit unto the Father. 19. So then ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, 20. being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone; 21. in whom each several building, fitly framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord; 22. in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:9-22, ASV)

WEB

9. not of works, that no one would boast. 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.

11. Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “uncircumcision” by that which is called “circumcision”, (in the flesh, made by hands); 12. that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ. 14. For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition, 15. having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace; 16. and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby. 17. He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near. 18. For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19. So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, 20. being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone; 21. in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22. in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:9-22, WEB)

KJV

9. Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. ordained: or, prepared

11. Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12. That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13. But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16. And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: thereby: or, in himself 17. And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21. In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22. In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:9-22, KJV)

YLT

9. not of works, that no one may boast; 10. for of Him we are workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God did before prepare, that in them we may walk.

11. Wherefore, remember, that ye [were] once the nations in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands, 12. that ye were at that time apart from Christ, having been alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope, and without God, in the world; 13. and now, in Christ Jesus, ye being once afar off became nigh in the blood of the Christ, 14. for he is our peace, who did make both one, and the middle wall of the enclosure did break down, 15. the enmity in his flesh, the law of the commands in ordinances having done away, that the two he might create in himself into one new man, making peace, 16. and might reconcile both in one body to God through the cross, having slain the enmity in it, 17. and having come, he did proclaim good news, peace to you, the far-off and the nigh, 18. because through him we have the access, we both, in one Spirit unto the Father. 19. Then, therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens of the saints, and of the household of God, 20. being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being chief corner -[stone], 21. in whom all the building fitly framed together doth increase to an holy sanctuary in the Lord, 22. in whom also ye are builded together, for a habitation of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:9-22, YLT)

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Setting

  • Speaker: Paul the Apostle.
  • Audience: Believers at Ephesus. Several of the earliest witnesses, including P46 and the original hands of Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, lack the words "in Ephesus" at 1:1, which has long suggested the letter circulated among the churches of the Roman province of Asia rather than addressing one congregation alone.
  • Location: Written from imprisonment. Paul calls himself "the prisoner of Christ Jesus" (Eph 3:1, 4:1) and "an ambassador in chains" (Eph 6:20); the traditional identification is the Roman custody of Acts 28.
  • Time period: c. AD 60-62 on the traditional Roman-imprisonment dating.

Theological reading

The paragraph is the letter's central argument about Gentile inclusion, and it is built as a single movement from exclusion to indwelling.

"Remember." Dio mnēmoneuete. Verses 11 to 12 are an instruction to recall a former condition, and the list is unsparing: called "Uncircumcision" by those called "Circumcision," separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. Paul does not soften the Gentile past in order to make the inclusion generous. He states it at full strength so that the reversal has something to reverse.

"But now." Nyni de en Christō Iēsou at verse 13 is the pivot. The distance language, "far off" and "brought near," draws on Isaiah 57:19, quoted at verse 17, where peace is proclaimed to the far and the near. The instrument is named without euphemism: en tō haimati tou Christou, by the blood of Christ.

The wall and the new man. Verses 14 to 16 give the mechanism, the abolition of the ordinance-barrier and the creation of one new man, and verse 18 gives the result in explicitly trinitarian shape: di autou echomen tēn prosagōgēn hoi amphoteroi en heni pneumati pros ton patera, through Him both have access in one Spirit to the Father. Prosagōgē is a term of introduction into a royal presence, and it is the same for both groups.

The three metaphors of belonging. Verse 19 stacks them. No longer strangers and sojourners, but sympolitai tōn hagiōn, fellow citizens with the saints, a political image; and oikeioi tou theou, members of God's household, a family image; then verses 20 to 22 develop a third, the building that grows into a holy temple and is being built together eis katoikētērion tou theou en pneumati, into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. The progression is deliberate: citizenship, then family, then the temple, each more intimate than the last.

Why the temple image lands hard. The paragraph began with a barrier that kept Gentiles out of the temple courts and ends with Gentiles as part of the temple itself. That is the argument in one image, and it is the reason the passage is the New Testament's principal answer to the claim that God's purposes were only ever ethnic.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

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Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.