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Ephesians Chapter 3

Ephesians Chapter 3

(Underlining marks a quotation/allusion. [Brackets] mark a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)

Glossary

Note: this glossary is currently a work in progress; entries that do not expand will be added as time permits

Ages/of ages
“ages” and “of ages” are the Greek words “αἰών” (aión, noun form) and “αἰώνιος” (aiónios, adjective form) respectively.  The adjective form is typically translated “eternal”, as in “eternal life”. The noun form refers to a whole time period, (Keizer, “Life Time Entirety”) such as a person’s lifetime (an older Greek sense), an age/epoch (e.g., 2 Cor 4:4), or even time in its entirety, making its meaning similar to “forever” (e.g., John 14:16). The adjective form is similarly context-dependent, and the New Testament context often dictates a meaning similar to “forever” (but not always: e.g. 2 Tim 1:9).  Alternately or additionally, it can indicate the quality of a time period — indicating greatness/severity — like the English idiom “of ages” (e.g. “battle of the ages”). Thus, “of ages” was chosen for the adjective form so that both the time and quality senses remain visible.

Clean/unclean

Covenant

Faith

Flesh

Forgive/forgiveness

Grace
The Greek word is “χάρις” (charis), most often translated “grace”, “gift”, or “thanks”. It was a technical term in the 1st century, referring to the Patronage system in place. The Patron (from “pater” = “father”) would give gifts or do favors (both called a charis). A charis was always given/done freely to anyone who would be grateful for it, and this person then became a “client” of the patron. The clients were expected to reciprocate by telling everyone what the patron had done, and offering their services to the patron whenever the patron needed them. This reciprocal act was also called “charis”, and the ones who reciprocated were “being faithful” by giving thanks in this way. Both were done out of gratitude, not legal obligation. A client who wasn’t faithful and grateful probably wouldn’t receive any more charis from his patron, or any other patrons. The patron was responsible for taking care of all his clients, and making sure their needs were met. New Testament usage typically casts God the Father as a Heavenly Patron, to whom Christians should be grateful and faithful because of the gifts He has given us. (e.g. salvation, provision, protection, etc.)

Holy

Justification

Law (Torah)

Make purification

Pure/Impure

Purification offering
In the Old Testament, this is typically the Hebrew “חַטָּ֖את” (khat-tat); in the New Testament, it’s typically “περὶ ἁμαρτίας” (peri hamartias), which is what the Septuagint (an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek) used to translate the Hebrew. It’s traditionally translated “sin offering”, but that translation has less support in high-level scholarship. The Hebrew word can mean “sin”, but it can also mean “purification” (e.g. Numbers 8:7). This offering was used to purify uncleanness, whether or not a sin was committed. Thus, it was required even when no sin was committed, such as after childbirth (Leviticus 12:1-8), for certain diseases (Leviticus 14), etc. High-level, peer-reviewed scholarship dedicated to the field (e.g. Milgrom, Levine, Gane, Sklar, Wright, Gorman, etc.) is largely united on the “purification offering” understanding. The BOS Bible has aligned itself with that high-level, peer-reviewed scholarship in its translation.

Ransom

Redemption

Repent/repentance

Righteous/righteousness

Salvation/save

Soul
“soul” is the Greek word “ψυχή/psuché” and Hebrew word “נֶפֶשׁ/nephesh”. The BOS Bible translates these words as “soul” for consistency, and so the full meaning of “soul” isn’t obscured by different translations in different places. They closely overlap in meaning and are typically translated “soul” or “life”. They refer to the animating force of a living thing, and thus can also refer to its life, or to the whole of any person or creature, including animals (e.g. fish in Revelation 8:9 and Genesis 1). They are frequently used as an emphatic reference to a person’s whole self, including longings, deep emotions, and inner life. (e.g. Ps 42:11) Note: while “soul” has significant overlap in meaning with “spirit”, the words have distinct meanings and usages throughout scripture. For example, lions tear apart a soul in Psalm 7:2, and a “dead soul” is mentioned in Leviticus 21:11; “spirit” has no analogous usages, and it returns to God at death (Ecc 12:7; Acts 7:59). The adjective forms of soul and spirit are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; see also: Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Sin

Click to Collapse the Glossary
The Mystery of the Gospel
  1. For this reason, I Paul, am the prisoner of Jesus the Anointed for you, the gentiles,
  2. if indeed you heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given to me for you,
  3. that He revealed the mystery to me by revelation, just as I wrote before in brief.
  4. Which by reading it, you’re able to comprehend my understanding in the mystery of the Anointed,
  5. which wasn’t revealed to the sons of men in other generations, as it now was disclosed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit,
  6. for the gentiles to be fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Jesus the Anointed through the gospel,
  7. of which I became a servant according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me, according to the work of His power.
  8. This grace was given to me – who’s less than the least of all holy ones – to proclaim to the gentiles the gospel of the incomprehensible richness of the Anointed,
  9. and to enlighten all men to see what is the stewardship of the mystery *hidden from the earlier ages by God, the One who created all things.
  10. So now, the multi-faceted wisdom of God would be revealed to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms through the church assembly,
  11. according to the plan of ages, which He accomplished in Jesus the Anointed, our Lord,
  12. in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.
God’s Love and Glory
  1. Therefore, I beg you not to grow weary at my afflictions for you, which is your glory.
  2. For this reason, I bow my knees in prayer to the Father [of our Lord Jesus the Anointed],
  3. from whom every family linefn“family line” is one word in Greek and refers to a group of people descended from a common ancestor. Thus, it can mean a family, tribe, or even a nation with a common ancestor. in the heavens and on the earth is named,
  4. so according to the richness of His glory, He might grant you to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit,
  5. for the Anointed to dwell in your hearts through faith, *rooted and *grounded in ^love,
  6. so you might be strong enough to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth,
  7. and to know the ^love of the Anointed that’s surpassing knowledge so you might be filled into all the fullness of God.
  8. Now, to the One able to do far above all things that we ask or think according to the power working in us,
  9. to Him be the glory in the church assembly and in Jesus the Anointed throughout all generations, through the age of the ages.fn“through the age of the ages” is literal, though most translations render it “forever and ever”.  While that could be the intended sense, “through the age of the ages” quite possibly indicates the “greatest of all the ages”, much in the same way we might say the “battles of battles” to indicate the greatest battle ever. This would likely refer to the “age” of the New Heavens and New Earth in Revelation 21-22, which will indeed last forever.  Amen.

 

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