tion is here intended between Christ and God. It would seem most
correct to regard real Qeov as characterizing more definitely the lv ry
Pamtety rov Xpiarov, in this sense : " in the kingdom of Christ, which
is also the kingdom of God." Paul adds this statement in order
to direct observation to the holiness of the kingdom in which God,
the author of all holiness, reigns. Compare the parallel passages,
Rev. xi. 15, xii. 10.)
Vers. 6, 7. With the kingdom of God and the salvation in it,
God's wrath is further contrasted. This falls on the unbelieving,
not merely iu future punishments, but also, as Rom. i. shews, even
on earth. They are, therefore, not merely shut out from the king-
dom of God, but they also fall into Gehenna. Paul therefore warns
his readers against community with them, for that also brings with
it a like fate. Only the nydels v^iaq d-nardrG) Kevoig &6yotg, let no one
deceive you with vain words, which points to deceivers, is signifi-
cant here. Among Gentiles we cannot, of course, imagine them,
for Christians were, as such, separated from them. Paul must have
meant thoughtless-minded persons among the Christians them-
selves, who, we may suppose, were led by antinomian ideas to the
notion that such carnal sins were less blameable, and who, therefore,
abused the Christian doctrine of freedom as a cloak for their wicked-
ness. The passage, Col. ii. 8, respecting philosophy and vain deceit
(KSV-IJ diraTTj), cannot be compared here, for it relates to persons of
a scrupulous, ascetic tendency (Col. ii. 20, seq.) But here, too,
there is no intimation that such false teachers were in the churches
to which Paul writes ; he seems only to warn them against such as
will come there. (Ver. 6. Compare the parallel passage, Col. iii. 5.
On viol T?fr aTTKideias see at Eph. ii. 2. The expression denotes, in
the first place, the Gentiles who practised such vices in the mass ;
but, secondly, all those, too, who let themselves be led into such sins.
Ver. 7. On 0vpprogo?, see iii. 6.)
Vers. 8-11. That communion with those who walk carnally
must be put an end to, Paul deduces from the contrast of his read-
ers' present state with their previous one. They were, as Gentiles,
darkness, i. e., they belonged to the element of darkness and to its
prince, as they now are light and belong to the Lord of light, through
communion with him, the original light. (John i. 4.) Hence follows
the necessity of walking as children of the light, i. e., of producing
fruits of the light, and to that end of carefully searching what the
Lord's will is. (Comp. vers. 15, 17.) Darkness, on the other hand,
is represented as the element which is incapable of producing fruits.
What it produces is only deceitful show. In 1 Thess. v. 4, seq., is
EPHESIANS V. 12. 127
found a parallel entirely similar between light and darkness, and
those who belong to them. See also 2 Cor. vi. 14. (Ver. 8. On
rsicva (/>o)T<5f see at 1 Thess. v. 5. 'The participle doKipd&vTeg con-
nects itself with Trepinarelre, so that a colon cannot stand after
the verb. The parenthetical clause, 6 yap nap-no^ rov (fx^rbg, K. r. A.,
would seem especially to form the antithesis to the " deceiving with
vain words," on which account also dyaBuovvr), ducaioovvrj, and aA?/-
6eia are named, and not such virtues as form the antithesis to rropveia,
K. r. A., in ver. 3. The reading farog, in ver. 9, is, on extrinsic and
intrinsic grounds, to be preferred to the reading of the text. rec.
(jrvevfiarog), which we may suppose to be a gloss from Gal. v. 22.
On dyaduavvrj see Horn. xv. 14 ; Gal. v. 22 ; 2 Thess. i. 11. Ver.
11. The epya oicorovg are those named in ver. 3, seq. But the epi-
thet dndp-xoK; surprised even the copyists ; it was therefore arbitra-
rily altered into duaddproig or dratc-ot^. For wicked works seem to
be equally fruits too, only fruits of darkness. [Coinp. Matth. vii. 17.]
But d'/capTo^ means not only " without fruit, unfruitful," but also
" useless, fruitless." That which darkness produces is merely, there-
fore, to be designated as something which does not deserve the name
of a fruit, which has only its appearance, without the reality. Light
alone has real power of production ; it alone can create works which
bear in them the eternal luminous nature, and follow him who ac-
complishes them into eternity, Rev. xiv. 13.)
Ver. 12. 'The last words of ver. 11, j^aAAov 6s KOI eAey^ere, but
rather also reprove them, form the transition to ver. 12 ; the yap
connects itself with them. The juaAAov de nal key%iv forms a cli-
max to p) avyKoivuvelv, " not only have no part in such works of
darkness, but rather, on the contrary, even rebuke them as chil-
dren of the light," dictis et factis luce dignis, as Bengel expresses
himself. While, therefore, ovyicotvuveiv indicates a sinking down to
the Gentile level, eAey^etv supposes a raising of the Gentiles, and of
those who are similar to them, to the Christian standard. It is,
therefore, not a mere declaration that those things are disgraceful,
without any effect on the sinner, but ikey%eiv involves the conviction
of the sinner ; it is " to convince by rebuke, to work the conversion
of." But how does ver. 12 unite itself to this with its particle yap,
which assigns a reason for what precedes ? The words rd p?;0?J yi-
v6{iva vn' avr&v are = epyoig rov atcorovg in ver. 11 ', they do not
mean to declare that it is not and cannot be known what they do,
because it is done secretly (for the apostle both here and in Rom. i.
openly declares what they do) ; but only to designate the actions
as shunning the light, as such that the conscience of the very
persons who do them condemns them. The following words, alo-
%p6v ian nal Atryetv, express the enormity of these scandalous vices ;
" it is disgraceful not only to commit such things, but even to
128 EPHESIANS V. 13.
express them ; they are too filthy even to be spoken of." This
thought connects itself, through yap, in a manner perfectly natural,
with the /iaAAov 6s not K^eyxere, founding the necessity for the rebuke
on the magnitude of the offences : " rather rebuke them even, for
their sin is so great that they urgently need awaking out of their
dark sleep of sin" (ver. 14). The magnitude of the sin is thus meant
to move pity in the hearts of believers, and that is to incite them to
save the lost ones.
Harless makes yap depend on nt) ov^'Koivuveire, and refers only
ver. 13 to tey%Te ; but this overleaping the verb which stands last,
and introducing the entire succeeding discussion, is utterly without
support. Meier's interpretation is also to be designated as en-
tirely erroneous. He understands teyeiv of " the mere indifferent
speaking and recounting such secretly-committed vices, which is of
itself also infamous and low." This indifferent relating he would
have to form a contrast with IMyxetv, " the openly blaming to one's
face." But the passage does not contain the slightest intimation
that Paul intended a contrast between Xeyeiv and lteyxpw>
Ver. 13. But the main difficulty in this passage has been found
in verse 13, the proverb-like conciseness of which no doubt involves
a certain obscurity ; however, if we have rightly defined iXiy%iv t
what follows links itself naturally with the foregoing. Paul intends
now partly to describe more accurately the influence of the t-Aey^wv in
the salvation of the sinner, partly to represent it as secured in its
success, and this by applying to it the contrast of light and dark-
ness commenced at ver. 8. Light, as the Divine element of life, he
designates as the principle which illumines darkness with all that is
done in it, i. e., which manifests it in its nature and frightful form ;
but at the same time also light, by its creative power, metamor-
phoses darkness and its works, and makes them light themselves.
It follows then from this that light alone is the true reality which
has the power to scare and dissipate darkness into its nothingness ;
therefore, where light is, as in believers (ver. 8, </>? h vpto>), there
is also the certainty of victory over darkness, if they only dare
to rebuke it. Thus then the <5ib Aeyet Zyeipe, K. r. A., in verse 14
is closely united with what precedes, for the rousing voice ype,
dvdora, awake, arise, is exactly the ikeyxeiv recommended to the
faithful by the appostle in verse 11, and the illumination, which
Christ performs, is = to the being manifested by the light (vno rov
$WTOf 0avepo(T0a<) in verse 13.
Now if, after this statement of the general connexion, we con-
sider details, it is, first of all, clear that rd 61 -ndvra K/\.ey%6peva refers
back to the epya OKOTOVS, rd Kpvfyi] yivd/zeva, so that the sense is this :
* Kuinoel's dissertation on Eph. v. 6-14 in Velthusen's, Kuinoel's, and Ruperti'a
Collection of TkeoL Essays, vol. iii. op. 178, seq.
EPHESIANS Y. 14. 129
" but if all these things are reproved, they will be illuminated by
the light, and made manifest in their nature." The peculiarity of
this passage consists in the circumstance that Paul does not adhere
to the term (fravepovadai merely in the idea of " being illuminated,
and by that means made manifest in their nature ;" but conceives
evil's being illuminated as at the same time a metamorphosis of evil
into the nature of the light. To the interpreter who overlooks this,
the following words, " for whatever is made manifest is light" (nav
yap TO (f)avepov[j,evov 0wf t-<m), must be inexplicable. He is tempted
to take Qavepovpsvov as middle, and to understand the clause thus :
" for the light is the element which makes all manifest." But it is
against this interpretation, first, that just before fyavepovrai is used
passively, and the same word can scarcely immediately after be taken
as middle; second, that Q&g as the element of light would require the
article ; lastly, that the position of -nav renders it necessarily the sub-
ject, and 0wr the predicate ; were 0<2> the subject, the words would
at least have to be placed thus : 0a>$- TO TTOV (fravepovnevov KCSTI. The
words must, therefore, be taken, " for all things which are illumi-
nated by the light are themselves light." The thought is unquestion-
ably remarkable ; for it might be said that light by no means always
exercises that transforming agency. A sinner can be reproved by
the light without admitting it into his heart, and changing his life ;
thus, to particularize, at God's judgment-seat the devil and all the
wicked are reproved by the light, without still becoming light.
Paul, no doubt, was led to this application of Qavepovadat by verse
8, where it is said that Christians, who were darkness, are now light
in the Lord ; so, he means to say, can those too who are still dark-
ness, and perform works of darkness, through the light in you be
made light, be enlightened.
Ver. 14. The sentiment of ver. 14 is most intimately connected
with the above : wherefore (because success cannot be wanting to
the influence of light on darkness) the Scriptures (Isaiah Ix. 1) also
summon us to awake from sleep and rise up from death, both of
which Christ performs through his illumination. For sleep and
death are figures, which, from the nature of the case, coincide with
the idea of darkness in its figurative sense. (See on 1 Thess. v. 5,
seq.) But a difficulty was found in ver. 14, inasmuch as the formula
dib Aeyet, scil. i] ypa^, is usually employed in Scripture quotations.
(See iv. 8.) But this exact passage is found nowhere in the Old
Testament. It was assumed then that Paul either used here an
apocryphal work, or borrowed the words from some Christian hymn ;
this last view, which Theodoret had already proposed, was approved
by Michaelis, Storr, Flatt, and others. But the formula 6tb /Uyst
would scarcely have been used for such utterances of uncanonical
writings. Rhenferd insisted that Paul here referred to a saying of
VOL. V. 9
130 EPHESIANS V. 15-18.
Christ's which had been preserved by mere oral tradition, such as are
mentioned Acts xx. 35 ; but certainly the phrase Kal faujxivaei aoi 6
XpicTog does not suit that view. But all these propositions are un-
necessary, as it can be proved that Isaiah Ix. 1 contains the funda-
mental ideas of this passage, which are only quoted by Paul freely,
according to his custom, and inserted into the context of his dis-
course. The Hebrew words are, rnt tr^rrrr I'M!) ^K HS~ <s i-.'x n^p.
The LXX. have translated those words, ^om^ou, <^WT^OV, 'lepovaaAr/ju,
fjitei yap aov rb 0a>f KOI 77 66%a nvpiov trrl ae dvarera^Kev. With all its
difference in form, our passage corresponds with the above very well
in idea, as is convincingly shewn by Harless ad h. 1. (On the form
dvdara see Winer's Gr. xiv. 1. A.B.D.E.F.G. have tyetpat instead
of ype, and it .is perhaps with Lachmann to be preferred. But
Fritzsche [in Marc. p. 55, seq.] defends tyeipe. On the form m-
(ftavoet see Winer's Gr. xv. p. 82. The readings t-ni^avaei <JOL 6 Xpio-
r6g, and imtyavaeu; rov Xpiarov, which latter one D. supports, seem
to owe their origin solely to the copyists ; the metaphor of the light
imperatively requires t-ni^avoti. Comp. 2 Peter i. 19.)
Vers. 15, 16. After this, Paul again resumes the above exhorta-
tion (ver. 8), and summons his readers to a circumspect walk, which
appreciates the relations of things, and therein shews wisdom.
(Comp. the parallel passage Col. iv. 5, where the further subordinate
definition npbg rovg efu is added, which, according to the context of
the whole passage [see vers. 6, 7], must here too be supplied.) There
we find too the phrase ^ayopa^ofievoi rbv icaipov, which Luther with
evident incorrectness translates, "adapt yourselves to the time."
That acceptation also, which understands it of the diligent use of
time, is inapposite, for then on al TJUKOOI Trovtjpai doi could not
follow ; the shortness of life on earth would rather need to be in-
sisted on. The days are called evil (in the first instance those of
the then time, in the more extended sense of the whole aluv ovrog }
in which sin has dominion), because of the manifold temptations
which beset the believer. With regard to these tfryopd&iv rbv
wupov can be referred only to the provident, prudent use of circum-
stances for the salvation of one's self and of others. Bcza has already
correctly observed, that the phrase is taken from the figure of a pro-
vident merchant who uses everything for his ends. The parable in
Luke xvi. 1, seq., also recommends this prudence. (Ver. 16. On
the phrase rj^pai novrjpai see vi. 13 ; Ps. xlix. 5 ; Prov. xv. 15.)
Vers. 17, 18. Therefore, continues Paul (viz., because tbe time
is evil), be not aQpoveg. That u^poveg is not = doo^oi is self-evident ;
they differ as aofyia and ovveau; or ^ovrjm^. (See at i. 8.) Here the
avveais is designated as that which searches out God's will, and at
the same time also follows it, which gives as the characteristic sign
of its opposite dfpoavvr], the following one's own will and one's own
EPHESIANS V. 19, 20. 131
desires. In the same way, piety is in the Old Testament treated
as true prudence, godlessness, on the contrary, as folly. MeOvoKeo-
6at olvy, being drunk with wine, is put by synecdoche for all the
modes of gratifying one's own lusts (rr^eove^ia, ver. 3), as appears by
the addition iv & KOTIV dawria, in which is -riotous excess. Pampef-
ing of the flesh bears in itself all other moral errors, especially the
sins of lust, because it invests the flesh with dominion, and brings
the vov<; into a servile relation. Paul insists here on that form of
sin in particular, in order to make more marked the contrast with
the -rrkrjpovodai ev TTvevfiart,, being' filled with the Spirit. Man in his
naraiorrjg rov voog (iv. 18) feels the want of a strengthening through
spiritual influences from without ; instead of seeking for these in the
Holy Spirit, he in his blindness has recourse to the natural spirit,
i. e., to wine and strong drinks. Hence under the legal economy,
the Old Testament, in the institution of the Nazarenes, recommends
abstinence from wine and strong drinks, in order to preserve the soul
free from all merely natural spiritual influences, and. by that means
to make it more susceptible of the operations of the Divine Spirit.
(Comp. Numbers vi. 1, seq.) The context by no means indicates
any special references in this exhortation ; "be not drunk with
wine," e. g., to abuses at the Agapas, as they are reproved at 1
Cor. xi. 21 (a supposition which Koppe and Holzhausen defend).
(The reading owiere for ovvievreg, which Lachmann has admitted,
on the authority of A.B., is to be considered as a mere facilitating
correction. 'Aa&ma is found Tit. i. 6 ; 1 Pet. iv. 4 ; dawrw^ Luke xv.
13, in the meaning of vita luxuriosa, a loose, dissipated life. The
Spirit, with which the believer is to be filled, is of course the Holy
Spirit, not his own; the addition dyto;, however, which some minus-
culi have, is spurious.)
Vers. 19, 20. In conclusion, Paul names, as effects of the being
filled with the Holy Ghost and the spiritual joy proceeding there-
from, the public adoration of God in songs of praise, the purport of
which is thanksgiving to God in Christ's name. No doubt, the im-
plied contrast which this spiritual joy, bursting forth into songs
of praise, forms with the carnal joy which is wont to prevail at
worldly banquets, where the neQvoiteadai oh>o> takes place, floated
before Paul's mind here. In ver. 19, however, the AaAovvrer Kavrolg,
speaking to one another, forms an antithesis with the adovre^ and
TpdkhovTeg KV ry napdia, singing and making melody in the heart.
The former denotes the public adoration of God in the religious as-
semblies, the latter the silent inward communion with God in the
heart. We see, therefore, from this passage, that even in the apos-
tle's time singing was an element of Divine worship. According to
1 Cor. xiv. 15, seq., the speaking with tongues also manifested itself
in a poetical shape, and the improvised poems seem to have been
132 EPHESIANS V. 19, 20.
immediately delivered in musical measures. (See the details in the
Comm. on 1 Cor. xiv.) Thus Pliny too relates (Ep. x. 96) of the
Christians : carmen Christo quasi Deo dicunt secuin invicem. Un-
fortunately, of that primeval Christian poetry there has heen next
to nothing preserved ; only under the name of Clemens of Alexan-
dria a hymn of, perhaps, primeval date has survived, which I have
had printed. (See my Monum. Hist. Eccl., vol. 1, p. 279, seq.)
That assemblies for public worship are here spoken of is like-
wise shewn by the parallel passage Col. iii. 16, 17, in which teaching,
properly so called, is put forward in the words : ev navy ootyia 6i6do-
novreq not vovdeTovvreg eavrovf, in all ivisdom teaching, etc. Buhmer
finds in those words an indication of the universal priesthood of the
first Christians ; but the titddaneiv and vovderelv tavrovs, i. e., akkij-
Axwf, does not exclude order in the form of instruction which re-
quired appointed teachers. See the details on this point in the
interpretation of the pastoral epistles. As to the synonyms ^ak\i6^^
fyivof, oicJ//, the first properly denotes every song performed v/ith a
musical accompaniment. It is, however, highly improbable that in
the congregations of the primitive church instrumental accompani-
ments to the singing were already used ; t/>aAftoi are probably here
the Psalms of the Old Testament, which passed from the synagogue
into the church-service. "Tpvog is every song, the main contents of
which are praise of and thanks to God, therefore a song of praise ;
w<J^, on the contrary, may equally have another purport ; the epithet
irvevnariKos defines the songs here meant, as such as are of genuine
religious purport. The same terms are also found in the parallel
passage, Col. iii. 16. The reading Kapdiais has probably intruded
itself into the text here from Colossians, though there too napdia is
found altered from this passage in some MSS. The peculiar addition,
Iv xdpiTt (Col. iii. 16), is not to be referred to the charm of the song
(for it is tv ralg Kap6iaig } therefore purely inward), but to the grateful
feeling of the believer. 'Aideiv KOI tpdkteiv is to be taken collect-
ively as denoting inward spiritual joy. In ver. 20 v-rcp navruv is
to be taken as neuter, " for all that befalls you, whether good or
evil." The discourse here is not of prayer for others. On the for-
mula KV dvonan, = epa, see at Matth. xxi. 9, xxiii. 39 ; John ix. 13.
On T<3 0e<3 nal narpi see i. 3. Col. iii. 17 adds further : -ro5 0eo)
KCU -rrarpi 61' avrov } m every prayer is rendered acceptable to God
the Father through Christ.
EPHESIANS V. 21, 22. 133
6. PRECEPTS FOB THE MARRIED STATE AND THE FAMILY.
(v. 21 vi. 9.)
Paul comes now, in the progress of his exhortations, to marriage,
on which he expresses himself at length (vers. 2L-33), and that by
drawing a parallel between the relation of CKrist and the church
and that of man and wife. To the consideration of marriage are
further annexed moral exhortations, which have for their object the
various relations of families, particularly the relations of children
and parents, of servants and masters, which exhortations are con-
tained in vi. 1-9. The common link by which these ethical precepts
are held together is the idea of subordination, of obedience. As
Paul wishes above all to bring this home to his readers in its vast
importance, he always begins his representation with the party
bound to obedience (ver. 22 with the wives, vi. 1 with the children,
vi. 5 with the servants), and then first introduces the other side of
the subject, viz., that those who are charged with authority are to
exercise it in a mild and religious temper. (In verse 25 husbands
are exhorted, vi. 4 fathers, vi. 9 masters.) This discussion on mar-
riage, finally (v. 21-33), is, along with 1 Cor. vii., the leading pas-
sage on this important institution, which includes in equal measure
the elements of church and state. There (1 Cor. vii.), however,
marriage is treated of rather in its actual appearance as more or less
out of conformity with its ideal ; here, on the contrary, it is con-
ceived altogether in its ideal dignity, as the copy of that spiritual
marriage formed by Christ and the church.
Vers. 21, 22. Whether vnoTaoaopevoi d^X^oig ev </>d/3<y Xptarov
(verse 21) is to be referred to what precedes or what follows, seems
doubtful. In the former case it must, with kahovvreg and the other
participles in verses 19, 20, depend on nkrjpovade kv Trvevfian (verse
18) ; so Winer (Gr., 45, 6. p. 314) and Lachmann. But, first, we
scarcely see how the exhortation to subordination can be introduced
into the summons to spiritual joy, and, secondly, the rc5 6eoi nai
mzrpt forms clearly the conclusion of the preceding discussion, so
that another participle cannot possibly be joined on. But, if it
be united with what follows, its position at the beginning seems
unnatural. For the supposition of Calvin, Koppe, Flatt, and
others, that the participle stands for the imperative, is grammati-
cally inadmissible. Its connexion with what follows is made still
more difficult by the uncertainty of the reading in verse 22. B.
leaves vnordaaeads out altogether ; D.E.F.G. have it before rdi<;
On the other hand, A. 17, 57, and other inferior critical au-
134 EPHESIANS V. 23, 24.
thorities, have vnoraoaeadioaav. However, all these deviations seem
to have arisen only through the difficulty of vTroraooopevoi (verse 21).
Probably the case stands thus with the passage : verse 21 declares
the principle of subordination quite comprehensively for all the re-
lations which are afterwards treated of singly, to which then, first,
in verse 22, the exhortation to married women is subjoined. Thus
the participle vTroraaoofievoi is most simply explained in accordance
with the context by the assumption of an ellipsis : " all believers
are subordinate one to another in the fear of Christ." The limiting
clause iv <j>6(3^) Xpiorov excludes all slavish fear ; the fear of Christ
is the tender timidity that follows in the train of love. (Cf. verse
33.) Finally, the reading Xpiorov is guaranteed by A.B.D.E.F.G.,
and is no doubt preferable to the readings Qeov, nvpiov, 'Irjaov. To
exclude all severity, ver. 22 adds wf TO> <cvp/w, for which the parallel
passage Col. iii. 18 has w<r dv/jitev iv itvpiu). Wives are, therefore, to
be subject not to their husbands as such, but to God's ordinance in
the institution of marriage ; just as the Christian in his relation to