        
• Key
Chapter 6
- Children should obey their parents, that they may live
long and be happy, 1-3.
- Parents should be tender
towards their children, 4.
- Servants should show all
obedience and fidelity to their masters, 5-8.
- And masters should treat their servants with humanity,
9.
- All should be strong in the Lord, and be armed with his
armour, because of their wily, powerful, and numerous
foes, 10-13.
- The different parts of the Christian
armour enumerated, 14-17.
- The necessity of all kinds of
prayer and watchfulness, 18-20.
- Tychicus is
commissioned to inform the Ephesians of the apostle's
affairs, 21,22.
- The apostolic benediction and
farewell, 23,24.
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Verse 1. Children, obey your
parents
This is a duty with which God will
never dispense; he commands it, and one might think that
gratitude, from a sense of the highest obligations, would most
strongly enforce the command.
In the Lord
This clause is wanting in several reputable MSS., and in
same versions. In the Lord may mean, on account of the
commandment of the Lord; or, as far as the parents commands
are according to the will and word of God. For surely no child
is called to obey any parent if he give unreasonable or
unscriptural commands.
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Verse 2. Honour thy
father
See Clarke on Exodus
20:12. promises and threatenings connected
with it, is particularly considered, and the reasons of
the duty laid down at large.
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Verse 4. Fathers, provoke not your
children to wrath
Avoid all
severity; this will hurt your own souls, and do them no
good; on the contrary, if punished with severity or
cruelty, they will be only hardened and made desperate
in their sins. Cruel parents generally have bad
children. He who corrects his children according to God
and reason will feel every blow on his own heart more sensibly
than his child feels it on his body. Parents are called to
correct; not to punish, their children. Those
who punish them do it from a principle of
revenge; those who correct them do it from a
principle of affectionate concern.
Bring them up, κυριου. literally, Nourish them in
the discipline and instruction of the Lord. The
mind is to be nourished with wholesome discipline and
instruction, as the body is with proper food. παιδεια,
discipline, may refer to all that knowledge which is
proper for children, including elementary principles and rules
for behaviour, instruction, may imply whatever is
necessary to form the mind; to touch, regulate, and purify the
passions; and necessarily includes the whole of religion. Both
these should be administered in the Lord-according to
his will and word, and in reference to his eternal glory. All
the important lessons and doctrines being derived from his
revelation, therefore they are called the discipline and
instruction of the Lord.
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Verse 5. Servants, be
obedient
Though δουλος frequently signifies
a slave or bondman, yet it often implies a
servant in general, or any one bound to another, either
for a limited time, or for life. Even a slave, if a
Christian, was bound to serve him faithfully by whose money he
was bought, howsoever illegal that traffic may be considered.
In heathen countries slavery was in some sort excusable; among
Christians it is an enormity and a crime for which perdition
has scarcely an adequate state of punishment.
According to the
flesh
Your masters in secular things; for
they have no authority over your religion, nor over your
souls.
With fear and
trembling
Because the law gives them a
power to punish you for every act of disobedience.
In singleness of your
heart
Not merely through fear of
punishment, but from a principle of uprightness, serving them
as you would serve Christ.
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Verse 6. Not with
eye-service
Not merely in their presence,
when their eye is upon you, as unfaithful and hypocritical
servants do, without consulting conscience in any part of
their work.
Doing the will of
God
Seeing that you are in the state of
servitude, it is the will of God that you should act
conscientiously in it.
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Verse 7. With good
will
μετευνοιας. With cheerfulness;
do not take up your service as a cross, or bear it as a
burden; but take it as coming in the order of God's
providence, and a thing that is pleasing to him.
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Verse 8. Whatsoever good thing any
man doeth
Though your masters should fail
to give you the due reward of your fidelity and labour, yet,
as ye have done your work as unto the Lord, he will take care
to give you the proper recompense.
Whether he be
bond
A slave, bought with money;
Or free.
A
person who has hired himself of his own free accord.
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Verse 9. Ye masters, do the same
things unto them
Act in the same
affectionate, conscientious manner towards your slaves and
servants, as they do towards you.
Forbearing
threatening
If they should transgress at
any time, lean more to the side of mercy than
justice; and when ye are obliged to punish, let it be
as light and as moderate as possible; and let revenge
have no part in the chastisement, for that is of the devil,
and not of God.
The words, forbearing threatening;
ανιεντεςτηναπειλην, signify to mitigate, relax, or not exact
threatening; that is, the threatened punishment. The
sense is given above.
In Shemoth Rabba, sect. 21, fol. 120, there is a
good saying concerning respect of persons: "If a poor
man comes to a rich man to converse with him, he will not
regard him; but if a rich man comes he will hear and rehear
him. The holy and blessed God acts not thus; for all are alike
before him, women, slaves, the poor, and the rich."
Knowing that your Master also is
in heaven
You are their
masters, GOD is yours. As you deal with
them, so GOD will deal with you; for do not
suppose, because their condition on earth is inferior to
yours, that God considers them to be less worthy of his regard
than you are; this is not so, for there is no respect
of persons with Him.
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Verse 10. Finally
Having laid before you, your great and high calling, and
all the doctrines and precepts of the Gospel, it is necessary
that I should show you the enemies that will oppose you, and
the strength which is requisite to enable you to repel them.
Be strong in the
Lord
You must have strength, and strength
of a spiritual kind, and such strength too as the
Lord himself can furnish; and you must have this
strength through an indwelling God, the power of his
might working in you.
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Verse 11. Put on the whole armour of
God
ενδυσασθετην πανοπλιαντουθεου. The
apostle considers every Christian as having a warfare to
maintain against numerous, powerful, and subtle foes; and that
therefore they would need much strength, much courage,
complete armour, and skill to use it. The panoply which
is mentioned here refers to the armour of the heavy
troops among the Greeks; those who were to sustain the
rudest attacks, who were to sap the foundations of walls,
storm cities, ordinary armour was the shield, the
helmet, the sword, and the greaves or
brazen boots. To all these the apostle refers below.
See Clarke on Ephesians
6:13.
The wiles of the
devil.
ταςμεθοδειαςτουδιαβολου. The
methods of the devil; the different means, plans,
schemes, and machinations which he uses to deceive,
entrap, enslave, and ruin the souls of men. A man's
method of sinning is Satan's method of ruining his
soul. See Clarke on Ephesians
4:14.
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Verse 12. For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood
ουκ
εστινημινηπαληπροςαιμακαισαρκα. Our wrestling or
contention is not with men like ourselves: flesh and
blood is a Hebraism for men, or human
beings. See Clarke on Galatians
1:16.
The word παλη implies the athletic exercises in the Olympic
and other national games; and παλαιστρα was the place
in which the contenders exercised. Here it signifies warfare
in general.
Against
principalities
αρχας. Chief rulers;
beings of the first rank and order in their own kingdom.
Powers
εξουσιας, Authorities, derived from, and
constituted by the above.
The rulers of the darkness of this
world
τουςκοσμοκρατορας
τουσκοτουςτουαιωνοςτουτου. The rulers of the world; the
emperors of the darkness of this state of things.
Spiritual
wickedness
ταπνευματικατηςπονηριας.
The spiritual things of wickedness; or, the
spiritualities of wickedness; highly refined and
sublimed evil; disguised falsehood in the garb of
truth; Antinomianism in the guise of religion.
In high places.
εςτοιςεπουρανιοις. In the most sublime
stations. But who are these of whom the apostle
speaks? Schoettgen contends that the rabbins and
Jewish rulers are intended. This he thinks proved by
the words τουαιωνοςτουτου, of this world, which are
often used to designate the Old Testament, and
the Jewish system; and the words εντοις επουρανιοις,
in heavenly places, which are not unfrequently used to
signify the time of the NEW TESTAMENT, and the Gospel
system.
By the spiritual wickedness in heavenly places, he thinks
false teachers, who endeavoured to corrupt Christianity, are
meant; such as those mentioned by St. John, 1 John
2:19: They went out from us, but they were not of
us, the meaning may be extended to all corrupters of
Christianity in all succeeding ages. He shows also that the
Jews called their own city sar shel olam, κοσμοκρατωρ,
the ruler of the world; and proves that David's
words, Psalms
2:2, The kings of the earth set themselves, and the
rulers take counsel together, are applied by the
apostles, Acts
4:26, to the Jewish rulers, αρχοντες, who
persecuted Peter and John for preaching Christ crucified. But
commentators in general are not of this mind, but think that
by principalities, different orders of evil spirits,
who are all employed under the devil, their great head, to
prevent the spread of the Gospel in the world, and to destroy
the souls of mankind.
The spiritual wickedness are supposed to be the
angels which kept not their first estate; who fell from
the heavenly places but are ever longing after and
striving to regain them; and which have their station in the
regions of the air. "Perhaps," says Mr. Wesley, "the
principalities and powers remain mostly in the citadel
of their kingdom of darkness; but there are other
spirits which range abroad, to whom the provinces of the
world are committed; the darkness is chiefly
spiritual darkness which prevails during the present
state of things, and the wicked spirits are
those which continually oppose faith, love, and holiness,
either by force or fraud; and labour to infuse unbelief,
pride, idolatry, malice, envy, anger, and hatred." Some
translate the words εντοιςεπουρανιοις, about heavenly
things; that is: We contend with these fallen spirits for
the heavenly things which are promised to us; and we strive
against them, that we may not be deprived of those we have.
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Verse 13. Wherefore
Because ye have such enemies to contend with, take unto
you-assume, as provided and prepared for you, the
whole armour of God; which armour if you put on and
use, you shall be both invulnerable and immortal. The ancient
heroes are fabled to have had armour sent to them by the
gods; and even the great armour-maker, Vulcan,
was reputed to be a god himself. This was fable:
What Paul speaks of is reality. See Clarke on Ephesians
6:11.
That ye may be able to
withstand
That ye may not only stand fast
in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free, but also
discomfit all your spiritual foes; and continuing in your
ranks, maintain your ground against them, never putting off
your armour, but standing always ready prepared to repel any
new attack.
And having done all, to
stand.
καιαπαντακατεργασαμενοι στηναι.
rather, And having conquered all, stand: this is a
military phrase, and is repeatedly used in this sense by the
best Greek writers. So Dionys. Hal. Ant., lib. vi.,
page 400: και πανταπολεμιαενολιγωκατεργασαμενοιχρονω. "Having
in a short time discomfited all our enemies, we
returned with numerous captives and much spoil." See many
examples in Kypke. By evil day we may
understand any time of trouble, affliction, and sore
temptation.
As there is here allusion to some of the most important
parts of the Grecian armour, I shall give a short account of
the whole. It consisted properly of two sorts: 1. Defensive
armour, or that which protected themselves. 2. Offensive
armour, or that by which they injured their enemies. The
apostle refers to both.
I. Defensive armour:
περικεφαλαια, the HELMET; this was the armour for the head,
and was of various forms, and embossed with a great variety of
figures. Connected with the helmet was the crest or
ridge on the top of the helmet, adorned with several
emblematic figures; some for ornament, some to strike
terror. For crests on ancient helmets we often see the
winged lion, the griffin, chimera, St. Paul seems to refer to
one which had an emblematical representation of hope.
ζωμα, the GIRDLE; this went about the loins, and served to
brace the armour tight to the body, and to support daggers,
short swords, and such like weapons, which were frequently
stuck in it. This kind of girdle is in general use among the
Asiatic nations to the present day.
θωραξ, the BREAST-PLATE; this consisted of two parts,
called πτερυγες or wings: one covered the whole region
of the thorax or breast, in which the principal viscera
of life are contained; and the other covered the back, as far
down as the front part extended.
κνημιδες, GREAVES or brazen boots, which covered the
shin or front of the leg; a kind of solea was often
used, which covered the sole, and laced about the instep, and
prevented the foot from being wounded by rugged ways, thorns,
stones,
χειριδες, GAUNTLETS; a kind of gloves that served to
defend the hands, and the arm up to the elbow.
ασπις, the clypeus or SHIELD; it was perfectly
round, and sometimes made of wood, covered with
bullocks' hides; but often made of metal. The
aspis or shield of Achilles, made by Vulcan, was
composed of five plates, two of brass, two of
tin, and one of gold; so Homer, Il. U. v. 270:-
επειπεντεπτυχαςηλασεκυλλοποδιων
ταςδυοχαλκειαςδυοδενδοθικασσιτεροιο τηνδεμιανξρυσην
Five plates of various metal, various mould, Composed the
shield; of brass each outward fold, Of tin each inward,
and the middle gold.
Of shields there were several sorts:
γερρων or γερρα, the gerron; a small square
shield, used first by the Persians.
λαισηιον, LAISEION; a sort of oblong shield, covered
with rough hides, or skins with the hair on.
πελτη, the PELTA; a small light shield, nearly in
the form of a demicrescent, with a small ornament, similar to
the recurved leaves of a flower de luce, on the centre
of a diagonal edge or straight line; this was the
Amazonian shield.
θυρεος, the scutum or OBLONG SHIELD; this was always
made of wood, and covered with hides. It was exactly in
the shape of the laiseion, but differed in size,
being much larger, and being covered with hides from which the
hair had been taken off. It was called θυρεος from θυρα, a
door, which it resembled in its oblong shape; but it
was made curved, so as to embrace the whole forepart of the
body. The aspis and the thureos were the shields
principally in use; the former for light, the latter for
heavy armed troops.
II. Offensive armour, or weapons; the following were
chief:
εγχος, enchos, the SPEAR; which was generally a head
of brass or iron, with a long shaft of ash.
δορυ, the LANCE; differing perhaps little from the former,
but in its size and lightness; being a missile used, both by
infantry and cavalry, for the purpose of annoying the enemy at
a distance.
ξιφος, the SWORD; these were of various sizes, and in the
beginning all of brass. The swords of Homer's heroes
are all of this metal.
μαχαιρα, called also a sword, sometimes a
knife; it was a short sword, used more
frequently by gladiators, or in single combat. What other
difference it had from the xiphos I cannot tell.
αξινη, from which our word AXE; the common
battle-axe.
πελεκυς, the BIPEN; a sort of battle-axe, with
double face, one opposite to the other.
κορυνη, an iron club or mace, much used both
among the ancient Greeks and Persians.
τοξον, the BOW; with its pharetra or quiver,
and its stock or sheaf of arrows.
σφενδονη, the SLING; an instrument in the use of which most
ancient nations were very expert, particularly the Hebrews and
ancient Greeks.
The arms and armour mentioned above were not always in use;
they were found out and improved by degrees. The account given
by Lucretius of the arms of the first inhabitants of
the earth is doubtless as correct as it is natural.
Arma antiqua manus, ungues, dentesque fuere,
Et lapides, et item silvarum fragmina rami,
Et flammae, atque ignes postquam sunt cognita
primum: Posterius ferri vis est, aerisque
reperta: Sed prius aeris erat quam ferri
cognitus usus: Quo facilis magis est natura, et
copia major. De Rerum Nat., lib. v. ver. 1282.
Whilst cruelty was not improved by art, And
rage not furnished yet with sword or
dart; With fists, or boughs, or
stones, the warriors fought; These were the only
weapons Nature taught: But when flames burnt the
trees and scorched the ground, Then brass appeared, and
iron fit to wound. Brass first was used, because the
softer ore, And earth's cold veins contained a greater store.
CREECH.
I have only to observe farther on this head, 1. That the
ancient Greeks and Romans went constantly armed; 2.
That before they engaged they always ate together; and
3. That they commenced every attack with prayer to the gods
for success.
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Verse 14. Stand
therefore
Prepare yourselves for combat,
having your loins girt about with truth. He had told
them before to take the whole armour of God, Ephesians
6:13, and to put on this whole armour.
Having got all the pieces of it together, and the
defensive parts put on, they were then to gird them
close to their bodies with the ζωμα or girdle, and
instead of a fine ornamented belt, such as the ancient
warriors used, they were to have truth. The Gospel of
Jesus Christ is the truth of God; unless this be
known and conscientiously believed no man can
enter the spiritual warfare with any advantage or prospect of
success. By this alone we discover who our enemies are, and
how they come on to attack us; and by this we know where our
strength lies; and, as the truth is great, and must prevail,
we are to gird ourselves with this against all false religion,
and the various winds of doctrine by which cunning men and
insidious devils lie in wait to deceive. Truth may be taken
here for sincerity; for if a man be not conscious to
himself that his heart is right before God, and that he
makes no false pretences to religion, in vain does he enter
the spiritual lists. This alone can give him confidence:-
---------------- Hic murus aheneus esto, Nil
conscire sibi, nulla pallescere culpa. Let this be my
brazen wall; that no man can reproach me with a crime, and
that I am conscious of my own integrity.
The breast-plate of
righteousness
What the θωραξ or
breast-plate was, see before. The word
righteousness, δικαισυνη, we have often had occasion to
note, is a word of very extensive import: it signifies the
principle of righteousness; it signifies the
practice of righteousness, or living a
holy life; it signifies God's method of
justifying sinners; and it signifies
justification itself. Here it may imply a consciousness
of justification through the blood of the cross; the principle
of righteousness or true holiness implanted in the heart; and
a holy life, a life regulated according to the testimonies of
God. As the breast-plate defends the heart and lungs,
and all those vital functionaries that are contained in what
is called the region of the thorax; so this
righteousness, this life of God in the soul of man, defends
every thing on which the man's spiritual existence depends.
While he possesses this principle, and acts from it, his
spiritual and eternal life is secure.
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Verse 15. Your feet
shod
The κνημιδες, or greaves, have
been already described; they were deemed of essential
importance in the ancient armour; if the feet or legs are
materially wounded, a man can neither stand to resist his foe,
pursue him if vanquished, nor flee from him should he have the
worst of the fight.
That the apostle has obedience to the Gospel in
general in view, there can be no doubt; but he appears to have
more than this, a readiness to publish the
Gospel: for, How beautiful upon the mountains are
the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that
publisheth PEACE; that bringeth good tidings of
good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion,
Thy God reigneth! Isaiah
52:7; ; Romans
10:15.
The lsraelites were commanded to eat the passover with
their feet shod, to show that they were ready
for their journey. And our Lord commands his disciples to be
shod with sandals, that they might be ready to go and
publish the Gospel, as the Israelites were to go to possess
the promised land. Every Christian should consider himself on
his journey from a strange land to his own country, and not
only stand every moment prepared to proceed, but be every
moment in actual progress towards his home.
The preparation of the
Gospel
The word ετοιμασια which we
translate preparation, is variously understood: some
think it means an habitual readiness in walking in the
way prescribed by the Gospel; others that firmness and
solidity which the Gospel gives to them who
conscientiously believe its doctrines; others, those
virtues and graces which in the first
planting of Christianity were indispensably necessary to
those who published it.
Should we take the word preparation in its common
acceptation, it may imply that, by a conscientious belief of
the Gospel, receiving the salvation provided by its author,
and walking in the way of obedience which is pointed out by
it, the soul is prepared for the kingdom of heaven.
The Gospel is termed the Gospel of peace, because it
establishes peace between God and man, and proclaims peace and
good will to the universe. Contentions, strife, quarrels, and
all wars, being as alien from its nature and design, as they
are opposed to the nature of Him who is love and compassion to
man.
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Verse 16.
Above all, (επιπασιν, over all the rest of
the armour,) taking the shield of
faith
In the word θυρεος, thureos,
the apostle alludes to the great oblong shield, or
scutum, which covers the whole body. See its
description before. And as faith is the grace by which
all others are preserved and rendered active, so it is
properly represented here under the notion of a shield,
by which the whole body is covered and protected. Faith, in
this place, must mean that evidence of things unseen which
every genuine believer has, that God, for Christ's sake, has
blotted out his sins, and by which he is enabled to call God
his Father, and feel him to be his portion. It is such an
appropriating faith as this which can quench any dart
of the devil.
The fiery darts of the
wicked.
βελος, a dart, signifies any
kind of missile weapon; every thing that is projected
to a distance by the hand, as a javelin, or short
spear; or by a bow, as an arrow; or a stone by a
sling.
The fiery darts-ταβεληταπεπυρωμενα. It is probable
that the apostle alludes to the darts called falarica,
which were headed with lead, in or about which some
combustible stuff was placed that took fire in the passage of
the arrow through the air, and often burnt up the enemy's
engines, ships, they were calculated also to stick in the
shields and set them on fire. Some think that poisoned
arrows may be intended, which are called fiery from
the burning heat produced in the bodies of those who were
wounded by them. To quench or extinguish such fiery darts the
shields were ordinarily covered with metal on the outside, and
thus the fire was prevented from catching hold of the shield.
When they stuck on a shield of another kind and set it on
fire, the soldier was obliged to cast it away, and thus became
defenceless.
The fiery darts of the wicked, τουπονηρου, or
devil, are evil thoughts, and strong injections,
as they are termed, which in the unregenerate inflame the
passions, and excite the soul to acts of transgression. While
the faith is strong in Christ it acts as a shield to
quench these. He who walks so as to feel the witness of God's
Spirit that he is his child, has all evil thoughts in
abhorrence; and, though they pass through his mind, they never
fix in his passions. They are caught on this shield, blunted,
and extinguished.
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Verse 17. Take the helmet of
salvation
Or, as it is expressed, 1 Thessalonians
5:8, And for a helmet, the hope of salvation. It
has already been observed, in the description of the Grecian
armour, that on the crest and other parts of the helmet were a
great variety of emblematical figures, and that it is very
likely the apostle refers to helmets which had on them an
emblematical representation of hope; viz. that the
person should be safe who wore it, that he should be
prosperous in all his engagements, and ever escape safe from
battle. So the hope of conquering every adversary and
surmounting every difficulty, through the blood of the Lamb,
is as a helmet that protects the head; an impenetrable one,
that the blow of the battle-axe cannot cleave. The hope
of continual safety and protection, built on the promises of
God, to which the upright follower of Christ feels he has a
Divine right, protects the understanding from being
darkened, and the judgment from being confused by any
temptations of Satan, or subtle arguments of the sophistical
ungodly. He who carries Christ in his heart cannot be cheated
out of the hope of his heaven,
The sword of the
Spirit
See what is said before on ξιφος and
μαχαιρα, in the account of the Greek armour. The sword
of which St. Paul speaks is, as he explains it, the word of
God; that is, the revelation which God has given of
himself, or what we call the Holy Scriptures. This is
called the sword of the Spirit, because it comes from
the Holy Spirit, and receives its fulfilment in the soul
through the operation of the Holy Spirit. An ability to quote
this on proper occasions, and especially in times of
temptation and trial, has a wonderful tendency to cut in
pieces the snares of the adversary. In God's word a genuine
Christian may have unlimited confidence, and to every purpose
to which it is applicable it may be brought with the greatest
effect. The shield, faith, and the sword-the
word of God, or faith in God's unchangeable word, are
the principal armour of the soul. He in whom the word of God
dwells richly, and who has that faith by which he knows that
he has redemption, even the forgiveness of sins, need not fear
the power of any adversary. He stands fast in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made him free. Some suppose that
τουπνευματος, of the Spirit, should be understood of
our own spirit or soul; the word of God
being the proper sword of the soul, or that offensive weapon
the only one which the soul uses. But though it is true that
every Christian soul has this for its sword, yet the first
meaning is the most likely.
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Verse 18. Praying
always
The apostle does not put praying
among the armour; had he done so he would have referred it, as
he has done all the rest, to some of the Grecian armour; but
as he does not do this, therefore we conclude that his account
of the armour is ended, and that now, having equipped his
spiritual soldier, he shows him the necessity of
praying, that he may successfully resist those
principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this
world, and the spiritual wickednesses in heavenly places, with
whom he has to contend. The panoply, or whole
armour of God, consists in, 1. the girdle; 2. the
breast-plate; 3. the greaves; 4. the
shield; 5. the helmet; and 6. the sword.
He who had these was completely armed. And as it was the
custom of the Grecian armies, before they engaged, to offer
prayers to the gods for their success, the apostle shows
that these spiritual warriors must depend on the Captain of
their salvation, and pray with all prayer, i.e. incessantly,
being always in the spirit of prayer, so that they should be
ever ready for public, private, mental, or ejaculatory prayer,
always depending on HIM who can alone save, and who
alone can destroy.
When the apostle exhorts Christians to pray with all
prayer, we may at once see that he neither means
spiritual nor formal prayer, in exclusion of the
other. Praying, προσευχομενοι, refers to the
state of the spirit as well as to the
act.
With all prayer
Refers to the different kinds of prayer that is
performed in public, in the family, in the
closet, in business, on the way, in the
heart without a voice, and with the
voice from the heart. All those are necessary to the
genuine Christian; and he whose heart is right with God will
be frequent in the whole. "Some there are," says a very pious
and learned writer, who use only mental prayer or
ejaculations, and think they are in a state of grace, and use
a way of worship far superior to any other; but such only
fancy themselves to be above what is really above
them; it requiring far more grace to be enabled to pour
out a fervent and continued prayer, than to offer up mental
aspirations." Rev. J. Wesley.
And supplication
There is a difference between προσευχη, prayer, and
δεησις, supplication. Some think the former means
prayer for the attainment of good; the latter, prayer
for averting evil. Supplication however seems to
mean prayer continued in, strong and incessant
pleadings, till the evil is averted, or the
good communicated. There are two things that must be
attended to in prayer. 1. That it be ενπαντικαιρω, in every
time, season, or opportunity; 2. That it should
be ενπνευματι, in or through the
Spirit-that the heart should be engaged in it, and
that its infirmities should be helped by the Holy Ghost,
Watching thereunto
Being always on your guard lest your enemies should
surprise you. Watch, not only against evil, but also for
opportunities to do good, and for opportunities to receive
good. Without watchfulness, prayer and all the spiritual
armour will be ineffectual.
With all
perseverance
Being always intent on your
object, and never losing sight of your danger, or of
your interest. The word implies stretching out the
neck, and looking about, in order to discern an
enemy at a distance.
For all saints
For all Christians; for this was the character by
which they were generally distinguished.
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Verse 19. And for me, that utterance
may be given unto me
ιναμοιδοθειηλογος.
Kypke has proved by many examples that λογοςδιδοναι signifies
permission and power to defend one's self in a court of
justice; and this sense of the phrase is perfectly applicable
to the case of St. Paul, who was an ambassador in bonds, 6:20,)
and expected to be called to a public hearing, in which he was
not only to defend himself, but to prove the
truth and excellency of the Christian
religion. And we learn, from Philippians
1:12-14, that he had his desire in this respect; for
the things which happened to him fell out to the
furtherance of the Gospel, so that his bonds in Christ
were manifest in all the palace, and in all other
places. Thus God had enabled him to make a most noble
defence, by which the Gospel acquired great credit.
The mystery of the
Gospel
The whole doctrine of Christ,
not fully revealed previously to that time.
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Verse 20. An ambassador in
bonds
An ambassador being the
representative of his king, his person was in all civilized
countries held sacred. Contrary to the rights of nations, this
ambassador of the King of heaven was put in chains! He had
however the opportunity of defending himself, and of
vindicating the honour of his Master. See above.
As I ought to
speak.
As becomes the dignity and
the importance of the subject.
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Verse 21. That ye
also
As well as other Churches to whom I
have communicated the dealings both of God and man to me.
May know my affairs
May be acquainted with my situation and circumstances.
And how I do
How I employ my time, and what fruit there is of my
apostolical labours.
Tychicus, a beloved
brother
We learn, from Acts
20:4, that Tychicus was of Asia, and that he was a useful
companion of St. Paul. See the note on the above place.
This same person, and with the same character and
commendation, is mentioned in the Epistle to the Colossians,
Colossians
4:7. He is mentioned also in Titus
3:12, and in ; 2 Timothy
4:12; from all these places it is evident that he was a
person in whom the apostle had the highest confidence, and
that he was a very eminent minister of Christ.
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Verse 22. Whom I have sent-for the
same purpose
Namely, that the Ephesians
might know his affairs, and those of the Church at Rome:
messengers of this kind frequently passed between the Churches
in those ancient times.
Comfort your
hearts.
By showing you how powerfully he
was upheld in all his tribulations, and how God turned his
bonds to the furtherance of the Gospel. This must have been
great consolation to all the followers of God; and
particularly to those in Ephesus or Laodicea, or
to whomsoever the epistle was directed. The question, To whom
was it sent? is divided between the Ephesians and the
Laodiceans. Dr. Lardner has argued strongly in favour
of the former; Dr. Paley not less so in favour of the
latter.
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Verse 23. Peace be to the
brethren
If the epistle were really sent to
the Ephesians, a people with whom the apostle was so
intimately acquainted, it is strange that he mentions no
person by name. This objection, on which Dr. Paley lays great
stress, (see the preface to this epistle,) has not been
successfully answered.
Peace
All
prosperity, and continual union with God and among
yourselves; and love to God and man, the principle of
all obedience and union; with faith, continually
increasing, and growing stronger and stronger, from God the
Father, as the fountain of all our mercies, and the
Lord Jesus Christ, through whose sacrifice and mediation
they all come.
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Verse 24. Grace be with all
them
May the Divine favour, and all
the benedictions flowing from it, be with all them who love
our Lord Jesus Christ, who has so loved us as to give his life
to redeem ours, and to save us unto life eternal.
In sincerity.
εναφθαρσια?incorruptibility. Those who show the
genuineness of their love, by walking before him in holiness
of life. Many profess to love our Lord Jesus who are corrupt
in all their ways; on these the grace or favour
of God cannot rest; they profess to know him, but in works
deny him. Such can neither expect favour here, nor
hereafter.
Amen.
This is
wanting in ABFG, and some others. It is, however, more likely
to be a genuine subscription here than most others of
its kind. The apostle might have sealed his most earnest wish
by this word, which means not so much, so be it!
or may it be so! but rather implies the
faithfulness of him who had given the promises, and
whose prerogative it was to give effect to the prayers which
his own Spirit had inspired.
The principal subscriptions to this epistle are the
following: To the Ephesians. The Epistle to the Ephesians
is finished. To the Ephesians, written from Rome. To
the Ephesians, written from Rome by Tychicus. (This
is the subscription which we have followed; and it is that of
the larger number of modern MSS. and editions.) The
Epistle to the Ephesians, written from Rome, and sent
by Tychicus-SYRIAC. To the Ephesians.-AETHIOPIC.
VULGATE, no subscription. The end of this epistle, which
was written from Rome by Tychicus. Praise be to God
for ever. Amen.-ARABIC. Written at Rome, and sent by
Tychicus.-COPTIC. The SAHIDIC is defective. The Epistle
to the Ephesians is ended, which was written at Rome by
Tychicus.-Philoxenian SYRIAC.
We have had already occasion to observe that the
subscriptions to the sacred books were not written by
the authors themselves, but were added in a much later age,
and generally by unskilful hands. They are consequently not
much to be depended on, and never should be quoted as a part
of the Divine oracles.
- 1. IT may be supposed that on the principal subject of this
concluding chapter, the armour of God, I should have
been much more diffuse. I answer, my constant aim is just to
say enough, and no more, on any point. Whether I attain
this, in general, or not, I can still say it is what I have
desired. As to the Christian armour, it does not appear
to me that the apostle has couched such a profusion of
mystical meaning in it as to require a huge volume to explain.
I believe the Ephesians did not understand it so; nor did the
primitive Church of God. Men of rich imaginations may write
large volumes on such subjects; but when they come to be
fairly examined, they will be found not to be explanations of
the text, on which they professedly treat, but immense
bodies of divinity, in which the peculiar creed of the
writer, both with respect to doctrine and discipline, is amply
set forth. Mr. Gurnal's Christian Armour contains a
great many excellences; but surely it does not require such a
volume to explain the five verses of this chapter, in
which the apostle speaks of the spiritual armour. The grand
design of the apostle was to show that truth,
righteousness, obedience to the Gospel, faith in our
Lord Jesus Christ, a well grounded hope of
salvation, a thorough knowledge of the word of God,
and a continual dependence on and application to
him by prayer, were essentially necessary to every soul
who desired to walk uprightly in this life, and finally to
attain everlasting blessedness. This is the obvious meaning of
the apostle; in this sense it was understood by the Ephesians,
and by the primitive Church; we may amplify it as we
please.
- 2. In two or three places, in the preceding notes, I have
referred to a piece on a very remarkable rule relative to the
Greek article, to be introduced at the end. From the
labours of several learned men this subject has acquired
considerable importance, and has excited no small interest
among Biblical critics. The late benevolent, learned, and
excellent Mr. Granville Sharp was, I believe, the first
who brought this subject fairly before the public; he was
followed by the Rev. Dr. Wordsworth, a learned and
intelligent clergyman of the Established Church.
The Rev. Dr. Middleton, late bishop of Calcutta, has
presented the subject in all its force and excellence,
fortified by innumerable proofs, and a great variety of
critical disquisition. The principal design of these writers
was to exhibit a new and substantial mode of proving the
Divinity of our Lord and Saviour. Their works
are before the public, and within the reach of all who are
capable of judging of this mode of proof.
The piece which I now subjoin is the result of the
researches of one of my literary friends, H. S. Boyd, Esq.,
author of Translations from Chrysostom, both sacred and
profane, with peculiar attention; and has collected a vast
number of additional examples, both from prose and poetic
writers, for the confirmation and illustration of the rule in
question, and in support of the great doctrine of the
Godhead of Christ.
The critical reader, who has entered into this subject,
will be glad to see such a number of pointed examples brought
within his reach, which at once serve the purpose both of
philology and divinity. The learned author has
transmitted them to me for the purpose of insertion in this
place; but want of room has obliged me to omit several of his
quotations.*
* Since Dr. Clarke wrote this paragraph, the Essay on the
Greek Article has undergone a careful revision by the author,
and several additions have been made to it, which will, it is
hoped, be valuable to the critical reader. It is now
introduced in a separate form from the Commentary.-THE
PUBLISHERS
I would not wish the reader to suppose that these are the
only proofs of the grand doctrine of the Godhead of Christ;
they are not: the Holy Scripture, in its plain, obvious
meaning, independently of such criticism, affords the most
luminous and convincing proofs of the doctrine in question;
but this is no sufficient reason that we should reject any
additional light which may come to us in the way of Divine
Providence.
Finished the correction for a new edition, Dec. 15th, 1831.
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Copyright Statement
The Adam Clarke Commentary is a derivative of an
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Bibliography
Information
Clarke, Adam. "Commentary
on Ephesians 6". "The Adam Clarke Commentary".
<http://www.studylight.org/com/acc/view.cgi?book=eph&chapter=006>.
1832.
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