Ephesians 6
The chapter in full, then what it says, what the Greek or Hebrew decides, and where readers have disagreed.
Ephesians 6 WEB
- 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
- 2 "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with a promise:
- 3 "that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth."
- 4 You fathers, don't provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
- 5 Servants, be obedient to those who according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ,
- 6 not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
- 7 with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men,
- 8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive the same good again from the Lord, whether he is bound or free.
- 9 You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.
- 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
- 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
- 12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world's rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
- 13 Therefore put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
- 14 Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
- 15 and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace,
- 16 above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.
- 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
- 18 with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints.
- 19 Pray for me, that utterance may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Good News,
- 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
- 21 But that you also may know my affairs, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make known to you all things.
- 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know our state and that he may comfort your hearts.
- 23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- 24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love. Amen.
What is happening
Ephesians 6 closes out a section that began back in 5:21, where Paul turned from doctrine to household life — how the gospel reshapes the most ordinary relationships: marriage (5:22–33), and now parents and children, slaves and masters. The letter then pivots, in its final movement, to a different kind of relationship entirely: the Christian's standing against spiritual opposition. The chapter has two halves that look unrelated but are not — both describe what it looks like to live "in the Lord" once Christ has torn down the wall between people (2:14) and seated believers with him in the heavens (2:6). Paul writes this as a prisoner (6:20), which matters for reading the armor imagery that follows: he is not spinning metaphors from comfort but from a cell.
The passage, walked through
Children and fathers (6:1–4). The command to children is "obey your parents in the Lord" — ὑπακούετε, a stronger verb than the "honor" given to husbands and wives generally; children are placed under authority, not merely asked for respect. Paul grounds it not in sentiment but in the fifth commandment, quoted almost verbatim: "Honor your father and mother… that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth" (6:2–3). He calls this "the first commandment with a promise" (ἐντολὴ πρώτη ἐν ἐπαγγελίᾳ) — the first of the Decalogue's commands to carry an attached blessing. Fathers get the counterpart: "don't provoke your children to wrath" (μὴ παροργίζετε — do not exasperate them into resentment) but "nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (ἐν παιδεί�ᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου) — παιδεία being the whole shaping of a child's character, νουθεσία the verbal correction alongside it. Authority is real, but it is bounded; a father answers to the same Lord he represents.
Slaves and masters (6:5–9). This is the hardest section for modern readers, and the text does not flinch from being hard. Paul does not abolish the institution of slavery here — he addresses people inside it, on both sides, and reframes the relationship entirely from within. Slaves are told to obey "with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ" (6:5) — not performing "as men pleasers" (ἀνθρωπάρεσκοι, "eye-service," ὀφθαλμοδουλίαν) but doing the will of God ἐκ ψυχῆς, "from the soul." The reasoning that follows is the real weight of the passage: "he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him" (6:9) — προσωπολημψία, favoritism based on rank or face. Masters are commanded to treat slaves the same way they are told to be treated — "do the same things to them" — and to give up threatening. Whatever this section does not do (it issues no abolitionist manifesto), it does something that eventually made slavery indefensible on Christian terms: it makes master and slave equally accountable to one Lord who shows no partiality between them. The church took centuries to draw that line out fully; the seed is here.
The armor of God (6:10–20). The imperative shifts from household to cosmic struggle. "Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities… the world's rulers of the darkness of this age… the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (6:12) — πάλη, a wrestling-match term, close combat, not a battlefield at a distance. The armor, piece by piece, is borrowed from a Roman soldier's kit but is entirely made of gospel realities: truth as belt, righteousness as breastplate, "the preparation of the Good News of peace" as footwear, faith as shield able to "quench all the fiery darts of the evil one," salvation as helmet, "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (ῥῆμα Θεοῦ — the spoken word) as the one offensive weapon. Every piece is defensive or the very message itself; the passage never envisions Christians as aggressors seeking out the fight — the posture throughout is to "stand" (στῆτε, repeated three times: 6:11, 13, 14). The chapter ends where such warfare is actually fought — prayer, "at all times in the Spirit" (6:18) — and Paul asks for it for himself, an imprisoned "ambassador in chains" (6:20) who wants not release but boldness.
Where readers have disagreed
The slavery passage generates the most serious debate. Some read it as Paul quietly subverting an institution he could not openly attack under Rome, laying groundwork later realized in abolition; others read it as simple accommodation, a household code Paul had no interest in overturning. The text itself does not settle which motive Paul held, but its content is not neutral: no comparable ancient text told masters they would answer to the same impartial Lord as their slaves.
The "armor of God" is sometimes read as describing individual spiritual disciplines to be assembled privately, and sometimes as corporate — armor for the church standing together, since the "you" throughout is plural. The Greek supports the corporate reading more strongly than most devotional use of the passage recognizes; nothing here is solitary combat.
What it asks of a reader
The chapter presses one claim through both halves: no human relationship — parent to child, master to slave, self to any power arrayed against it — is finally horizontal. Every one of them runs "in the Lord," under an authority that outranks both parties and shows no partiality. Elisabeth Elliot's words in These Strange Ashes apply to the posture the chapter asks throughout: "God is God. Because he is God, he is worthy of my trust and obedience." That trust is what makes obedience to a parent bearable, what makes a master's power limited, and what makes standing against "spiritual forces of wickedness" possible without illusions of self-sufficiency — the armor is never one's own; it is God's, put on.
The verses this turns on
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Τὰ τέκνα, ὑπακούετε τοῖς γονεῦσιν ὑμῶν ἐν Κυρίῳ· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν δίκαιον.
- Τὰ ὁ article · nominative plural neuter G3588
- τέκνα, τέκνον noun · nominative plural neuter G5043
- ὑπακούετε ὑπακούω verb · present active imperative, 2nd person plural G5219
- τοῖς ὁ article · dative plural masculine G3588
- γονεῦσιν γονεύς noun · dative plural masculine G1118
- ὑμῶν σύ personal pronoun G4771
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
- Κυρίῳ· κύριος noun · dative singular masculine G2962
- τοῦτο οὗτος demonstrative pronoun · nominative singular neuter G3778
- γάρ γάρ conjunction G1063
- ἐστιν εἰμί verb · present active indicative, 3rd person singular G1510
- δίκαιον. δίκαιος adjective · nominative singular neuter G1342
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this pleases the Lord.
- Proverbs 23:22 Listen to your father who gave you life, and don't despise your mother when she is old.
- Proverbs 6:20 My son, keep your father's commandment, and don't forsake your mother's teaching.
- Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.
- Proverbs 1:8 My son, listen to your father's instruction, and don't forsake your mother's teaching;
"Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with a promise:discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐντολὴ πρώτη ἐν ἐπαγγελίᾳ,
- τίμα τιμάω verb · present active imperative, 2nd person singular G5091
- τὸν ὁ article · accusative singular masculine G3588
- πατέρα πατήρ noun · accusative singular masculine G3962
- σου σύ personal pronoun G4771
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- τὴν ὁ article · accusative singular feminine G3588
- μητέρα, μήτηρ noun · accusative singular feminine G3384
- ἥτις ὅστις relative pronoun · nominative singular feminine G3748
- ἐστὶν εἰμί verb · present active indicative, 3rd person singular G1510
- ἐντολὴ ἐντολή noun · nominative singular feminine G1785
- πρώτη πρῶτος adjective · nominative singular feminine G4413
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.
- Deuteronomy 27:16 'Cursed is he who dishonors his father or his mother.' All the people shall say, 'Amen.'
- Matthew 15:4 For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.'
- Proverbs 20:20 Whoever curses his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in blackness of darkness.
- Malachi 1:6 "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, then where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says Yahweh of Armies to you priests who despise my name. "You say, 'How have we despised your name?'
Servants, be obedient to those who according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ,discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Οἱ δοῦλοι, ὑπακούετε τοῖς κατὰ σάρκα κυρίοις μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου ἐν ἁπλότητι τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς τῷ Χριστῷ,
- Οἱ ὁ article · nominative plural masculine G3588
- δοῦλοι, δοῦλος (II) noun · nominative plural masculine G1401
- ὑπακούετε ὑπακούω verb · present active imperative, 2nd person plural G5219
- τοῖς ὁ article · dative plural masculine G3588
- κατὰ κατά preposition G2596
- σάρκα σάρξ noun · accusative singular feminine G4561
- κυρίοις κύριος noun · dative plural masculine G2962
- μετὰ μετά preposition G3326
- φόβου φόβος noun · genitive singular masculine G5401
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- τρόμου τρόμος noun · genitive singular masculine G5156
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- 1 Peter 2:18 Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the wicked.
- Titus 2:9 Exhort servants to be in subjection to their own masters and to be well-pleasing in all things, not contradicting,
- Colossians 3:17 Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
- Psalm 86:11 Teach me your way, Yahweh. I will walk in your truth. Make my heart undivided to fear your name.
- Ephesians 5:22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Καὶ οἱ κύριοι, τὰ αὐτὰ ποιεῖτε πρὸς αὐτούς, ἀνιέντες τὴν ἀπειλήν, εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ αὐτῶν καὶ ὑμῶν ὁ Κύριός ἐστιν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ προσωπολημψία οὐκ ἔστιν παρ’ αὐτῷ.
- Καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- οἱ ὁ article · nominative plural masculine G3588
- κύριοι, κύριος noun · nominative plural masculine G2962
- τὰ ὁ article · accusative plural neuter G3588
- αὐτὰ αὐτός personal pronoun · accusative plural neuter G846
- ποιεῖτε ποιέω verb · present active imperative, 2nd person plural G4160
- πρὸς πρός preposition G4314
- αὐτούς, αὐτός personal pronoun · accusative plural masculine G846
- ἀνιέντες ἀνίημι verb · present active participle, nominative plural masculine G447
- τὴν ὁ article · accusative singular feminine G3588
- ἀπειλήν, ἀπειλή noun · accusative singular feminine G547
- εἰδότες οἶδα verb · perfect active participle, nominative plural masculine G1492
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Acts 10:34 Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly I perceive that God doesn't show favoritism;
- Colossians 3:25 But he who does wrong will receive again for the wrong that he has done, and there is no partiality.
- Romans 2:11 For there is no partiality with God.
- Job 31:13 "If I have despised the cause of my male servant or of my female servant, when they contended with me,
- Luke 6:31 "As you would like people to do to you, do exactly so to them.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Τοῦ λοιποῦ, ἐνδυναμοῦσθε ἐν Κυρίῳ καὶ ἐν τῷ κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ.
- Τοῦ ὁ article · genitive singular neuter G3588
- λοιποῦ, λοιπός adjective · genitive singular neuter G3062
- ἐνδυναμοῦσθε ἐνδυναμόω verb · present middle or passive imperative, 2nd person plural G1743
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
- Κυρίῳ κύριος noun · dative singular masculine G2962
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
- τῷ ὁ article · dative singular neuter G3588
- κράτει κράτος noun · dative singular neuter G2904
- τῆς ὁ article · genitive singular feminine G3588
- ἰσχύος ἰσχύς noun · genitive singular feminine G2479
- αὐτοῦ. αὐτός personal pronoun · genitive singular masculine G846
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
- Isaiah 40:31 but those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
- Joshua 1:9 Haven't I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid. Don't be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go."
- 1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch! Stand firm in the faith! Be courageous! Be strong!
- 1 Peter 5:10 But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
ἐνδύσασθε τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι ὑμᾶς στῆναι πρὸς τὰς μεθοδίας τοῦ διαβόλου·
- ἐνδύσασθε ἐνδύω verb · aorist middle imperative, 2nd person plural G1746
- τὴν ὁ article · accusative singular feminine G3588
- πανοπλίαν πανοπλία noun · accusative singular feminine G3833
- τοῦ ὁ article · genitive singular masculine G3588
- Θεοῦ θεός noun · genitive singular masculine G2316
- πρὸς πρός preposition G4314
- τὸ ὁ article · accusative singular neuter G3588
- δύνασθαι δύναμαι verb · present middle or passive deponent infinitive G1410
- ὑμᾶς σύ personal pronoun G4771
- στῆναι ἵστημι verb · aorist active infinitive G2476
- πρὸς πρός preposition G4314
- τὰς ὁ article · accusative plural feminine G3588
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- 2 Corinthians 10:4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds,
- Romans 13:12 The night is far gone, and the day is near. Let's therefore throw off the deeds of darkness, and let's put on the armor of light.
- Ephesians 6:13 Therefore put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:8 But since we belong to the day, let's be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
- 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world's rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχάς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις.
- ὅτι ὅτι conjunction G3754
- οὐκ οὐ particle · nominative G3756
- ἔστιν εἰμί verb · present active indicative, 3rd person singular G1510
- ἡμῖν ἐγώ personal pronoun G1473
- ἡ ὁ article · nominative singular feminine G3588
- πάλη πάλη noun · nominative singular feminine G3823
- πρὸς πρός preposition G4314
- αἷμα αἷμα noun · accusative singular neuter G129
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- σάρκα, σάρξ noun · accusative singular feminine G4561
- ἀλλὰ ἀλλά conjunction G235
- πρὸς πρός preposition G4314
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Colossians 1:13 who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love,
- 2 Corinthians 4:4 in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.
- Ephesians 2:2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience.
- Colossians 2:15 Having stripped the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
- Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
διὰ πάσης προσευχῆς καὶ δεήσεως, προσευχόμενοι ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ἐν Πνεύματι, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ ἀγρυπνοῦντες ἐν πάσῃ προσκαρτερήσει καὶ δεήσει περὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων,
- διὰ διά preposition G1223
- πάσης πᾶς adjective · genitive singular feminine G3956
- προσευχῆς προσευχή noun · genitive singular feminine G4335
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- δεήσεως, δέησις noun · genitive singular feminine G1162
- προσευχόμενοι προσεύχομαι verb · present middle or passive deponent participle, nominative plural masculine G4336
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
- παντὶ πᾶς adjective · dative singular masculine G3956
- καιρῷ καιρός noun · dative singular masculine G2540
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
- Πνεύματι, πνεῦμα noun · dative singular neuter G4151
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
- Colossians 4:2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving,
- Philippians 4:6-7 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
- 1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks be made for all men,
- Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.
From the interpretive tradition
God is God. Because he is God, he is worthy of my trust and obedience.
Not to share our own wealth with the poor is theft from the poor and deprivation of their means of life; we do not possess our own wealth but theirs.