Ephesians 6
The chapter in full, then the passages inside it that are worth stopping on — what each one claims, what the Greek or Hebrew shows, and how the reading is arrived at.
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.
Ephesians 6 continues the "household code" begun in 5:22, moving from husbands and wives to children, parents, slaves, and masters, before Paul turns to the letter's final image: the Christian life as armed struggle. The whole section applies the letter's argument — that being "in Christ" reorders every human relationship — to the actual households of first-century Ephesus, where children, parents, slaves, and masters worshipped in the same congregation and had to work out what that meant on Monday morning.
6:1-3 Honor your father and mother, the first commandment with a promise
Paul repeats the fifth commandment (Exodus 20:12) almost verbatim, and calls it "the first commandment with a promise" (ἐντολὴ πρώτη ἐν ἐπαγγελίᾳ, 6:2) — not first in the Decalogue's order, but the first of the ten to carry an explicit reward attached to it. The instruction to children is grounded twice: it is "right" (δίκαιον, 6:1) — fitting, just, the natural order of things — and it is commanded, with a promise of long life "on the earth" (6:3). Colossians 3:20 makes the same point with a slightly different anchor: obedience "pleases the Lord." The qualifier "in the Lord" (ἐν Κυρίῳ, 6:1) matters: obedience is not owed to parents as an absolute, but is itself an act within the larger obedience owed to Christ — which is also why Paul can, three verses later, restrain fathers from the very abuse this command could be twisted to license. The promise of long life is not a bare bargain; it echoes the same promise attached to the commandment throughout Deuteronomy (5:16, 4:40) — a nation, and a household, that honors its parents does not tear itself apart.
6:4 Fathers, don't provoke your children to wrath
This verse is easy to skip past, but it is a genuine check on the previous three. Having told children to obey, Paul does not leave fathers unaddressed or assume the power runs one direction. παροργίζετε (6:4) means to provoke to anger, to exasperate — the same warning Colossians 3:21 puts in terms of discouragement. The positive alternative is to "nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου) — παιδεία covering the whole shape of upbringing, νουθεσία the verbal correction and counsel within it. Proverbs supplies both sides of this: the confidence that "train up a child in the way he should go" (22:6) bears fruit, and the warning that "the rod of correction gives wisdom" while a child "left to himself causes shame" (29:15). Paul's addition is the qualifier "of the Lord" — fathers do not raise children by their own authority or temper, but as those under authority themselves.
6:5-9 Servants, be obedient... you masters, do the same
This is the passage that draws the most resistance, because it addresses slaves and masters without condemning the institution of slavery outright. Two things need to be said plainly. First, what the text does: it dignifies the slave's labor by locating it "as to Christ" (ὡς τῷ Χριστῷ, 6:5) rather than to a human κύριος, strips masters of the right to threaten (ἀνιέντες τὴν ἀπειλήν, 6:9), and insists both slave and master answer to the same Master in heaven who shows "no partiality" (προσωπολημψία οὐκ ἔστιν, 6:9) — a sentence that quietly dissolves the social hierarchy it appears to accept. Colossians 3:22-23 and 1 Peter 2:18 run the same instruction, addressed to real people in a real economy neither Paul nor Peter had the power to abolish by letter. Second, what the text does not do: it does not call slavery good, does not defend the institution theologically, and gives masters no grounds for cruelty — the opposite, in fact. Chrysostom's principle elsewhere in the tradition — "we do not possess our own wealth but theirs" (Homily II, on almsgiving) — reflects the same logic applied to possessions generally: what a person "has" is held under obligation, not as unconditional right. Careful readers have long debated whether Paul's silence on abolition reflects tacit endorsement, strategic patience within a movement that could not yet challenge Roman law, or an argument (equality before the one Master) that contains its own eventual dissolution of the system — a case historically made from exactly this "no partiality" clause. The text itself gives the ground on which slavery would later be argued against; it does not make that argument explicitly.
6:10-17 Put on the whole armor of God
The famous set piece. Paul is not inventing an allegory from nothing — the imagery draws on Isaiah's portrait of God himself armed with righteousness and salvation, filtered through the sight of an actual Roman soldier, likely one of Paul's own guards as he wrote from custody (6:20). The list is precise: "truth" as belt (6:14), "righteousness" as breastplate (6:14), the "good news of peace" as footwear (6:15), "faith" as shield able to "quench all the fiery darts of the evil one" (6:16), "salvation" as helmet, and "the word of God" as the one offensive weapon, the sword (6:17). The crucial move is 6:12: "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." This has been misread in two opposite directions — either flattened into generic "spiritual warfare" language detached from ethics, or spiritualized away into mere metaphor for inner struggle. The text resists both: the armor pieces are moral and doctrinal realities (truth, righteousness, faith), not incantations, and yet the opponent named is not merely human sin or social structure but real hostile powers. The armor is defensive except for the sword; the posture throughout is to "stand" (στῆναι, repeated in 6:11, 6:13, 6:14) — not to advance, conquer, or expand territory, but to hold ground already won. Elisabeth Elliot's summary of the posture underlying such obedience applies directly: "God is God. Because he is God, he is worthy of my trust and obedience" (These Strange Ashes) — the armor is not self-generated courage but reliance placed in "the strength of his might" (6:10).
What the chapter asks
Every relationship named here — child to parent, servant to master, believer to hostile power — is asked to locate its true accountability not in the visible party across the table but in Christ standing behind it: obedience "in the Lord," service "as to Christ," strength found "in the Lord and in the strength of his might." The chapter does not flatten human structures of authority, but it relativizes every one of them by placing a higher Master over each. And it ends where the whole book began — not with self-sufficiency but with prayer, "at all times in the Spirit" (6:18), for a church still standing and an apostle still, from prison, asking to speak boldly.
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?'
"that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth."discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
ἵνα εὖ σοι γένηται καὶ ἔσῃ μακροχρόνιος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.
- ἵνα ἵνα conjunction G2443
- εὖ εὖ adverb G2095
- σοι σύ personal pronoun G4771
- γένηται γίνομαι verb · aorist middle deponent subjunctive, 3rd person singular G1096
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- ἔσῃ εἰμί verb · future middle deponent indicative, 2nd person singular G1510
- μακροχρόνιος μακροχρόνιος adjective · nominative singular masculine G3118
- ἐπὶ ἐπί preposition G1909
- τῆς ὁ article · genitive singular feminine G3588
- γῆς. γῆ noun · genitive singular feminine G1093
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Deuteronomy 5:16 "Honor your father and your mother, as Yahweh your God commanded you, that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.
- Deuteronomy 4:40 You shall keep his statutes and his commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which Yahweh your God gives you for all time.
- Deuteronomy 12:28 Observe and hear all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do that which is good and right in Yahweh your God's eyes.
- Deuteronomy 12:25 You shall not eat it, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, when you do that which is right in Yahweh's eyes.
- Isaiah 3:10 Tell the righteous that it will be well with them, for they will eat the fruit of their deeds.
You fathers, don't provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Καὶ οἱ πατέρες, μὴ παροργίζετε τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν, ἀλλὰ ἐκτρέφετε αὐτὰ ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου.
- Καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- οἱ ὁ article · nominative plural masculine G3588
- πατέρες, πατήρ noun · nominative plural masculine G3962
- μὴ μή particle · nominative G3361
- παροργίζετε παροργίζω verb · present active imperative, 2nd person plural G3949
- τὰ ὁ article · accusative plural neuter G3588
- τέκνα τέκνον noun · accusative plural neuter G5043
- ὑμῶν, σύ personal pronoun G4771
- ἀλλὰ ἀλλά conjunction G235
- ἐκτρέφετε ἐκτρέφω verb · present active imperative, 2nd person plural G1625
- αὐτὰ αὐτός personal pronoun · accusative plural neuter G846
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Colossians 3:21 Fathers, don't provoke your children, so that they won't be discouraged.
- Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
- Proverbs 29:15 The rod of correction gives wisdom, but a child left to himself causes shame to his mother.
- Proverbs 19:18 Discipline your son, for there is hope; don't be a willing party to his death.
- Deuteronomy 6:7 and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.
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.
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.