Ephesians 4

Ephesians · Chapter 4

Ephesians 4:3

1I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,2With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;3Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;5One Lord, one faith, one baptism,6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.7But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.8Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.9(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:13Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:14That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:16From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.17This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,18Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:19Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.20But ye have not so learned Christ;21If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:22That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;23And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;24And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.25Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.26Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:27Neither give place to the devil.28Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.29Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.30And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
3Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

Ephesians 4:1-6Keep the unity of the Spirit

About Ephesians 4Paul urges the readers to "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called," keeping "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," for "There is one body, and one Spirit," with "One Lord, one faith, one baptism." Christ "gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints," so that they are no longer "tossed to and fro" but grow up into him by "speaking the truth in love." They must not walk "as other Gentiles walk" but "put off" the old man and "put on the new man," putting away lying, anger, stealing and bitterness, and be "kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Ephesians 4:1Ephesians 4:3Ephesians 4:4Ephesians 4:5Ephesians 4:11Ephesians 4:12Ephesians 4:14Ephesians 4:15Ephesians 4:17Ephesians 4:22Ephesians 4:24Ephesians 4:25Ephesians 4:26Ephesians 4:28Ephesians 4:31Ephesians 4:32

Why this verse matters here"Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Verses 4-6 give the ground: "one body, and one Spirit... One Lord, one faith, one baptism." Ephesians 4:3Ephesians 4:4Ephesians 4:5Ephesians 4:6

Who, where and when in this chapter

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
being diligentσπουδάζοντεςspoudazontesG4704
be eager

σπουδάζω (spoudazō) σπουδάζω (σπουδή), [in LXX chiefly for בָּהַל ;] to make haste; hence, to be zealous or eager, to give diligence: with inf. (see M, Pr., 205 f.), Gal.2:10, Eph.4:3, 1Th.2:17, 2Ti.2:15 4:9 4:21, Tit.3:12, Heb.4:11, 2Pe.1:10 3:14; with accusative and inf. (on this construction see Mayor in l; MM, xxiii), 2Pe.1:15 (for other constructions see LS, see word).† (AS)

to keepτηρεῖνtēreinG5083I
to keep: observe

τηρέω (tēreō) τηρέω, -ῶ [in LXX for שָׁמַר, נָצַר, etc. ;] 1. to watch over, guard, keep, preserve: Mat.27:36, Act.16:23, al.; ἑαυτόν, 2Co.11:9, 1Ti.5:22, Jas.1:27, Ju 21; before εἰς, Jhn.12:7, Act.25:21, 1Pe.1:4, 2Pe.2:4 2:9 3:7, Ju 6; ἐν, Jhn.17:11-12, Ju 21; ἐκ, Jhn.17:15, Rev.3:10; τ. πίστιν, 2Ti.4:7, Rev.14:12; τ. ἑνότητα τ. πνεύματος, Eph.4:3. …

unityἑνότηταhenotētaG1775
unity

ἑνότης (henotēs) ἑνότης, -ητος, ἡ (εἷς), unity, unanimity: Eph.4:3, 13.† (AS)

SpiritπνεύματοςpneumatosG4151G
spirit/breath: spirit

πνεῦμα (pneuma) πνεῦμα, -τος, τό, [in LXX chiefly and very frequently for רוּחַ ;] 1. of air in motion; (a) wind: Jhn.3:8; pl., Heb.1:7 (LXX); (b) breath: π. ζωῆς, Rev.11:11; π. τοῦ στόματος, figuratively, 2Th.2:8 (cf. Ps 32 (33)6). …

inἐνenG1722
in/on/among

ἐν (en) ἐν, prep, (the most frequently of all in NT), with dative (= Heb. בְּ, Lat. in, with abl.). I. Of place, with dative of thing(s), of person(s), in, within, on, at, by, among: ἐν τ. πόλει, Luk.7:37; τ. οφθαλμῷ, Mat.7:3; τ. κοιλίᾳ, Mat.12:40; τ. ὄρει, 2Pe.1:18; τ. θρόνῳ, Rev.3:21; τ. δεξιᾷ τ. θεοῦ, Rom.8:34; ἐν ἡμῖν Abbott-Smith has ὑμῖν., Luk.1:1; of books, ἐν τ. βιβλίῳ, Gal.3:10; τ. νόμῳ, Mat.12:5, al.; ἐν τοῖς τ. Πατρός, in my Father's house (RV; cf. M, Pr., 103), Luk.2:49; trop., of the region of thought or feeling, ἐν τ. καρδίᾳ (-αις), Mat.5:28, 2Co.4:6, al.; τ. συνειδήσεσιν, 2Co.5:11; af …

bondσυνδέσμῳsundesmōG4886
bond(age)

σύνδεσμος (sundesmos) σύν-δεσμος, -ου, ὁ (συνδέω), [in LXX for קֶשֶׁר, קְטַר, etc. ;] that which binds together, a bond: of the ligaments of the body, Col.2:19. Metaphorical, σ. ἀδικίας, Act.8:23; τ. τελειότητος, Col.3:14; τ. εἰρήνης, Eph.4:3 (see Lft., Col., ll. with).† (AS)

of peace,εἰρήνης,eirēnēsG1515
peace

εἰρήνη (eirēnē) εἰρήνη, -ης, ἡ, [in LXX chiefly for שָׁלוֹם ;] peace; 1. of public peace, freedom from war: Luk.14:32, Act.12:20 24:2; of the church, Ac 9:31. 2. Of peace between persons, concord, agreement : Mat.10:34, Luk.12:51, Rom.14:17, 1Co.7:15, Gal.5:22, Jas.3:18; ζητεῖν εἰ., 1Pe.3:11; διώκειν, 2Ti.2:22; ib. before μετὰ πάντων, Heb.12:14; by meton., of him who brings peace, Eph.2:14. …

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.