Figures of Speech in Ephesians Chapter 1 (ISV)

The Letter of Paul to the EPHESIANS

Ephesians 1

Greetings from Paul

¹From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, to his holy and faithful people in Ephesus who are in union with Christ Jesus. ²May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be yours!

The Many Blessings of Salvation

³May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be praised![1] He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing[2] in the heavenly realm, ⁴just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in his presence. In love ⁵he predestined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will,[3] ⁶so that we would praise[4] his glorious grace that he gave[5] us in the Beloved One. ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood,[6] the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches[7] of God’s[8] grace ⁸that he lavished on us, along with all wisdom and understanding,[9] ⁹when he made known to us the secret of his will.[10] This was according to his plan that he set forth in Christ ¹⁰to usher in the fullness of the times[11] and to gather up all things in Christ, both things in heaven and things on[12] earth.

¹¹In Christ[13] we were also chosen when we were set apart beforehand according to the purpose of the one who does everything according to the intention of his will.[14] ¹²He did this so that we who had already fixed our hope on Christ might live for his praise and glory. ¹³You, too, have heard the word of truth[15], the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him. You were sealed in him with the promised Holy Spirit,[16] ¹⁴who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own possession,[17] to his praise and glory.

Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians

¹⁵Therefore, because I have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶I never stop giving thanks for you as I mention you in my prayers. ¹⁷I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father most glorious,[18] would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation[19] through knowing Christ. ¹⁸Then, with the eyes of your hearts[20] enlightened, you will know the hope of his calling, the riches of his glorious inheritance[21] among the saints, ¹⁹and the unlimited greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his mighty strength.[22] ²⁰He put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand[23] in the heavenly realm. ²¹He is far above every ruler, authority, power, dominion, and every name that can be named, [24]not only in the present age but also in [the one][25] to come. ²²God has put everything[26] under his feet[27] and has made him the head of everything for the good of the church, ²³which is his body,[28] the fullness of the one who fills[29] everything in every way.

2

[1] 1:3 Figure: benedictio, expression of feeling by giving a blessing

[2] 1:3 Figure: polyptoton, eulogetos…eulogesas…eulogia, emphasis on blessing

[3] 1:5 Figure: hypallage, “his pleasing will” see also v 9,11

[4] 1:6 Lit. to the praise of

[5] 1:6 Figure: polyptoton, charitos…echaritosen, emphasis on grace

[6] 1:7 Figure: metalepsis, blood put for blood-shedding put for what was accomplished by his death

[7] 1:7 Figure: anthropopatheia, riches attributed to God, idioma, riches stand for great quantity of something

[8] 1:7 Lit. his

[9] 1:8 Figure: hendiadys, one thing meant – wise understanding

[10] 1:9 Figure: hypallage, “his secret purpose or will”

[11] 1:10 Figure: metonymy (of time) – stands for the ending of all history

[12] 1:10 Figure: anaphora, emphasis on how ALL will be gathered up in Christ

[13] 1:11 Lit. him; 1:11,13 Figure: repetitio, “in whom” emphasis on “in Christ”, 2x in v 13

[14] 1:11 Figure: hypallage, “his intended will”

[15] 1:13 Figure: antimereia, “the true word”; also synecdoche, word stands for all revelation

[16] 1:13 Lit. the Spirit of promise, Figure: antimereia, “the promised Spirit”; also hyperbaton, exchange of word order emphasizes “Holy”

[17] 1:14 Lit. of the possession, Figure: epitrechon, parenthesis explains that the Holy Spirit is a guarantee.

[18] 1:17 Lit. the Father of glory, Figure: antimereia, “the glorious Father”

[19] 1:17 Figure: hendiadys, one thing meant, “wise revelation”

[20] 1:18 Figure: prosopopeia (personification); also hypocatastasis, heart = inner mind

[21] 1:18 Figure: antimereia, dual genitive, “glorious riches of his inheritance”; also, anthropopatheia, wealth and inheritance attributed to God; idioma, riches = plenty

[22] 1:19 Figure: antimereia, dual genitive, “mighty working of his strength”

[23] 1:20 Figure: anthropopatheia, right hand; also hypocatastasis, right hand = place of blessing

[24] 1:21 Figure: polysyndeton, consider each kind of authority; also polyptoton, onomatos… onamazomenou, emphasis on every name

[25] 1:21 Figure: ellipsis, [the one] or [the age]

[26] 1:22 Figure: repetitio, panta, emphasis on everything

[27] 1:22 Figure: hypocatastasis, feet = dominion

[28] 1:23 Figure: metaphor, church represented by body

[29] 1:23 Figure: polyptoton, pleroma…pleroumenou, emphasis on fullness; also homeopropheron, “p” pleroma, panta, pasin, pleroumenou