Ephesians 3 (WEB)

Ephesians 3

¹ For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,

² if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you,

³ how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words,

⁴ by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ,

⁵ which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit,

⁶ that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News,

⁷ of which I was made a servant according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power.

⁸ To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

⁹ and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ,

¹⁰ to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places,

¹¹ according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹² In him we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.

¹³ Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory.

¹⁴ For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

¹⁶ that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person,

¹⁷ that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

¹⁸ may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth,

¹⁹ and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

²¹ to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Around Ephesians 3

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

Ephesians 3 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

Paul calls himself a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of the Gentiles, and then he breaks off to tell about a secret. For ages it had been hidden, and now it has been revealed: the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.

He speaks of himself with surprise. “To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given,” to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. He says even the powers in the heavenly places learn of God's manifold wisdom through the assembly.

Then he returns to where he began and kneels. He prays that the Father would strengthen them with power through his Spirit, that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith, and that they would grasp “what is the width and length and height and depth”, and know the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge. The chapter ends with a doxology to the one who can do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”.

Background

Paul writes from prison, according to the letter. Verse 1 begins a prayer that breaks off at once and is only resumed in verse 14, with the long explanation in between. The mystery, that Gentiles share fully in the promise, appears also in Colossians 1:26. Many scholars question that Paul wrote the letter and many others hold that he did.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 17 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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