American Standard Version
Ephesians 3:8
8Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
Ephesians 3:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
- New International Version (NIV)Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ,
- English Standard Version (ESV)To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
- New King James Version (NKJV)To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
Context of Ephesians 3:8
6to wit, that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 7whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9and to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery which for ages hath been hid in God who created all things; 10to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Read all of Ephesians 3Ephesians 3:8 word by word
ἐμοὶ τῷ ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ πάντων ἁγίων ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις αὕτη, τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εὐαγγελίσασθαι τὸ ἀνεξιχνίαστον πλοῦτος τοῦ ΧριστοῦRead the interlinear
Cross-references for Ephesians 3:8
- Proverbs 30:2Surely I am more brutish than any man, And have not the understanding of a man;
- Romans 12:10In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another; in honor preferring one another;
- 1 Corinthians 15:9For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
- Philippians 2:3doing nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself;
- 1 Timothy 1:13though I was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: howbeit I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief;
- 1 Peter 5:5Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the elder. Yea, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another: for God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.
- 1 Chronicles 17:16Then David the king went in, and sat before Jehovah; and he said, Who am I, O Jehovah God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far?
- 1 Chronicles 29:14But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
- Acts 5:41They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name.
- Romans 15:15But I write the more boldly unto you in some measure, as putting you again in remembrance, because of the grace that was given me of God,
- Ephesians 3:2if so be that ye have heard of the dispensation of that grace of God which was given me to you-ward;
- Galatians 1:16to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles; straightway I conferred not with flesh and blood:
- Galatians 2:8(for he that wrought for Peter unto the apostleship of the circumcision wrought for me also unto the Gentiles);
- 1 Timothy 2:7whereunto I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I speak the truth, I lie not), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
- 2 Timothy 1:11whereunto I was appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher.
- Ephesians 3:16that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;
Commentaries on Ephesians 3:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Less than the least of all saints - ͅ ̔ . As the design of the apostle was to magnify the grace of Christ in the salvation of the world, he uses every precaution to prevent the eyes of the people from being turned to any thing but Christ crucified; and although he was obliged to speak of himself as the particular instrument which God had chosen to bring the Gentile world to the knowledge of the truth, yet he does it in such a manner as to show that the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints - This is one of the class of expressions unique to Paul. The ordinary terms of language do not express the idea which he wishes to convey, and a word is therefore coined to convey an idea more emphatically; compare the notes at 2 Corinthians 4:17. The word used here - ̓́ elachistoteros- does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament. It is a comparative made from the superlative. Similar expressions are…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-12Verses 8-12 Those whom God advances to honourable employments, he makes low in their own eyes; and where God gives grace to be humble, there he gives all other needful grace. How highly he speaks of Jesus Christ; the unsearchable riches of Christ! Though many are not enriched with these riches; yet how great a favour to have them preached among us, and to have an offer of them! And if we are not enriched with them it is our own fault. The first creation…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8Paul thought he was the least deserving of all God's people because he once strongly persecuted believers (see 1 Corinthians 15:9; 1 Timothy 1:12–16). unsearchable riches of Christ: See Ephesians 1:3–14.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. am--Not merely was I in times past, but I still am the least worthy of so high an office (compare 1Ti 1:15, end). least of all saints--not merely "of all apostles" (1Co 15:9, 10). is--Greek, "has been given." among--omitted in the oldest manuscripts Translate, "to announce to the Gentiles the glad tidings of the unsearchable (Job 5:9) riches," namely, of Christ's grace (Ep 1:7; 2:7). Ro 11:33, "unsearchable" as a mine inexhaustible, whose treasures can…Read the comment
Topics related to Ephesians 3:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ephesians 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries