Ephesians 2:12

Ephesians 2:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
• New International Version (NIV)remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
• English Standard Version (ESV)remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
• New King James Version (NKJV)that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Context of Ephesians 2:12

10For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has before prepared that we should walk in them. 11Wherefore remember that ye, once nations in [the] flesh, who [are] called uncircumcision by that called circumcision in [the] flesh done with the hand; that ye were at that time without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13but now in Christ Jesus ye who once were afar off are become nigh by the blood of the Christ. 14For he is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of enclosure,

Ephesians 2:12 word by word

ὅτι ἦτε τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ χωρὶς Χριστοῦ ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι τῆς πολιτείας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ξένοι τῶν διαθηκῶν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ἐλπίδα μὴ ἔχοντες καὶ ἄθεοι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ·Read the interlinear

• wereεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• timeκαιρόςkairos · time/right timeG2540
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• IsraelἸσραήλIsraēl · IsraelG2474
• strangersξένοςxenos · foreignG3581
• covenantsδιαθήκηdiathēkē · covenantG1242
• promiseἐπαγγελίαepaggelia · promiseG1860
• hopeἐλπίςelpis · hopeG1680
• worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889

Cross-references for Ephesians 2:12

• John 10:16And I have other sheep which are not of this fold: those also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one flock, one shepherd.
• John 15:5I am the vine, ye [are] the branches. He that abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.
• Colossians 1:21And you, who once were alienated and enemies in mind by wicked works, yet now has it reconciled
• Ephesians 4:18being darkened in understanding, estranged from the life of God by reason of the ignorance which is in them, by reason of the hardness of their hearts,
• Ezra 4:3But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the chief fathers of Israel said to them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house to our God, but we alone will build to Jehovah the God of Israel, as king Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.
• Isaiah 61:5And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your ploughmen and your vinedressers.
• Ezekiel 13:9And my hand shall be against the prophets that see vanity and that divine lies: they shall not be in the council of my people, neither shall they be written in the register of the house of Israel, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I [am] the Lord Jehovah.
• Hebrews 11:34quenched [the] power of fire, escaped [the] edge of the sword, became strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, made [the] armies of strangers give way.
• Genesis 15:18On the same day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates;
• Genesis 17:7And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to thee, and to thy seed after thee.
• Exodus 24:3And Moses came and told the people all the words of Jehovah, and all the judgments; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words that Jehovah has said will we do!
• Numbers 18:19All the heave-offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to Jehovah, have I given thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, by an everlasting statute: it shall be an everlasting covenant of salt before Jehovah unto thee and thy seed with thee.
• Psalms 89:3I have made a covenant with mine elect, I have sworn unto David my servant:
• Jeremiah 31:31Behold, days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
• Jeremiah 33:20Thus saith Jehovah: If ye can break my covenant [in respect] of the day, and my covenant [in respect] of the night, so that there should not be day and night in their season,
• Ezekiel 37:26And I will make a covenant of peace with them: it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for ever.

Commentaries on Ephesians 2:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12That at that time ye were without Christ - Not only were not Christians, but had no knowledge of the Christ or Messiah, and no title to the blessings which were to proceed from him. Aliens from the commonwealth of Israel - Ye were by your birth, idolatry, etc., alienated from the commonwealth of Israel - from the civil and religious privileges of the Jewish people. Strangers from the covenants of promise - Having no part in the promise of the covenant…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12Ye were without Christ - You were without the knowledge of the Messiah. You had not heard of him; of course you had not embraced him. You were living without any of the hopes and consolations which you now have, from having embraced him. The object of the apostle is to remind them of the deplorable condition in which they were by nature; and nothing would better express it than to say they were “without Christ,” or that they had no knowledge of a Saviour…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-13Verses 11-13 Christ and his covenant are the foundation of all the Christian's hopes. A sad and terrible description is here; but who is able to remove himself out of it? Would that this were not a true description of many baptized in the name of Christ. Who can, without trembling, reflect upon the misery of a person, separated for ever from the people of God, cut off from the body of Christ, fallen from the covenant of promise, having no hope, no…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12Before non-Jewish people (Gentiles) became believers in Jesus Christ, they had no part in God’s people or the covenant promises God had made to them. They were without God and without hope (see 4:18; Colossians 1:21).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. without Christ--Greek, "separate from Christ"; having no part in Him; far from Him. A different Greek word (aneu) would be required to express, "Christ was not present with you" [Tittmann]. aliens--Greek, "alienated from," not merely "separated from." The Israelites were cut off from the commonwealth of God, but it was as being self-righteous, indolent, and unworthy, not as aliens and strangers [Chrysostom]. The expression, "alienated from," takes it…Read the comment

Topics related to Ephesians 2:12

• Depravity of Man
• Gentiles
• Hope
• Naturalization
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• God
• Israel
• Christ, Messiah
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Afar
• Alien
• Church

Commentaries on Ephesians 2

• 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
• 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
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings