EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Ephesians 2:17
17When Christ came, he told people God's good news about peace. He told that message to you Gentiles, who were far away from God. He also told it to us Jews, who were near to God.
Ephesians 2:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
- New International Version (NIV)He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.
Context of Ephesians 2:17
15When his body died on the cross, Christ took away the power of the Jewish laws and rules. In that way, he made the two groups join together as one new group of people. As a result, he caused them to have peace. 16As a single group, Christ brought Jews and Gentiles back to God. He stopped them from hating each other. He did this by his death on the cross. When Christ came, he told people God's good news about peace. He told that message to you Gentiles, who were far away from God. He also told it to us Jews, who were near to God. 18Now we all have received the same Holy Spirit, because of what Christ has done for us. As a result, we can all come near to God the Father. 19So now, you Gentiles are not strangers among God's people any more. You belong to the group of God's people that he rules. You belong to God's family, as all God's people do.
Read all of Ephesians 2Ephesians 2:17 word by word
καὶ ἐλθὼν εὐηγγελίσατο εἰρήνην ὑμῖν τοῖς μακρὰν καὶ εἰρήνην τοῖς ἐγγύς,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ephesians 2:17
- Psalms 85:10God will be faithful to us and he will love us with his faithful love. His justice and his peace will join together, like dear friends.
- Isaiah 27:5But my enemies should turn to me for help. They should agree to live in peace with me. Yes, that is what they should do.
- Isaiah 52:7Somebody is coming across the mountains to bring good news to us! It is a beautiful thing to see him run towards us! He has come to tell us that there will be peace, because God will save our city. He says to Zion, ‘Your God rules as king!’
- Isaiah 57:19will sing songs to praise me! I will give them a reason to do that. I will bring peace to all my people, those who are far away, and those who are near. Yes, I will make them completely well again.’ That is what the Lord says.
- Zechariah 9:10I will take away the chariots from Ephraim, and the horses of war from Jerusalem. The bows of war will be broken. He will speak to all the countries and wars will finish. He will rule from sea to sea. He will rule from the river Euphrates to the ends of the earth.
- Matthew 10:13If the people of that house accept you, then everyone in the house will be well. But if they do not accept you, then take back your kind words.
- Luke 2:14‘God is great! He lives in the highest place above. He will bless the people on earth who please him. They will have peace in their minds.’
- Luke 15:5When he finds the sheep, he is very happy. He lifts it up and he puts it across his shoulders.
- Acts 2:39God has promised to do all this for you and your children. He has also promised this to people who live far away in other places. The Lord our God will do it for all the people that he has called to come to him.’
- Acts 10:36This is the message that God has sent to the people of Israel. He told us the good news about Jesus Christ, who is the Lord of all people. Because of Jesus, we can now come near to God again.
- Romans 5:1So we see that God has accepted us as right because we believe in him. As a result, we are friends with God, because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us.
- 2 Corinthians 5:20So we speak to people on behalf of Christ. It is like this: When we speak, God himself is speaking to you. On behalf of Christ, we say to you, ‘Please come back to God, as his friends!’
- Ephesians 2:13You were far away from God. But now, God has brought you near to himself, because you belong to Christ Jesus. That is possible because of Christ's death on the cross as a sacrifice.
- Deuteronomy 4:7No other nation has a god who is near to them like the Lord our God. Even great nations have no god like that. But when we pray to the Lord our God, he listens!
- Psalms 75:1God, we thank you! Yes, we thank you! You are very near to us. People everywhere say what great things you have done.
- Psalms 76:1People in Judah know who God is. He is famous in Israel.
Commentaries on Ephesians 2:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17And came and preached peace - Proclaimed the readiness of God to forgive and save both Jews and Gentiles. See the note on Ephesians 2:13.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17And came and preached peace - That is, the system of religion which he proclaimed, was adapted to produce peace with God. This he preached personally to those who “were nigh,” that is, the Jews; to those who were “afar off “ - the Gentiles - he preached it by his apostles. He was the author of the system which proclaimed salvation to both. The word “peace” here refers to reconciliation with God. To you which were afar off, - see the notes at Ephesians…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-18Verses 14-18 Jesus Christ made peace by the sacrifice of himself; in every sense Christ was their Peace, the author, centre, and substance of their being at peace with God, and of their union with the Jewish believers in one church. Through the person, sacrifice, and mediation of Christ, sinners are allowed to draw near to God as a Father, and are brought with acceptance into his presence, with their worship and services, under the teaching of the Holy…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17far away … near: This verse might refer to Isaiah 57:19. The Greek text does not include the words Gentiles and Jews, but they are implied (see Ephesians 2:13; see also study note on 1:12–13).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. Translate, "He came and announced glad tidings of peace." "He came" of His own free love, and "announced peace" with His own mouth to the apostles (Lu 24:36; Joh 20:19, 21, 26); and by them to others, through His Spirit present in His Church (Joh 14:18). Ac 26:23 is strictly parallel; after His resurrection "He showed light to the people ('them that were nigh') and to the Gentiles ('you that were afar off')," by His Spirit in His ministers (compare…Read the comment
Topics related to Ephesians 2:17
In the dictionaries
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
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