Ephesians 2:3

Ephesians 2:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
• New International Version (NIV)All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
• English Standard Version (ESV)among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
• New King James Version (NKJV)among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Context of Ephesians 2:3

1Remember how you lived before. You did wrong things and bad things. As a result, you were dead in your spirits. 2You lived in a bad way, like the people who belong to this world. You were obeying Satan, who rules the powerful spirits in the air. Those spirits are working now in everyone who refuses to obey God. At one time, all of us lived like those people. We did whatever bad things our bodies wanted to do. If our thoughts made us want to do something, we did it. Because we were like that, God was angry with us. He should have punished us, just like everyone else. 4But God is very good and kind! He loved us very much. 5Because of our sins, we were dead in our spirits. But God gave us a new life, because we are united with Christ. Yes, God has saved you because he is so kind.

Ephesians 2:3 word by word

ἐν οἷς καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν καὶ ἤμεθα τέκνα φύσει ὀργῆς ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποί.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Amongἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• whomὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• alsoκαίkai · andG2532
• weἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956
• had our conversationἀναστρέφωanastrepho · to live/returnG390
• in times pastποτέpote · once/whenG4218
• the lustsἐπιθυμίαepithumia · desireG1939
• fleshσάρξsarx · fleshG4561
• fulfillingποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• the desiresθέλημαthelēma · will/desireG2307
• of the mindδιάνοιαdianoia · mindG1271
• wereεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• by natureφύσιςphusis · natureG5449
• the childrenτέκνονteknon · childG5043
• of wrathὀργήorgē · wrathG3709
• asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• othersλοιπόςloipoi · remainingG3062

Cross-references for Ephesians 2:3

• Isaiah 53:6We have all turned away, like sheep that take the wrong path. Each of us has turned to follow our own way. But the Lord has taken all our sins and put the punishment on him.
• Isaiah 64:6Our sins have made us all like unclean people, who cannot worship you. Even the good things that we try to do are like dirty bits of cloth. Our sins will blow us all away, as the wind blows away dead leaves.
• Daniel 9:5We have done bad things that are wicked and evil. We have turned against you. We have not obeyed your laws and your teaching.
• Romans 3:9So then, what do we learn from that? We cannot say that we Jews are better than other people. No, certainly we cannot say that! I have said already that sin has power over everyone. That is true for both Jews and Gentiles.
• 1 Corinthians 6:9People who do wrong things like that will never belong to God's kingdom. You surely know that. Do not think that people like this will receive God's good things: People who have sex in wrong ways. People who worship idols. People who have sex with anyone that they are not married to. Men who have sex with other men.
• Galatians 2:15We were born as Jewish people. We are not Gentiles who have never obeyed God's rules.
• Galatians 3:22But the Bible says that sin has power over everyone. People can not get free. This means that we can only receive what God has promised when we trust Jesus Christ. God gives his promise to those who believe.
• 1 Peter 4:3You have already had enough time in your life to do bad things. Those are the kinds of things that people who do not know God like to do. You did many evil things that your bodies wanted to do. You had sex in a wrong way. You often became drunk. You went to wild parties where you drank too much alcohol. You also worshipped useless idols.
• 1 John 1:8If we say that we never do any wrong thing, we are deceiving ourselves. Even though we may think it is true, it is a lie.
• Ephesians 4:17So I say this to you. I am sure that I have the Lord's authority to say it. You must not live any longer like the Gentile people who do not know God. They do whatever their silly ideas teach them to do.
• Acts 14:16In past times, God let people everywhere do what they wanted to do.
• Acts 17:30In past times people did not know the true things about God. Because of this, God did not punish them. But now God tells people everywhere, “Stop doing bad things and turn to me!”
• Romans 11:30In past times, you Gentiles did not obey God. But now God has been very kind to you, because Israel's people refused to obey him.
• 1 Peter 2:10In past times, you were not people who knew God. But now you are God's people. In past times, God did not forgive you. But now he has been very kind to you and he has forgiven you.
• 1 John 2:8But there is something new about it. This rule has become true in the way that Christ lived. Now it has also become true in your lives. God's true message has brought light to shine in your lives. You no longer live in the dark where you do bad things.
• Ephesians 4:22They taught you to change the way that you live. You must put away the nature that you had before. That old nature deceived you. As a result, you wanted to do things that would destroy you.

Commentaries on Ephesians 2:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Among whom also we all had our conversation - We Jews, as well as you Gentiles, have lived in transgressions and sins; , this was the course of our life; we lived in sin, walked in sin, it was woven through our whole constitution, it tinged every temper, polluted every faculty, and perverted every transaction of life. The lusts - the evil, irregular, and corrupt affections of the heart, showed themselves in the perversion of the mind as well as in our…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3We all had our conversation - see the notes at 2 Corinthians 1:12; compare 1 Peter 4:3. In the lusts of our flesh - Living to gratify the flesh, or the propensities of a corrupt nature. It is observable here that the apostle changes the form of the address from “ye” to “we,” thus including himself with others, and saying that this was true of “all” before their conversion. He means undoubtedly to say, that whatever might have been the place of their…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3People who have not converted are naturally controlled by their strong desires and sinful nature (see Rom 3:9–20, 23). Because of their sin, they are subject to God’s anger, because God hates sin (see Ephesians 5:6; Romans 1:18; 2:5, 8; 3:5, 19; 4:15; 5:9; 9:22; 12:19; 13:4–5; Colossians 3:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2:16; 5:9).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. also we--that is, we also. Paul here joins himself in the same category with them, passing from the second person (Ep 2:1, 2) to the first person here. all--Jews and Gentiles. our conversation--"our way of life" (2Co 1:12; 1Pe 1:18). This expression implies an outwardly more decorous course, than the open "walk" in gross sins on the part of the majority of Ephesians in times past, the Gentile portion of whom may be specially referred to in Ep 2:2. Paul…Read the comment

Topics related to Ephesians 2:3

• Depravity of Man
• Heredity
• Salvation
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Afar
• Alien
• Conversation
• Create
• Cross
• Death
• Desire
• Ephesians, Epistle to
• Nigh
• Prince

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