God’s Word Translation
Ephesians 3:15
15from whom all the family in heaven and on earth receives its name.
Ephesians 3:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
- New International Version (NIV)from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
- English Standard Version (ESV)from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
- New King James Version (NKJV)from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Context of Ephesians 3:15
13So then, I ask you not to become discouraged by the troubles I suffer for you. In fact, my troubles bring you glory. 14This is the reason I kneel in the presence of the Father from whom all the family in heaven and on earth receives its name. 16I’m asking God to give you a gift from the wealth of his glory. I pray that he would give you inner strength and power through his Spirit. 17Then Christ will live in you through faith. I also pray that love may be the ground into which you sink your roots and on which you have your foundation.
Read all of Ephesians 3Ephesians 3:15 word by word
ἐξ οὗ πᾶσα πατριὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ὀνομάζεται,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ephesians 3:15
- Ephesians 1:10He planned to bring all of history to its goal in Christ. Then Christ would be the head of everything in heaven and on earth.
- Philippians 2:9This is why God has given him an exceptional honor— the name honored above all other names—
- Colossians 1:20God was also pleased to bring everything on earth and in heaven back to himself through Christ. He did this by making peace through Christ’s blood sacrificed on the cross.
- Revelation 5:8When the lamb had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 leaders bowed in front of him. Each held a harp and a gold bowl full of incense, the prayers of God’s holy people.
- Revelation 7:4I heard how many were sealed: 144,000. Those who were sealed were from every tribe of the people of Israel:
- Isaiah 65:15Your name will be used as a curse by my chosen ones. The Almighty Lord will kill you and call his servants by another name.
- Jeremiah 33:16In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live securely. Jerusalem will be called The Lord Our Righteousness.
- Acts 11:26After finding Saul, Barnabas brought him back to Antioch. Barnabas and Saul met with the church in Antioch for a whole year and taught a large group of people. The disciples were called Christians for the first time in the city of Antioch.
- Revelation 2:17Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give some of the hidden manna to everyone who wins the victory. I will also give each person a white stone with a new name written on it, a name that is known only to the person who receives it.
- Revelation 3:12I will make everyone who wins the victory a pillar in the temple of my God. They will never leave it again. I will write on them the name of my God, the name of the city of my God (the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from my God), and my new name.
Commentaries on Ephesians 3:15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15Of whom the whole family - Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ on earth, the spirits of just men made perfect in a separate state, and all the holy angels in heaven, make but one family, of which God is the Father and Head. St. Paul does not say, of whom the families, as if each order formed a distinct household; but he says family, because they are all one, and of one. And all this family is named - derives its origin and being, from God, as children…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15Of whom the whole family - This expression “of whom,” may refer either to “the Father,” or to the Lord Jesus. Commentators have been divided in opinion in regard to it. Bloomfield, Chandler, Erasmus, Koppe, and some others, refer it to the Father. Locke, Doddridge, Calvin, and some others, refer it to the Lord Jesus. This is the more natural interpretation. The whole “family of God,” means all his children; and the idea is, that they all bear the same…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-19Verses 13-19 The apostle seems to be more anxious lest the believers should be discouraged and faint upon his tribulations, than for what he himself had to bear. He asks for spiritual blessings, which are the best blessings. Strength from the Spirit of God in the inner man; strength in the soul; the strength of faith, to serve God, and to do our duty. If the law of Christ is written in our hearts, and the love of Christ is shed abroad there, then Christ…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-16from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name: There is a wordplay in the original Greek language between the words "Father" (patēr, 3:14) and family (patria). This wordplay shows a connection between God as Father and all the families that exist. As the Creator of everything, God made all families—both angelic families in heaven and human families on earth. This includes all people groups, whether gentile or Jewish (see 2:14–22; 3:6)…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. the whole family--Alford, Middleton, and others translate, "every family": alluding to the several families in heaven and in earth supposed to exist [Theophylact, Æcumenius, in Suicer, 2.633], the apostle thus being supposed to imply that God, in His relation of Father to us His adopted children, is the great prototype of the paternal relation wherever found. But the idea that "the holy angels are bound up in spiritual families or compaternities," is…Read the comment
Topics related to Ephesians 3:15
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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