God’s Word Translation
Ephesians 6:7
7Serve eagerly as if you were serving your heavenly master and not merely serving human masters.
Ephesians 6:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
- New International Version (NIV)Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,
- English Standard Version (ESV)rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,
- New King James Version (NKJV)with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,
Context of Ephesians 6:7
5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with proper respect. Be as sincere as you are when you obey Christ. 6Don’t obey them only while you’re being watched, as if you merely wanted to please people. But obey like slaves who belong to Christ, who have a deep desire to do what God wants them to do. Serve eagerly as if you were serving your heavenly master and not merely serving human masters. 8You know that your heavenly master will reward all of us for whatever good we do, whether we’re slaves or free people. 9Masters, treat your slaves with respect. Don’t threaten a slave. You know that there is one master in heaven who has authority over both of you, and he doesn’t play favorites.
Read all of Ephesians 6Ephesians 6:7 word by word
μετ᾽ εὐνοίας δουλεύοντες ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώποις,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ephesians 6:7
- Genesis 31:6You know that I have worked as hard as I could for your father.
- 2 Kings 5:2Once, when the Arameans went on raids, they had brought back a little girl from Israel. She became the servant of Naaman’s wife.
- Ephesians 6:5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with proper respect. Be as sincere as you are when you obey Christ.
- 1 Corinthians 10:31So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything to the glory of God.
Commentaries on Ephesians 6:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7With good will - '· With cheerfulness; do not take up your service as a cross, or bear it as a burden; but take it as coming in the order of God's providence, and a thing that is pleasing to him.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7As to the Lord, and not to men - That is, he should regard his lot in life as having been ordered by Divine Providence for some wise and good purpose; and until he may be permitted to enjoy his liberty in a quiet and peaceable manner (notes, 1 Corinthians 7:21), he should perform his duties with fidelity, and feel that he was rendering acceptable service to God. This would reconcile him to much of the hardships of his lot. The feeling that “God” has…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-9Verses 5-9 The duty of servants is summed up in one word, obedience. The servants of old were generally slaves. The apostles were to teach servants and masters their duties, in doing which evils would be lessened, till slavery should be rooted out by the influence of Christianity. Servants are to reverence those over them. They are to be sincere; not pretending obedience when they mean to disobey, but serving faithfully. And they must serve their masters…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-7as servants of Christ: Believers have been bought by Christ's sacrifice. Because of this, believers do not belong to themselves anymore (see 1 Corinthians 6:19–20; 7:22; compare Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:10; Philippians 1:1). For Christian slaves, God's will is for them to honor him by serving their human masters faithfully and with entusiasm.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. good will--expressing his feeling towards his master; as "doing the will of God from the heart" expresses the source of that feeling (Col 3:23). "Good will" is stated by Xenophon [Economics] to be the principal virtue of a slave towards his master: a real regard to his master's interest as if his own, a good will which not even a master's severity can extinguish.Read the comment
Topics related to Ephesians 6:7
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ephesians 6
- 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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