Ephesians 5:26

Ephesians 5:26 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
• New International Version (NIV)to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
• English Standard Version (ESV)that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
• New King James Version (NKJV)that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

Context of Ephesians 5:26

24But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word, 27so that he may present the church to himself as glorious – not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In the same way husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

Ephesians 5:26 word by word

ἵνα αὐτὴν ἁγιάσῃ καθαρίσας τῷ λουτρῷ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐν ῥήματι,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• heαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• might sanctifyἁγιάζωhagiazō · to sanctifyG37
• and cleanse itκαθαρίζωkatharizō · to cleanG2511
• with the washingὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• with the washingλουτρόνloutron · washingG3067
• of waterὕδωρhudōr hudatos · waterG5204
• byἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• the wordῥῆμαrhēma · declarationG4487

Cross-references for Ephesians 5:26

• John 17:17Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth.
• Acts 26:18to open their eyes so that they turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
• 1 Corinthians 6:11Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
• Hebrews 9:14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.
• Hebrews 10:10By his will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
• 1 Peter 1:2according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by being set apart by the Spirit for obedience and for sprinkling with Jesus Christ’s blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure!
• Jude 1:1From Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, wrapped in the love of God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.
• Ezekiel 16:9“‘Then I bathed you in water, washed the blood off you, and anointed you with fragrant oil.
• Ezekiel 36:25I will sprinkle you with pure water and you will be clean from all your impurities. I will purify you from all your idols.
• Zechariah 13:1“In that day there will be a fountain opened up for the dynasty of David and the people of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
• John 3:5Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
• Acts 22:16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.’
• Hebrews 10:22let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.
• 1 Peter 3:21And this prefigured baptism, which now saves you – not the washing off of physical dirt but the pledge of a good conscience to God – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
• 1 John 5:6Jesus Christ is the one who came by water and blood – not by the water only, but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
• John 15:8My Father is honored by this, that you bear much fruit and show that you are my disciples.

Commentaries on Ephesians 5:26

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it - The Church is represented as the spouse of Christ, as the woman is the spouse of the man; and, to prepare this Church for himself, he washes, cleanses, and sanctifies it. There is certainly an allusion here to the ancient method of purifying women, who were appointed to be consorts to kings; twelve months, it appears, were in some instances spent in this purification: Six months with oil of myrrh, and six months…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 26That he might sanctify - The great object of the Redeemer was to purify and save the church. The meaning here is, that a husband is to manifest similar love toward his wife, and a similar desire that she should be prepared to “walk before him in white”. And cleanse it with the washing of water - In all this there is an allusion doubtless to the various methods of purifying and cleansing those who were about to be married, and who were to be united to…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-33Verses 22-33 The duty of wives is, submission to their husbands in the Lord, which includes honouring and obeying them, from a principle of love to them. The duty of husbands is to love their wives. The love of Christ to the church is an example, which is sincere, pure, and constant, notwithstanding her failures. Christ gave himself for the church, that he might sanctify it in this world, and glorify it in the next, that he might bestow on all his members…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 26by the washing with water through the word: The church has been purified by the message of good news. God has forgiven the sins of his people through Christ's sacrificial death (John 15:3; compare Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 3:21).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2626. sanctify--that is, consecrate her to God. Compare Joh 17:19, meaning, "I devote Myself as a holy sacrifice, that My disciples also may be devoted or consecrated as holy in (through) the truth" [Neander] (He 2:11; 10:10; 13:12 see on He 10:10). and cleanse--rather, as Greek, "cleansing," without the "and." with the washing of water--rather as Greek, "with," or "by the laver of the water," namely, the baptismal water. So it ought to be translated in Tit…Read the comment

Topics related to Ephesians 5:26

• Ablution
• Baptism
• Church
• Husband
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Sanctification
• Symbols and Similitudes
• Types
• Washing
• Word of God

In the dictionaries

• Arise
• Awake
• Dear
• Ephesians, Epistle to
• Fellowship
• Flesh
• Fruit
• Light
• Marriage
• Melody

Commentaries on Ephesians 5

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