New International Version
Ephesians 6:7
7Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,
Ephesians 6:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
- 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,
- New Living Translation (NLT)Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
Context of Ephesians 6:7
5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. 9And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
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’ve worked for your father with all my strength,
- 2 Kings 5:2Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife.
- Ephesians 6:5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
- 1 Corinthians 10:31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for 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
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