New King James Version
Ephesians 2:12
12that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Ephesians 2:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
- New International Version (NIV)remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
- English Standard Version (ESV)remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
- New Living Translation (NLT)In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.
Context of Ephesians 2:12
10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 11Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
Read all of Ephesians 2Ephesians 2:12 word by word
ὅτι ἦτε τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ χωρὶς Χριστοῦ ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι τῆς πολιτείας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ξένοι τῶν διαθηκῶν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ἐλπίδα μὴ ἔχοντες καὶ ἄθεοι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Thatὅτιhoti · that/since: sinceG3754
- atἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- thatἐκεῖνοςekeinos · thatG1565
- timeκαιρόςkairos · time/right timeG2540
- ye wereεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- withoutχωρίςchōris · withoutG5565
- ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
- being aliensἀπαλλοτριόωapallotrioō · to alienateG526
- from the commonwealthπολιτείαpoliteia · citizenshipG4174
- of IsraelἸσραήλIsraēl · IsraelG2474
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- strangersξένοςxenos · foreignG3581
- from the covenantsδιαθήκηdiathēkē · covenantG1242
- of promiseἐπαγγελίαepaggelia · promiseG1860
- havingἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- noμήmē · notG3361
- hopeἐλπίςelpis · hopeG1680
- without Godἄθεοςatheos · without GodG112
- the worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889
Cross-references for Ephesians 2:12
- John 10:16And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
- John 15:5“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
- Colossians 1:21And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
- Ephesians 4:18having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;
- Ezra 4:3But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”
- Isaiah 61:5Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, And the sons of the foreigner Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
- Ezekiel 13:9“My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.
- Hebrews 11:34quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
- Genesis 15:18On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—
- Genesis 17:7And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.
- Exodus 24:3So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has said we will do.”
- Numbers 18:19“All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you.”
- Psalms 89:3“I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David:
- Jeremiah 31:31“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—
- Jeremiah 33:20“Thus says the Lord: ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season,
- Ezekiel 37:26Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore.
Commentaries on Ephesians 2:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12That at that time ye were without Christ - Not only were not Christians, but had no knowledge of the Christ or Messiah, and no title to the blessings which were to proceed from him. Aliens from the commonwealth of Israel - Ye were by your birth, idolatry, etc., alienated from the commonwealth of Israel - from the civil and religious privileges of the Jewish people. Strangers from the covenants of promise - Having no part in the promise of the covenant…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12Ye were without Christ - You were without the knowledge of the Messiah. You had not heard of him; of course you had not embraced him. You were living without any of the hopes and consolations which you now have, from having embraced him. The object of the apostle is to remind them of the deplorable condition in which they were by nature; and nothing would better express it than to say they were “without Christ,” or that they had no knowledge of a Saviour…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-13Verses 11-13 Christ and his covenant are the foundation of all the Christian's hopes. A sad and terrible description is here; but who is able to remove himself out of it? Would that this were not a true description of many baptized in the name of Christ. Who can, without trembling, reflect upon the misery of a person, separated for ever from the people of God, cut off from the body of Christ, fallen from the covenant of promise, having no hope, no…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12Before non-Jewish people (Gentiles) became believers in Jesus Christ, they had no part in God’s people or the covenant promises God had made to them. They were without God and without hope (see 4:18; Colossians 1:21).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. without Christ--Greek, "separate from Christ"; having no part in Him; far from Him. A different Greek word (aneu) would be required to express, "Christ was not present with you" [Tittmann]. aliens--Greek, "alienated from," not merely "separated from." The Israelites were cut off from the commonwealth of God, but it was as being self-righteous, indolent, and unworthy, not as aliens and strangers [Chrysostom]. The expression, "alienated from," takes it…Read the comment
Topics related to Ephesians 2:12
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries