EPHESAIANS CHAPTER 6 Eph. 6:1–3 The relative duties of children, Eph. 6:4 and parents, Eph. 6:5–8 of servants, Eph. 6:9 and masters. Eph. 6:10–17 Paul exhorteth the brethren to resist spiritual enemies by putting on the whole armour of God, Eph.

Obey your parents; with inward reverence and promptness, as well as in the outward act. In the Lord; either, because the Lord commands it; or, in all things agreeable to his will: see Eph. 5:21, Acts 5:29. For this is right, or just, every way so, by the law of nature, of nations, and of God.

i.e. A special promise annexed to the particular duty commanded. There being promises added to only two commandments, viz. the second and this fifth; that which is annexed to the second commandment is a general one, and which relates to the whole law, but this a special one, and which respects this…

That thou mayest live long and happily. This promise is still fulfilled to believers, either in the thing itself here promised, or in a better way, God’s giving them eternal life.

Provoke not your children to wrath; viz. by unreasonable severity, moroseness, unrighteous commands, &c. But bring them up in the nurture; or correction, as the word signifies, Heb. 12:6–8.

Servants; these servants were generally slaves: Christian liberty doth not take away civil servitude. Be obedient to them that are your masters; whether good or bad, as 1 Pet. 2:18, is expressly said. According to the flesh; as to your outward state, not as to your souls and consciences.

Not with eyeservice; not merely having respect to your masters’ presence, and looking upon you in your work. As men-pleasers; such as make it their only business to please their masters, right or wrong, and ingratiate themselves with them, though by offending God.

With good will doing service; not grudgingly or as of constraint, but freely and cheerfully. As to the Lord, and not to men; not only regarding men your masters, but Christ your great Master.

Whatsoever good thing any man doeth; viz. as the servant of Christ and as unto the Lord. The same shall he receive of the Lord; the reward of the same, by a metonymy. Whether he be bond or free: Christ regards not those differences of men at the present, nor will in the day of judgment, 1 Cor.

And, ye masters, do the same things unto them; not the same in special, which belong only to servants, but in general, which concern you no less than them, viz. do your duty to them with good will, with an eye to God and Christ, &c.

Be strong; or, strengthen yourselves; i.e. be courageous, and constant in the practice of your duty, against the devil and all his assaults. In the Lord: not in yourselves, but in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom your strength lies, and from whom by faith you may obtain it: see Phil. 4:13, 2 Tim.

Put on the whole armour; get yourselves furnished with every grace, that none be wanting in you, no part naked and exposed to your enemies. Of God; i.e. not carnal, but spiritual, and given by God: see 2 Cor. 10:3–4, 1 Thess. 5:8.

We wrestle not; not only, or not principally. Against flesh and blood; men, consisting of flesh and blood, Matt. 16:17, Gal. 1:16. But against principalities, against powers; devils, Col. 2:15, Eph. 1:21.

In the evil day; times of temptation, and Satan’s greatest rage: see Eph. 5:16. Having done all; all that belongs to good soldiers of Jesus Christ, all that we can do being little enough to secure our standing. To stand; as conquerors do that keep the field, not being beaten down, nor giving way.

Stand therefore: standing here (in a different sense from what it was taken in before) seems to imply watchfulness, readiness for the combat, and keeping our places, both as to our general and particular callings: if soldiers leave their ranks they endanger themselves.

Your feet shod; in allusion to the greaves or military shoes with which soldiers covered their feet and legs. A Christian’s way lies through rough places, through briers and thorns, and therefore he needs this piece of armour.

Above all; chiefly, Col. 3:14; this he sets, as the principal part of the Christian armour, against the greatest temptations, fiery darts, 1 Pet. 5:8–9, 1 John 5:4.

Take the helmet of salvation: salvation, for the hope of salvation, 1 Thess. 5:8. This follows faith, and is of kin to it. Soldiers dare not fight without their helmet: despair, to which the devil tempts us, makes us quit our combat; whereas hope of salvation makes us lift up our heads in the midst…

Praying always; i.e. in every opportunity, so often as our own or others’ necessities call us to it, 1 Thess. 5:17. With all prayer and supplication; prayer, when opposed to supplication, seems to signify petitioning for good things, and supplication the deprecating of evil, 1 Tim. 2:1.

Utterance, or speech, viz. both the things I am to speak, and the faculty of speaking as becomes the matter I deliver. That I may open my mouth; or, in or unto the opening of my mouth, i.e. full and free profession of the truth, without shame or fear.

For which I am an ambassador in bonds; for which gospel I still continue, though a prisoner, in the embassy committed to me by Christ. That therein I may speak boldly; this may imply not only free speaking, but free acting in all things whereby the gospel may be propagated.

But that ye also, as well as other churches, may know my affairs, how I am used by the Romans in my bonds. How I do, or rather, what I do, i.e. how I behave myself: see Acts 28:30–31.

That ye might not faint at my tribulations, Eph. 3:13. It might be a comfort to them to hear that Paul was well used, (setting aside his bonds), and had liberty to preach to those that came to him.

He prays for their continuance and increase in these graces, which already were begun in them.

This is more extensive than the former, he prays here for all true believers every where. In sincerity; or, with incorruption, i.e. so as that nothing can draw them off from the love of Christ, and so it implies constancy as well as sincerity. Written from Rome unto the Ephesians by Tychicus.