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Ephesians 5

7 translations · read through 12 traditions.

NCB · New Consensus Bible

1Therefore become imitators of God, as beloved children, 2and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a fragrant odor. 3But promiscuity, and all pollution, or possessiveness, let it not even be named among you, as is proper for saints; 4nor filthiness, nor foolish talk, nor coarse jesting, which are out of place, but rather giving of thanks. 5For know this, knowing that every promiscuous, or polluted, or possessive person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not become fellow partakers with them. 8For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10testing what is well-pleasing to the Lord. 11And do not be fellow participants in the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12For the things done in secret by them it is shameful even to speak of. 13But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for everything that is made manifest is light. 14Therefore he says, “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine upon you.” 15Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17Because of this do not become foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not be drunk with wine, in which is debauchery, but be filled in the Spirit, 19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing songs and singing psalms in your heart to the Lord, 20giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ. 22Wives, subject yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For a husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, and he is the savior of the body. 24But as the church is subjected to Christ, so also let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27that he might present the church to himself in glory, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she might be holy and unblemished. 28So also husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. 29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30because we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones. 31“For this cause a man will leave his father and his mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33Nevertheless you also individually, let each love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

AI-generated rendering, not a human translation. Read Ephesians 5 in the New Consensus Bible →

Disputed passages in this chapter

  • Wives and husbands

    Ephesians 5:21-33 has been used both to authorize hierarchical marriage and to ground mutual submission. Churches disagree over how the instruction to wives to be subject relates to the command for all to submit to one another, and the answer shapes teaching on marriage, authority, and abuse.

What the traditions agree on

Across all families, it is universally affirmed that a husband's headship is defined by self-emptying, sacrificial love modeled on the cross, rather than worldly domination. Several traditions emphasize that these marital roles function as divine vocations in which Christians exercise their faith in everyday life, while some traditions view the chapter's ethical commands as a third use of the law to guide those who are already regenerate. However, the exact nature of marriage remains disputed,… Sign in to read the full consensus →

Where the traditions differ

  • The designation of marriage as a 'great mystery' establishes human matrimony as a true sacrament that confers saving grace.

    catholic: AFFIRM; orthodox: AFFIRM; oriental-orthodox: AFFIRM; anglican: QUALIFY; lutheran: DENY; reformed: DENY

  • The household instructions are governed by the command for mutual submission, establishing an egalitarian framework for Christian marriage.

    catholic: QUALIFY; orthodox: QUALIFY; anglican: QUALIFY; reformed: DENY; baptist: DENY; methodist: QUALIFY; anabaptist: AFFIRM; adventist: QUALIFY; restorationist: QUALIFY

  • The 'washing of water by the word' refers to the physical ordinance of water baptism which literally cleanses and regenerates the believer.

    catholic: AFFIRM; orthodox: AFFIRM; anglican: QUALIFY; lutheran: AFFIRM; reformed: DENY; baptist: DENY; pentecostal: DENY; restorationist: AFFIRM

  • The efficacy of the washing of water depends entirely upon the accompanying Word of divine promise rather than the physical element.

    catholic: QUALIFY; lutheran: QUALIFY; reformed: AFFIRM; baptist: DENY; restorationist: QUALIFY

  • The command to sing 'psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs' restricts sung corporate worship exclusively to the canonical Psalms.

    oriental-orthodox: QUALIFY; anglican: DENY; reformed: QUALIFY; baptist: DENY; methodist: DENY; pentecostal: DENY

  • Christ's presentation of a pure church without spot or wrinkle demonstrates that entire sanctification from inward sin is attainable in this present life.

    reformed: DENY; baptist: QUALIFY; methodist: AFFIRM; adventist: QUALIFY

  • The presentation of an unblemished church refers specifically to the eschatological character perfection of a final remnant generation prior to the Second Advent.

    methodist: DENY; adventist: AFFIRM

  • The command to 'redeem the time' requires the practical discipline of strict stewardship over one's daily schedule.

    oriental-orthodox: QUALIFY; methodist: AFFIRM

  • The command to 'awake from sleep' functions as a foundational call to initial spiritual awakening and the reception of justifying grace.

    catholic: QUALIFY; oriental-orthodox: QUALIFY; lutheran: AFFIRM; methodist: AFFIRM

How each tradition reads it

Each reading was generated in isolation — no tradition sees another’s answer.

Catholic

In this chapter, the Apostle exhorts the Ephesians to imitate God's love and Christ's sacrifice, drawing a sharp contrast between the light of the Lord and the unfruitful darkness of pagan vices such as sexual immorality, impurity, and greed. He provides practical instructions for Spirit-filled worship and mutual submission. This transitions into a household code focusing heavily on wives and husbands, wherein human marriage is revealed to be patterned after the ultimate cosmic reality: Christ's sacrificial love for his body, the Church, which he cleanses by water and the word to present it to himself without blemish. Reception: Ephesians 5 is a cornerstone of Catholic sacramental and moral theology. Verses 22-33 form the primary scriptural locus for the Sacrament of Matrimony. The Vulgate's translation of the Greek 'mysterion' as 'sacramentum' in verse 32 cemented the Latin theological tradition regarding the sacramentality of marriage, a doctrine solemnly defined by the Council of Trent, which cited this passage to affirm marriage as one of the seven instituted sacraments conferring grace. In the late twentieth century, Pope John Paul II heavily relied on this chapter in his 'Theology of the Body', arguing that the 'great mystery' reveals the spousal meaning of the body, and interpreting the household code through the lens of verse 21, asserting a 'mutual subjection' out of reverence for Christ. Ecclesiologically and sacramentally, verse 26 ('washing of water by the word') is universally read as referring to Baptism. Augustine notably used this verse to formulate the Catholic understanding of a sacrament's matter and form, stating that when 'the word is added to the element, it becomes a sacrament.' In Eastern Catholic tradition, John Chrysostom's profound exposition of this chapter decisively shaped Byzantine marital theology. Chrysostom emphasizes the husband's call to sacrificial love ('even if it is necessary to die for her'), shifting the focus from mere domestic authority to ascetical martyrdom—a theology reflected in the Eastern rite of crowning during the marriage ceremony. Additionally, verses 3-5 are foundational to the tradition's moral theology; Thomas Aquinas utilized these verses to delineate mortal sins that sever a soul from grace and definitively exclude one from the Kingdom of God.

Eastern Orthodox

The apostle Paul exhorts the believers in Ephesus to walk in holy love and wisdom, contrasting the moral purity expected of 'children of light' with the darkness of their pagan past, specifically warning against sexual immorality, covetousness, and drunkenness. He transitions into a household code regarding mutual submission, focusing intensely on marriage. He redefines the traditional Roman marital structure by demanding that husbands love their wives sacrificially, exactly as Christ loved and gave Himself for the Church, framing human marriage as a profound revelation of the relationship between Christ and His assembly. Reception: Eastern Orthodoxy receives Ephesians 5 as a foundational text for theosis, sacramental theology, and ecclesiology. The command to be 'imitators of God' (verse 1) is read as a direct mandate for theosis—the lifelong ascetic pursuit of deification by grace. The 'washing of water with the word' (verse 26) is universally received by the Fathers as a reference to the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, which purifies the Church to be without spot or wrinkle. The most definitive Orthodox reception of this chapter concerns verses 22-33. Paul's designation of marriage as a 'great mystery' (Greek: mysterion, verse 32) is the scriptural bedrock for recognizing marriage as a Holy Mystery (Sacrament). The patristic consensus, led heavily by John Chrysostom, insists that the husband's headship is entirely stripped of worldly tyranny; rather, it is a vocation of martyrdom, requiring the husband to be willing to suffer and die for his wife just as Christ was crucified for the Church.

Oriental Orthodox

Ephesians 5 presents a series of ethical and relational exhortations rooted in the theological reality of believers being children of light. The author calls the community to imitate God's love, decisively reject sexual immorality and greed, and live vigilantly in the Spirit. The chapter concludes with a household code instructing wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to love their wives sacrificially, explicitly mapping this marital relationship onto the union between Christ and the Church. Reception: The Oriental Orthodox communion receives this chapter with a profound emphasis on typology, Christology, and the sacraments. The great mystery of marriage (Ephesians 5:32) is understood not merely as an ethical paradigm but as a profound ecclesiological and sacramental reality. In the Syriac tradition, Jacob of Serugh draws a striking typological parallel using this text: just as Eve was taken from the side of the sleeping Adam, the Church is born from the pierced side of the crucified Christ, cleansed by the washing of water (v. 26). The Alexandrian tradition interprets Paul's assertion that believers are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones (v. 30) in deeply Eucharistic and Christological terms. Cyril of Alexandria insists that this verse demonstrates our real, physical participation in the deified, life-giving flesh of the one incarnate Word, accomplished through the Eucharist. Furthermore, Christ's offering of Himself as a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance (v. 2) is universally identified by the miaphysite Fathers with the Eucharistic oblation where Christ is simultaneously the offerer and the offered.

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Every translation

The same chapter in 7 public-domain translations.

WEB · World English Bible

1Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children. 2Walk in love, even as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance. 3But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints; 4nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not appropriate, but rather giving of thanks. 5Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man (who is an idolater), has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God. 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience. 7Therefore don’t be partakers with them. 8For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, 9for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, 10proving what is well pleasing to the Lord. 11Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them. 12For it is a shame even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light. 14Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 15Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, 16redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17Therefore, don’t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20giving thanks always concerning all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ. 22Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body. 24But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything. 25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly and gave himself up for her, 26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without defect. 28Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. 29For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly, 30because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones. 31“For this cause a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife. Then the two will become one flesh.” 32This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and the assembly. 33Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

KJV · King James Version

1Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. 3But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 8For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 13But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. 14Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. 15See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 18And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. 22Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

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Differences that change the meaning (63)
  • v1 [lexical]: translates the command to emulate God as "imitators" or "followers" — “imitators” (WEB, ASV, DARBY) vs “Be ye therefore followers” (KJV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “Become then” (YLT)
  • v2 [lexical]: translates the action of Christ giving himself up as "gave" or "delivered" — “gave” (WEB, ASV) vs “hath given” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “delivered” (DARBY, DRC) vs “did give” (YLT)
  • v2 [lexical]: translates the sacrificial term as "offering" or "oblation" — “offering” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “oblation” (DRC)
  • v3 [lexical]: translates the term for greed/desire as "covetousness" or "unbridled lust" — “covetousness” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “unbridled lust” (DARBY)
  • v3 [stylistic]: minor variations in phrasing the verb for what is fitting or becoming — “becometh” (KJV, ASV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “becomes” (WEB) vs “it becomes” (DARBY)
  • v4 [grammatical]: translates the negative conjunctions linking the prohibited behaviors — “nor” (WEB, ASV) vs “Neither filthiness nor” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “also and” (YLT) vs “and and” (DARBY) vs “Or obscenity or” (DRC)
  • v4 [lexical]: translates the preferred behavior as "giving of thanks" or "thanksgiving" — “giving of thanks” (WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “thanksgiving” (YLT, DARBY)
  • v5 [lexical]: translates the term for a sexual sinner — “fornicator or” (DARBY, DRC) vs “sexually immoral person” (WEB) vs “no whoremonger nor” (KJV) vs “fornicator” (ASV) vs “every or” (YLT) vs “lewd” (WEBSTER)
  • v5 [interpretive]: translates the description of the covetous person and their inheritance, interpreting "an idolater" as "a serving of idols" — “an idolater hath any” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER) vs “has” (WEB, DARBY) vs “no” (YLT) vs “a serving of idols” (DRC)
  • v6 [lexical]: translates the indefinite pronoun as "man" or "one" — “man” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “one” (WEB, YLT, DARBY)
  • v6 [lexical]: translates the description of deceptive words as "vain" or "empty" — “vain” (KJV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “empty” (WEB, ASV)
  • v6 [lexical]: translates the causal preposition as "because" or "on account of" — “because” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “on account” (DARBY)
  • v6 [lexical]: translates the term for God's displeasure as "wrath" or "anger" — “wrath” (WEB, KJV, ASV, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “anger” (YLT, DRC)
  • v6 [stylistic]: translates the prepositional phrase for where wrath falls — “upon” (KJV, ASV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “comes on” (WEB) vs “comes” (DARBY)
  • v6 [lexical]: translates the term for descendants/followers as "children" or "sons" — “children” (WEB, KJV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “sons” (ASV, YLT, DARBY)
  • v6 [interpretive]: translates the term characterizing the disobedient as "disobedience" or "unbelief" — “disobedience” (WEB, KJV, ASV, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “the” (YLT) vs “unbelief” (DRC)
  • v8 [lexical]: translates the adverb indicating past time — “once” (WEB, ASV, YLT, DARBY) vs “sometimes” (KJV) vs “sometime” (WEBSTER) vs “heretofore” (DRC)
  • v9 [textual]: textual variant reading either "Spirit" or "light" — “Spirit” (WEB, KJV, YLT, WEBSTER) vs “light” (ASV, DARBY, DRC)
  • v9 [lexical]: translates the term for moral rightness as "righteousness" or "justice" — “righteousness” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “justice” (DRC)
  • v10 [textual]: translates the adjective for acceptable/pleasing, and includes a textual variant reading "to the Lord" or "to God" — “well pleasing to” (WEB) vs “acceptable unto the Lord” (KJV) vs “well-pleasing” (ASV) vs “well-pleasing to” (YLT) vs “agreeable to” (DARBY) vs “to” (WEBSTER) vs “well pleasing to God” (DRC)
  • v11 [lexical]: translates the term for actions as "works" or "deeds" — “works” (KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “deeds” (WEB)
  • v11 [lexical]: translates the verb for exposing/reproving and its accompanying adverb — “reprove them” (KJV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “even” (WEB, ASV) vs “even convict” (YLT) vs “also” (DARBY)
  • v13 [grammatical]: varies in translating the participle as active ("reveals") or passive ("is made manifest") — “everything that reveals” (WEB) vs “whatsoever doth make manifest” (KJV) vs “everything that is made” (ASV) vs “everything that” (YLT) vs “that which makes everything” (DARBY) vs “whatever” (WEBSTER) vs “all that is made” (DRC)
  • v14 [stylistic]: translates the transitional conjunction — “Wherefore” (KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “Therefore” (WEB)
  • v14 [lexical]: translates the preposition concerning the dead — “from” (WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “out of” (YLT) vs “up among” (DARBY)
  • v14 [lexical]: translates the promise of Christ's illumination — “shine upon” (ASV, YLT, DARBY) vs “will shine on you” (WEB) vs “shall give thee light” (KJV) vs “will” (WEBSTER) vs “enlighten” (DRC)
  • v15 [lexical]: translates the contrast to wise as "unwise" or "fools" — “unwise” (WEB, ASV, YLT, DARBY, DRC) vs “fools but as wise” (KJV, WEBSTER)
  • v17 [grammatical]: translates the verb as an imperative or a participle — “understanding” (KJV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “understand” (WEB, ASV)
  • v18 [stylistic]: variation in phrasing the negative imperative — “And” (KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “Don’t” (WEB)
  • v18 [stylistic]: translates the state of intoxication — “not drunk” (KJV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “drunken” (WEB, ASV)
  • v18 [stylistic]: translates the relative pronoun — “in which” (WEB, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “wherein” (KJV, ASV, DRC)
  • v18 [lexical]: translates the term for reckless, wasteful living — “excess” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “dissipation” (WEB) vs “riot” (ASV) vs “dissoluteness” (YLT) vs “debauchery” (DARBY) vs “luxury” (DRC)
  • v19 [grammatical]: translates the reflexive/reciprocal pronoun — “yourselves” (KJV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “one another” (WEB) vs “another” (ASV)
  • v19 [lexical]: translates the term for spiritual music — “songs” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “canticles” (DRC)
  • v19 [lexical]: translates the verb and preposition for making music — “making melody in” (WEB, KJV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “with” (ASV) vs “chanting with” (DARBY)
  • v19 [grammatical]: translates the singular or plural of "heart" — “heart” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “hearts” (DRC)
  • v20 [lexical]: translates the temporal and causal prepositions/adverbs — “always for” (KJV, ASV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “concerning” (WEB) vs “at all times” (DARBY)
  • v21 [textual]: textual variant reading either "Christ" or "God" — “Christ” (WEB, ASV, DARBY, DRC) vs “God” (KJV, YLT, WEBSTER)
  • v23 [stylistic]: translates the causal conjunction and the article for "husband" — “For the” (WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER) vs “because” (YLT, DRC) vs “a” (DARBY)
  • v23 [textual]: textual variant reading "the body" or "his body" — “the” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “his” (DRC)
  • v24 [lexical]: translates the transitional conjunction — “Therefore” (KJV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “But” (WEB, ASV) vs “but even” (YLT, DARBY)
  • v24 [lexical]: (vv 24, 29, 32) translates ekklesia as "church" or "assembly" — “church” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “assembly” (WEB, YLT, DARBY)
  • v24 [grammatical]: handles the implied or explicit verb of submission — “to” (WEB, ASV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “subject unto” (KJV) vs “subjected to the” (DARBY)
  • v24 [stylistic]: translates the scope of submission — “everything” (WEB, ASV, YLT, DARBY) vs “every thing” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “all things” (DRC)
  • v25 [lexical]: translates the verb for Christ giving himself up — “gave” (WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER) vs “did give” (YLT) vs “has delivered” (DARBY) vs “delivered” (DRC)
  • v25 [grammatical]: translates the pronoun referring to the church/assembly — “it” (KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “her” (WEB)
  • v26 [lexical]: translates the term for washing or a water basin — “washing” (WEB, KJV, ASV, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “bathing” (YLT) vs “laver” (DRC)
  • v26 [lexical]: translates the preposition "en" — “by” (KJV, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “with” (WEB, ASV) vs “in” (YLT, DRC)
  • v26 [textual]: translates the term "rhema" as "word" or "saying", with a textual variant reading "of life" — “word” (WEB, KJV, ASV, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “saying” (YLT) vs “of life” (DRC)
  • v27 [grammatical]: explicit translation of the pronoun as the noun "church" or "assembly" — “it” (KJV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “the assembly” (WEB, DARBY) vs “the church” (ASV)
  • v27 [grammatical]: singular vs plural for "any such thing(s)" — “thing” (WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “things” (YLT, DARBY)
  • v27 [grammatical]: pronoun gender and verb mood for the church's intended holy state — “it should” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “she” (WEB) vs “may” (YLT) vs “might” (DARBY)
  • v27 [lexical]: translates the term for being without flaw or spot — “without blemish” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “defect” (WEB) vs “unblemished” (YLT) vs “blameless” (DARBY)
  • v28 [grammatical]: translates the participle indicating ongoing action — “that loveth” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “who loves” (WEB) vs “who is loving” (YLT) vs “loves” (DARBY)
  • v29 [lexical]: translates the negative pronoun as "no man" or "no one" — “man” (WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “one” (YLT) vs “one has” (DARBY)
  • v29 [grammatical]: variations in verb form for feeding/nourishing — “nourisheth” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “nourishes” (WEB, DARBY) vs “doth nourish” (YLT)
  • v29 [grammatical]: variations in verb form for caring/cherishing — “cherisheth” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “cherishes” (WEB, DARBY) vs “cherish” (YLT)
  • v29 [textual]: textual variant reading "the Lord" or "Christ" regarding who cherishes the church — “the Lord” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “also does” (WEB) vs “Christ also” (ASV) vs “also” (YLT) vs “also Christ” (DARBY) vs “also Christ doth” (DRC)
  • v30 [stylistic]: translates the causal conjunction — “because” (WEB, ASV, DRC) vs “For” (KJV, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “because members” (YLT)
  • v31 [lexical]: translates the prepositional phrase indicating cause — “For” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “Because of” (DARBY)
  • v31 [lexical]: translates the verb for the union of husband and wife — “cleave to” (ASV, DRC) vs “to” (YLT, WEBSTER) vs “will to” (WEB) vs “shall be joined unto” (KJV) vs “united to” (DARBY)
  • v32 [lexical]: translates the preposition used to indicate the subject spoken about — “concerning” (WEB, KJV, WEBSTER) vs “in regard of” (ASV) vs “in regard to” (YLT) vs “as to” (DARBY) vs “in” (DRC)
  • v33 [stylistic]: translates the transition to the wife's instruction — “let” (WEB, ASV, DRC) vs “and” (KJV, YLT, WEBSTER) vs “but as to” (DARBY)

Behind this page

Source text. Greek (TAGNT, public-domain critical text). Public-domain Greek text of Ephesians 5.

Divine names: Theos (God), Kyrios (Lord).

Also consulted, but not counted in the consensus

Academic textual-historical analysis

Historical-critical scholarship widely views Ephesians as a Deutero-Pauline encyclical from the late first century. Chapter 5 consists of moral parenesis characterized by Hellenistic vice and virtue lists, contrasting 'children of light' with 'darkness.' Form critics identify 5:14 as a fragment of an early Christian baptismal hymn. Text-critical analysis reveals several key manuscript variants: in 5:9, the earliest witnesses (e.g., P46, Vaticanus) read 'fruit of the light' rather than the later assimilated 'fruit of the Spirit'; in 5:22, the verb for 'submit' is absent in the earliest manuscripts, grammatically dependent on the participle 'submitting' in 5:21; and in 5:30, the phrase 'of his flesh and of his bones' is a later scribal addition intended to harmonize the text with Genesis 2:23. The chapter's second half (5:21-33) introduces a Christianized 'Haustafel' (household code), a Greco-Roman literary form outlining reciprocal duties of superordinate and subordinate household members. Scholars observe that Ephesians significantly expands upon the earlier Colossian code by grounding the husband-wife relationship in the cosmic relationship between Christ and the Church, utilizing baptismal imagery ('washing of water,' 5:26) to elevate the marital bond.

Jewish interpretation

From a Jewish historical perspective, Ephesians 5 is read as a first-century CE moral exhortation heavily steeped in the ethical vocabulary of Second Temple Judaism. Scholars observe that its strict boundaries against sexual immorality, impurity, and idolatry (vv. 3-5) reflect standard Jewish markers of differentiation from the Greco-Roman world, akin to the Noachide laws. The stark dualism contrasting 'children of light' with 'darkness' (vv. 8-14) is identified as a hallmark of sectarian Jewish literature, strongly echoing the Qumran Community Rule. Furthermore, the 'household code' prescribing the submission of wives and the love of husbands (vv. 22-33) parallels similar adaptations of Greco-Roman domestic structures by Hellenistic Jewish writers like Philo and Josephus, who sought to present Jewish ethics as model civic behavior.

Latter-day Saint

In Ephesians 5, the author instructs the believers in Ephesus to walk as 'children of light,' sharply contrasting their new life in Christ with the 'unfruitful works of darkness' (verses 1-14). He condemns sexual immorality, covetousness, and foolish speech, urging the saints instead to be filled with the Spirit, expressing gratitude through psalms and hymns (verses 15-21). The chapter concludes with household codes, specifically addressing wives and husbands (verses 22-33). The relationship between husband and wife is modeled on the relationship between Christ and His Church, requiring mutual submission, profound reverence, and a sacrificial, sanctifying love from the husband.

Jehovah's Witnesses

In Ephesians 5, Paul exhorts the Ephesian believers to imitate God by walking in love and maintaining strict moral purity, sharply contrasting the light of Christian conduct with the darkness of the surrounding world. He calls them to live wisely, worship spiritually, and submit to one another out of reverence for Christ, concluding with a profound comparison between the marriage relationship—where the husband is head of the wife—and Christ's relationship as head of the congregation.

Translation choices the NCB made (39)
  • v1: imitators — Directly translates mimetai.
  • v1: God — Adheres to the divine name map for Theos.
  • v2: gave himself up — Accurately conveys the sense of paradidomi as a yielding up.
  • v3: promiscuity — Replicates the distinct pi-alliteration of the Greek triad (porneia, pasa, pleonexia).
  • v3: pollution — Replicates the distinct pi-alliteration of the Greek triad alongside promiscuity.
  • v3: possessiveness — Completes the pi-alliteration of the Greek triad.
  • v4: nor filthiness, nor foolish talk, nor coarse jesting — Accurately renders the disjunctive tricolon sequence.
  • v5: Know this, knowing — Preserves the Greek pleonastic cognate structure.
  • v5: promiscuous... polluted... possessive — Maintains consistency with the stylized pi-alliteration established in verse 3.
  • v5: who is an idolater — A choice disputed among traditions; takes the relative pronoun as referring to the covetous person rather than the abstract vice.
  • v6: one — Medeis is an indefinite pronoun.
  • v6: empty — Kenois conveys the idea of lacking truth or substance.
  • v6: disobedience — Apeitheias denotes active resistance or obstinacy rather than merely cognitive unbelief.
  • v7: fellow partakers — Reflects the syn- prefix, establishing a connection to the compounded verb in verse 11.
  • v8: once — Pote here refers clearly to a past state.
  • v9: light — Follows the reading photos found in the earliest and most reliable manuscripts (e.g., P46, Vaticanus), resisting later assimilation.
  • v10: testing — Dokimazontes conveys the active process of examination or discernment.
  • v11: fellow participants — Sygkoinoneite echoes the syn- prefix of verse 7, maintaining lexical linkage.
  • v11: expose — Elegchete implies bringing darkness to light, as elaborated in verse 13.
  • v13: are made manifest — Phaneroutai operates as a passive participle here.
  • v14: sleeper — Directly translates the substantival participle.
  • v15: unwise — Preserves the direct antonymic pairing with sophoi (wise).
  • v17: understand — Syniete is an imperative verb, not a participle.
  • v18: debauchery — Asotia signifies reckless, ruinous living.
  • v18: Spirit — Translates pneuma as referring to the Holy Spirit.
  • v19: one another — Heautois carries reciprocal force in communal contexts.
  • v19: singing songs and singing psalms — Preserves the figura etymologica between the paired nouns and their cognate participles.
  • v21: Christ — Follows the reading Christou supported by the earliest manuscript evidence.
  • v22: include subject yourselves — Translates hypotassesthe, which is explicitly present in the provided source text.
  • v23: the body — Follows tou somatos without adding a possessive pronoun.
  • v24: is subjected to — Translates the middle/passive voice of hypotassetai.
  • v25: her — Personalizes the feminine noun ekklesia, consistent with the bridal metaphor.
  • v26: washing — Loutron refers functionally to the act or means of washing.
  • v27: the church — Translates the explicit noun ten ekklesian.
  • v28: who loves — Converts the substantival participle to clear modern phrasing.
  • v29: Christ — Follows the superior early manuscript support for Christos.
  • v30: include 'of his flesh and of his bones' — Included because it is explicitly present in the provided source-language text, despite critical academic objections.
  • v32: mystery — Translates mysterion; avoids entirely settling the historic dispute over its classification as a true sacrament.
  • v33: respects — Phobetai here carries the sense of deep respect within a relational framework.
Limits worth knowing
  • This is AI-generated and source-grounded, and it is approved by no community that holds these traditions.
  • The readings were produced in isolated calls that do not see one another. Isolation prevents anchoring; it does not make them independent witnesses.
  • The Nicene-Trinitarian boundary, and the decision not to seat non-denominational Evangelicalism separately (it is a cross-traditional movement already present within several voting profiles), are editorial choices.
  • The roster, the grouping into three families, and the rule that families (not seat counts) carry consensus all shape the result. A different roster would produce a different synthesis.
  • One profile cannot exhaust a tradition; the synthesis reflects what the profiles said, not everything the traditions hold.
  • The non-voting panels (Academic, Jewish) never vote; LDS and Jehovah's Witness readings are a comparative appendix only.
  • Any profiles excluded for this chapter after failing the audit are named on the page and removed from the eligible roster for it.
  • The rendering is unreviewed by any tradition, and every contested wording it settled is listed in Choices Made — where the text forced a decision, the decision is documented rather than hidden behind a claim of preserved ambiguity.

See the full step-by-step working → · AI-generated Oct 11, 2026, gemini-3.1-pro-preview (high thinking) — every stage, v4 spec + Addendum B (claim-audited, cross-stage-checked)