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Ephesians 6

KJV · Chapter 6/6

1Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

2Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)

3That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

4And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

5Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

6Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

7With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

8Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

9And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

19And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

20For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

21But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:

22Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.

23Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

24Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. Written from Rome unto the Ephesians by Tychicus.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Paul gives instructions for children, parents, servants, and masters to live out their faith in everyday relationships, and then calls believers to put on the full armor of God to resist spiritual forces of evil. He closes by asking for prayer and sending final greetings through Tychicus.

Explanation

The household and social instructions in this chapter (children and parents, servants and masters) follow a pattern common in first-century ethical literature known as “household codes,” but Paul transforms them by inserting spiritual motivation: everything must be done “as to the Lord,” and even masters are reminded that they have a common Master in heaven — an unusually leveling view of power relationships for that era. The famous passage on the “armor of God” (v.10-18) uses each piece of a Roman soldier's equipment — belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, sword — as a metaphor for spiritual virtues: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God, all sustained through constant prayer. This vivid image teaches that the Christian life involves a real spiritual battle against forces of evil, not merely against people, requiring continual preparation and watchfulness through prayer.

Fun facts

  • Paul likely observed Roman soldiers up close while writing this letter from prison, possibly chained to a guard, which may have directly inspired the rich detail of the full military armor metaphor.
  • Tychicus, mentioned as the bearer of this letter (v.21), is also cited as a messenger in Colossians 4:7-8, suggesting that he delivered both letters on the same trip to the churches of the Asia Minor region.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Ephesians 6:1Paul begins his instructions for the family by addressing children directly: obey your parents, something he describes as right and just, within the social expectations of the time.
  2. Ephesians 6:2Paul quotes the commandment to honor father and mother, one of the Ten Commandments, calling it “the first commandment with promise” — the first in the list that comes with an explicit reward, a long life.
  3. Ephesians 6:3Paul completes the quotation of the commandment to honor father and mother (from the previous verse) with the promise attached to it in the Old Testament: that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.
  4. Ephesians 6:4Paul balances the demand for children’s obedience by asking fathers not to provoke their children to wrath through excessive harshness, but to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
  5. Ephesians 6:5The instructions for “servants” are addressed to slaves, a normal and legal part of Roman society. Paul does not question the structure of slavery itself here, but guides how to live out the faith within it, also asking masters, right after, to treat their slaves in the same spirit.
  6. Ephesians 6:6Paul asks servants to work with constant sincerity, not just pretending to make an effort when the master is watching, but doing the will of God from the heart all the time.
  7. Ephesians 6:7Paul elevates the meaning of work: serving with good will, as if the service were rendered to the Lord Himself, and not merely to some human employer.
  8. Ephesians 6:8Paul guarantees a reward that applies to both slave and free alike: the Lord repays whatever good each one does, regardless of the person’s social status.
  9. Ephesians 6:9Paul calls masters to reciprocity: treat their servants the same way, without threats, remembering that they too have a Master in heaven who shows no favoritism.
  10. Ephesians 6:10Paul begins the letter’s final section with a call to seek strength not in one’s own ability, but in the Lord and in the power of His might, setting up the image of the armor that follows.
  11. Ephesians 6:11Paul introduces the image of “the whole armour of God”: a complete set of spiritual equipment needed to stand against the wiles of the devil, not against a visible human enemy.
  12. Ephesians 6:12‘We wrestle not against flesh and blood’ means that the Christian’s real fight is not against other people, but against spiritual forces of evil — “principalities... powers” picks up the language already used in chapters 1 and 3.
  13. Ephesians 6:13Paul repeats the call to put on the whole armour, now explaining its purpose: to withstand in a specific “evil day” of spiritual attack, and, having done all, to stand.
  14. Ephesians 6:14‘The armour of God’ describes, piece by piece, the equipment of a Roman soldier — belt, breastplate, sandals, shield, helmet, sword — using something visually familiar at the time to explain how the Christian spiritually prepares for combat against evil.
  15. Ephesians 6:15Paul continues the piece-by-piece list of the armor: feet shod with the readiness to announce the gospel of peace, like the sturdy sandals of a soldier on the march.
  16. Ephesians 6:16Paul adds the shield of faith, used to quench the “fiery darts” of the wicked one, an image of the flaming arrows common in the battles of the time.
  17. Ephesians 6:17Paul completes the armor with the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, identified directly as the word of God, the only offensive piece in the list.
  18. Ephesians 6:18Paul ties the armor to constant prayer: he asks that they pray always, with attentiveness and perseverance, and that this prayer include all other Christians, not just their own needs.
  19. Ephesians 6:19Paul asks for prayer for himself as well, specifically for courage and clarity in proclaiming the mystery of the gospel, even while imprisoned.
  20. Ephesians 6:20‘An ambassador in bonds’ is almost a paradox: normally an ambassador had guaranteed diplomatic protection, but Paul describes himself representing the gospel while imprisoned, asking for prayer to keep speaking boldly all the same.
  21. Ephesians 6:21Paul closes the letter by noting that Tychicus, a trusted coworker, will bring the Ephesians his personal news, filling in what the letter itself does not detail.
  22. Ephesians 6:22Paul explains the double purpose of sending Tychicus: to inform them of his situation and, at the same time, to comfort the hearts of the Ephesians with this news.
  23. Ephesians 6:23Paul bids farewell, wishing peace and love with faith to the brethren, a blessing coming from both God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
  24. Ephesians 6:24Paul closes the letter with one final blessing of grace, addressed specifically to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, without pretense.

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