Ephesians 2:21

In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
In	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
whom	ᾧ hō	G3739	the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun · relative pronoun — dative singular masculine
all	πᾶσα pasa	G3956	all · adjective — nominative singular feminine
building	οἰκοδομὴ oikodomē	G3619	architecture · noun — nominative singular feminine
together	συναρμολογουμένη sunarmologoumenē	G4883	to render close-jointed together · verb — present passive participle, nominative singular feminine
groweth	αὔξει auxei	G837	to grow ("wax") · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person singular
unto	εἰς eis	G1519	to or into (indicating the point reached or entered) · preposition
holy	ἅγιον hagion	G40	sacred (physically · adjective — accusative singular masculine
temple	ναὸν naon	G3485	a fane · noun — accusative singular masculine
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
Lord	κυρίῳ, kuriō	G2962	supreme in authority · noun — dative singular masculine, a title

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
2 Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and w…
Ephesians 4:13-16 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of t…
1 Kings 6:7 And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor ax…
Hebrews 3:3-4 For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.
Exodus 26:1-37 Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning…
Psalms 93:5 Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 2:14–end

We have now come to the last part of the chapter, which contains an account of the great and mighty privileges that converted Jews and Gentiles both receive from Christ. The apostle here shows that those who were in a state of enmity are reconciled. Between the Jews and the Gentiles there had been a great enmity; so there is between God and every unregenerate man. Now Jesus Christ is our peace, Eph 2:14. He made peace by the sacrifice of himself; and came to reconcile, 1. Jews and Gentiles to each other. He made both one, by reconciling these two divisions of men, who were wont to malign, to hate, and to reproach each other before. He broke down the middle wall of partition, the ceremonial l…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ephesians 2:21

In whom--as holding together the whole. fitly framed--so as exactly to fit together. groweth--"is growing" continually. Here an additional thought is added to the image; the Church has the growth of a living organism, not the mere increase of a building. Compare Pe1 2:5; "lively stones . . . built up a spiritual house." Compare Eph 4:16; Zac 6:12, "The Branch shall build the temple of the Lord," where similarly the growth of a branch, and the building of a temple, are joined. holy--as being the "habitation of God" (Eph 2:22). So "in the Lord" (Christ) answers to "through the Spirit" (Eph 2:22; compare Eph 3:16-17). "Christ is the inclusive Head of all the building, the element in which…

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Adam Clarke on Ephesians 2:21

In whom - By which foundation corner stone, Christ Jesus, all the building, composed of converted Jews and Gentiles, fitly framed together, συναρμολογουμενη, properly jointed and connected together, groweth unto a holy temple - is continually increasing, as new converts from Judaism or heathenism flock into it. It is not a finished building, but will continue to increase, and be more and more perfect, till the day of judgment.

John Gill

The Church Fathers

All souls made spiritual through Christ are joined and built up into a holy temple, where God dwells. As Christ is in all and God in Christ, all are a temple of God through Christ.
— Gaius Marius Victorinus, EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 1.2.21-22

He called this stone a cornerstone not merely because it is at the corner but because it is the first and most important stone. From it begins the foundation of the corner which joins and couples two things to make them one. Souls above already with Christ are united together with those that live in holiness and receive Christ in a mystery that is present. Souls below that are Christ's, including those of the Gentiles, are also joined by that cornerstone, Jesus Christ.
— Gaius Marius Victorinus, EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 1.2.20

It is maintained by some that the whole edifice built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets comprises not only human souls but also angelic powers, so that all equally will become the abode of God. They argue that it would be absurd if angels and all the blessed forces who serve God in heaven would have no part in this blessedness. For in this is a building, put together harmoniously, that is growing into a holy temple of God to be an abode of God in the Spirit.
— Jerome, Commentary on Ephesians 2:1-5

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Church — Derived probably from the Greek kuriakon (i.e., “the Lord’s house”), which was used by ancient authors for the place of worship. In the New Testament it is the translation of the Greek word ecclesia,…
Sanctuary — Denotes, (1) the Holy Land (Ex. 15:17; comp. Ps. 114:2); (2) the temple (1 Chr. 22:19; 2 Chr. 29:21); (3) the tabernacle (Ex. 25:8; Lev. 12:4; 21:12); (4) the holy place, the place of the Presence…
Stones — Besides the ordinary uses to which stones were applied, we may mention that large stones were set up to commemorate any remarkable event. (Genesis 28:18; 35:14; 31:45; Joshua 4:9; 1 Samuel 7:12) Such…
Temple — First used of the tabernacle, which is called “the temple of the Lord” (1 Sam. 1:9). In the New Testament the word is used figuratively of Christ’s human body (John 2:19, 21). Believers are called…
Architecture · FIGURATIVE — FIGURATIVE
Excellency And Glory Of The Church, The · Consist in its: Being the temple of God — Consist in its: Being the temple of God
Fellowship · 1:10;10:16,17;12:13;16:19,20; — 1:10;10:16,17;12:13;16:19,20;
Holiness · 2:17;5:22-25;6:15; — 2:17;5:22-25;6:15;
Temple, The First · Illustrative of: The spiritual church — Illustrative of: The spiritual church
Union With Christ · Illustrated: Foundation and building — Illustrated: Foundation and building

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Ephesians 2:21

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 2:14–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ephesians 2:21

Adam Clarke on Ephesians 2:21

John Gill

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Ephesians 2:21

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 2:14–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ephesians 2:21

Adam Clarke on Ephesians 2:21

John Gill

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Ephesians 2:17–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ephesians 2:21