Ephesians 2:9

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
Not	οὐκ ouk	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
of	ἐξ ex	G1537	literal or figurative · preposition
works	ἔργων, ergōn	G2041	toil (as an effort or occupation) · noun — genitive plural neuter
lest	μή mē	G3361	(adverb) not · particle — negative
man	τις tis	G5100	some or any person or object · indefinite pronoun — nominative singular masculine
boast	καυχήσηται. kauchēsētai	G2744	to vaunt (in a good or a bad sense) · verb — aorist middle deponent subjunctive, 3rd person singular

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

2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was giv…
Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise w…
Titus 3:3-5 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful,…
Romans 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
1 Corinthians 1:29-31 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Romans 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
Romans 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not o…

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 2:4-10

Here the apostle begins his account of the glorious change that was wrought in them by converting grace, where observe, I. By whom, and in what manner, it was brought about and effected. 1. Negatively: Not of yourselves, Eph 2:8. Our faith, our conversion, and our eternal salvation, are not the mere product of any natural abilities, nor of any merit of our own: Not of works, lest any man should boast, Eph 2:9. These things are not brought to pass by any thing done by us, and therefore all boasting is excluded; he who glories must not glory in himself, but in the Lord. There is no room for any man's boasting of his own abilities and power; or as though he had done any thing that might deserve…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ephesians 2:9

Not of works--This clause stands in contrast to "by grace," as is confirmed by Rom 4:4-5; Rom 11:6. lest--rather, as Greek, "that no man should boast" (Rom 3:27; Rom 4:2).

Adam Clarke on Ephesians 2:8

For by grace are ye saved, through faith - As ye are now brought into a state of salvation, your sins being all blotted out, and you made partakers of the Holy Spirit; and, having a hope full of immortality, you must not attribute this to any works or merit of yours; for when this Gospel reached you, you were all found dead in trespasses and dead in sins; therefore it was God's free mercy to you, manifested through Christ, in whom ye were commanded to believe; and, having believed by the power of the Holy Spirit, ye received, and were sealed by, the Holy Spirit of promise; so that this salvation is in no sense of yourselves, but is the free gift of God; and not of any kind of works; so that…

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John Gill on Ephesians 2:9

Not of works,.... Of any kind, moral or ceremonial, before or after conversion, done without faith or in it, nor of these in any sense; works are neither the moving causes, nor the procuring causes, nor the helping causes, nor "causa sine qua non", or conditions of salvation; the best works that are done by men, are not done of themselves, but by the grace of God, and therefore can never merit at his hand: and salvation is put upon such a foot, lest any man should boast; of his works before God, and unto men; wherefore he has denied works any place in justification and salvation, in order to exclude all boasting in man; and has fixed it in a way of grace, and has chosen and called poor sinf…

The Church Fathers

All thanksgiving for our salvation is to be given only to God. He extends his mercy to us so as to recall us to life precisely while we are straying, without looking for the right road. And thus we are not to glory in ourselves but in God, who has regenerated us by a heavenly birth through faith in Christ.
— Ambrosiaster, EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 2.10

The fact that you Ephesians are saved is not something that comes from yourselves. It is the gift of God. It is not from your works, but it is God's grace as God's gift, not from anything you have deserved. Our works are one thing, what we deserve another. Hence he distinguishes the two phrases "not from yourselves" and "not from works." Remember that there are faithful works that ought to be displayed daily in services to the poor and other good deeds.
— Gaius Marius Victorinus, EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 1.2.9

"That no man should glory." That he may excite in us proper feeling touching this gift of grace. "What then?" saith a man, "Hath He Himself hindered our being justified by works?" By no means. But no one, he saith, is justified by works, in order that the grace and loving-kindness of God may be shown. He did not reject us as having works, but as abandoned of works He hath saved us by grace; so that no man henceforth may have whereof to boast. And then, lest when thou hearest that the whole work is accomplished not of works but by faith, thou shouldest become idle, observe how he continues.
— John Chrysostom, Homily on Ephesians 4

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

Atonement · .Divinely ordained — .Divinely ordained
Boasting · SPIRITUAL — SPIRITUAL
Grace Of God · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Righteousness · No salvation by works of — No salvation by works of
Salvation · Is not by works — Is not by works
Works, Good · Salvation unattainable by — Salvation unattainable by

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 2:9

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 2:4-10

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ephesians 2:9

Adam Clarke on Ephesians 2:8

John Gill on Ephesians 2:9

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Ephesians 2:9

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 2:4-10

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ephesians 2:9

Adam Clarke on Ephesians 2:8

John Gill on Ephesians 2:9

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Ephesians 2:8-10

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ephesians 2:8-9