Ephesians 4:1

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
I	ἐγὼ egō	G1473	I · personal pronoun — 1st person nominative singular
therefore	οὖν oun	G3767	(adverbially) certainly · conjunction
prisoner	δέσμιος desmios	G1198	a captive (as bound) · noun — nominative singular masculine
of	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
Lord	κυρίῳ kuriō	G2962	supreme in authority · noun — dative singular masculine, a title
beseech	Παρακαλῶ Parakalō	G3870	to call near · verb — present active indicative, 1st person singular
you	ὑμᾶς hymâs	G5209	you (as the objective of a verb or preposition)
walk	περιπατῆσαι peripatēsai	G4043	to tread all around · verb — aorist active infinitive
worthy	ἀξίως axiōs	G516	appropriately · adverb
vocation	κλήσεως klēseōs	G2821	an invitation (figuratively) · noun — genitive singular feminine
wherewith	ἧς hēs	G3739	the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun · relative pronoun — genitive singular feminine
called	ἐκλήθητε, eklēthēte	G2564	to "call" (properly · verb — aorist passive indicative, 2nd person plural

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

Colossians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your af…
1 Thessalonians 2:12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.
1 Thessalonians 4:1-2 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to plea…
2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath cal…
1 Corinthians 4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
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…
2 Thessalonians 1:11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness…

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 4:1

This is a general exhortation to walk as becomes our Christian profession. Paul was now a prisoner at Rome; and he was the prisoner of the Lord, or in the Lord, which signifies as much as for the Lord. See of this, Eph 3:1. He mentions this once and again, to show that he was not ashamed of his bonds, well knowing that he suffered not as an evil doer: and likewise to recommend what he wrote to them with the greater tenderness and with some special advantage. It was a doctrine he thought worth suffering for, and therefore surely they should think it worthy their serious regards and their dutiful observance. We have here the petition of a poor prisoner, one of Christ's prisoners: "I therefore,…

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Adam Clarke on Ephesians 4:1

I therefore - Therefore, because God has provided for you such an abundant salvation, and ye have his testimonies among you, and have full liberty to use all the means of grace; The prisoner of the Lord - Who am deprived of my liberty for the Lord's sake. Beseech you that ye walk - Ye have your liberty, and may walk; I am deprived of mine, and cannot. This is a fine stroke, and wrought up into a strong argument. You who are at large can show forth the virtues of him who called you into his marvellous light; I am in bondage, and can only exhort others by my writing, and show my submission to God by my patient suffering. The vocation wherewith ye are called - The calling, κλησις, is the free i…

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John Gill on Ephesians 4:1

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you,.... Or "in the Lord"; that is, for the Lord's sake; See Gill on Ephesians 3:1. Some connect this phrase, "in the Lord", with the following word, "beseech": as if the sense was, that the apostle entreated the believing Ephesians, in the name of the Lord, and for his sake, to take heed to their walk and conversation, that it be as became the calling by grace, and to glory, with which they were called: and this exhortation he enforces from the consideration of the state and condition in which he was, a prisoner, not for any wickedness he had been guilty of, but for the Lord's sake, which seems to be the true sense of the word; and that, if the…

The Church Fathers

For it is our duty so to walk in the Lord's discipline as is "worthy," not according to the filthy concupiscences of the flesh.
— Tertullian, On Exhortation to Chastity

They were enjoying the gifts of the Spirit. They were performing miracles, speaking in many tongues and experiencing much prophetic activity. But all this was prone to boggle their minds. Therefore it is about these that he first gives them advice.
— Theodoret of Cyrus, Interpretation of the Epistle to the Ephesians 4.1

They and we have one faith, one God, the same Christ, the same hope, the same baptismal sacraments; let me say it once for all, we are one Church. Thus, whatever belongs to our brethren is ours: only, the body divides us.
— Tertullian, On the Veiling of Virgins

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

Communion — Fellowship with God (Gen. 18:17-33; Ex. 33:9-11; Num. 12:7, 8), between Christ and his people (John 14:23), by the Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1), of believers with one another (Eph. 4:1-6). The…
Call Of God, The · Walk worthy of — Walk worthy of
Commandments · PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES — PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES
Communion · 3:3; — 3:3;
Communion Of Saints · Exhortation to — Exhortation to
Conduct, Christian · Walking: Worthy of vocation — Walking: Worthy of vocation
Humility · Saints should: Walk with — Saints should: Walk with
Longsuffering · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Meekness · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Patience · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning

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 4:1

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 4:1

Adam Clarke on Ephesians 4:1

John Gill on Ephesians 4:1

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Ephesians 4:1

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 4:1

Adam Clarke on Ephesians 4:1

John Gill on Ephesians 4:1

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Ephesians 4:1-6

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ephesians 4:1–end