to hear (in various senses) · verb — aorist active indicative, 2nd person plural
him
αὐτὸνauton
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — accusative singular masculine
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
taught
ἐδιδάχθητε,edidachthēte
G1321
to teach (in the same broad application) · verb — aorist passive indicative, 2nd person plural
by
ἐνen
G1722
"in · preposition
him
αὐτῷautō
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative singular masculine
as
καθώςkathōs
G2531
just (or inasmuch) as · conjunction
truth
ἀλήθειαalētheia
G225
truth · noun — nominative singular feminine
is
ἐστίestí
G2076
he (she or it) is
in
ἐνen
G1722
"in · preposition
Jesus
Ἰησοῦ,Iēsou
G2424
Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua) · noun — dative singular masculine, a proper name
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 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is tr…
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were s…
Hebrews 3:7-8 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
1 John 5:10-12 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not th…
John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth wit…
Colossians 2:7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Psalms 85:10-11 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Ephesians 4:17–end
The apostle having gone through his exhortation to mutual love, unity, and concord, in the foregoing verses, there follows in these an exhortation to Christian purity and holiness of heart and life, and that both more general (Eph 4:17-24) and in several particular instances, Eph 4:25-32. This is solemnly introduced: "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord; that is, seeing the matter is as above described, seeing you are members of Christ's body and partakers of such gifts, this I urge upon your consciences, and bear witness to as your duty in the Lord's name, and by virtue of the authority I have derived from him." Consider,
I. The more general exhortation to purity and holiness of h…
If so be that--not implying doubt; assuming what I have no reason to doubt, that
heard him--The "Him" is emphatic: "heard Himself," not merely heard about Him.
taught by him--Greek, "taught IN HIM," that is, being in vital union with Him (Rom 16:7).
as the truth is in Jesus--Translate in connection with "taught"; "And in Him have been taught, according as is truth in Jesus." There is no article in the Greek. "Truth" is therefore used in the most comprehensive sense, truth in its essence, and highest perfection, in Jesus; "if according as it is thus in Him, ye have been so taught in Him"; in contrast to "the vanity of mind of the Gentiles" (Eph 4:17; compare Joh 1:14, Joh 1:17; Joh 18:3…
If so be that ye have heard him - Ειγε, Seeing that, since indeed, ye have heard us proclaim his eternal truth; we have delivered it to you as we received it from Jesus.
John Gill on Ephesians 4:21
If so be that ye have heard him,.... Not heard him preach, but heard him preached; and that not merely externally, with the outward hearing of the ear; though oftentimes spiritual conviction and illumination, true faith in Christ, real comfort from him, and establishment and assurance of interest in him, come this way, as to these Ephesians, Ephesians 1:13 but internally, so as to know him, understand his word, and distinguish his voice; so as to approve of him and love him, and believe in him; feel the power of his Gospel, relish his truths, and obey his ordinances, and so bring forth fruit to his glory; as such do, who are quickened by him, whose ears are unstopped, and their hearts opened…
The Church Fathers
It is Christ himself who teaches us about himself! When we are "taught in him," we learn who he is, how great we should reckon him to be and what hope is in him. We learn "in him" what sort of people believers ought to be. Any one who has "learned Christ" knows that he rose from the dead to be the pattern for the faithful. He teaches that there is great hope after this death for those who love God.
If all who seem to hear Christ did indeed hear him, the apostle would never had said this to the Ephesians. They were those to whom he had already revealed the promises of Christ. Why would he then say conditionally: "if indeed you have heard him?" To know Christ is the same thing already as knowing virtue. To hear of Christ rightly is the same as being attentive to all the virtues: wisdom, justice, temperance, fortitude and the other names by which Christ is called. Therefore if anyone has indeed heard and learned Christ, he would not be living "in the futility of his mind" nor "be darkened in understanding" nor be "alienated from the life of God." He would already have practical knowledge, since his ignorance would have been dispelled, his darkness illuminated and every blindness lifted from the eyes of his heart.
On the one hand the name Jesus refers to the man who was assumed by the Word, the man born from the Virgin. … Then again it refers to the Word of God: "for to us there is one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things" … When Paul says "as truth is in Jesus," he is speaking of the temple of God in which God the Word dwells. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. God is the Word. As life dwells in him, so he also is life. … In this same way the Son too may be called the truth, and truth may be said to dwell in him. In saying this we do not separate God the Word from the humanity he assumed. The man he assumed is not someone else. According to our understanding of certain passages we give different titles to him whom we believe to be the one Son of Man and Son of God, both before and after the virgin birth.… In none of the patriarchs, in none of the prophets, in none of the apostles did truth reside as it did in Jesus. For others know in part and prophesy in part and see "as through a glass darkly." In Jesus alone the truth of God has appeared. He confidently asserts "I am the truth."
Dictionary and topics
Regeneration — Only found in Matt. 19:28 and Titus 3:5. This word literally means a “new birth.” The Greek word so rendered (palingenesia) is used by classical writers with reference to the changes produced by the…
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 4:20-24
20. But ye have not so learned Christ;
20. Vos autem non ita didicistis Christum;
21. If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
21. Si quidem ipsum audistis, et in ipso estis edocti, quemadmodum est veritas in Iesu;
22. That ye put off, concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
22. Ut deponatis, secundum pristinam conversationem, Veterem hominem, qui corrumpitur secundum concupiscentias erroris;
23. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
23. Renovemini autem spiritu mentis vestrae,
24. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousnes…
What you learned about Christ is the truth that comes from him. He gives true understanding (cp. John 14:6) and calls his people to an entirely new way of life (cp. Rom 6:3-14; 13:12-14; Col 3:8-10).
