What Does Ephesians 1:19 Mean?
And what is the surpassing size of his power toward us who lean our weight, according to the working of the grip of his strength.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,THE KEY
The verse’s four Greek terms for power trace one movement: God’s capacity becomes active strength directed toward those who trust.
THE MEANING
The verse speaks to you as one who trusts: God’s power is directed toward you and described through its active working. Capacity, operation, might, and strength gather around the greatness of that power reaching you.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the idea that trust is merely agreeing that God is powerful: here, the trusting person is the one toward whom God’s active power is directed.
THE ROOT
ἐνέργεια
energeia
GROWS FROM
ἔργον (ergon), in the ἐνεργ- (energ-) word family
Work, deed, effective action.
English says working, while the Greek word belongs to the same family as ἔργον (ergon, work or deed) and ἐνεργέω (energeō, to be at work). The verse describes power through its activity: God’s strength is at work toward you.
ALSO GROWS
ergon: Work, deed, action.
ἔργον
The shared word family ties power to something done and active.
energeō: To be at work, operate, be active.
ἐνεργέω
This verb makes the operation explicit: the power named in the verse is working.
δύναμις
dynamis
GROWS FROM
δύναμαι
dynamai
To be able; capability or capacity.
The root carries the sense of ability, and this verse places that capacity alongside working, might, and strength. Power is presented as a capability actively reaching those who trust.
ALSO GROWS
dynamai: To be able, have the capacity to do something.
δύναμαι
The verb reveals the ability beneath the noun translated power.
dynatos: Able, capable, powerful.
δυνατός
This related adjective describes the same capacity as strength or ability.
πιστεύοντας
pisteuontas
GROWS FROM
πειθ- (peith-), the family of πείθω (peithō)
To persuade or win confidence; in this word family, trust and reliance.
“lean our weight” in this verse is pisteuontas. The Greek word carries trustful reliance, more than agreement with a statement. The verse speaks of power directed toward people who lean their trust on God.
ALSO GROWS
peithō: To persuade, win confidence, or trust.
πείθω
It shows the connection between being persuaded and placing trust.
pistis: Trust, reliance.
πίστις
The related noun names the trusting posture of those described as believing.
pistos: Firm, steady, trustworthy.
πιστός
This related adjective carries the sense of reliability within the same word family.
THE PATTERN
God’s strength becomes active in and for people through God’s working.
O God, from your set-apart places you are awe-inspiring. The God of Israel gives strength and power to the people. Let God be blessed.For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do, for the sake of his good pleasure.Now to him who is strong enough to do beyond all that we ask or perceive, overflowing past measure, according to the strength that works in us.THE THREAD
Now to him who is strong enough to do beyond all that we ask or perceive, overflowing past measure, according to the strength that works in us.Both verses use δύναμις (dynamis, power) and the ἐνεργ- family: ἐνέργεια (energeia, working) in 1:19 and ἐνεργέω (energeō, be at work) in 3:20. The phrase power that worketh in us opens the meaning of power directed toward us.
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