Ephesians 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Study Note
Study Note
The opening berakah (blessing) of Ephesians — 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places' — launches the letter's distinctive 'heavenly places' theology and identifies the source, agent, and sphere of all blessing. The past tense 'has blessed' (aorist: eulogēsas) presents the spiritual blessings as already given in their entirety, grounding the ethical imperatives of chapters 4-6 in an accomplished indicative. The 'heavenly places' (ta epourania) — the realm where Christ is seated (1:20) and where believers are seated with him (2:6) — defines Christian identity as simultaneously earthly and heavenly. The sustained structure of the sentence (verse 3-14 is one sentence in Greek) places election, predestination, redemption, inheritance, and sealing by the Spirit within a single comprehensive doxology.
Other Translations
Blessedbethe God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ:
Blessed <FI>is<Fi> the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who did bless us in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us every blessing of the Spirit in the heavens in Christ:
Cross References
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and …
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families …
And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes …
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, …
And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the Lord your God. And all the congregation blessed the Lord …
Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the Lord …
His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be …
And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and …
The Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.