Ephesians 3:10

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

His purpose was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
His purpose was that all the rulers and powers in the heavenly places will now know the many different ways he shows his wisdom. They will know this because of the church.

Revised Standard Version
that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
to the intent that now vnto the rulars and powers in heven myght be knowe by the cogregacion ye many folde wisdome of god

Hebrew Names Version
to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places,

New American Standard Bible
so that the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

New Century Version
His purpose was that through the church all the rulers and powers in the heavenly world will now know God's wisdom, which has so many forms.

Update Bible Version
to the intent that now to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly [places] might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God,

Webster's Bible Translation
To the intent that now to the principalities and powers in heavenly [places] might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

English Standard Version
so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

World English Bible
to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
That the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in heavenly places,

Weymouth's New Testament
concealed in order that the Church might now be used to display to the powers and authorities in the heavenly realms the innumerable aspects of God's wisdom.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
that the myche fold wisdom of God be knowun to princis and potestatis in heuenli thingis bi the chirche,

English Revised Version
to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God,

Contemporary English Version
Then God would use the church to show the powers and authorities in the spiritual world that he has many different kinds of wisdom.

Amplified Bible
So now through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God [in all its countless aspects] might now be made known [revealing the mystery] to the [angelic] rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

American Standard Version
to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God,

Bible in Basic English
So that now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavens might be made clear through the church the wide-shining wisdom of God,

Complete Jewish Bible
is for the rulers and authorities in heaven to learn, through the existence of the Messianic Community, how many-sided God's wisdom is.

Darby Translation
in order that now to the principalities and authorities in the heavenlies might be made known through the assembly the all-various wisdom of God,

International Standard Version
He did thisHe did this">[fn] so that now, through the church, the wisdom of God in all its variety might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realmRomans 8:38; 1 Corinthians 2:7; Ephesians 1:21; Colossians 1:16; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 Peter 1:12; 3:22;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
that through the church might be made known the wisdom of Aloha, which is full of diversities, to the principalities and powers who are in heaven,

Murdock Translation
so that, by means of the church, the manifold wisdom of God might become known to the principalities and powers that are in heaven:

King James Version (1611)
To the intent that now vnto the principalities and powers in heauenly places, might be knowen by the church, the manifold wisedome of God,

New Living Translation
God's purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

New Life Bible
This was done so the great wisdom of God might be shown now to the leaders and powers in the heavenly places. It is being done through the church.

New Revised Standard
so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

Geneva Bible (1587)
To the intent, that nowe vnto principalities and powers in heauenly places, might be knowen by the Church the manifolde wisedome of God,

George Lamsa Translation
To the intent that through the church the manifold wisdom of God may be made known to the angels and powers which are in heaven,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
In order that now, unto the principalities and the authorities in the heavenlies, might be made known, through means of the assembly, the manifold wisdom of God, -

Douay-Rheims Bible
That the manifold wisdom of God may be made known to the principalities and powers in heavenly places through the church,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
To thintent that nowe vnto the rulers and power in heauenly [thynges] myght be knowen by ye Church, the very manyfolde wysedome of God:

Good News Translation
in order that at the present time, by means of the church, the angelic rulers and powers in the heavenly world might learn of his wisdom in all its different forms.

Christian Standard Bible®
This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens.

King James Version
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

Lexham English Bible
in order that the many-sided wisdom of God might be made known now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places through the church,

Literal Translation
so that now to the rulers and to the authorities in the heavenlies might be made known through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God,

Young's Literal Translation
that there might be made known now to the principalities and the authorities in the heavenly [places], through the assembly, the manifold wisdom of God,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
to the intent that now vnto the rulers and powers in heaue mighte be knowne by the congregacion the manifolde wyssdome off God,

Mace New Testament (1729)
that the manifold wisdom of God, in ordering his heavenly kingdom, might by his church be now made known, to princes and magistrates,

THE MESSAGE
The Secret Plan of God This is why I, Paul, am in jail for Christ, having taken up the cause of you outsiders, so-called. I take it that you're familiar with the part I was given in God's plan for including everybody. I got the inside story on this from God himself, as I just wrote you in brief. As you read over what I have written to you, you'll be able to see for yourselves into the mystery of Christ. None of our ancestors understood this. Only in our time has it been made clear by God's Spirit through his holy apostles and prophets of this new order. The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I've been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board. This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities. And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels!

New English Translation
The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.

New King James Version
to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,

Simplified Cowboy Version
God's plan was to use his crew of cowboys to reveal all his wisdom. Everybody is watching and listening . . . even the angels in heaven.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

Legacy Standard Bible
so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

Contextual Overview

¹For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles... ²Surely you have heard about the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, ³that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. ⁴In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. ⁶This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. ⁷I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace, given me through the working of His power. ⁸Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹and to illuminate for everyone the stewardship of this mystery, which for ages past was hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰His purpose was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

intent: Exodus 25:17-22, Psalms 103:20, Psalms 148:1, Psalms 148:2, Isaiah 6:2-4, Ezekiel 3:12, 1 Peter 1:12, Revelation 5:9-14

principalities: Ephesians 1:21, Romans 8:38, Colossians 1:16, 1 Peter 3:22

in: Ephesians 1:3

manifold: Ephesians 1:8, Psalms 104:24, Matthew 11:25-27, Romans 11:33, 1 Corinthians 1:24, 1 Corinthians 2:7, 1 Timothy 3:16, Revelation 5:12

Reciprocal: Genesis 21:7 - Who Genesis 32:1 - angels Exodus 25:20 - toward Exodus 37:9 - to the mercy seatward 1 Kings 6:29 - carved figures Job 9:4 - wise in heart Psalms 89:5 - heavens Psalms 111:3 - honourable Psalms 139:17 - precious Proverbs 8:12 - I wisdom Ezekiel 1:16 - a wheel Daniel 9:19 - thine Daniel 12:6 - one said Matthew 16:18 - my Luke 2:13 - a multitude Luke 19:38 - glory John 12:28 - and will John 13:31 - and God Romans 16:27 - only 1 Corinthians 1:21 - in 1 Corinthians 1:30 - wisdom Ephesians 1:6 - praise Ephesians 6:12 - principalities Colossians 2:2 - understanding Colossians 2:3 - In whom 2 Thessalonians 1:10 - to be glorified 1 Timothy 1:11 - glorious Hebrews 2:10 - it Hebrews 9:5 - over

Cross-References

Genesis 2:25
And the man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed.

Genesis 3:7
And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves.

Genesis 3:17
And to Adam He said: "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree from which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

Genesis 3:18
Both thorns and thistles it will yield you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

Exodus 3:6
Then He said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Exodus 32:25
Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them run wild and become a laughingstock to their enemies.

Job 23:15
Therefore I am terrified in His presence; when I consider this, I fear Him.

Psalms 119:120
My flesh trembles in awe of You; I stand in fear of Your judgments.

Isaiah 33:14
The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling grips the ungodly: "Who of us can dwell with a consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting flames?"

Isaiah 47:3
Your nakedness will be uncovered and your shame will be exposed. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places,.... By whom are meant, not civil magistrates, much less evil angels, but the good angels, the angels in heaven;

:-.

might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God; not the perfection of wisdom, nor Jesus Christ the wisdom of God, nor the holy Scriptures; but the Gospel, which is the pure produce of the wisdom of God; which is gloriously displayed in the several doctrines of it; as in election, in choosing men in Christ for the security of their persons, in founding it not upon their works, but his own grace, for the security of his purpose, and in pitching on such persons as he has, for the magnifying of his grace: and in redemption, which is seen in the person of the Redeemer, who is both God and man; and in the manner in which it is effected, being both for the glory of God's grace and mercy, and for the honour of his justice and holiness; and wherein Satan is mortified, sin is condemned, and the sinner saved: and in justification, whereby sinful men become just with God: God is just, and yet the justifier of him that believes; the ungodly is justified, and yet not justified in his ungodliness, but from it: and in the pardon of sin, in which iniquity is forgiven, and yet vengeance is taken on men's inventions; it is an act of mercy, and yet of justice; it is by price, and yet of free grace; and the like may be observed of all other doctrines of the Gospel. And it may be called "manifold", because of its various doctrines and promises and because of the various instances of wisdom in them, and the various persons to whom it is made known, and the various times in which it is displayed: and now under the Gospel this is more clearly known, or made known to the angels by the church of God, through the ministry of the word in it, on which angels attend, being desirous to look more diligently into the mysteries of it; and by the displays of the wisdom and grace of God unto his church and people.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

To the intent - Greek, “that” Ἵνα Hina. The sense is, that it was with this design, or that this was the purpose for which all things were made. One grand purpose in the creation of the universe was, that the wisdom of God might be clearly shown by the church. It was not enough to evince it by the formation of the sun, the stars, the earth, the seas, the mountains, the floods. It was not enough to show it by the creation of intelligent beings, the formation of immortal minds on earth, and the various ranks of the angelic world. There were views of the divine character which could be obtained only in connection with the redemption of the world. Hence the universe was created, and man was made upon the earth, not merely to illustrate the divine perfections in the work of creation, but in a still more illustrious manner in the work of redemption. And hence the deep interest which the angelic hosts have ever evinced in the salvation of man.

That now - the word “now” - νυν nun - is missing in the Vulgate, Syriac, and Arabic; and is omitted by many of the fathers; see Koppe. If it is to be retained, it means that this display is to be made under the gospel. “Now, since the Messiah is come; now, under the Christian dispensation, this revelation is to be made to distant worlds.”

Unto the principalities and powers - To the angelic hosts - the intelligent beings that surround the throne of God; see the notes at Ephesians 1:21.

By the church - By the incarnation of the Redeemer to save it; by I the mercy shown to it; by the wise arrangement made to recover his people from the fall; and by all the graces and beauties which that redeemed church will evince on earth and in heaven.

The manifold wisdom of God - Literally, “much-variegated.” It means the “greatly-diversified wisdom.” It does not mean merely that there was “great” wisdom, but that the wisdom shown was diversified and varied; like changing, Variegated colors. There was a “beautiful and well-ordered variety of dispensations” toward that church, all of which tended to evince the wisdom of God. It is like a landscape, or a panoramic view passing before the mind, with a great variety of phases and aspects, all tending to excite admiration. In the redemption of the church, there is not merely one form or one phase of wisdom. It is wisdom, ever-varying, ever-beautiful. There was wisdom manifested when the plan was formed; wisdom in the selection of the Redeemer; wisdom in the incarnation; wisdom in the atonement; wisdom in the means of renewing the heart, and sanctifying the soul; wisdom in the various dispensations by which the church is sanctified, guided, and brought to glory. The wisdom thus shown is like the ever-varying beauty of changing clouds, when the sun is reflected on them at evening. Each aspect is full of beauty. One bright; cloud differs in appearance from others; yet all tend to fill the mind with elevated views of God.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 10. That now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places — Who are these principalities and powers? Some think evil angels are intended, because they are thus denominated, Ephesians 6:12. Others think good angels are meant; for as these heavenly beings are curious to investigate the wondrous economy of the Gospel, though they are not its immediate objects, see 1 Peter 1:12, it is quite consistent with the goodness of God to give them that satisfaction which they require. And in this discovery of the Gospel plan of salvation, which reconciles things in heaven and things on earth-both men and angels, these pure spirits are greatly interested, and their praises to the Divine Being rendered much more abundant. Others imagine the Jewish rulers and rabbins are intended, particularly those of them who were converted to Christianity, and who had now learned from the preaching of the Gospel what, as Jews, they could never have known. I have had several opportunities of showing that this sort of phraseology is frequent among the Jews, and indeed not seldom used in the New Testament. Dr. Macknight, whose mode of arguing against this opinion is not well chosen, supposes that "the different orders of angels in heaven are intended, whose knowledge of God's dispensations must be as gradual as the dispensations themselves; consequently their knowledge of the manifold wisdom of God must have been greatly increased by the constitution of the Christian Church." Of this there can be no doubt, whether the terms in the text refer to them or not.

By the Church — That is, by the Christians and by the wonderful things done in the Church; and by the apostles, who were its pastors.

The manifold wisdom of God — Ἡ πολυποικιλος σοφια· That multifarious and greatly diversified wisdom of God; laying great and infinite plans, and accomplishing them by endless means, through the whole lapse of ages; making every occurrence subservient to the purposes of his infinite mercy and goodness. God's gracious design to save a lost world by Jesus Christ, could not be defeated by any cunning skill or malice of man or devils: whatever hinderances are thrown in the way, his wisdom and power can remove; and his infinite wisdom can never want ways or means to effect its gracious designs.