Ephesians 1:12

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
We Jews were the first to hope in Christ. And we were chosen so that we would bring praise to God in all his glory.

Revised Standard Version
we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
that we which before beleved in Christ shuld be vnto the prayse of his glory.

Hebrew Names Version
to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Messiah:

New American Standard Bible
to the end that we who were the first to hope in the Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

New Century Version
We are the first people who hoped in Christ, and we were chosen so that we would bring praise to God's glory.

Update Bible Version
to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:

Webster's Bible Translation
That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

English Standard Version
so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

World English Bible
to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
That we who first believed in Christ, might be to the praise of his glory.

Weymouth's New Testament
so that we should be devoted to the extolling of His glorious attributes--we who were the first to fix our hopes on Christ.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
that we be in to the heriyng of his glorie, we that han hopid bifor in Crist.

English Revised Version
to the end that we should be unto the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:

Berean Standard Bible
in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory.

Contemporary English Version
He did this so that we Jews would bring honor to him and be the first ones to have hope because of him.

Amplified Bible
so that we who were the first to hope in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him as our Lord and Savior] would exist to the praise of His glory.

American Standard Version
to the end that we should be unto the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:

Bible in Basic English
So that his glory might have praise through us who first had hope in Christ:

Complete Jewish Bible
so that we who earlier had put our hope in the Messiah would bring him praise commensurate with his glory.

Darby Translation
that we should be to [the] praise of his glory who have pre-trusted in the Christ:

International Standard Version
so that we who had already fixed our hope on Christ might live for his praise and glory.Ephesians 1:6,14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; James 1:18;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
that we who first hoped in the Meshiha, should be to the honour of his glory.

Murdock Translation
that we should be they who first hoped in the Messiah, to the honor of his glory.

King James Version (1611)
That we should be to the praise of his glorie, who first trusted in Christ.

New Living Translation
God's purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God.

New Life Bible
We who were the first to put our trust in Christ should thank Him for His greatness.

New Revised Standard
so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.

Geneva Bible (1587)
That we, which first trusted in Christ, should be vnto the praise of his glorie:

George Lamsa Translation
That we should become the first to trust in Christ, to his honor and his glory:

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
That we should be for the praise of his glory - we who had hoped beforehand in the Christ, -

Douay-Rheims Bible
That we may be unto the praise of his glory: we who before hoped in Christ:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
That we shoulde be vnto the prayse of his glorie, whiche before beleued in Christe.

Good News Translation
Let us, then, who were the first to hope in Christ, praise God's glory!

Christian Standard Bible®
so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.

King James Version
That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Lexham English Bible
that we who hoped beforehand in Christ should be for the praise of his glory,

Literal Translation
for us to be to the praise of His glory, the ones who had previously trusted in Christ;

Young's Literal Translation
for our being to the praise of His glory, [even] those who did first hope in the Christ,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
that we mighte be to the prayse of his glory, euen we that before beleued on Christ,

Mace New Testament (1729)
that we should celebrate his glory, who were the first that plac'd our hopes in Christ.

New English Translation
so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the praise of his glory.

New King James Version
that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Some of us Jews were the first to ride for the brand and bring glory and honor to God.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

Legacy Standard Bible
to the end that we who first have hoped in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

Contextual Overview

³How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. ⁷Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. ¹¹It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. ¹³It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

be: Ephesians 1:6, Ephesians 1:14, Ephesians 2:7, Ephesians 3:21, 2 Thessalonians 2:13

who: Ephesians 1:13, Psalms 2:12, Psalms 146:3-5, Isaiah 11:10, Isaiah 12:2, Isaiah 32:1, Isaiah 32:2, Isaiah 42:1-4, Isaiah 45:23, Isaiah 45:25, Jeremiah 17:5-7, Jeremiah 23:6, Matthew 12:18-21, John 14:1, Romans 15:12, Romans 15:13, 2 Timothy 1:12, James 1:18, 1 Peter 1:21

trusted: or, hoped

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 12:22 - for his great 2 Kings 18:5 - trusted 1 Chronicles 5:20 - because 1 Chronicles 16:35 - that we may give 2 Chronicles 13:18 - relied 2 Chronicles 16:7 - Because Psalms 31:3 - for thy Psalms 86:2 - trusteth Psalms 86:9 - glorify Psalms 115:9 - trust Psalms 125:1 - that trust Psalms 138:5 - for great Proverbs 3:5 - Trust Proverbs 16:20 - whoso Song of Solomon 8:5 - leaning Isaiah 43:7 - for my Isaiah 60:21 - that I Isaiah 63:14 - to make Jeremiah 14:7 - do Jeremiah 17:7 - General Jeremiah 39:18 - because Ezekiel 20:14 - General Daniel 3:28 - that trusted Daniel 9:19 - thine Zephaniah 3:12 - and Matthew 12:21 - General Luke 19:38 - glory John 5:23 - all men John 13:31 - and God Romans 1:5 - for his name Romans 15:7 - to 1 Corinthians 15:19 - hope 2 Corinthians 1:20 - unto Galatians 1:5 - whom Philippians 1:11 - unto 2 Thessalonians 1:10 - to be glorified 1 Timothy 1:11 - glorious 1 Timothy 1:16 - for this

Cross-References

Genesis 1:11
God spoke: "Earth, green up! Grow all varieties of seed-bearing plants, Every sort of fruit-bearing tree." And there it was. Earth produced green seed-bearing plants, all varieties, And fruit-bearing trees of all sorts. God saw that it was good. It was evening, it was morning— Day Three.

Genesis 1:24
God spoke: "Earth, generate life! Every sort and kind: cattle and reptiles and wild animals—all kinds." And there it was: wild animals of every kind, Cattle of all kinds, every sort of reptile and bug. God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:26
God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth." God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God's nature. He created them male and female. God blessed them: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth."

Galatians 6:7
Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That we should be to the praise of his glory,.... This is the end of predestination to the inheritance; and the sense is, either that the praise of the glory of God, in his grace and goodness, might be discovered and made known unto the saints, as it is displayed in election, redemption, justification, pardon, adoption, regeneration, and eternal salvation; or that they should praise and glorify him on account of these things, by ascribing all to his grace, and nothing to themselves; by giving him thanks for all his benefits; by ordering their conversations aright as become the Gospel; and by doing all things with a view to his glory:

who first trusted in Christ; the Jews, the apostle, and others of the Jewish nation;

who before hoped in Christ, as the words may be rendered; who hoped in Christ before the Gentiles did; and indeed the people of Israel hoped for Christ before he came; the promises of the Messiah were made to them, and he was the peculiar hope and expectation of that people; and to them he first came, and to them the Gospel was first preached; and some of them first believed in Christ, and trusted in him, and not in their own righteousness, strength, wisdom, and riches, nor in their own hearts, nor in any mere creature, nor in their carnal privileges; all which they renounced confidence in, and dependence on, when they came to the knowledge of Christ; in whose person they trusted for acceptance, and in his righteousness for justification, and in his blood for pardon, and in his fulness for supply, and in his power for protection and perseverance: this supposes knowledge of him, and a sense of the frailty and vanity of all other objects; and was a betaking themselves to him, a leaning and staying on him, a committing all unto him, and an expectation of all good things from him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That we should be to the praise of his glory - Should be the occasion or the means of celebrating his glory; or that praise should be ascribed to him as the result of our salvation.

Who first trusted in Christ - Margin, “hoped.” This is in accordance with the original. The foundation of their “hope” was the Saviour. Some suppose that the apostle here refers to the Jews who were converted before the gospel was preached extensively to the Gentiles. The reason for this opinion is, that in the following verse he contrasts those to whom he here refers with others whom he was addressing. But it may be that by the word “we” in Ephesians 1:11-12, he refers to himself and to his fellow-laborers who had “first” hoped in the Saviour, and had then gone and proclaimed the message to others; see the notes on Ephesians 1:11. They “first” believed, and then preached to others; and they also believed, and became partakers of the same privileges.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 12. That we — Jews, now apostles and messengers of God, to whom the first offers of salvation were made, and who were the first that believed in Christ.

Should be to the praise of his glory — By being the means of preaching Christ crucified to the Gentiles, and spreading the Gospel throughout the world.