Ephesians 1:18

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
I pray that God will open your minds to see his truth. Then you will know the hope that he has chosen us to have. You will know that the blessings God has promised his holy people are rich and glorious.

Revised Standard Version
having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and lighten the eyes of youre myndes yt ye myght knowe what that hope is where vnto he hath called you and what the riches of his glorious inheritaunce is apon the sainctes

Hebrew Names Version
having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the holy ones,

New American Standard Bible
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

New Century Version
I pray also that you will have greater understanding in your heart so you will know the hope to which he has called us and that you will know how rich and glorious are the blessings God has promised his holy people.

Update Bible Version
having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Webster's Bible Translation
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

English Standard Version
having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

World English Bible
having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
The eyes of your understanding being inlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Weymouth's New Testament
the eyes of your understanding being enlightened so that you may know what is the hope which His call to you inspires, what the wealth of the glory of His inheritance in God's people,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and the iyen of youre herte liytned, that ye wite, which is the hope of his clepyng, and whiche ben the richessis of the glorie of his eritage in seyntis;

English Revised Version
having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Berean Standard Bible
Then, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you will know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,

Contemporary English Version
My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God's people.

Amplified Bible
And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God's people),

American Standard Version
having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Bible in Basic English
And that having the eyes of your heart full of light, you may have knowledge of what is the hope of his purpose, what is the wealth of the glory of his heritage in the saints,

Complete Jewish Bible
I pray that he will give light to the eyes of your hearts, so that you will understand the hope to which he has called you, what rich glories there are in the inheritance he has promised his people,

Darby Translation
being enlightened in the eyes of your heart, so that ye should know what is the hope of his calling, [and] what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

International Standard Version
Then, with the eyes of your hearts enlightened, you will know the hope of his calling, the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,Acts 26:18; Ephesians 2:12;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
and would enlighten the eyes of your hearts to know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance for the saints,

Murdock Translation
and that the eyes of your hearts may be enlightened, so that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints;

King James Version (1611)
The eyes of your vnderstanding being inlightned: that yee may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glorie of his inheritance in the Saints:

New Living Translation
I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

New Life Bible
I pray that your hearts will be able to understand. I pray that you will know about the hope given by God's call. I pray that you will see how great the things are that He has promised to those who belong to Him.

New Revised Standard
so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,

Geneva Bible (1587)
That the eyes of your vnderstanding may be lightened, that ye may knowe what the hope is of his calling, and what the riches of his glorious inheritance is in the Saints,

George Lamsa Translation
And so that the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the glorious riches of his inheritance in the saints;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The eyes of your heart having been enlightened, that ye may know - what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Douay-Rheims Bible
The eyes of your heart enlightened that you may know what the hope is of his calling and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The eyes of your myndes beyng lightened, that ye maye knowe what the hope is of his callyng, and what the richesse of the glorie of his inheritaunce [is] in the saintes:

Good News Translation
I ask that your minds may be opened to see his light, so that you will know what is the hope to which he has called you, how rich are the wonderful blessings he promises his people,

Christian Standard Bible®
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

King James Version
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Lexham English Bible
(the eyes of your hearts having been enlightened), so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance among the saints,

Literal Translation
the eyes of your mind having been enlightened, for you to know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Young's Literal Translation
the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, for your knowing what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and lighten the eyes of youre vnderstondinge, that ye maye knowe what is the hope of youre callynge, and what the riches of his glorious enheritaunce is vpon the sayntes,

Mace New Testament (1729)
an enlightned understanding, that ye may see what great expectations he has called you to, and what abundant glory it is to the saints to be the lot of his inheritance.

New English Translation
—since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened—so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

New King James Version
the eyes of your understanding [fn] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Simplified Cowboy Version
My prayer is that God will light a fire in your hearts so you can understand just how much he loves you. When you can tie onto this, your hope will outweigh everything else. He's called y'all to be his cowboys, and a great inheritance waits for each of us who ride for the brand.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Legacy Standard Bible
so that you—the eyes of your heart having been enlightened—will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Contextual Overview

¹⁵That's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn't stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I'd think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! ²⁰All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

eyes: Ephesians 5:8, Psalms 119:18, Isaiah 6:10, Isaiah 29:10, Isaiah 29:18, Isaiah 32:3, Isaiah 42:7, Matthew 13:15, Luke 24:45, Acts 16:14, Acts 26:18, 2 Corinthians 4:4, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Hebrews 10:32

is: Ephesians 2:12, Ephesians 4:4, Romans 5:4, Romans 5:5, Romans 8:24, Romans 8:25, Galatians 5:5, Colossians 1:5, Colossians 1:23, 1 Thessalonians 5:8, 2 Thessalonians 2:16, Titus 2:13, Titus 3:7, 1 Peter 1:3, 1 John 3:1-3

his calling: Ephesians 4:1, Romans 8:28-30, Philippians 3:14, Colossians 3:15, 1 Thessalonians 2:12, 2 Thessalonians 1:11, 1 Timothy 6:12, 1 Peter 3:9, 1 Peter 5:10

the riches: Ephesians 1:7, Ephesians 1:11, Ephesians 3:8, Ephesians 3:16

Reciprocal: Leviticus 14:18 - the remnant Leviticus 24:2 - the lamps Numbers 34:2 - an inheritance Deuteronomy 4:20 - a people Deuteronomy 32:9 - the Lord's 1 Kings 8:53 - thine inheritance 2 Kings 6:17 - open his eyes Esther 1:4 - the riches Psalms 16:6 - I have Psalms 25:8 - teach Psalms 25:14 - secret Psalms 28:9 - bless Psalms 47:4 - choose Psalms 94:14 - forsake Psalms 106:5 - glory Psalms 126:3 - General Psalms 146:8 - openeth Proverbs 2:3 - if Proverbs 2:6 - the Lord Proverbs 20:12 - General Song of Solomon 1:15 - thou hast Song of Solomon 7:4 - thine eyes Isaiah 6:3 - the whole earth Isaiah 11:2 - the spirit of wisdom Isaiah 35:5 - the eyes Isaiah 52:8 - see Isaiah 53:1 - the Daniel 9:13 - that we Matthew 13:11 - mysteries Matthew 13:16 - General Matthew 16:17 - but John 5:19 - and Acts 2:39 - as many Acts 20:32 - and to give Romans 2:4 - riches Romans 4:24 - if we Romans 8:9 - if so be Romans 9:23 - might Romans 12:2 - be ye Romans 15:7 - to Romans 16:19 - yet 1 Corinthians 1:30 - wisdom 1 Corinthians 12:8 - is given Galatians 1:16 - reveal Ephesians 1:6 - praise Ephesians 1:9 - made Ephesians 3:18 - able Philippians 3:8 - the excellency Philippians 4:19 - according Colossians 1:12 - inheritance Colossians 1:27 - the riches 2 Thessalonians 1:10 - to be glorified 2 Thessalonians 2:14 - to 2 Timothy 1:10 - and hath 2 Timothy 2:7 - and Hebrews 5:14 - their Hebrews 11:26 - greater James 1:17 - from the James 2:5 - rich 1 Peter 1:4 - an 2 Peter 1:5 - knowledge

Cross-References

Psalms 19:6
That's how God's Word vaults across the skies from sunrise to sunset, Melting ice, scorching deserts, warming hearts to faith.

Jeremiah 31:35
God 's Message, from the God who lights up the day with sun and brightens the night with moon and stars, Who whips the ocean into a billowy froth, whose name is God -of-the-Angel-Armies:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened,.... By the Spirit of God already, to see the exceeding sinfulness of sin; the insufficiency of their own righteousness; the beauty, glory, fulness, and suitableness of Christ, as a Saviour; the excellency, truth, and usefulness of the doctrines of the Gospel; in which their understandings were before dark, but now had light into them: wherefore these words are not to be considered as part of the apostle's petitions, but rather as what was taken for granted by him; and are to be put into a parenthesis, and the following words to be joined in connection with the preceding verse; unless it should be thought, that the apostle prays for greater illuminations, and for more spiritual light, and that the eyes of their understandings might be more and more enlightened; the phrase, עין השכל, ομμα της διανοιας, "the eye of the understanding", is Rabbinical, and often to be met with in Jewish writings f; the Alexandrian copy, and several others, the Complutensian edition, the Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions, read, "the eyes of your heart"; and to, עיני הלבבות, "the eyes of the hearts, or minds", is a phrase used by the Jewish writers g:

that ye may know what is the hope of his calling; by which is meant, the effectual calling of the saints; which is not a call to an office, or a call merely by the external ministry of the word; but which is internal, special, powerful, high, and heavenly: and this is the calling of God, of which he is the author; who calls with an holy calling, unto eternal glory by Christ Jesus; and which is without repentance: and the hope of this calling, is either eternal happiness, which is the thing hoped for; or Christ, who is the ground and foundation of it; or the grace of hope, which is exercised on both; or all three: for hope of eternal glory, as it is founded on Christ, may be said to be the hope of the calling of God, because it is wrought in the soul at the time of the effectual calling, and what saints are then called to the exercise of; and calling grace, is an encouragement to hope for eternal life; since whom God calls, he justifies and glorifies: and now the apostle prays, that these saints who were called by the grace of God, might know more of Christ, the foundation of their hope; and what that is they are hoping for, and more and more what it is to hope for the same, upon the view of Christ's person, blood, and righteousness:

and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints; the saints themselves are the Lord's portion, and the lot of his inheritance, in whom he is, and will be abundantly glorified; but here it rather seems to design the heavenly inheritance before spoken of, of which the Spirit is the earnest; and this is the Lord's, it is of his preparing, and it is his gift, and a very rich and glorious inheritance it is: hence it is not only signified by mansions, and everlasting habitations, by an house, and by a city, but by a kingdom; the riches of grace are preparatory to it, and the riches of glory are comprised in it; and this is in, or among the saints, who only have a right unto it, and a meetness for it; and what this inheritance is, with the riches and glory of it, will not be fully known in this life; and indeed but little of it is known; so that such a petition as this is always proper and pertinent.

f Zohar in Deut. fol. 119. 3. Jetzirah, p. 22. 78. Ed. Rittangel. R. Levi ben Gersom in Gen. fol. 14. 3. & Philo de opificio Dei, p. 15. g Bechinat Olam, p. 260.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened - The construction here in the Greek is, probably, “that he may give you (δώη dōē, Ephesians 1:17) the Spirit of wisdom, etc. - eyes of the understanding enlightened,” etc. Or the phrase, “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened,” may be in the accusative absolute, which Koppe and Bloomfield prefer. The phrase, “the eyes of the understanding,” is a figure that is common in all languages. Thus, Philo says, “What the eye is to the body, that is the mind to the soul;” compare Matthew 6:22. The eye is the instrument by which we see; and in like manner the understanding is that by which we perceive truth. The idea here is, that Paul not only wished their “hearts” to be right, but he wished their “understanding” to be right also. Religion has much to do in enlightening the mind. Indeed, its effect there is not less striking and decisive than it is on the heart. The understanding has been blinded by sin. The views which people entertain of themselves and of God are narrow and wrong. The understanding is enfeebled and perverted by the practice of sin. It is limited in its operations by the necessity of the case, and by the impossibility of fully comprehending the great truths which pertain to the divine administration. One of the first effects of true religion is on the understanding. It enlarges its views of truth; gives it more exalted conceptions of God; corrects its errors; raises it up toward the great Fountain of love. And nowhere is the effect of the true religion more apparent than in shedding light on the intellect of the world, and restoring the weak and perverted mind to a just view of the proportion of things, and to the true knowledge of God.

That ye may know what is the hope of his calling - What is the full import of that hope to which he has called and invited you by his Spirit and his promises. The meaning here is, that it would be an inestimable privilege to be made fully acquainted with the benefits of the Christian hope, and to be permitted to understand fully what Christians have a right to expect in the world of glory. This is the first thing which the apostle desires they should fully understand,

And what the riches of the glory of his inheritance - This is the second thing which Paul wishes them to understand. There is a force in this language which can be found perhaps nowhere else than in the writings of Paul. His mind is full, and language is burdened and borne down under the weight of his thoughts; see the notes at 2 Corinthians 4:17. On the word “riches” used here, see the notes at Ephesians 1:7. The phrase “riches of glory” means “glorious wealth;” or, as we would say, “how rich and glorious!” The meaning is, that there is an abundance - an infinitude of wealth. It is not such a possession as man may be heir to in this world, which is always limited from the necessity of the case, and which cannot be enjoyed long; it is infinite and inexhaustible; compare notes, Romans 2:4. The “inheritance” hero referred to is eternal life. notes, Romans 8:17.

In the saints - Among the saints. note, 1 Corinthians 1:2.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 18. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened — The understanding is that power or faculty in the soul by which knowledge or information is received, and the recipient power is here termed the EYES of the understanding; and we learn from this that ὁπερ ὁ οφθαλμος εν τῳ σωματι, τουτο ὁ νους εν τῃ ψυχη, as Philo expresses it: What the eye is to the body, the understanding is to the soul; and that as the eye is not light in itself, and can discern nothing but by the means of light shining, not only on the objects to be viewed, but into the eye itself; so the understanding of man can discern no sacred thing of or by itself, but sees by the influence of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation; for without the influence of God's Holy Spirit no man ever became wise unto salvation, no more than a man ever discerned an object, (no matter how perfect soever his eye might have been,) without the instrumentality of light.

Instead of της διανοιας, of your understanding, της καρδιας, of your heart, is the reading of ABDEFG, and several others; also both the Syriac, all the Arabic, the Coptic, the AEthiopic, Armenian, Sahidic, Slavonian, Vulgate, and Itala, besides several of the fathers. The eyes of your HEART is undoubtedly the true reading.

The hope of his calling — That you may clearly discern the glorious and important objects of your hope, to the enjoyment of which God has called or invited you.

The riches of the glory of his inheritance — That you may understand what is the glorious abundance of the spiritual things to which you are entitled, in consequence of being made children of God; for if children, then heirs, heirs of that glorious inheritance which God has provided for the saints-for all genuine Christians, whether formerly Jews or Gentiles. On the chief subject of this verse, see the notes on Galatians 4:6; Galatians 4:7.