Ephesians 3:3

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
God let me know his secret plan by showing it to me. I have already written a little about this.

Revised Standard Version
how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
For by revelacion shewed he this mistery vnto me as I wrote above in feawe wordes

Hebrew Names Version
how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words,

New American Standard Bible
that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before briefly.

New Century Version
He let me know his secret by showing it to me. I have already written a little about this.

Update Bible Version
how that by revelation was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words,

Webster's Bible Translation
That by revelation he made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words;

English Standard Version
how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.

World English Bible
how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
as I wrote before in few words,

Weymouth's New Testament
and that by a revelation the truth hitherto kept secret was made known to me as I have already briefly explained it to you.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For bi reuelacioun the sacrament is maad knowun to me, as Y aboue wroot in schort thing,

English Revised Version
how that by revelation was made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote afore in few words,

Berean Standard Bible
that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.

Contemporary English Version
In fact, this letter tells you a little about how God has shown me his mysterious ways.

Amplified Bible
and that by [divine] revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I have already written in brief.

American Standard Version
how that by revelation was made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words,

Bible in Basic English
How by revelation the secret was made clear to me, as I said before in a short letter,

Complete Jewish Bible
and that it was by a revelation that this secret plan was made known to me. I have already written about it briefly,

Darby Translation
that by revelation the mystery has been made known to me, (according as I have written before briefly,

International Standard Version
and how this secret was made known to me through a revelation, just as I wrote about briefly in the past.Acts 22:17,21; 26:17-18; Romans 16:25; Galatians 1:12; Ephesians 1:9-10; Colossians 1:26-27;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
that by revelation he made known to me the mystery, as I have written to you in few (words);

Murdock Translation
that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, (as I have [fn] written to you in brief,

King James Version (1611)
How that by reuelation hee made knowen vnto me the mysterie, (as I wrote afore in few words,

New Living Translation
As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me.

New Life Bible
I wrote a little about this to you before. In a special way, God showed me His secret plan.

New Revised Standard
and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words,

Geneva Bible (1587)
That is, that God by reuelation hath shewed this mysterie vnto me (as I wrote aboue in fewe wordes,

George Lamsa Translation
For the mystery was made known to me by a revelation; as I have briefly written you before,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
How that, by way of revelation, was made known unto me the sacred secret, - even as I before wrote in brief, -

Douay-Rheims Bible
How that, according to revelation, the mystery has been made known to me, as I have written above in a few words:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For by reuelation shewed he the misterie vnto me (as I wrote afore in fewe wordes:

Good News Translation
God revealed his secret plan and made it known to me. (I have written briefly about this,

Christian Standard Bible®
The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above.

King James Version
How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

Lexham English Bible
According to revelation the mystery was made known to me, just as I wrote beforehand in brief,

Literal Translation
that by revelation He made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief,

Young's Literal Translation
that by revelation He made known to me the secret, according as I wrote before in few [words] --

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For by reuelacion was this mystery shewed vnto me, as I wrote aboue in fewe wordes:

Mace New Testament (1729)
having revealed to me the secret, I now mention'd in short,

New English Translation
that by revelation the divine secret was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly.

New King James Version
how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,

Simplified Cowboy Version
As I've written before, God yanked me out of the saddle and showed me his crazy plan.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.

Legacy Standard Bible
that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.

Contextual Overview

¹This 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. ⁴As 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. ⁷This 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! All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we're free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don't let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud! My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes! ⁹The 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! All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we're free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don't let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud! My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes! ¹⁰The 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! ¹¹All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we're free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don't let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

by: Ephesians 1:17, Acts 22:17, Acts 22:21, Acts 23:9, Acts 26:15-19, 1 Corinthians 2:9, 1 Corinthians 2:10, Galatians 1:12, Galatians 1:16-19

the mystery: Ephesians 3:9, Romans 11:25, Romans 16:25, Colossians 1:26, Colossians 1:27

as I: Ephesians 1:9-11, Ephesians 2:11-22

afore: or, a little before

Reciprocal: Matthew 13:11 - mysteries Matthew 21:42 - and it is Luke 8:10 - Unto Acts 13:41 - for 1 Corinthians 2:16 - But 1 Corinthians 4:1 - mysteries 1 Corinthians 4:7 - who 1 Corinthians 14:2 - howbeit 1 Corinthians 15:51 - I show Galatians 1:11 - that Ephesians 6:19 - the mystery 1 Timothy 3:16 - the mystery 1 Peter 5:12 - I have Revelation 1:1 - Revelation Revelation 10:7 - the mystery

Cross-References

Genesis 3:12
The Man said, "The Woman you gave me as a companion, she gave me fruit from the tree, and, yes, I ate it." God said to the Woman, "What is this that you've done?"

Genesis 3:13
"The serpent seduced me," she said, "and I ate."

Genesis 3:16
He told the Woman: "I'll multiply your pains in childbirth; you'll give birth to your babies in pain. You'll want to please your husband, but he'll lord it over you."

Genesis 3:17
He told the Man: "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree That I commanded you not to eat from, ‘Don't eat from this tree,' The very ground is cursed because of you; getting food from the ground Will be as painful as having babies is for your wife; you'll be working in pain all your life long. The ground will sprout thorns and weeds, you'll get your food the hard way, Planting and tilling and harvesting, sweating in the fields from dawn to dusk, Until you return to that ground yourself, dead and buried; you started out as dirt, you'll end up dirt."

Genesis 20:6
God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know your intentions were pure, that's why I kept you from sinning against me; I was the one who kept you from going to bed with her. So now give the man's wife back to him. He's a prophet and will pray for you—pray for your life. If you don't give her back, know that it's certain death both for you and everyone in your family."

Job 1:11
"But what do you think would happen if you reached down and took away everything that is his? He'd curse you right to your face, that's what."

Job 19:21
"Oh, friends, dear friends, take pity on me. God has come down hard on me! Do you have to be hard on me, too? Don't you ever tire of abusing me?

1 Corinthians 7:1
Now, getting down to the questions you asked in your letter to me. First, Is it a good thing to have sexual relations?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery,.... Or "is made known unto me": so the Alexandrian copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version. The Gospel, which is sometimes called a mystery, the mystery of the Gospel, the mystery of godliness, and the mystery of faith: the several doctrines of the Gospel are the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; such as a trinity of persons in the Godhead, the union of the two natures in Christ, the saints' union to Christ, and communion with him, the resurrection of the dead, and the change of living saints, and the whole doctrine of salvation by Christ, of justification by his righteousness, pardon by his blood, and atonement by his sacrifice; and this was made known to the apostle, not in a mere notional and speculative way, but in a spiritual and saving manner; not by men, for he was not taught by men, nor did he receive it from them, but had it by the revelation of Jesus Christ, and by the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

as I wrote afore in few words: in the two first chapters of this epistle, which are a compendium of the mystery of the Gospel, in its several parts; as predestination, election, redemption, regeneration, and salvation by free grace.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

How that by revelation - see the notes at Galatians 1:12. He refers to the revelation which was made to him when he was called to the apostolic office, that the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles, and that he was converted for the special purpose of carrying it to them; see Acts 9:15; Acts 22:21.

Unto me the mystery - The hitherto concealed truth that the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles; see the notes, Ephesians 1:9, on the meaning of the word “mystery.”

As I wrote afore in few words - Margin, “a little before.” To what this refers commentators are not agreed. Bloomfield, Doddridge, Rosenmuller, Erasmus, Grotius, Locke, and others, suppose that he refers to what he had written in the two previous chapters respecting the plan of God to call the Gentiles to his kingdom. Calvin supposes that he refers to some former epistle which he had written to them, but which is now lost. Hc remarks in regard to this, “If the solicitude of Paul be rightly considered; if his vigilance and assiduity; if his zeal and studious habits; if his kindness and promptitude in assisting his brethren, it is easy to suppose that he wrote many epistles publicly and privately to this place and to that place. But those only which the Lord saw necessary to the welfare of his church has he taken care to have preserved.” In this opinion there is nothing in itself improbable (compare introduction to Isaiah, section 5 (1)), but it may be doubted whether Paul here refers to any such epistle. The addition which he makes, “whereby, when ye read,” etc., seems rather to imply that he refers to what he had just written.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ephesians 3:3. By revelation he made known unto me — Instead of εγνωρισε, he made known, εγνωρισθη, was made known, is the reading of ABCD*FG, several others, both the Syriac, Coptic, Slavonic, Vulgate, and Itala, with Clemens, Cyril, Chrysostom, Theodoret, Damascenus, and others: it is doubtless the true reading.

The apostle wishes the Ephesians to understand that it was not an opinion of his own, or a doctrine which he was taught by others, or which he had gathered from the ancient prophets; but one that came to him by immediate revelation from God, as he had informed them before in a few words, referring to what he had said Ephesians 1:9-12.