Inspired In Christ
HOPE – BLESSED – BLESSING
Inspired In Christ
HOPE – BLESSED – BLESSING
Greek Meanings and Different Translations
Greek Word Study – Holman Study Bible – Ephesians
Ephesians 4:4 HOPE – g1680
There is One Body and One Spirit — just as you were Called to One HOPE, at your Calling.
g1680. ἐλπίς elpis; from a primary ἔλπω elpō
(to Anticipate, usually with Pleasure); Expectation (abstractly or concretely) or Confidence: —
Faith, Hope. AV (54) - hope 53, faith 1;
Expectation of Good, Hope in the Christian sense Joyful and Confident Expectation
of Eternal Salvation.
On hope, in hope, having hope, in the Author of Hope, or He who is its Foundation
of the thing hoped for.
Discovery Bible
1680 elpís (from elpō, "to Anticipate, Welcome") – properly,
Expectation of Something Sure (Certain); Hope.
Biblical Hope is never mere human wishing!
Ro 5:1-5: we exult in hope (1680/elpís) of the glory of God. 3And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5and hope (1680/elpís) does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (NASB).
Hope in Scripture goes beyond human wishing and is not based on earthly circumstances (outcomes). Accordingly, no situation can cause faith to become hopeless. Indeed human disappointments always operate in God's appointments, so we must cling to Christ in adversity and actively expect His best.
Hope (hoping) operates in the spiritual (invisible) realm in which God imparts faith
(cf. Ro 8:24 with 1 Jn 5:4). Hope carries a deep sense of assurance from God about the conviction He works within (i.e. about the persuasion-faith He inbirths, Heb 11:1).
Example: The "Blessed Hope" of the Church is the reality of Christ's Second Coming (Tit 2:13).
Hope (1680/elpís) in Scripture is always based on the written or living word of God. This spiritual waiting, with faith-prompted expectation, knows the Lord will bring to pass what He has spoken –
in the way He desires and on His timetable.
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentory
hope--here associated with "the Spirit," which is the "earnest of our inheritance" (Eph 1:13, 14). As "faith" is mentioned, Eph 4:5, so "hope" here, and "love," Eph 4:2. The Holy Spirit, as the common higher principle of life (Eph 2:18, 22), gives to the Church its true unity. Outward uniformity is as yet unattainable; but beginning by having one mind, we shall hereafter end by having "one body." The true "body" of Christ (all believers of every age) is already "one," as joined to the one Head. But its unity is as yet not visible, even as the Head is not visible; but it shall appear when He shall appear (Joh 17:21-23; Col 3:4).
Matthew Henry's Concise Commenary
Ephesians 4:1-6 Nothing is pressed more earnestly in the Scriptures, than to walk as becomes those called to Christ’s kingdom and glory. By lowliness, understand humility, which is opposed to pride. By meekness, that excellent disposition of soul, which makes men unwilling to provoke, and not easily to be provoked or offended. We find much in ourselves for which we can hardly forgive ourselves; therefore we must not be surprised if we find in others that which we think it hard to forgive. There is one Christ in whom all believers hope, and one heaven they are all hoping for; therefore they should be of one heart. They had all one faith, as to its object, Author, nature, and power.
Gospel Transformation Bible Study Notes
Eph. 4:2–6 The first set of imperatives concerns the unity of the Spirit. Paul urges the Ephesians to maintain the bond of peace by doing four things (vv. 2–3). They are to be humble, gentle, and patient, bearing with one another in love. How many relational problems could be avoided if only we waded into conflict more slowly and gave people the benefit of the doubt?
Having explained practically how to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, Paul goes on to mention seven theological propositions that speak to the reality of the unity the church in Ephesus already shares: (1) We are one body. (2) We have one Spirit. (3) We have one hope. (4) We have one Lord. (5) We have one faith. (6) We have one baptism. (7) We have one God and Father of all. The unity of the church—which given this doctrinal foundation does not require any sort of watered-down theology—is precious to Christ and should be precious to us (cf. John 17:20–23).
Greek Word Study – Holman Study Bible
Blessed - Ephesians 1:3 Blessing – Ephesians 1:3
Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has BLESSED us in Christ
with every Spiritual BLESSING in the Heavens.
BLESSED – g2127.
εὐλογέω eulogeō; from a compound of 2095 and 3056; to speak well of,
i.e. to bless (thank or invoke a benediction upon, prosper): — bless, praise.
AV (44) - bless 43, praise 1;
to praise, celebrate with praises to invoke blessings to consecrate a thing, a person with solemn prayers to ask God's blessing on a thing pray God to bless it to one's use pronounce a consecratory blessing on of God to cause to prosper, to make happy, to bestow blessings on favoured of God.
Discovery Bible
2127 eulogéō (from 2095/eú, "well, good" and 3056/lógos, "word, reason") – properly, speak (reason) to confer benefit; hence, bless.
2127/eulogeō ("confer what is beneficial") is used of God blessing people (Lk 1:28; Eph 1:3; Heb 6:14, etc.) – and His people blessing Him (Lk 1:64, 2:28, 24:53; 1 Cor 14:16; Js 3:9).
1.2127/eulogeō ("bless") is literally "bring a good word," i.e. to confer a benefit (blessing).
It is the very nature of blessing to stimulate further blessing.
2127 (eulogeō) involves a liberal (generous) spirit which enriches. 2127/eulogéō ("bless") passes
on benefit by giving oneself ("giving oneself away").
Reflection: God also graciously does this in us as we receive (obey) faith from Him.
Gal 3:9: "So then those who are of faith (4102/pístis) are blessed (2127/eulogéō) with Abraham,
the believer" (NASB).
2."Blessing God" in Scripture is distinct from "praising God." Blessing (2127/eulogéō) God means committing oneself to Him ("giving ourselves away" wholly to Him).
Lk 1:64: "And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he was speaking, blessing (2127/eulogéō) God."
3."Blessing God" extends (shares) ourselves with the Lord, giving our word to be
completely His – i.e. conferring ourselves to Him which fulfills the common OT imperative,
"Bless the Lord!"
Ps 103:1,2: "1A Psalm of David.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits" (NASB).
Ps 104:1: "Bless the lord, O my soul!
O lord my God, You are very great;
You are clothed with splendor and majesty" (NASB).
Ps 104:35: "Let sinners be consumed from the earth
And let the wicked be no more.
Bless the lord, O my soul.
Praise the lord" (NASB).
In brief
Scripture calls us to "bless God"!
See: Lk 1:64,68, 2:28; Ro 1:25, 9:5; 2 Cor 1:3, 11:31; Eph 1:3; 1 Pet 1:3.
The distinction between "blessing God" and "praising God" is carefully preserved in the original Hebrew/Greek text of Scripture and therefore both should be practiced in true worship!
"Praising God" acknowledges (exalts) His work and character. In contrast, "blessing God" means surrendering oneself to Him.
[The scriptural imperative to "bless God!" is frequent in the (Hebrew) text of the OT. See Ps 103:1,2, 104:1, etc. Unfortunately, it was "eliminated" by the NIV (and other translations), rendering it the same as "praise God."]
God also "gives Himself away" to us as He blesses us. A. W. Tozer,
"God gives . . . but He doesn't give away!"
Reflection: "Blessing (2127/eulogéō) God" means giving ourselves away to Him. It is so important to bless God because this impacts Him forever. Why? The Lord never becomes more nor less than He has always been, is, or will be (cf. Rev 4:8). Therefore what impacts God now . . . does so forever! Meditate on this in light of Mal 3:6 and Heb 13:8.
BLESSING – g2129.
εὐλογία eulogia; from the same as 2127; fine speaking, i.e. elegance of language; commendation (“eulogy”), i.e. (reverentially) adoration; benediction; by implication, consecration; by extension, benefit or largess: — blessing (a matter of) bounty (x -tifully), fair speech.
AV (16) - blessing 11, bounty 2, bountifully + g1909 2, fair speech 1;
praise, laudation, panegyric: of Christ or God fine discourse, polished language in a bad sense, language artfully adapted to captivate the hearer: fair speaking, fine speeches an invocation of blessing, benediction consecration a (concrete) blessing, benefit.
Discovery Bible
Cognate: 2129 eulogía – blessing. See 2127 (eulogéō).
Blessing comes through God's inworking (blessing) of faith (4102/pístis). This logic of the Lord in His perfect love, bringing power to those receiving what He calls good.
Gal 3:14: "In order that in Christ Jesus the blessing (2129/eulogía) of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (4102/pístis)" (NASB).
Commentary
(Ro 15:29) in the fullness of the blessing (2129/eulogía) of Christ – Paul's ministry included many manifestations of power through the Holy Spirit (see Ro 1:11, 15:19; 1 Cor 2:4; 1 Tim 4:14).
"The subject of the promise is the life which comes through the Spirit. See Jn 7:39; Ac 2:17,38-39, 10:45,47, 15:7-8; Ro 5:5, 8:2,4,6,11; Eph 1:13" (WS, 976).
Lexicon
has blessed
εὐλογήσας (eulogēsas) Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's Greek 2127: (lit: I speak well of) I bless; pass: I am blessed. From a compound of eu and logos; to speak well of, i.e. to bless.
blessing
εὐλογίᾳ (eulogia) Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's Greek 2129: Adulation, praise, blessing, gift.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
Who hath blessed us . . . in heavenly-places.--It should be, who blessed us (once for all), in the election and predestination spoken of in the next verse. If this be noted, the sense of the phrase "in heavenly places" becomes far clearer. It has been doubted whether we ought to supply the word "places" or "things" (as in John 3:12) in rendering this phrase, which is peculiar to this Epistle, and used in it no less than five times. In three out of the other four places (Ephesians 1:20; Ephesians 2:6; Ephesians 3:10) the local sense is manifest; in the fourth (Ephesians 6:12) and in this it might be doubtful. But (1) it is altogether unlikely that so unique a phrase would be used in two different senses; (2) the original word for "heavenly" has most properly and most usually a local meaning; (3) the transference of the thoughts to heaven above suits especially the whole tone of this Epistle and the parallel Epistle to the Colossians; and (4) the local sense agrees best with the context here, for the Apostle is speaking of the election "before the foundation of the world" as made by the foreknowledge of God in heaven, where Christ is "in the beginning with God."
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
1:3-6 Spiritual and heavenly blessings are the best blessings; with which we cannot be miserable, and without which we cannot but be so. This was from the choice of them in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that they should be made holy by separation from sin, being set apart to God, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, in consequence of their election in Christ. All who are chosen to happiness as the end, are chosen to holiness as the means. In love they were predestinated, or fore-ordained, to be adopted as children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, and to be openly admitted to the privileges of that high relation to himself. The reconciled and adopted believer, the pardoned sinner, gives all the praise of his salvation to his gracious Father. His love appointed this method of redemption, spared not his own Son, and brought believers to hear and embrace this salvation.
Gospel Transformation Study Notes (ESV)
Eph. 1:3–10
Paul uses the language of “in Christ” or “in him” or “in the Lord Jesus” roughly 40 times in Ephesians. The whole of our salvation can be summed up with reference to this reality. Union with Christ is not a single specific blessing we receive in our salvation. Rather it is the best phrase to describe all the blessings of salvation. We have unconditional election in Christ (v. 4), adoption in Christ (v. 5), redemption and forgiveness in Christ (v. 7), and the fulfillment of God’s plan in Christ (v. 9), until the final uniting of all things in Christ (v. 10).
Our entire blessedness—our victory, our happiness, our hope—is bound up in our being bound to Christ. How foolish, and ultimately disappointed, are those who stoop to drink from any other fountain.
Greek Word Study – Holman Study Bible
EPHESIANS 1:3 BLESSED (PRAISE)
Praise (BLESSED be) the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has Blessed Us in Christ with Every Spiritual Blessing in the Heavens. For He Chose us in Him, before the Foundation of the World, To Be Holy and Blameless in His Sight.
BLESSED (PRAISE) g2128.
εὐλογητός eulogētos; from 2127; Adorable: — Blessed.
AV (8) - Blessed (Said of God) 8;
Blessed, Praised.
Discovery Bible
The KOINE Greek Emphasizes Blessed in This Way.
Emphasized words shown in The Discovery Bible highlighted in red followed by I. Scripture frequently stresses terms that imply the opposite of what is actually stated.
In the Greek and Hebrew Scripture was written in.
ie (Rev 19:10) "Worship GodI" – meaning, Not me (only God)!
Contrast-emphasis sometimes conveys intensification which means not a little
(not to a low degree!) For instance, praising the Lord as our Great God means He is infinitely great –
not just a little!!!
[Emphasizing surprise that something is big with contrast-emphasis conveys:
It is not small at all … it's REALLY big!]
(Rev 4:11) "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power because You Created all things and on account of Your Will they were Created."
The sense of the original text is: "Absolutely, fully worthy (not just a little!) are you Lord … because You (no one else!) created all things … and on account of Your will (not anyone else!) they were created."
BLESSED PRAISE GOD
Cognate: 2128 eulogētós (the root of the English terms, "eulogize, eulogy," see 2127/eulogéō) – properly, "speak well of"; to celebrate by praising.
2128/eulogētos ("blessed") is only used of God the Father and Christ (God the Son), i.e. how the Godhead is worthy of all our commitment (worship). Only God is inherently praiseworthy, deserving every "good acknowledgment"!
[The suffix (-tos) puts the focus of 2128 (eulogētós) on the intrinsic make-up of the one eulogized.]
1."To bless" someone is different than praising them. A blesser gives something away (a part of themselves) to confer benefit through a personal commitment. In contrast, praise means to acknowledge (give recognition).
2.In sum, "blessing God" means consecrating ourselves to the Lord in true commitment, "offering ourselves up" because God is worthy of all our surrender ("sweet abandon") – i.e. "giving ourselves away."
"Blessing" is part of God's ordained cycle to produce further blessing (benefit) to those cherishing what is consecrated.
Reflection: Blessing is inherently reciprocal, i.e. blessing begets (stimulates) blessing.
[Showing (conferring) benefit to someone is intrinsic to "blessing."]
Commentary
(Eph 1:3) blessed (eulogētos) – This term is "placed first in the clause for emphasis, as is always the case in the corresponding Hebrew order in the OT" (WS, 845).
Lexicon
Blessed [be] Εὐλογητὸς (Eulogētos) Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's Greek 2128: (used only of God), blessed (as entitled to receive blessing from man), worthy of praise. From eulogeo; adorable.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
Blessed be . . . who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings.--The frequent phrase "Blessed be God" (Luke 1:68; Romans 1:25; Romans 9:5; 2Corinthians 1:3; 2Corinthians 11:31; 1Peter 1:3) is here used with an unique antithesis. We can "bless" God only in thanksgiving of heart and voice, with which He deigns to be pleased, as He "rejoices over the works of His hands." God blesses us in real and life-giving "spiritual blessing," i.e., blessing of the gift of the Spirit, for which we can return nothing except thanksgiving. So in Psalm 116:12-13, the natural question of the thoughtful soul--"What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits towards me?"--is answered simply by the words, "I will receive the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord."
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