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."