Ephesians 2:1 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Bible Comments

EPHESIANS CHAPTER 2 Ephesians 2:1-3 Paul setteth before the Ephesians their former corrupt heathen state, Ephesians 2:4-7 and God's rich mercy in their deliverance. Ephesians 2:8-10 We are saved by grace, not of works, yet so as to be created in Christ unto good works. Ephesians 2:11-18 They who were once strangers, and far from God, are now brought near by Christ's blood; who having abolished the ritual law, the ground of distinction between Jew and Gentile, hath united both in one body, and gained them equal access to the Father. Ephesians 2:19-22 So that the Gentiles are henceforth equally privileged with the Jews, and together with them constitute a holy temple for the habitation of God's Spirit. And you hath he quickened; his verb quickened is not in the Greek, but the defect of it may be supplied from Ephesians 1:19, thus: The greatness of his power to us-ward, and to you that were dead in trespasses and sins; the remaining part of that chapter being included in a parenthesis, which, though long, yet is not unusual. Or rather, as our translators and others do, from Ephesians 2:5 of this chapter, where we have the word quickened. It imports a restoring of spiritual life by the infusion of a vital principle, (in the work of regeneration), whereby men are enabled to walk with God in newness of life. Who were dead; piritually, not naturally; i.e. destitute of a principle of spiritual life, and so of any ability for, or disposedness to, the operations and motions of such a life. In trespasses and sins: he preposition in is wanting in the Greek by an ellipsis, but the expression is full, Colossians 2:13; this dative case therefore is to be taken in the sense of the ablative. By these words he means either all sorts of sins, habitual and actual, less or greater; or rather, promiscuously and indifferently, the same thing several ways. expressed. Sin is the cause of spiritual death; where sin reigns, there is a privation of spiritual life.

Ephesians 2:1

1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;