Online Resource Library
Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadHeinrich Meyer Commentary - Ephesians 6:18 - 6:18
(Show All Books | Show All Chapters)
This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
Eph_6:18. After Paul has, Eph_6:14-17, placed before his readers in what armour they are to stand forth, he shows yet further how this standing ready for the combat must be combined with prayer: “with prayer and entreaty of every kind, praying at each moment in virtue of the Spirit.” These are two parallel specifications of mode, whereof the second more precisely defines the first, and which stand in grammatical and logical connection with στῆτε οὖν , Eph_6:14; not with the intervening δέξασθε , Eph_6:17, which rather is itself subordinate to the στῆτε , and only by a deviation from the construction has come to be expressed in the imperative instead of the participle, wherefore στῆτε οὖν remains the precept ruling the whole description, Eph_6:14-17. Should we join them to δέξασθε , neither πάσης nor ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ would be appropriate to this momentary act; for we would, in fact, be told not how the sword of the Spirit should be handled (Olshausen; comp. Harless: “the temper in which they are to wield such weapons”), but how it should be taken! An imperative signification (Bleek) the participle has not.
διὰ πάσης προσευχ . κ . δεήσ .] is to be taken by itself, not to be joined to the following προσευχόμ . (so usually, as also by Rückert, Matthies, Harless, Bleek; not Meier and Baumgarten-Crusius), since otherwise a tautological redundancy of expression would arise (not to be confounded with the mode of expression προσευχῇ προσεύχεσθαι , Jam_5:17),—arbitrarily conjectured by de Wette to have been occasioned by Php_4:6,—and because it is an impossibility to pray διὰ πάσης προσευχῆς ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ .[312] διά here denotes “conditionem, in qua locatus aliquid vel facias vel patiaris,” Fritzsche, ad Rom. I. p. 138; Winer, p. 339 [E. T. 453], i.e. while ye employ every kind of prayer and entreaty, omit no sort of prayer and entreaty. Those who join with προσευχόμ . take διά as by means of. But see above. The expression πάσης προσευχ . receives its elucidation from the following ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ , inasmuch as to different circumstances of the time different kinds of prayer, as respects contents and form, are appropriate. προσευχή and δέησις are distinguished not so, that the former applies to the obtaining of a blessing, the latter to the averting of an evil (Grotius and many)—a meaning which, quite without proof from the linguistic usage of the single words, is derived merely from the combination of the two; but rather as prayer and entreaty, of which only the former has the sacred character and may be of any tenor; the latter, on the other hand, may be addressed not merely to God, as here, but also to men, and is supplicatory in tenor. See Harless on the passage, and Fritzsche, ad Rom. II. p. 372 f.
ἐν παντί καιρῷ ] at every season, not merely under special circumstances and on particular occasions. Comp. Luk_21:36. It is the ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθαι , 1Th_5:17; 1Th_2:13; 1Th_1:3; Rom_1:9.
ἐν πνεύματι ] understood of the human spirit (Rom_8:10), would denote the heartfelt prayer in contrast to the mere utterance of the lips (Castalio, Zanchius, Erasmus Schmid, Grotius, Morus, Koppe, Rosenmüller, and others). But this contrast was so obvious of itself, that such a description of prayer would be quite out of place in the flow of the passage before us, accumulating, as it does, simply elements that are specifically Christian. The Holy Spirit is meant (Eph_6:17), by virtue of whom the Christian is to pray. See Rom_8:15; Rom_8:26; Gal_4:6.
καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ ἀγρυπν . κ . τ . λ .] attaches to the general προσευχόμενοι ἐν π . κ . ἐν πν . something special, namely, intercession, and that for all Christians, and in particular for the apostle himself: and in that ye on this behalf are watchful in every kind of perseverance and entreaty for all saints and for me, etc. According to de Wette, εἰς αὐτὸ ἀγρ . is to be held as still belonging to the general exhortation to prayer, and ἐν π . προσκαρτ . κ . τ . λ . to be the addition of a special element, like ἐν εὐχαρ ., Col_4:2. But how idly would κ . εἰς αὐτὸ ἀγρ . then be used, seeing that the continual praying is already before so urgently expressed! Moreover, καί betrays the transition to a new element of prayer.
εἰς αὐτό ] in reference thereto, on behalf of this, namely, of the προσεύχεσθαι ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ἐν πνεύματι just required. By αὐτό , namely, is denoted that which is just being spoken of, and it is distinguished from αὐτὸ τοῦτο (the Recepta) only in this respect, that the latter (comp. on Rom_9:17) designates the subject in question at the same time demonstratively, and so still more definitely; see on Eph_6:22; Kühner, ad Xen, Mem. iii. 10. 14; Stallb. ad Plat. Rep. ii. p. 362 D. According to Holzhausen (comp. Koppe), it has reference to ἵνα μοι δοθῇ . But in that case εἰς τοῦτο must have been written; and, moreover, περὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων would be from a logical point of view opposed to it.
ἐν πάσῃ προσκαρτ . κ . δεήσει περὶ π . τ . ἁγ .] denotes the domain, wherein, etc. On behalf of the required προσεύχεσθαι they are to be watchful in every kind of perseverance and entreaty for all saints. The προσκαρτέρησις is, according to the context (and comp. Col_4:2), the perseverance in prayer, so that ἐν π . προσκ . corresponds to the διὰ πάσ . προσευχῆς at the beginning of the verse, and then with καὶ ( ἐν πάσῃ ) δεήσει , as there, the entreaty attaches itself, but now with the more precise definition: περὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων , which hence belongs not to προσκαρτ ., but only to δεήσει , as, indeed, accordingly the latter may not be amalgamated with προσκαρτ . into a ἓν διὰ δυοῖν . According to Rückert, ἐν πάσῃ προσκαρτ . κ . δεήσει is added, in order to be able to annex περὶ πάντ . τ . ἁγ . But in that case could not Paul have written merely εἰς αὐτὸ ἀγρυπν . περὶ πάντ . τ . ἁγ ., and that without risk of being misunderstood? No, the ἐν πάσῃ προσκ . κ . δεήσ ., in itself not essential, gives to his discourse the emphasis of earnestness and solemnity. Comp. Bornemann, Schol. in Luc. p. xxxviii. f.
πάσῃ ] as previously πάσης .
[312] The case would be otherwise, and this impossibility would not exist, if it were said: διὰ πάσης προσευχῆς κ . δεήσ . καὶ ἐν π . καιρῷ .