Word Study

The following is a word study of the word mystery found in Ephesians 3:1-13...pretty interesting. Opens up the passage to much insight into what Paul's point is within the book of Ephesians. The weird formatting is actually the Greek text that is used in the passage. FYI.

Lexical Study
(Selection Format)

“Mystery” (NASB) – Ephesians 3:1-13


Dictionary Definition

NASB Exhaustive Concordance: #3466 (Strong’s Number) Greek Dictionary, h

The Greek Dictionary meaning of the word h is “a mystery or secret doctrine.” It comes from the root word which means “to initiate into the mysteries, or to instruct” It (hoccurs in the New Testament 27 times 10 times within the Pauline Prison Epistles found in the New American Standard Translation.


Usage

Usage in Paul’s Prison Epistles

1. Colossians 1:26 – “that it, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints.”

his used in this passage as a noun. It holds the subject part of the sentence in the English translation. The hwas something that has been hidden so that people did not know about it. The mystery has been around for a long time, but has now been manifested to the saints. Paul says that the h has been hidden for ages and generations. This hhas been manifested to the people of God. Paul speaks of the h as something that can now be known by all, but could not have been known at an earlier time for it was hidden. Paul says that he has to preach this so that the h may be made known.

2. Colossians 1:27 – “to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the
glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

hin this passage is used as the object of a prepositional phrase. The hin this passage has is laced with the riches that God willed to make known. The his to be revealed to the Gentiles, but it is something the Gentiles have not known until now. This hhas been around the Gentiles (among) but they have not noticed, until the will of God permitted it to be known. The riches were somehow hidden until the will of God allowed them to be known.



3. Colossians 2:2 – “that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself…”

hin this passage is again the object of a prepositional phrase in the English language. In this passage Paul states explicitly that the his Jesus Christ. Paul argues that when people are knit together in love, that a true understanding of Jesus Christ will be revealed. Paul argues that when people are knit together in love, that a true understanding of the hcan take place by knowing Christ. This hwas God’s hthat people can have true knowledge of. This hwhich is Christ, was a hof God. Paul tells the people of Collisae that this his Christ, and this result can be known when a full understanding takes place.

4. Colossians 4:3 – “praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned…”

The word hin this case is stated by Paul to be surrounding the nature of Christ. Paul is to speak and make known the hof Christ. The word is directly related to Christ because of the prepositional phrase immediately found after the word itself. Paul was praying that a door would be open for him to speak of the hof Christ. This was something that Paul was imprisoned for as well. It is the hsurrounding the person of Christ that Paul is praying that he will be able to speak of. The hin this verse is directly related to the person and deity of Christ. Christ embodies this hfor which Paul is compelled to preach. Prayer is critical if the his to be known by the audience to which Paul will preach. The hwill not be made known without an open door caused by the prayer of the people Paul is writing to.

5. Ephesians 1:9 – “He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him…”

The hin this passage again takes the noun form in the sentence. The his related to “Him” in this passage which deals directly with God himself. God made this known to humans through His Son Jesus Christ. It was something that was not known before the coming of Jesus. Since the his being “made known to us” it can be inferred that it was something that was hidden by God until he chose to let people know what his will was “according to His kind intention.” God’s will was not known until he chose to reveal it to us. Paul writes that they did not know what God’s will was, because it was somehow not shown to them, until God’s intention was made known to people. The his something that is connected with the will of God in this passage.




6. Ephesians 5:32 – “This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.”

The hthat is stated in this verse is the subject of a very direct statement made by the apostle Paul. The hmentioned in this passage carries a lot of weight. It “is great” and gives the impression that it is not a small hbut it is one with very vast implications that are hard to describe. Paul then says that the his in “reference to Christ and the church.” There is a hthat surrounds Christ and his church. Not only is the h large in implication, but it also is directly connected to Christ and his church. The context of the passage is about husbands and wives and Christ and the church. The hdeals with the parallels found between Christ and the church and husbands and wives. It is a great hthat connects Christ and his church.

7. Ephesians 6:19 – “and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel…”

Again, the word his given in context with the gospel which includes the divinity of Christ and his sacrifice. In addition, the hdeals with the person of Christ and his mission to this earth through the gospel story. The previous verses hint at this same usage by using the word in direct relation to Christ. The gospel is only considered the gospel because of the person of Christ, for without Christ there would be no gospel. Paul petitions the audience once again to pray for him so that the hwould be made known. A supernatural intervention seems to have be a part of the mission if the his to be understood by those who will hear it. Prayer critical if the gospel is to be known.


Usage in Target Text

Ephesians 3:1-13 – “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord…”

The word hfirst used within the target text (3:3) deals with a revelation that Paul had in which the hwas revealed to him. It was made known to him at that point in time, and he also wrote about it as well. The only way that the hwas made known to Paul was through a special revelation by the grace of God. It is in the context of Paul having a message that is to be made known to all people. God gave him the revelation so that he could in turn help others see and have insight into the hwhich was revealed to him. It was for the sake of the Gentiles that God has given this revelation to Paul.
The second time his used within the target text (3:4) Paul is describing his “insight into the h” Paul obviously has had a special privilege of knowing what is involved in the h This his also followed by the prepositional phrase “of Christ” which again renders that the his directly related to Christ and that it is the hsurrounding Christ that Paul has gained insight. Paul also says that when the audience reads about his account into the “hof Chist” that they too can understand what he is talking about when he refers to the “hof Christ.” This “hof Christ” was not known in past generations, but now has been revealed. Whatever Paul has gained insight into, could not be known in the past, but now the holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit can know about this insight that he has had.
The third time that the target word is used (3:9) comes in the context of hbeing “hidden in God” for ages. Again, Paul was given grace in order to preach the “administration of h” It is something that was not known by people and Paul was given the task unveiling whatever was hidden in God for ages. He was given grace to preach this hso that the “manifold wisdom of God might now be made known.” This implies that the wisdom of God can be known if h is revealed by Paul’s preaching. The God who created all things also held the huntil it was time for it to be revealed.


Summary

Summary of Usage

The word h is an object (idea or substance) that is to be made known through some kind of insight given by Paul through the gospel of Christ. It is used as a subject of a sentence as well as being the object of a prepositional phrase in some cases. It is used every time in accordance with the gospel and with Christ or dealing with them in some way. Many times it is used with the preposition “of Christ” which says that the his directly related to Him. The main usage in the text is that the his divine, and it is something that is not known, but it is to be known now through some means of enlightenment (i.e. Paul’s preaching).







Summary of Meaning

General Meaning

In the Pauline Prison Epistles, the meaning of the word his something in connection to Christ and the Gospel which is hidden or not known. It is something that Paul is trying to reveal about Christ and the Gospel in most passages.


Specific Meaning

In Ephesians 3:1-13, the word his a truth that is hidden or concealed in God, dealing with Christ and the Gospel which Paul is supposed to preach. It comes close to the Greek definition of a “secret doctrine” because it deals with the hwhich surrounds Christ and his Gospel which Paul is preaching, by the grace of God, to the Gentiles so that the his made known. It is a divine hThe his that the Jews and Gentiles are one in the body of Christ and are made equal in Christ (vs.5).