Ephesians Chapter 1 verse 9 Holy Bible
making known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him
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Having made clear to us the secret of his purpose, in agreement with the design which he had in mind, to put into his hands
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having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself
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Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
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read chapter 1 in WBT
making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him
read chapter 1 in WEB
having made known to us the secret of His will, according to His good pleasure, that He purposed in Himself,
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Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 9. - Having made known unto us the mystery of his will. The wide extent of God's grace was a mystery, i.e. a hidden counsel, before Christ came and died, but it is now made known. In this, and not in the modern sense of mystery, the word μυστήριον is used by Paul. The thing hidden and now revealed was not the gospel, but God's purpose with reference to its limits or sphere (see Ephesians 3:6). According to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself. The whole phraseology denotes that, in this transaction, God was not influenced by any external considerations; the whole reason for it sprang from within. The threefold expression brings this out: (1) according to his good pleasure (see ver. 5); (2) he purposed, or formed a purpose; (3) in himself, without foreign aid, "For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counselor?" (Romans 11:34).
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(9) Having made known unto us the mystery of his will.--In the same connection we read in 1Corinthians 2:7, "we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery." The word "mystery" properly signifies a thing which (see Ephesians 3:5; Colossians 1:27) "was hid from all ages, but is now made manifest." So our Lord evidently uses it (in Matthew 13:11; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10). For the rest, except in four passages of the Apocalypse (Revelation 1:20; Revelation 10:7; Revelation 17:5; Revelation 17:7), it is used by St. Paul alone, and by him no less than twenty-one times, of which ten belong to this Epistle and the parallel Epistle to the Colossians--always in connection with such words as "knowledge," "declaration," "dispensation." The ordinary sense of the word "mystery"--a thing of which we know that it is, though how it is we know not--is not implied in the original meaning of the word; but it is a natural derivative from it. Reason can apprehend, when revealed, that which it cannot discover; but seldom or never can it comprehend it perfectly. In this verse the mystery is declared to be accordant to the good pleasure of God's will, which (it is added) "He purposed in Himself." In this seems to be implied that (see Ephesians 3:19) though in some sense we can know it, yet in its fulness "it passeth knowledge." . . .
