Ephesians Chapter 6 verse 3 Holy Bible

Pulpit Commentary

Pulpit CommentaryVerse 3. - That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. A free rendering (after the manner of the apostle) of the reason annexed to the fifth commandment, "that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." While the Decalogue was an expression of the will of God on matters of moral and indefeasible obligation, it had a local Hebrew element here and there. In the present ease the apostle drops what is specially Hebrew, adapting the promise in spirit to a wider area. The special promise of long life in the land of Canaan is translated into a general promise of prosperity and longevity. As before, we must not suppose that the apostle excludes exceptions. The promise is not for each individual; many good and obedient children do not live long. But the general tendency of obedience to parents is towards the results specified. Where obedience to parents is found, there is usually found along with it temperance, self-control, industry, regular ways of life, and other habits that tend towards prosperity and longevity. In Christian families there is commonly affection, unity, prayer, mutual helpfulness, reliance on God, trust in Christ, and all that makes life sweet and wholesome. The spirit of the promise is realized in such ways, and it may be likewise in special mercies vouchsafed to each family.

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(3) That it may be well with thee . . .--The quotation is but slightly varied from Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16. But by the omission of the limiting words, "which the Lord thy God hath given thee," St. Paul at once generalises the application and determines it to the earth, and not to "the good land" of heaven. The words so interpreted are, therefore, a promise that obedience "in the Lord" to the great natural law on which society rests, shall bring with it reward on earth; just as our Lord tells us of "meekness" that it shall "inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5), and St. Paul of "godliness" that it "has the promise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come" (1Timothy 4:8). The visible exemplification of this law is, indeed, as in all other cases, obscured by the disorder brought in by sin, and, moreover, is affected by the consideration that this life, being a discipline for heaven, must present, in the true sense of the word, "imperfection" or incompleteness, if viewed alone. But it is still a natural law, and is still accordingly fulfilled in actual experience. The promise is not to us so important as to them of old; but it is ours still.(3, 4) Ephesians 6:21-24 form the conclusion of the Epistle, in commendation of Tychicus' salutation and blessing. The extreme brevity and generality of this section here--in contrast with St. Paul's practice in every other Epistle, except the Second Epistle to the Corinthians and the Epistle to the Galatians (both of which have the abruptness of indignation) and especially with the parallel Epistle to the Colossians--seem to bear on the question of the encyclical character of this Epistle. . . .