EPH 3:17 Interlinear View

1. Greek word
2. Greek lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. κατοικῆσαι
2. katoikeō
3. to dwell in
4. -
5. 27300
6. VNAA····
7. ˓to˒ dwell_in
8. ˓to˒ dwell_in
9. -
10. Y64
11. 129123
1. τόν
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y64
11. 129124
1. Χριστόν
2. χristos
3. chosen one messiah
4. messiah
5. 55470
6. N····AMS
7. chosen_one/messiah
8. Messiah
9. WN
10. Y64; Person=Jesus
11. 129125
1. διά
2. dia
3. through
4. -
5. 12230
6. P·······
7. through
8. through
9. -
10. Y64
11. 129126
1. τῆς
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····GFS
7. ¬the
8. ¬the
9. -
10. Y64
11. 129127
1. πίστεως
2. pistis
3. faith
4. faith
5. 41020
6. N····GFS
7. faith
8. faith
9. -
10. Y64
11. 129128
1. ἐν
2. en
3. in
4. -
5. 17220
6. P·······
7. in
8. in
9. -
10. Y64
11. 129129
1. ταῖς
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····DFP
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y64
11. 129130
1. καρδίαις
2. kardia
3. hearts
4. hearts
5. 25880
6. N····DFP
7. hearts
8. hearts
9. -
10. Y64
11. 129131
1. ὑμῶν
2. su
3. of you all
4. -
5. 47710
6. R···2G·P
7. ˱of˲ you_all
8. ˱of˲ you_all
9. -
10. Y64; R128863
11. 129132
1. ἐν
2. en
3. in
4. -
5. 17220
6. P·······
7. in
8. in
9. -
10. Y64
11. 129133
1. ἀγάπῃ
2. agapē
3. love
4. love
5. 260
6. N····DFS
7. love
8. love
9. -
10. Y64
11. 129134
1. ἐρριζωμένοι
2. rhizoō
3. having been rooted
4. -
5. 44920
6. VPEP·NMP
7. ˓having_been˒ rooted
8. ˓having_been˒ rooted
9. -
10. Y64; R128863
11. 129135
1. καί
2. kai
3. and
4. and
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y64
11. 129136
1. τεθεμελιωμένοι
2. themelioō
3. having been established
4. -
5. 23110
6. VPEP·NMP
7. ˓having_been˒ established
8. ˓having_been˒ established
9. -
10. Y64; R128863
11. 129137

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:14–21: Paul prayed again for the believers at Ephesus

In this section, Paul resumed his prayer for the Ephesian Christians. He asked God to strengthen them by the Holy Spirit so that Christ could live in them. He prayed that they would love each other, and that they would know how much Christ loved them, even though he loved them more than people could understand. Paul finished his prayer by praising God for his great power.

Here are some other titles for this section:

Paul prayed that God would strengthen the Ephesians

Paul’s prayer for spiritual strength and love for the Ephesians

Paragraph 3:14–19

In this paragraph Paul prayed the prayer he almost began in 3:1. (See the note at 3:1.) He began this paragraph with the words “for this reason” which are the same words he used at the beginning of 3:1. The BSB indicates this connection by using ellipses here (as it did in 3:1).

3:17a

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts

and that Christ may live/dwell permanently in your hearts
And I pray that Christ will live in your hearts

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts: There are different views about how this clause is related to 3:16.

It is a second request that Paul prays for. So dwell is parallel with “strengthen,” that is, “I pray that God will strengthen you…and I pray that Christ may dwell….” For example,
I pray that Christ will live in your hearts (NCV) (GNT, NCV, NLT, CEV)
It is the purpose or result of what Paul prays in 3:16: “I pray that God will strengthen you…so that Christ will dwell….” For example,
so that Christ may live in your hearts (BSB, NIV, NJB, NET, NASB, REB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), though both interpretations have strong support.

dwell in your hearts: The verb dwell has the meaning of “live permanently,” “settle down.”

in your hearts: In the New Testament, the word “heart” refers figuratively to the whole inner life of a person. It includes the mind, will, and emotions. You should use the expression in your language that refers to the inner part of man. In some languages people say ‘mind,’ ‘throat,’ ‘liver,’ or ‘stomach.’

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Christ will make his home in your hearts (NLT)

and I pray that Christ will make his home in your hearts (GNT)

I also pray that Christ may control your whole/inner being

3:17b

through faith.

through your^(plur) faith in him.
as you^(plur) trust in him. (NLT)
because you^(plur) believe in him.

through faith: The phrase through faith means “because you believe in Christ.” See faith, Meaning 1 in the Glossary for more information.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

as you trust in him (NLT)

because you believe in him

because of your faith (CEV)

General Comment on 3:17a–b

In some languages, it may be natural to change the order of 17a–b. For example:

I pray that ^17bthrough your believing, ^17aChrist would come and live in your inside stomachs.

3:17c

Then you, being rooted and grounded in love,

The way you love God and each other will make you firm and keep you from falling. So I pray that you
When you love God and each other you are strong like a tree whose roots go into the earth, and like a house built on a strong foundation. So I pray that you

Some English versions add the words “And I pray that” here, and in 3:16a, to make the translation clearer. See how you translated this clause in 3:16a and then decide if it would be natural in your language to translate it here.

being rooted and grounded in love: The words rooted and grounded are both metaphors referring to “strength.” The word rooted refers to the roots of a tree holding the tree steady. The word grounded refers to the foundation of a house making the house firm. The roots of a tree hold the tree steady, and the foundation of a house makes the house established/firm. In the same way, love makes Christians strong.

When you translate these words you may need to:

translate the meaning directly. For example:
love will make you strong and keep you from falling
translate the metaphors as similes. For example:
love is like the roots which make a tree stand firm or like the foundation on which a house stands

Both possibilities are shown in the Display. You should choose the option that is most natural in your language.

in love: There is an interpretation issue here. Scholars do not agree about what Paul meant here. There are two possibilities:

Paul wrote about both our love for God and our love for other people.
Paul wrote about God’s love for us (as in 3:18–19b). (CEV, NLT)

Both interpretations make sense. As we come to love God and others, and as we learn how much God loves us, that love makes our hearts strong. You may want to follow your national translation in deciding which interpretation to choose.

The Display follows interpretation (a). If you want to follow interpretation (b), you could say:

I pray that you will come to really know how much God loves you, so this will make you firm and keep you from falling.

uW Translation Notes:

Paul continues the prayer he began in [Ephesians 3:14](../03/14.md).

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

κατοικῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν ἐν ἀγάπῃ, ἐρριζωμένοι καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοι

˓to˒_dwell_in (Some words not found in SR-GNT: κατοικῆσαι τόν Χριστόν διά τῆς πίστεως ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν ἐν ἀγάπῃ ἐρριζωμένοι καί τεθεμελιωμένοι)

With the phrase, that Christ may live Paul continues the prayer he began in [Ephesians 3:14](../03/14.md). This is the second item for which Paul prays that God will grant the Ephesians “according to the riches of his glory.” The first is that they would be strengthened ([Ephesians 3:16](../03/16.md)).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

κατοικῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν

Here, hearts represent a person’s inner being, and through expresses the means by which Christ lives within the believer. Christ lives in the hearts of believers because God graciously allows them to have faith. Alternate translation: [that Christ may live within you because you trust in him]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐν ἀγάπῃ, ἐρριζωμένοι καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοι

in in love ˓having_been˒_rooted (Some words not found in SR-GNT: κατοικῆσαι τόν Χριστόν διά τῆς πίστεως ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν ἐν ἀγάπῃ ἐρριζωμένοι καί τεθεμελιωμένοι)

Paul speaks of their faith as if it were a tree that has deep roots or a house built on a solid foundation. Alternate translation: [you will be like a firmly rooted tree and a building built on stone]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.

OET interlinear EPH 3:17