The Meaning of Jude 1:25 Explained

Jude 1:25

KJV: To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

YLT: to the only wise God our Saviour, is glory and greatness, power and authority, both now and to all the ages! Amen.

Darby: to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, might, and authority, from before the whole age, and now, and to all the ages. Amen.

ASV: to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and power, before all time, and now, and for evermore. Amen.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

To the only  wise  God  our  Saviour,  [be] glory  and  majesty,  dominion  and  power,  both  now  and  ever.  Amen. 

What does Jude 1:25 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jude returned to his idea that the false teachers distorted the truth about God and Jesus Christ ( Jude 1:4). "Glory" is the effulgent radiance of God, "majesty" His transcendence, "dominion" His absolute power, and "authority" His freedom of action. These characteristics of God belong to Him eternally. In view of God"s changeless character, we should remain faithful as well.
"Words could hardly express more clearly Jude"s belief in the pre-existence and eternity of Christ." [1]
"Jude . . . is a troubled pastor, anxious to shake the shoulders of his community to wake them up to the threats in their very midst. Some of Jude"s scorching language can be tempered by realizing that in the ancient Mediterranean world such rhetoric in religious matters was common. But not all of Jude"s passion can be explained away; for him, as for most of the early Church, faith in Jesus was a matter of life and death, and anyone or anything that threatened that life of faith was indeed a mortal enemy." [2]

Context Summary

Jude 1:12-25 - Beware Of The Touch Of The Ungodly
What traps and pitfalls beset us! How many have fallen who had as good or a better chance than we! The angels kept not their first estate; Adam, though created in innocency, fell; Cain was rejected; Balaam, who saw with open eyes, was slain; Korah, who had carried a censer filled with holy fire, was hurled into the abyss! How can we expect to stand! Be of good cheer! He is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless, Judges 1:24.
In the succession of terrible metaphors in Judges 1:12-13, notice that in each case there is promise without fulfillment and appearance without reality. Such is much of the Christian profession of the present day. And from time to time, as Enoch foretold, the day of the Lord comes, with its retribution for all such.
The four exquisite admonitions of Judges 1:20-21 are worth pondering. Keep yourselves in the main current of God's love. Build your character after the likeness of Christ. Pray in the Holy Spirit; keep at the oriel window of hope. Christ is able to keep, and when at last we are presented by Him to the Father, we shall realize how much we owe Him [source]

Chapter Summary: Jude 1

1  He exhorts them to be constant in the profession of the faith
4  false teachers crept in to seduce them, for whose evil doctrine a horrible punishment is prepared;
20  whereas the godly may persevere, grow in grace, and keep the faith

Greek Commentary for Jude 1:25

To the only God our Saviour [μονωι τεωι σωτηρι ημων]
Dative in the noble doxology. See Romans 16:27, μονωι σοπωι τεωι — monōi sophōi theōi (to the alone wise God), where also we have δια Ιησου Χριστου — dia Iēsou Christou but without του κυριου ημων — tou kuriou hēmōn (our Lord) as here. Σωτηρ — Sōtēr is used of God eight times in the N.T., six of them in the Pastoral Epistles. Δοχα — Doxa (glory) to God or Christ in all the doxologies except 1 Timothy 6:16. Μεγαλοσυνη — Megalosunē (Majesty) is a late lxx word, in N.T. only here and Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 8:1. [source]
Before all time [προ παντος του αιωνος]
Eternity behind us. See same idea in 1 Corinthians 2:7 προ των αιωνων — pro tōn aiōnōn The present.For ever more (εις παντας τους αιωνας — eis pantas tous aiōnas). “Unto all the ages.” All the future. As complete a statement of eternity as can be made in human language. [source]
For ever more [εις παντας τους αιωνας]
“Unto all the ages.” All the future. As complete a statement of eternity as can be made in human language. [source]
Both now and ever [καὶ νῦν καὶ εἰς πάντας τοὺς αἰῶνας]
Lit., both now and unto all the ages. The best texts add πρὸ παντὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος , before all time. [source]

What do the individual words in Jude 1:25 mean?

to [the] only God Savior of us through Jesus Christ the Lord [be] glory majesty dominion and authority before all - time now to all the ages Amen
μόνῳ Θεῷ Σωτῆρι ἡμῶν διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου δόξα μεγαλωσύνη κράτος καὶ ἐξουσία πρὸ παντὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος νῦν εἰς πάντας τοὺς αἰῶνας Ἀμήν

μόνῳ  to  [the]  only 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: μόνος  
Sense: alone (without a companion), forsaken, destitute of help, alone, only, merely.
Θεῷ  God 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
Σωτῆρι  Savior 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: σωτήρ  
Sense: saviour, deliverer, preserver.
ἡμῶν  of  us 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
διὰ  through 
Parse: Preposition
Root: διά  
Sense: through.
Ἰησοῦ  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.
Χριστοῦ  Christ 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Χριστός  
Sense: Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God.
Κυρίου  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
δόξα  [be]  glory 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: δόξα  
Sense: opinion, judgment, view.
μεγαλωσύνη  majesty 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: μεγαλωσύνη  
Sense: majesty.
κράτος  dominion 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: κράτος  
Sense: force, strength.
ἐξουσία  authority 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: ἐξουσία  
Sense: power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases.
πρὸ  before 
Parse: Preposition
Root: πρό  
Sense: before.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
αἰῶνος  time 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: αἰών  
Sense: for ever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity.
νῦν  now 
Parse: Adverb
Root: νῦν  
Sense: at this time, the present, now.
αἰῶνας  ages 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: αἰών  
Sense: for ever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity.
Ἀμήν  Amen 
Parse: Hebrew Word
Root: ἀμήν  
Sense: firm.