The Meaning of Ephesians 4:18 Explained

Ephesians 4:18

KJV: Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

YLT: being darkened in the understanding, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart,

Darby: being darkened in understanding, estranged from the life of God by reason of the ignorance which is in them, by reason of the hardness of their hearts,

ASV: being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Having the understanding  darkened,  being  alienated  from the life  of God  through  the ignorance  that is  in  them,  because  of the blindness  of their  heart: 

What does Ephesians 4:18 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Here Paul traced the attitude of typical unsaved Gentiles to its source. Lack of worthy purpose rests on unclear understanding (cf. Romans 1:21; 2 Corinthians 4:4). This in turn results from separation from the life that comes from God (cf. Ephesians 2:12). Separation arises from natural ignorance of God (cf. 1 Peter 1:14). That in turn rests on insensitivity to God and His ways (cf. Romans 1).

Context Summary

Ephesians 4:11-19 - Building Up The "body Of Christ"
Apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, are the gifts of the risen Christ to His Church. There should be no rivalry among them. Each has his own work to do, as each wheel in a watch has its special function. None can do the work of another, and none should try to do it. The Apostles laid the foundations of the City of God, and the work of each is represented by a different stone. The pastor prepares the ground and sows the seed for the harvest which the evangelist reaps; but God will proportion the reward between them. The teacher is as much needed as the evangelist, but neither is so essential as God, who giveth the increase. Without that all labor would be in vain.
We learn from Ephesians 4:12 that the prime duty of all these agents is not to baptize, marry, and bury the saints, to comfort and console them, and to get them somehow into heaven, as the Arab guides get travelers to the top of the Pyramids. Their duty is to perfect, that is, to adjust the saints for the work of ministry, that they may contribute to the building up of the Church. A minister is a failure if he does all the work himself. The people must all be at work-in the quarries, or shaping the stones, or fitting them into their places. [source]

Chapter Summary: Ephesians 4

1  He exhorts to unity;
7  and declares that God therefore gives various gifts unto men;
11  that his church might be edified,
16  and grow up in Christ
18  He calls them from the impurity of the Gentiles;
24  to put on the new man;
25  to cast off lying;
29  and corrupt communication

Greek Commentary for Ephesians 4:18

Being darkened [εσκοτωμενοι οντες]
Periphrastic perfect passive participle of σκοτοω — skotoō old verb from σκοτος — skotos (darkness), in N.T. only here and Revelation 9:2; Revelation 16:10. [source]
In their understanding [τηι διανοιαι]
Locative case. Probably διανοια — dianoia It is possible to take απηλλοτριωμενοι — ontes with εσκοτωμενοι — apēllotriōmenoi (see note on Ephesians 2:12) which would then be periphrastic (instead of της ζωης του τεου — eskotōmenoi) perfect passive participle. From the life of God (ζωης — tēs zōēs tou theou). Ablative case απηλλοτριωμενοι — zōēs after δια την αγνοιαν — apēllotriōmenoi (Ephesians 2:12). Because of the ignorance Old word from πωρωσιν — agnoeō not to know. Rare in N.T. See note on Acts 3:17. Hardening (pōrōsin). Late medical term (Hippocrates) for callous hardening. Only other N.T. examples are Mark 3:5; Romans 11:25. [source]
From the life of God [ζωης]
Ablative case απηλλοτριωμενοι — zōēs after δια την αγνοιαν — apēllotriōmenoi (Ephesians 2:12). [source]
Because of the ignorance [αγνοεω]
Old word from πωρωσιν — agnoeō not to know. Rare in N.T. See note on Acts 3:17. Hardening (pōrōsin). Late medical term (Hippocrates) for callous hardening. Only other N.T. examples are Mark 3:5; Romans 11:25. [source]
Hardening [pōrōsin)]
Late medical term (Hippocrates) for callous hardening. Only other N.T. examples are Mark 3:5; Romans 11:25. [source]
Understanding [διανοίᾳ]
See on Luke 1:51. The moral understanding. [source]
Life of God [ζωῆς]
See on John 1:4. The life which God bestows; life in Christ. See 1 John 5:11. [source]
Through the ignorance []
The cause of the alienation. Not to be construed with darkened, since ignorance is the effect, and not the cause, of the darkness of the understanding. [source]
Which is in them [τὴν οὖσαν ἐν αὐτοῖς]
The participle of the substantive verb expresses the deep-seated, indwelling character of the ignorance. [source]
Hardening [πώρωσιν]
See on Mark 3:5. Dependent, like ignorance, on alienated. Arrange the whole clause thus:The Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind,being darkened in their understanding, being alienated from the life of God,because of the ignorance that is in them,because of the hardening of their heart. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Ephesians 4:18

Mark 3:5 Hardness [πωρώσει]
From πῶρος , a kind of marble, and thence used of a callus on fractured bones. Πώρωσις is originally the process by which the extremities of fractured bones are united by a callus. Hence of callousness, or hardness in general. The word occurs in two other passages in the New Testament, Romans 11:25; Ephesians 4:18, where the A. V. wrongly renders blindness, following the Vulgate caecitas. It is somewhat strange that it does not adopt that rendering here (Vulgate, caecitate ) which is given by both Wyc. and Tynd. The Rev. in all the passages rightly gives hardening, which is better than hardness, because it hints at the process going on. Mark only records Christ's feeling on this occasion. [source]
Romans 11:25 A hardening [πωρωσις]
Late word from πωροω — pōroō (Romans 11:7). Occurs in Hippocrates as a medical term, only here in N.T. save Mark 3:5; Ephesians 4:18. It means obtuseness of intellectual discernment, mental dulness. [source]
Romans 11:25 Wise in your own conceits [εν εαυτοις προνιμοι]
“Wise in yourselves.” Some MSS. read παρ εαυτοις — par' heautois (by yourselves). Negative purpose here Late word from πωροω — pōroō (Romans 11:7). Occurs in Hippocrates as a medical term, only here in N.T. save Mark 3:5; Ephesians 4:18. It means obtuseness of intellectual discernment, mental dulness. In part Goes with the verb γεγονεν — gegonen (has happened in part). For απο μερους — apo merous see note on 2 Corinthians 1:14; 2 Corinthians 2:5; Romans 15:24; for ανα μερος — ana meros see note on 1 Corinthians 14:27; for εκ μερους — ek merous see note on 1 Corinthians 12:27; 1 Corinthians 13:9; for κατα μερος — kata meros see note on Hebrews 9:5; for μερος τι — meros ti (adverbial accusative) partly see note on 1 Corinthians 11:18. Paul refuses to believe that no more Jews will be saved. Until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in (αχρι ου το πληρωμα των ετνων εισελτηι — achri hou to plērōma tōn ethnōn eiselthēi). Temporal clause with αχρι ου — achri hou (until which time) and the second aorist active subjunctive of εισερχομαι — eiserchomai to come in (Matthew 7:13, Matthew 7:21). For fulness of the Gentiles (το πληρωμα των ετνων — to plērōma tōn ethnōn) see Romans 11:12, the complement of the Gentiles. [source]
Colossians 1:21 Being in time past alienated [ποτε οντας απηλλοτριωμενους]
Periphrastic perfect passive participle (continuing state of alienation) of απαλλοτριοω — apallotrioō old word from Plato on, to estrange, to render αλλοτριος — allotrios (belonging to another), alienated from God, a vivid picture of heathenism as in Romans 1:20-23. Only other N.T. examples in Ephesians 2:12; Ephesians 4:18. Ενεμιες — Enemies Old word from εχτος — echthos (hatred). Active sense here, hostile as in Matthew 13:28; Romans 8:7, not passive hateful (Romans 11:28). In your mind (τηι διανοιαι — tēi dianoiāi). Locative case. Διανοια — Dianoia (δια νους — diaεν τοις εργοις τοις πονηροις — nous), mind, intent, purpose. Old word. It is always a tragedy to see men use their minds actively against God. In your evil works Hostile purpose finds natural expression in evil deeds. [source]
1 Timothy 5:6 Is dead while she liveth [ζῶσα τέθνηκεν]
Comp. Revelation 3:1; Ephesians 4:18. “Life in worldly pleasure is only life in appearance” (Holtzmann). [source]
Hebrews 8:10 This [αυτη]
The “new” one of Hebrews 8:8. That I will make Future middle of διατιτημι — diatithēmi “that I will covenant,” cognate accusative “Giving,” present active participle of διδωμι — didōmi to give. Into their mind Their intellect, their moral understanding, all the intellect as in Aristotle (Colossians 1:21; Ephesians 4:18). On their heart Either genitive singular or accusative plural. Καρδια — Kardia is the seat of man‘s personal life (Westcott), the two terms covering the whole of man‘s inward nature. A god Note the Hebraistic use of εις — eis in the predicate instead of the usual nominative τεος — theos as in “a people” This was the ideal of the old covenant (Exodus 6:7), now at last to be a fact. [source]
1 Peter 1:14 Not fashioning yourselves [μη συνσχηματιζομενοι]
Usual negative μη — mē with the participle (present direct middle of συνσχηματιζω — sunschēmatizō a rare (Aristotle, Plutarch) compound See Philemon 2:6. for contrast between μορπη — schēma (pattern) and ταις προτερον επιτυμιαις — morphē (form).According to your former lusts (συνσχηματιζομενοι — tais proteron epithumiais). Associative instrumental case after επιτυμια — sunschēmatizomenoi and the bad sense of εν τηι αγνοιαι υμων — epithumia as in 1 Peter 4:2; 2 Peter 1:4; James 1:14.In the time of your ignorance “In your ignorance,” but in attributive position before “lusts.” αγνοεω — Agnoia (from agnoeō to be ignorant) is old word, in N.T. only here, Acts 3:17; Acts 17:30; Ephesians 4:18. [source]
1 Peter 1:14 In the time of your ignorance [Αγνοια]
“In your ignorance,” but in attributive position before “lusts.” αγνοεω — Agnoia (from agnoeō to be ignorant) is old word, in N.T. only here, Acts 3:17; Acts 17:30; Ephesians 4:18. [source]
1 John 5:20 An understanding [διανοιαν]
Here alone in John‘s writings, but in Paul (Ephesians 4:18) and Peter (1 Peter 1:13). John does not use γνωσις — gnōsis (knowledge) and νους — nous (mind) only in Revelation 13:18; Revelation 17:9.That we know (ινα γινωσκομεν — hina ginōskomen). Result clause with ινα — hina and the present active indicative, as is common with ινα — hina and the future indicative (John 7:3). It is possible that here ο — o was pronounced ω — ō as a subjunctive, but many old MSS. have ινα γινωσκουσιν — hina ginōskousin (plainly indicative) in John 17:3, and in many other places in the N.T. the present indicative with ινα — hina occurs as a variant reading as in John 5:20.Him that is true That is, God. Cf. 1 John 1:8.In him that is true (εν τωι αλητινωι — en tōi alēthinōi). In God in contrast with the world “in the evil one” (1 John 5:19). See John 17:3.Even in his Son Jesus Christ The αυτου — autou refers clearly to εν τωι αλητινωι — en tōi alēthinōi (God). Hence this clause is not in apposition with the preceding, but an explanation as to how we are “in the True One” by being “in his Son Jesus Christ.”This (ουτος — houtos). Grammatically ουτος — houtos may refer to Jesus Christ or to “the True One.” It is a bit tautological to refer it to God, but that is probably correct, God in Christ, at any rate. God is eternal life (John 5:26) and he gives it to us through Christ. [source]
Revelation 9:2 As the smoke of a great furnace [ως καπνος καμινου μεγαλης]
The plague of demonic locusts is here turned loose. Καμινος — Kaminos is old word for a smelting-furnace, already in Revelation 1:15.Were darkened (εσκοτωτη — eskotōthē). First aorist passive indicative of σκοτοω — skotoō old causative verb from σκοτος — skotos in N.T. only here, Revelation 16:10; Ephesians 4:18.By reason of “Out of,” as a result of (Revelation 8:13). [source]
Revelation 9:2 Were darkened [εσκοτωτη]
First aorist passive indicative of σκοτοω — skotoō old causative verb from σκοτος — skotos in N.T. only here, Revelation 16:10; Ephesians 4:18. [source]

What do the individual words in Ephesians 4:18 mean?

being darkened in the understanding being alienated from the life - of God because of the ignorance - being in them on account of hardness of the heart of them
ἐσκοτωμένοι τῇ διανοίᾳ ὄντες ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ διὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν τὴν οὖσαν ἐν αὐτοῖς διὰ πώρωσιν τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν

ἐσκοτωμένοι  being  darkened 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: σκοτόω  
Sense: to darken, cover with darkness.
τῇ  in  the 
Parse: Article, Dative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
διανοίᾳ  understanding 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: διάνοια  
Sense: the mind as a faculty of understanding, feeling, desiring.
ὄντες  being 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι  alienated  from 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀπαλλοτριόω  
Sense: to alienate, estrange.
ζωῆς  life 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: ζωή  
Sense: life.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεοῦ  of  God 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
διὰ  because  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: διά  
Sense: through.
ἄγνοιαν  ignorance 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: ἄγνοια  
Sense: lack of knowledge, ignorance.
τὴν  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
οὖσαν  being 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
διὰ  on  account  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: διά  
Sense: through.
πώρωσιν  hardness 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: πήρωσις 
Sense: the covering with a callus.
τῆς  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
καρδίας  heart 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: καρδία  
Sense: the heart.
αὐτῶν  of  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Neuter 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.