Read Ephesians 3 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Greek Testament does not contain paragraph markers.
The Chiastic structure:
The central axis does not just zero in on the love of Messiah, the love which belongs to Him and is His primary characteristic, but that we may comprehend it, and know it in the way that surpasses knowledge.
The Greek for “comprehend” is Strong’s G2638 καταλαμβάνω katalambanō, “to lay hold of so as to make one’s own.” It is to grasp the nature, significance, or meaning of, according to Webster’s. The Septuagint translators used it for Hebrew verbs meaning, “to overtake,” “to seize.” You’ve been studying the facts concerning something, and then all of a sudden the light bulb turns on in your head and your heart, so that now you comprehend it.
The Greek for “to know” and “knowledge” are related: Strong’s G1097 γινώσκω ginosko, “to know, to obtain knowledge;” backtracking through the Septuagint gives us Strong’s H3045 ידע yada, “to know.” The ancient pictographs are yud + dalet + ayin.
yud י = closed hand (work, throw, worship)
dalet ד = door (thus enter, move, hang)
ayin ע = eye (watch, know, shade)
The yud as the closed hand depicts the hand of activity, the action of working. The ayin, besides having the meaning of looking or watching, can also indicate knowing or understanding. Even in English today we still say “I see!” when we have grasped something. Thus the Hebrew Root Word parable is saying that by doing (yud) that we enter into (dalet) knowing or understanding (ayin).
Paul’s prayer is not that the Ephesians will merely know about Messiah’s love (have a factual knowledge of), but will experience Messiah’s love in its full totality, to its limits in its breadth, length, depth, and height. Then they will have surpassed knowledge. He’s praying for a love encounter with the living God. ♥
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