Ephesians 2:3

American Standard Version (1901)

among whom we also all once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest:--

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Ἐν οἷς καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν, ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν· καὶ ἤμεν τέκνα φύσει ὀργῆς, ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποί.

Transliteration

Among whom also we all anestraphēmen pote in the epithymiais of the sarkos of us, poiountes the thelēmata of the sarkos and of the dianoiōn; and we ēmen tekna by physei of orgēs, as also the loipoi

Grammar Details

• *anestraphēmen*: aorist passive indicative, 1st person plural - conducted ourselves/lived/turned back
• *pote*: adverb - once/formerly
• *epithymiais*: dative plural feminine - desires/lusts/cravings
• *sarkos*: genitive singular feminine - flesh/body/human nature
• *poiountes*: present active participle, nominative plural masculine - doing/practicing
• *thelēmata*: accusative plural neuter - wills/desires/wishes
• *dianoiōn*: genitive plural feminine - thoughts/minds/understandings
• *ēmen*: imperfect active indicative, 1st person plural - we were [continuous]
• *tekna*: nominative plural neuter - children/offspring
• *physei*: dative singular feminine - by nature/innately
• *orgēs*: genitive singular feminine - wrath/anger
• *loipoi*: nominative plural masculine - rest/remainder/others

Word Meanings

• *anestraphēmen*: conducted ourselves/lived/behaved
• *epithymiais*: desires/lusts/cravings/passions
• *sarkos*: flesh/body/sinful human nature
• *thelēmata*: wills/desires/wishes/intentions
• *dianoiōn*: minds/thoughts/understandings/intentions
• *tekna*: children/offspring/descendants
• *physei*: by nature/innately/naturally
• *orgēs*: wrath/anger/indignation
• *loipoi*: rest/remainder/others/remaining ones

Referenced Verses

• Titus 3:3 : 3 For we also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.
• Gal 2:15-16 : 15 We being Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed on Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law: because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
• Ps 51:5 : 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.
• Eph 2:2 : 2 wherein ye once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience;
• Eph 4:22 : 22 that ye put away, as concerning your former manner of life, the old man, that waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit;
• Rom 13:14 : 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof] .
• 1 Cor 4:7 : 7 For who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? but if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?
• 1 Pet 1:14 : 14 as children of obedience, not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in [the time of] your ignorance:
• 1 Pet 2:10-11 : 10 who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 11 Beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
• 1 John 1:8-9 : 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
• 1 Cor 6:9-9 : 9 Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.
• Rom 7:18 : 18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me, but to do that which is good [is] not.
• Rom 11:30 : 30 For as ye in time past were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience,
• Rom 3:22-23 : 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ unto all them that believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
• Gen 6:5 : 5 And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
• Job 15:14-16 : 14 What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? 15 Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones; Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight: 16 How much less one that is abominable and corrupt, A man that drinketh iniquity like water!
• Job 25:4 : 4 How then can man be just with God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?
• Gen 8:21 : 21 And Jehovah smelled the sweet savor; and Jehovah said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, for that the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done.
• Job 14:4 : 4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
• Rom 5:12-19 : 12 Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned:-- 13 for until the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the likeness of Adam's transgression, who is a figure of him that was to come. 15 But not as the trespass, so also [is] the free gift. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound unto the many. 16 And not as through one that sinned, [so] is the gift: for the judgment [came] of one unto condemnation, but the free gift [came] of many trespasses unto justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; much more shall they that receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, [even] Jesus Christ. 18 So then as through one trespass [the judgment came] unto all men to condemnation; even so through one act of righteousness [the free gift came] unto all men to justification of life. 19 For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous.
• Rom 6:12 : 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof:
• Isa 53:6 : 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
• Dan 9:5-9 : 5 we have sinned, and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even turning aside from thy precepts and from thine ordinances; 6 neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, that spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of face, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. 8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness; for we have rebelled against him;
• Mark 4:19 : 19 and the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
• Mark 7:21-22 : 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, evil thoughts proceed, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 covetings, wickednesses, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, railing, pride, foolishness:
• John 1:13 : 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
• John 3:1-6 : 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 the same came unto him by night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God! 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
• John 8:44 : 44 Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and standeth not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof.
• Acts 14:16 : 16 who in the generations gone by suffered all the nations to walk in their own ways.
• Acts 17:30-31 : 30 The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent: 31 inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
• Rom 1:24 : 24 Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves:
• Rom 3:9-9 : 9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we before laid to the charge both of Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin; 10 as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God; 12 They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable; There is none that doeth good, no, not, so much as one: 13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; With their tongues they have used deceit: The poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways; 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. 19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it speaketh to them that are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God:
• Rom 8:7-8 : 7 because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be: 8 and they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
• Rom 9:22 : 22 What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering vessels of wrath fitted unto destruction:
• 2 Cor 7:1 : 1 Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
• 1 Tim 6:9 : 9 But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition.
• Jas 4:1-3 : 1 Whence [come] wars and whence [come] fightings among you? [come they] not hence, [even] of your pleasures that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend [it] in your pleasures.
• Eph 4:17-19 : 17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 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; 19 who being past feeling gave themselves up to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
• Gal 3:22 : 22 But the scriptures shut up all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
• Gal 5:16-24 : 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these] : fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, 21 envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 meekness, self-control; against such there is no law. 24 And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof.
• 1 John 2:8 : 8 Again, a new commandment write I unto you, which thing is true in him and in you; because the darkness is passing away, and the true light already shineth.
• 1 John 2:16 : 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vain glory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
• Jude 1:16-18 : 16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their lusts (and their mouth speaketh great swelling [words] ), showing respect of persons for the sake of advantage. 17 But ye, beloved, remember ye the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 That they said to you, In the last time there shall be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts.
• 1 Pet 4:2-3 : 2 that ye no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 3 For the time past may suffice to have wrought the desire of the Gentiles, and to have walked in lasciviousness, lusts, winebibbings, revellings, carousings, and abominable idolatries:
• 2 Pet 2:14 : 14 having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; enticing unstedfast souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness; children of cursing;
• 2 Pet 2:18 : 18 For, uttering great swelling [words] of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error;
• Gen 5:3 : 3 And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
• Isa 64:6-7 : 6 For we are all become as one that is unclean, and all our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. 7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee; for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us by means of our iniquities.