Ephesians 2:4

American Standard Version (1901)

but God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς, πλούσιος ὢν ἐν ἐλέει, διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἀγάπην αὐτοῦ ἣν ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς,

Transliteration

But ho Theos, plousios ōn in eleei, through the pollēn agapēn of him which he ēgapēsen us,

Grammar Details

• *ho* *Theos*: nominative singular masculine - the God
• *plousios*: nominative singular masculine - rich/wealthy
• *ōn*: present active participle, nominative singular masculine - being
• *eleei*: dative singular neuter - mercy/compassion
• *pollēn*: accusative singular feminine - much/great/abundant
• *agapēn*: accusative singular feminine - love
• *ēgapēsen*: aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular - loved

Word Meanings

• *plousios*: rich/wealthy/abounding
• *eleei*: mercy/compassion/pity
• *pollēn*: great/much/abundant/extensive
• *agapēn*: love/divine love/selfless love
• *ēgapēsen*: loved/showed sacrificial love toward

Referenced Verses

• 1 Pet 1:3 : 3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
• Eph 1:7 : 7 in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
• Eph 2:7 : 7 that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus:
• Ps 145:8 : 8 Jehovah is gracious, and merciful; Slow to anger, and of great lovingkindness.
• Ps 86:15 : 15 But thou, O Lord, art a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.
• Exod 33:19 : 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
• Eph 3:8 : 8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
• Titus 3:4-7 : 4 But when the kindness of God our Saviour, and his love toward man, appeared, 5 not by works [done] in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 which he poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
• 2 Thess 2:13 : 13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
• 1 Tim 1:14 : 14 and the grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
• 2 Tim 1:9 : 9 who saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before times eternal,
• 1 John 4:10-19 : 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us: 13 hereby we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father hath sent the Son [to be] the Saviour of the world. 15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God. 16 And we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him. 17 Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, even so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath punishment; and he that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19 We love, because he first loved us.
• Rom 9:23 : 23 and that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he afore prepared unto glory,
• Rom 10:12 : 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: for the same [Lord] is Lord of all, and is rich unto all that call upon him:
• Exod 34:6-7 : 6 And Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth; 7 keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear [the guilty], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.
• Deut 7:7-8 : 7 Jehovah did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all peoples: 8 but because Jehovah loveth you, and because he would keep the oath which he sware unto your fathers, hath Jehovah brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
• Deut 9:5-6 : 5 Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart, dost thou go in to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these nations Jehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may establish the word which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 6 Know therefore, that Jehovah thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.
• Neh 9:17 : 17 and refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them, but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage. But thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and forsookest them not.
• Ps 51:1 : 1 [For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David; when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba]. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
• Ps 86:5 : 5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness unto all them that call upon thee.
• Isa 55:6-8 : 6 Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near: 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah.
• Jer 31:3 : 3 Jehovah appeared of old unto me, [saying], Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
• Ezek 16:6-8 : 6 And when I passed by thee, and saw thee weltering in thy blood, I said unto thee, [Though thou art] in thy blood, live; yea, I said unto thee, [Though thou art] in thy blood, live. 7 I caused thee to multiply as that which groweth in the field, and thou didst increase and wax great, and thou attainedst to excellent ornament; thy breasts were fashioned, and thy hair was grown; yet thou wast naked and bare. 8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord Jehovah, and thou becamest mine.
• Ps 103:8-9 : 8 Jehovah is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness. 9 He will not always chide; Neither will he keep [his anger] for ever. 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins, Nor rewarded us after our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is his lovingkindness toward them that fear him.
• Rom 5:20-21 : 20 And the law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace did abound more exceedingly: 21 that, as sin reigned in death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
• Jonah 4:2 : 2 And he prayed unto Jehovah, and said, I pray thee, O Jehovah, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hasted to flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
• Mic 7:18-20 : 18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in lovingkindness. 19 He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. 20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, [and] the lovingkindness to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
• Luke 1:78 : 78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, Whereby the dayspring from on high shall visit us,
• John 3:14-17 : 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; 15 that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him.
• Rom 2:4 : 4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
• Rom 5:8 : 8 But God commendeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
• Rom 9:15-16 : 15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. 16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy.
• Dan 9:9 : 9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness; for we have rebelled against him;