Biblion Bible Commentary
Read the introduction to Ephesians · About this commentary
The Whole Armor of God
Ephesians 6:10-13
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. · WEB
The armor is God's rather than the soldier's, the enemy is named as unseen, and the objective throughout is to stand rather than to advance.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. The verb is passive — be strengthened — and the strength is located outside the reader, which sets the terms for everything that follows.
The word in verse 11 is panoplia, the full kit rather than a piece of it. It occurs three times in Scripture and twice in these four verses Ephesians 6:13. And the genitive matters: it is the armor of God, his own equipment issued out, not armor made for him.
The purpose is stated twice and both times it is defensive: that you may be able to stand, and to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. No ground is to be taken. The letter asks only that a position already held not be lost — which fits a congregation already seated in the heavenly places Ephesians 2:6.
Verse 12 names the opposition, and the first clause reframes everything: our wrestling is not against flesh and blood. Whatever conflicts a congregation is having, the letter denies that the people in them are the enemy. Four terms follow. Principalities and powers. Then rulers of the present darkness, rendered variously across the English translations. And last, spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
That last phrase is the fifth and final use of the letter's distinctive location Ephesians 1:3 Ephesians 1:20 Ephesians 2:6 Ephesians 3:10. The blessings are there, Christ is enthroned there, the readers are seated there, the powers were shown God's wisdom there — and the enemy operates there.
The wrestling image is close-quarters and personal. Nothing about it is fought at a distance.
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