THE TEXT · EPHESIANS 6:10–20
KING JAMES VERSION · NA28 GREEK
10Finally, my brethren, be in the Lord, and in the of his .
10 · OPENING COMMAND
The passage opens with a passive plural imperative. Nobody is told to become strong; a body is told to be strengthened. Everything that follows is issued to a plural 'you' that English cannot hear.
11Put the whole of God, that ye may be able to against the of the devil.
11 · THE WHOLE KIT
πανοπλία is a single noun for an entire assemblage. The verse does not hand out six objects; it hands over one condition of equipment, and the purpose clause states its only aim — to stand.
12For we not against flesh and blood, but against , against , against the of the of this world, against spiritual in high .
12 · ONE ATHLETIC WORD
πάλη is wrestling — close, gripped, exhausting. It sits inside a passage of military hardware and changes the distance of the fight. The four ruler-terms are borrowed from civic and imperial vocabulary; the text is precise about power, not vague about evil.
13Wherefore take unto the whole of God, that ye may be able to in the evil day, and having done all, to .
13 · THE REPEATED VERB
Four times in four verses the goal is στῆναι: to hold ground. No verse in the passage commands advance, conquest, or pursuit. Any image we make has to obey that restraint.
14 therefore, having your about with , and having on the of ;
14 · DRESSING, FROM THE WAIST
The sequence follows the real order of arming: belt first, then cuirass. Whoever composed this had watched it done. The material sequence is the project's starting point for any staging or costume test.
15And your feet shod with the of the gospel of ;
15 · AN UNRESOLVED WORD
ἑτοιμασία can mean readiness or a prepared base. The military boot gave traction; the Isaiah echo (52:7) gives feet that carry news of peace. We are not choosing between them.
16Above all, taking the of , wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery of the wicked.
16 · A SHIELD SHAPED LIKE A DOOR
θυρεός is the body-length shield that only works in formation, locked to the shields beside it. The fire-quenching detail is technical: the leather facing was soaked so incendiary arrows died on impact.
17And take the of , and the of the Spirit, which is the of God:
17 · RECEIVED, NOT SEIZED
The verb changes. The helmet and sword are δέξασθε — received from another's hand. Both items are quoted out of Isaiah 59:17 and Isaiah 49:2, where they belong to God first.
18 always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
18 · WHERE MOST READINGS STOP
Verse 18 is not a new paragraph in Greek; it is a participle hanging on 'stand'. The armour is worn in the posture of prayer and sentry-watch, and the watch is kept on behalf of everyone else.
19And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth , to make known the of the gospel,
19 · THE ASK
After all the hardware, the only thing requested is speech. παρρησία is the assembly-word for a free citizen's right to speak — asked for by someone who no longer has it.
20For which I am an in : that therein I may speak , as I ought to speak.
20 · THE CLOSING CONTRADICTION
πρεσβεύω is the verb of an imperial legate; ἅλυσις is a chain. The passage of armour ends with an envoy in custody. This is the image the project is building toward, and the reason the work cannot end in spectacle.