Ephesians 5 · Verse 2

Ephesians 5:2

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

Ephesians 5:2, King James Version

Ephesians 5:2 in other translations

BSB	and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.
WEB	Walk in love, even as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance.
ASV	and walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odor of a sweet smell.
YLT	and walk in love, as also the Christ did love us, and did give himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odour of a sweet smell,
DARBY	and walk in love, even as the Christ loved us, and delivered himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.
BBE	And be living in love, even as Christ had love for you, and gave himself up for us, an offering to God for a perfume of a sweet smell.
Webster	And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.

What does Ephesians 5:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

2. And--in proof that you are so. walk in love--resuming Ep 4:1, "walk worthy of the vocation." as Christ ... loved us--From the love of the Father he passes to the love of the Son, in whom God most endearingly manifests His love to us. given himself for us--Greek, "given Himself up (namely, to death, Ga 2:20) for us," that is, in our behalf: not here vicarious substitution, though that is indirectly implied, "in our stead." The offerer, and the offering that He offered, were one and the same (Joh 15:13; Ro 5:8). offering and a sacrifice--"Offering" expresses generally His presenting Himself to the Father, as the Representative undertaking the cause of the whole of our lost race (Psa 40:6-8), including His life of obedience; though not excluding His offering of His body for us (He 10:10). It is usually an unbloody offering, in the more limited sense. "Sacrifice" refers to His death for us exclusively. Christ is here, in reference to Psa 40:6 (quoted again in He 10:5), represented as the antitype of all the offerings of the law, whether the unbloody or bloody, eucharistical or propitiatory. for a sweet-smelling savour--Greek, "for an odor of a sweet smell," that is, God is well pleased with the offering on the ground of its sweetness, and so is reconciled to us (Ep 1:6; Mt 3:17; 2Co 5:18, 19; He 10:6-17). The ointment compounded of principal spices, poured upon Aaron's head, answers to the variety of the graces by which He was enabled to "offer Himself a sacrifice for a sweet-smelling savor." Another type, or prophecy by figure, was "the sweet savor" ("savor of rest," Margin) which God smelled in Noah's sacrifice (Ge 8:21). Again, as what Christ is, believers also are (1Jo 4:17), and ministers are: Paul says (2Co 2:17) "we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ."

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 2. And walk in love. That is, let your lives be characterized by love; let that be evinced in all your deportment and conversation. Jn 13:34.

As Christ also hath loved us. We are to evince the same love for one another which he has done for us. He showed his love by giving himself to die for us, and we should evince similar love to one another, 1Jn 3:16.

And hath given himself for us. This is evidently added by the apostle to show what he meant by saying that Christ loved us, and what we ought to do to evince our love for each other. The strength of his love was so great that he was willing to give himself up to death on our account; our love for our brethren should be such that we would be willing to do the same thing for them, 1Jn 3:16.

An offering. The word here used--προσφοραν--means, properly, that which is offered to God--in any way, or whatever it may be. It is, however, in the Scriptures, commonly used to denote an offering without blood--a thank-offering--and thus is distinguished from a sacrifice, or a bloody oblation. The word occurs only in Acts 21:26, 24:17, Rom 15:16, Eph 5:2, Heb 10:5,8,10,14,18. It means here that he regarded himself as an offering to God.

And a sacrifice, θυσιαν. Christ is here expressly called a Sacrifice--the usual word in the Scriptures to denote a proper sacrifice. A sacrifice was an offering made to God by killing an animal and burning it on an altar, designed to make atonement for sin. It always implied the killing of the animal as an acknowledgment of the sinner that he deserved to die. It was the giving up of life, which was supposed to reside in the blood, (Rom 3:25,) and hence it was necessary that blood should be shed. Christ was such a sacrifice; and his love was shown in his being willing that his blood should be shed to save men.

For a sweet-smelling savour. 2Cor 2:15, where the word savour is explained. The meaning here is, that the offering which Christ made of himself to God was like the grateful and pleasant smell of incense, that is, it was acceptable to him. It was an exhibition of benevolence with which he was pleased, and it gave him the opportunity of evincing his own benevolence in the salvation of men. The meaning of this in the connexion here is, that the offering which Christ made was one of love. So, says Paul, do you love one another. Christ sacrificed himself by love, and that sacrifice was acceptable to God. So do you show love one to another. Sacrifice everything which opposes it, and it will be acceptable to God. He will approve all which is designed to promote love, as he approved the sacrifice which was made, under the influence of love, by his Son.

(a) "as Christ" Jn 13:34 (b) "sweet-smelling savour" Lev 1:9

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 2 And walk in love - Let every act of life be dictated by love to God and man. As Christ - hath loved us - Laying down your lives for your brethren if necessary; counting nothing too difficult to be done in order to promote their eternal salvation. Hath given himself for us - Christ hath died in our stead, and become thereby a sacrifice for our sins. An offering - Προσφορα· An oblation, an eucharistic offering; the same as מנחה minchah, Lev 2:1, etc., which is explained to be an offering made unto the Lord, of fine flour, with oil and frankincense. It means, any offering by which gratitude was expressed for temporal blessings received from the bounty of God. A sacrifice - Θυσια· A sin-offering, a victim for sin; the same as זבח zebach, which almost universally means that sacrificial act in which the blood of an animal was poured out as an atonement for sin. These terms may be justly considered as including every kind of sacrifice, offering, and oblation made to God on any account; and both these terms are with propriety used here, because the apostle's design was to represent the sufficiency of the offering made by Christ for the sin of the world. And the passage strongly intimates, that as man is bound to be grateful to God for the good things of this life, so he should testify that gratitude by suitable offerings; but having sinned against God, he has forfeited all earthly blessings as well as those that come from heaven; and that Jesus Christ gave himself ὑπερ ἡμων, in our stead and on our account, as the gratitude-offering, προσφορα, which we owed to our Maker, and, without which a continuance of temporal blessings could not be expected; and also as a sacrifice for sin, θυσια, without which we could never approach God, and without which we must be punished with an everlasting destruction from the presence of God and the glory of his power. Thus we find that even our temporal blessings come from and by Jesus Christ, as well as all our spiritual and eternal mercies. For a sweet-smelling savor - Εις οσμην ευωδιας· The same as is expressed in Gen 8:21; Lev 1:9; Lev 3:16 : ריח ניהוח ליהוה reiach nichoach laihovah, "a sweet savor unto the Lord;" i.e. an offering of his own prescription, and one with which he was well pleased; and by accepting of which he showed that he accepted the person who offered it. The sweet-smelling savor refers to the burnt-offerings, the fumes of which ascended from the fire in the act of burning; and as such odors are grateful to man, God represents himself as pleased with them, when offered by an upright worshipper according to his own appointment.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ephesians 5:1-2

Chapter Outline Exhortation to brotherly love. (1-2) Cautions against several sins. (3-14) Directions to a contrary behaviour, and to relative duties. (15-21) The duties of wives and husbands are enforced by the spiritual relation between Christ and the church. (22-33) Verses 1-2 Because God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you, therefore be ye followers of God, imitators of God. Resemble him especially in his love…

Read the full comment on Ephesians 5:1-2 →

Ephesians 5:2 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiandG2532

περιπατεῖτεperipateitedo walkG4043

ἐνeninG1722

ἀγάπῃagapēloveG26

καθὼςkathōseven asG2531

καὶkaialsoG2532

ὁho<the>G3588

ΧριστὸςChristosChristG5547

ἠγάπησενēgapēsenlovedG25

ἡμᾶςhēmasusG3165

καὶkaiandG2532

παρέδωκενparedōkengave upG3860

ἑαυτὸνhe'autonhimselfG1438

ὑπὲρhuperforG5228

ἡμῶνhēmōnusG3165

προσφορὰνprosphoran[as] an offeringG4376

καὶkaiandG2532

θυσίανthusiana sacrificeG2378

τῷtō<the>G3588

θεῷtheōto GodG2316

εἰςeisintoG1519

ὀσμὴνosmēnan aromaG3744

εὐωδίας.¶euōdiasof a sweet smell.G2175

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ephesians 5:2

John 13:34
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Colossians 3:14
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
2 Corinthians 2:15
For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
Matthew 20:28
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
1 Corinthians 16:14
Let all your things be done with charity.
Titus 2:14
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
1 Peter 4:8
And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
Hebrews 7:25-27
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
2 Corinthians 8:9
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
1 Peter 2:21-24
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Genesis 8:21
And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

walk.
3:17; 4:2,15; Joh 13:34; Ro 14:16; 1Co 16:14; Col 3:14; 1Th 4:9
1Ti 4:12; 1Pe 4:8; 1Jo 3:11,12,23; 4:20,21
as.
25; 3:19; Mt 20:28; Joh 15:12,13; 2Co 5:14,15; 8:9; Ga 1:4; 2:20
1Ti 2:6; Tit 2:14; Heb 7:25-27; 9:14,26; 10:10,11; 1Pe 2:21-24
1Jo 3:16; Re 1:5; 5:9
a sacrifice.
Ro 8:3; *marg:
1Co 5:7; Heb 9:23; 10:12
for a.
Ge 8:21; Le 1:9,13,17; 3:16; Am 5:21; 2Co 2:15

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Ephesians 5:1
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Ephesians 5:2
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Ephesians 5:3
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

Read all of Ephesians 5

Ephesians 5:2 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y andad en amor, como también Cristo nos amó, y se entregó á sí mismo por nosotros, ofrenda y sacrificio á Dios en olor suave.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	et marchez dans l’amour, comme aussi le Christ nous a aimés et s’est livré lui-même pour nous, comme offrande et sacrifice à Dieu, en parfum de bonne odeur.
German Elberfelder 1871	und wandelt in Liebe, gleichwie auch der Christus uns geliebt und sich selbst für uns hingegeben hat als Darbringung und Schlachtopfer, Gott zu einem duftenden Wohlgeruch.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	et ambulate in dilectione, sicut et Christus dilexit nos, et tradidit semetipsum pro nobis, oblationem et hostiam Deo in odorem suavitatis.