Ephesians 1:1–2, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Ephesians 1:1–2
Paul Greets God's People in Christ
Grace and peace arrive before any command.
Paul writes as an apostle by the will of God, not by self-appointment, and greets the saints in Ephesus as people already in Christ Jesus. The letter will ask for a worthy walk. It never asks you to earn a hearing first.
Some copies include 'in Ephesus' and some do not. The greeting does not make the exact first destination certain. Receive the greeting as the starting line. You do not become holy by performing; you are addressed as God's people and then taught how to live.
How this should shape us
Open the letter, and a modern Sunday, from this greeting: you are already addressed in Christ. Do not spend the week trying to earn a hearing God has already given.
Teach it back
Explain Ephesians 1:1–2 in your own words. Include what came before, why this section appears here, the main movement, and one interpretation the context rules out.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: The exact KJV wording and immediate English context for Ephesians 1:1–2.
eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM, source files dated 2026-08-19, Ephesians 1; archive and normalized-corpus SHA-256 values are recorded in the library policy.
Supports: The critically edited Greek wording and sentence relationships used to check the passage.
Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Eph.txt, Ephesians 1, verses within Ephesians 1:1–2.
Supports: Material translation choices, syntax notes, and textual variants checked for this passage.
NET Bible, Ephesians 1, translator and textual notes attached to the verses in Ephesians 1:1–2.
Supports: Verse-level Greek, syntax, older interpretive options, and passage boundaries tested against primary evidence and newer research.
T. K. Abbott, Ephesians, Introduction pp. i–viii and commentary pp. 1–3.
Supports: A cross-check of Greek forms and reasonable lexical range for reader-facing word notes.
STEP Bible Data repository, TAGNT and Greek lexical records, Ephesians 1, verses within Ephesians 1:1–2.
Supports: The genuine division in scholarship over authorship and the uncertainty created by the Ephesians 1:1 destination variant.
M. Jeff Brannon, The Heavenlies in Ephesians, publisher preview, Introduction pp. 3–8, especially the authorship and destination surveys.
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: The exact KJV wording and immediate English context for Ephesians 1:1–2.
Exact location: eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM, source files dated 2026-08-19, Ephesians 1; archive and normalized-corpus SHA-256 values are recorded in the library policy.
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: The critically edited Greek wording and sentence relationships used to check the passage.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Eph.txt, Ephesians 1, verses within Ephesians 1:1–2.
Open the Ephesians Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Ephesians with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Material translation choices, syntax notes, and textual variants checked for this passage.
Exact location: NET Bible, Ephesians 1, translator and textual notes attached to the verses in Ephesians 1:1–2.
Open NET Ephesians 1 ↗public domain critical commentary
A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles to the Ephesians and to the Colossians
T. K. Abbott
T. & T. Clark, 1897
Supports: Verse-level Greek, syntax, older interpretive options, and passage boundaries tested against primary evidence and newer research.
Exact location: T. K. Abbott, Ephesians, Introduction pp. i–viii and commentary pp. 1–3.
Open source ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: A cross-check of Greek forms and reasonable lexical range for reader-facing word notes.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data repository, TAGNT and Greek lexical records, Ephesians 1, verses within Ephesians 1:1–2.
Open source ↗scholarly monograph preview
The Heavenlies in Ephesians — publisher preview
M. Jeff Brannon
T&T Clark, 2011
Supports: The genuine division in scholarship over authorship and the uncertainty created by the Ephesians 1:1 destination variant.
Exact location: M. Jeff Brannon, The Heavenlies in Ephesians, publisher preview, Introduction pp. 3–8, especially the authorship and destination surveys.
Open source ↗