Ephesians 6:10–20, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Ephesians 6:10–20
Stand in God's Armor and Pray
Stand in the Lord's strength. Do not go hunting enemies among flesh and blood.
Put on the whole armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. The struggle is not against flesh and blood. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God are given so a pressured church can stand, not so it can launch a crusade.
This is not a culture-war costume and not permission to treat neighbors as demons. If your "spiritual warfare" requires hatred of actual people, it is not this passage.
Prayer is how the armor is worn.
Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication, for all the saints, and for bold speech of the gospel even in chains.
Ask for courage to tell the good news. Standing firm is not the same as attacking.
How this should shape us
When you are pressured, stand in truth, righteousness, peace, and prayer. Do not dress a modern culture war as the armor of God, and do not treat neighbors as demons.
Teach it back
Explain Ephesians 6:10–20 in your own words. Include what came before, why this section appears here, the main movement, and one interpretation the context rules out.
Your explanation stays in this browser. It is not sent or saved.
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.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: Interpreters differ over how specifically to identify the powers and over details of the armor imagery. The passage itself is clear that flesh-and-blood people are not the ultimate enemy, the equipment comes from God, standing is communal, and prayer for all the saints and gospel boldness belongs to the armor movement.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: The exact KJV wording and immediate English context for Ephesians 6:10–20.
eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM, source files dated 2026-08-19, Ephesians 6; 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 6, verses within Ephesians 6:10–20.
Supports: Material translation choices, syntax notes, and textual variants checked for this passage.
NET Bible, Ephesians 6, translator and textual notes attached to the verses in Ephesians 6:10–20.
Supports: Verse-level Greek, syntax, older interpretive options, and passage boundaries tested against primary evidence and newer research.
T. K. Abbott, Ephesians, pp. 225–243.
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 6, verses within Ephesians 6:10–20.
Supports: A current whole-letter check on the passage's argument, major theological claims, scriptural background, and place in Ephesians.
S. M. Baugh, Ephesians, open commentary, section treating Ephesians 6:10–20.
Supports: The armor passage's place in the letter, its non-human adversaries, God-supplied armor, and the central role of prayer.
Kudakwashe Budha, Intercultural criticism of spiritual warfare, sections ‘Literary context,’ ‘Warfare in Ephesians 6:10–20,’ and ‘Synthesis.’
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 6:10–20.
Exact location: eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM, source files dated 2026-08-19, Ephesians 6; 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 6, verses within Ephesians 6:10–20.
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 6, translator and textual notes attached to the verses in Ephesians 6:10–20.
Open NET Ephesians 6 ↗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, pp. 225–243.
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 6, verses within Ephesians 6:10–20.
Open source ↗modern open commentary
Ephesians
S. M. Baugh
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2022
Supports: A current whole-letter check on the passage's argument, major theological claims, scriptural background, and place in Ephesians.
Exact location: S. M. Baugh, Ephesians, open commentary, section treating Ephesians 6:10–20.
Open source ↗peer reviewed open access contextual study
Intercultural criticism of spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10–20)
Kudakwashe Budha
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies 78.1, 2022
Supports: The armor passage's place in the letter, its non-human adversaries, God-supplied armor, and the central role of prayer.
Exact location: Kudakwashe Budha, Intercultural criticism of spiritual warfare, sections ‘Literary context,’ ‘Warfare in Ephesians 6:10–20,’ and ‘Synthesis.’
Open source ↗