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Saturday, July 5th, 2025
the Week of Proper 8 / Ordinary 13
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Read the Bible

Christian Standard Bible ®

Ephesians 6:3

so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Children;   Quotations and Allusions;   Reward;   Thompson Chain Reference - Children;   Home;   Parents;   The Topic Concordance - Honor;   Parents;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Children, Good;   Conduct, Christian;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ancestors;   Ethics;   Family;   Parents;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Law;   Teach, Teacher;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Image;   Justice;   Love, Brotherly;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Colosse;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ephesians, Book of;   Family;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Commandment;   Ephesians Epistle to the;   Family;   Worldliness;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Law of Moses, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ephesians, Epistle to the;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for April 13;  

Parallel Translations

King James Version (1611)
That it may bee well with thee, and thou maiest liue long on the earth.
King James Version
That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
English Standard Version
"that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land."
New American Standard Bible
SO THAT IT MAY TURN OUT WELL FOR YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.
New Century Version
"Then everything will be well with you, and you will have a long life on the earth."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.
Legacy Standard Bible
so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long in the land.
Berean Standard Bible
"that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth."
Contemporary English Version
and you will have a long and happy life."
Complete Jewish Bible
"so that it may go well with you, and you may live long in the Land."
Darby Translation
that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest be long-lived on the earth.
Easy-to-Read Version
And this is the promise: "Then all will go well with you, and you will have a long life on the earth."
Geneva Bible (1587)
That it may be well with thee, and that thou mayst liue long on earth.
George Lamsa Translation
That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Good News Translation
"so that all may go well with you, and you may live a long time in the land."
Lexham English Bible
"in order that it may be well with you, and you may live a long time on the earth."
Literal Translation
"that it may be well with you, and you may be long-lived on the earth". Deut. 5:16
Amplified Bible
SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY HAVE A LONG LIFE ON THE EARTH.
American Standard Version
that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Bible in Basic English
So that all may be well for you, and your life may be long on the earth.
Hebrew Names Version
"that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the eretz."
International Standard Version
"So that it may go well for you, and that you may have a long life on the earth."Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16">[fn]
Etheridge Translation
that it may be well with thee, and thy life be prolonged upon the earth.
Murdock Translation
that it may be well with thee, and that thy life may be prolonged on the earth.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
That thou mayest prosper, and lyue long on earth.
English Revised Version
that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
World English Bible
"that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth."
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
and thou mayst live long upon the earth.
Weymouth's New Testament
"so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
that it be wel to thee, and that thou be long lyuynge on the erthe.
Update Bible Version
that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.
Webster's Bible Translation
That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
New English Translation
" that it may go well with you and that you will live a long time on the earth ."
New King James Version
"that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."Deuteronomy 5:16">[fn]
New Living Translation
If you honor your father and mother, "things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth."
New Life Bible
The promise is this: If you respect your father and mother, you will live a long time and your life will be full of many good things.
New Revised Standard
"so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
That it may come to be, well with thee, and thou shalt be long-lived upon the land.
Douay-Rheims Bible
That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest be long lived upon earth.
Revised Standard Version
"that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth."
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
that thou mayst be in good estate and lyve longe on the erthe.
Young's Literal Translation
which is the first command with a promise, `That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live a long time upon the land.'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
that thou mayest prospere, and lyue longe vpon earth.
Mace New Testament (1729)
that it may be well with thee, and thou mayst be long-lived on the earth."
Simplified Cowboy Version
If you honor your father and mother, "you'll make it to the end of the trail in one piece after a good, long life."

Contextual Overview

1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right. 2Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, 3so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land. 4Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. 5Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ. 6Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart. 7Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to people, 8knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord. 9And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 4:40, Deuteronomy 5:16, Deuteronomy 6:3, Deuteronomy 6:18, Deuteronomy 12:25, Deuteronomy 12:28, Deuteronomy 22:7, Ruth 3:1, Psalms 128:1, Psalms 128:2, Isaiah 3:10, Jeremiah 42:6

Reciprocal: Genesis 28:7 - General Deuteronomy 5:29 - that it might Deuteronomy 25:15 - that thy days Ruth 1:8 - the dead Jeremiah 35:6 - Ye shall Romans 13:7 - honour to

Cross-References

Genesis 6:1
When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them,
Genesis 6:13
Then God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to every creature, for the earth is filled with wickedness because of them; therefore I am going to destroy them along with the earth.
Genesis 6:14
“Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch inside and outside.
Genesis 6:15
This is how you are to make it: The ark will be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.
Genesis 6:16
You are to make a roof, finishing the sides of the ark to within eighteen inches of the roof. You are to put a door in the side of the ark. Make it with lower, middle, and upper decks.
Genesis 6:18
But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark with your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives.
Genesis 6:20
Two of everything—from the birds according to their kinds, from the livestock according to their kinds, and from the animals that crawl on the ground according to their kinds—will come to you so that you can keep them alive.
Numbers 11:17
Then I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of the Spirit who is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.
Nehemiah 9:30
You were patient with them for many years,and your Spirit warned them through your prophets,but they would not listen.Therefore, you handed them over to the surrounding peoples.
Psalms 78:39
He remembered that they were only flesh,a wind that passes and does not return.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That it may be well with thee,.... In this world, and that which is to come; see Deuteronomy 5:16. The Jews z say,

"there are four things, which if a man does, he eats the fruit of them in this world, and the capital part remains for him in the world to come; and they are these, אב ואם

כיבוד; "honouring father and mother", doing acts of beneficence, making peace between a man and his neighbour, and learning of the law, which answers to them all.''

And thou mayest live long on the earth: length of days is in itself a blessing; and though men's days cannot be lengthened beyond God's purpose and decree; and though obedient children do not always live long; yet disobedience to parents often brings the judgments of God on children, so that they die not a common death, 2 Samuel 18:14. On those words in Deuteronomy 32:47, the Jews a have this paraphrase;

"because it is your life, זה כיבוד אב ואם, "this is honouring father and mother; and through this thing ye shall prolong your days", this is beneficence.''

It may be observed, that the words in this promissory part are not the same as in the decalogue, where they stand thus, "that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee",

Exodus 20:12, referring to the land of Canaan; for the law in the form of it, in which it was delivered by Moses, only concerned the people of the Jews; wherefore to suit this law, and the promise of it, to others, the apostle alters the language of it.

z Misna Peah, c. 1. sect. 1. T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 127. 1, & Kiddushin, fol. 40. 1. a T. Hieros. Peah, fol. 15. 4.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That it may be well with thee - This is found in the fifth commandment as recorded in Deuteronomy 5:16. The whole commandment as there recorded is, “Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” The meaning here is, that they would be more happy, useful, and virtuous if they obeyed their parents than if they disobeyed them.

And thou mayest live long on the earth - In the commandment as recorded in Exodus 20:12, the promise is, “that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” This referred to the promised land - the land of Canaan. The meaning doubtless, is, that there would be a special providence, securing to those who were obedient to parents length of days. Long life was regarded as a great blessing; and this blessing was promised. The apostle here gives to the promise a more general form, and says that obedience to parents was connected at all times with long life. We may remark here:

(1) That long life is a blessing. It affords a longer space to prepare for eternity; it enables a man to be more useful; and it furnishes a longer opportunity to study the works of God on earth. It is not improper to desire it; and we should make use of all the means in our power to lengthen out our days, and to preserve and protect our lives.

(2) It is still true that obedience to parents is conducive to length of life, and that those who are most obedient in early life, other things being equal, have the best prospect of living long. This occurs because:

(a) obedient children are saved from the vices and crimes which shorten life. No parent will command his child to be a drunkard, a gambler, a spendthrift, a pirate, or a murderer. But these vices and crimes, resulting in most cases from disobedience to parents, all shorten life; and they who early commit them are certain of on early grave. No child who disobeys a parent can have any “security” that he will not fall a victim to such vices and crimes.

(b) Obedience to parents is connected with virtuous habits that are conducive to long life. It will make a child industrious, temperate, sober; it will lead him to restrain and govern his wild passions; it will lead him to form habits of self-government which will in future life save him from the snares of vice and temptation.

(c) Many a life is lost early by disobeying a parent. A child disobeys a father and goes into a dramshop; or he goes to sea; or he becomes the companion of the wicked - and he may be wrecked at sea, or his character on land may be wrecked forever. Of disobedient children there is perhaps not one in a hundred that ever reaches an honored old age.

(d) We may still believe that God, in his providence, will watch over those who are obedient to a father and mother. If he regards a falling sparrow Matthew 10:29, he will not be unmindful of an obedient child; if he numbers the hairs of the head Matthew 10:30, he will not be regardless of the little boy that honors him by obeying a father and mother.


 
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