Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, August 3rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 13 / Ordinary 18
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Geneva Bible

Ephesians 6:3

That it may be well with thee, and that thou mayst liue long on earth.

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

Christian Standard Bible®
so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.
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."
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

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father & mother (which is the first commandement with promes) 3 That it may be well with thee, and that thou mayst liue long on earth. 4 And ye, fathers, prouoke not your children to wrath: but bring them vp in instruction and information of the Lord. 5 Seruants, be obedient vnto them that are your masters, according to the flesh, with feare & trembling in singlenesse of your hearts as vnto Christ, 6 Not with seruice to the eye, as men pleasers, but as the seruants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 With good will, seruing the Lord, and not men. 8 And knowe ye that whatsoeuer good thing any man doeth, that same shall he receiue of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 9 And ye masters, doe the same things vnto them, putting away threatning: and know that euen your master also is in heauen, neither is there respect of person 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
So when men beganne to be multiplied vpon the earth, and there were daughters borne vnto them,
Genesis 6:13
And God said vnto Noah, An ende of all flesh is come before me: for the earth is filled with crueltie through them: and beholde, I wil destroy them with the earth.
Genesis 6:14
Make thee an Arke of pine trees: thou shalt make cabines in the Arke, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
Genesis 6:15
And thus shalt thou make it: The length of the Arke shalbe three hundreth cubites, the breadth of it fiftie cubites, and the height of it thirtie cubites.
Genesis 6:16
A windowe shalt thou make in the Arke, and in a cubite shalt thou finish it aboue, and the doore of the Arke shalt thou set in the side thereof: thou shalt make it with the lowe, seconde and third roume.
Genesis 6:18
But with thee will I establish my couenant, and thou shalt goe into the Arke, thou, and thy sonnes, and thy wife, and thy sonnes wiues with thee.
Genesis 6:20
Of the foules, after their kinde, and of the cattell after their kind, of euery creeping thing of the earth after his kinde, two of euery sort shall come vnto thee, that thou mayest keepe them aliue.
Numbers 11:17
And I will come downe, and talke with thee there, and take of the Spirite, which is vpon thee, and put vpon them, and they shall beare the burthen of the people with thee: so thou shalt not beare it alone.
Nehemiah 9:30
Yet thou diddest forbeare them many yeeres, and protestedst among them by thy Spirite, euen by the hande of thy Prophets, but they woulde not heare: therefore gauest thou them into the hande of the people of the lands.
Psalms 78:39
For he remebred that they were flesh: yea, a winde that passeth and commeth not againe.

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.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile