Ephesians 3:3

Murdock Translation

that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, (as I have [fn] written to you in brief,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above.

King James Version (1611)
How that by reuelation hee made knowen vnto me the mysterie, (as I wrote afore in few words,

King James Version
How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

English Standard Version
how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.

New American Standard Bible
that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before briefly.

New Century Version
He let me know his secret by showing it to me. I have already written a little about this.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.

Legacy Standard Bible
that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.

Berean Standard Bible
that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.

Contemporary English Version
In fact, this letter tells you a little about how God has shown me his mysterious ways.

Complete Jewish Bible
and that it was by a revelation that this secret plan was made known to me. I have already written about it briefly,

Darby Translation
that by revelation the mystery has been made known to me, (according as I have written before briefly,

Easy-to-Read Version
God let me know his secret plan by showing it to me. I have already written a little about this.

Geneva Bible (1587)
That is, that God by reuelation hath shewed this mysterie vnto me (as I wrote aboue in fewe wordes,

George Lamsa Translation
For the mystery was made known to me by a revelation; as I have briefly written you before,

Good News Translation
God revealed his secret plan and made it known to me. (I have written briefly about this,

Lexham English Bible
According to revelation the mystery was made known to me, just as I wrote beforehand in brief,

Literal Translation
that by revelation He made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief,

Amplified Bible
and that by [divine] revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I have already written in brief.

American Standard Version
how that by revelation was made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words,

Bible in Basic English
How by revelation the secret was made clear to me, as I said before in a short letter,

Hebrew Names Version
how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words,

International Standard Version
and how this secret was made known to me through a revelation, just as I wrote about briefly in the past.Acts 22:17,21; 26:17-18; Romans 16:25; Galatians 1:12; Ephesians 1:9-10; Colossians 1:26-27;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
that by revelation he made known to me the mystery, as I have written to you in few (words);

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For by reuelation shewed he the misterie vnto me (as I wrote afore in fewe wordes:

English Revised Version
how that by revelation was made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote afore in few words,

World English Bible
how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
as I wrote before in few words,

Weymouth's New Testament
and that by a revelation the truth hitherto kept secret was made known to me as I have already briefly explained it to you.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For bi reuelacioun the sacrament is maad knowun to me, as Y aboue wroot in schort thing,

Update Bible Version
how that by revelation was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words,

Webster's Bible Translation
That by revelation he made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words;

New English Translation
that by revelation the divine secret was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly.

New King James Version
how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,

New Living Translation
As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me.

New Life Bible
I wrote a little about this to you before. In a special way, God showed me His secret plan.

New Revised Standard
and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
How that, by way of revelation, was made known unto me the sacred secret, - even as I before wrote in brief, -

Douay-Rheims Bible
How that, according to revelation, the mystery has been made known to me, as I have written above in a few words:

Revised Standard Version
how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
For by revelacion shewed he this mistery vnto me as I wrote above in feawe wordes

Young's Literal Translation
that by revelation He made known to me the secret, according as I wrote before in few [words] --

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For by reuelacion was this mystery shewed vnto me, as I wrote aboue in fewe wordes:

Mace New Testament (1729)
having revealed to me the secret, I now mention'd in short,

Simplified Cowboy Version
As I've written before, God yanked me out of the saddle and showed me his crazy plan.

Contextual Overview

¹ On this account, I Paul am a prisoner of Jesus the Messiah, for the sake of you Gentiles: ² if so be, ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which was given to me among you: ³ that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, (as I have [fn] written to you in brief, ⁴ so that while ye read, ye might be able to understand my knowledge of the mystery of the Messiah,) ⁵ which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it is now revealed to his holy legates and to his prophets, by the Spirit; ⁶ that the Gentiles should be sharers. of his inheritance, and partakers of his body, and of the promise which is given in him by the gospel; ⁷ of which I have been a minister, according to the gift of the goodness of God, which was imparted to me by the operation of his power: ⁸ to me, who am the least of all the saints, hath this grace been given, that I should announce among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of the Messiah, ⁹ and should show to all men what is the dispensation of the mystery, which for ages was hid up in God the Creator of all [fn] : ¹⁰ so that, by means of the church, the manifold wisdom of God might become known to the principalities and powers that are in heaven:

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

by: Ephesians 1:17, Acts 22:17, Acts 22:21, Acts 23:9, Acts 26:15-19, 1 Corinthians 2:9, 1 Corinthians 2:10, Galatians 1:12, Galatians 1:16-19

the mystery: Ephesians 3:9, Romans 11:25, Romans 16:25, Colossians 1:26, Colossians 1:27

as I: Ephesians 1:9-11, Ephesians 2:11-22

afore: or, a little before

Reciprocal: Matthew 13:11 - mysteries Matthew 21:42 - and it is Luke 8:10 - Unto Acts 13:41 - for 1 Corinthians 2:16 - But 1 Corinthians 4:1 - mysteries 1 Corinthians 4:7 - who 1 Corinthians 14:2 - howbeit 1 Corinthians 15:51 - I show Galatians 1:11 - that Ephesians 6:19 - the mystery 1 Timothy 3:16 - the mystery 1 Peter 5:12 - I have Revelation 1:1 - Revelation Revelation 10:7 - the mystery

Cross-References

1 Corinthians 7:1
And concerning the things of which ye wrote to me, it is praiseworthy for a man not to approach a woman.

2 Corinthians 6:17
Wherefore, come ye out from among them, and be ye separate from them, saith the Lord; and come not near the unclean thing, and I will receive you;

Colossians 2:21
But, touch thou not, and taste thou not, and handle thou not:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery,.... Or "is made known unto me": so the Alexandrian copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version. The Gospel, which is sometimes called a mystery, the mystery of the Gospel, the mystery of godliness, and the mystery of faith: the several doctrines of the Gospel are the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; such as a trinity of persons in the Godhead, the union of the two natures in Christ, the saints' union to Christ, and communion with him, the resurrection of the dead, and the change of living saints, and the whole doctrine of salvation by Christ, of justification by his righteousness, pardon by his blood, and atonement by his sacrifice; and this was made known to the apostle, not in a mere notional and speculative way, but in a spiritual and saving manner; not by men, for he was not taught by men, nor did he receive it from them, but had it by the revelation of Jesus Christ, and by the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

as I wrote afore in few words: in the two first chapters of this epistle, which are a compendium of the mystery of the Gospel, in its several parts; as predestination, election, redemption, regeneration, and salvation by free grace.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

How that by revelation - see the notes at Galatians 1:12. He refers to the revelation which was made to him when he was called to the apostolic office, that the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles, and that he was converted for the special purpose of carrying it to them; see Acts 9:15; Acts 22:21.

Unto me the mystery - The hitherto concealed truth that the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles; see the notes, Ephesians 1:9, on the meaning of the word “mystery.”

As I wrote afore in few words - Margin, “a little before.” To what this refers commentators are not agreed. Bloomfield, Doddridge, Rosenmuller, Erasmus, Grotius, Locke, and others, suppose that he refers to what he had written in the two previous chapters respecting the plan of God to call the Gentiles to his kingdom. Calvin supposes that he refers to some former epistle which he had written to them, but which is now lost. Hc remarks in regard to this, “If the solicitude of Paul be rightly considered; if his vigilance and assiduity; if his zeal and studious habits; if his kindness and promptitude in assisting his brethren, it is easy to suppose that he wrote many epistles publicly and privately to this place and to that place. But those only which the Lord saw necessary to the welfare of his church has he taken care to have preserved.” In this opinion there is nothing in itself improbable (compare introduction to Isaiah, section 5 (1)), but it may be doubted whether Paul here refers to any such epistle. The addition which he makes, “whereby, when ye read,” etc., seems rather to imply that he refers to what he had just written.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ephesians 3:3. By revelation he made known unto me — Instead of εγνωρισε, he made known, εγνωρισθη, was made known, is the reading of ABCD*FG, several others, both the Syriac, Coptic, Slavonic, Vulgate, and Itala, with Clemens, Cyril, Chrysostom, Theodoret, Damascenus, and others: it is doubtless the true reading.

The apostle wishes the Ephesians to understand that it was not an opinion of his own, or a doctrine which he was taught by others, or which he had gathered from the ancient prophets; but one that came to him by immediate revelation from God, as he had informed them before in a few words, referring to what he had said Ephesians 1:9-12.