SEV Biblia, Chapter 1:18
alumbrando los ojos de vuestro entendimiento, para que sepis cul sea la esperanza de su llamado, y cules sean las riquezas de la gloria de su herencia en los santos,
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Ephesians 1:18
Verse 18. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened] The understanding is that power or faculty in the soul by which knowledge or information is received, and the recipient power is here termed the EYES of the understanding; and we learn from this that oper o ofqalmov en tw swmati, touto o nouv en th yuch, as Philo expresses it: What the eye is to the body, the understanding is to the soul; and that as the eye is not light in itself, and can discern nothing but by the means of light shining, not only on the objects to be viewed, but into the eye itself; so the understanding of man can discern no sacred thing of or by itself, but sees by the influence of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation; for without the influence of God's Holy Spirit no man ever became wise unto salvation, no more than a man ever discerned an object, (no matter how perfect soever his eye might have been,) without the instrumentality of light. Instead of thv dianoiav, of your understanding, thv kardiav, of your heart, is the reading of ABDEFG, and several others; also both the Syriac, all the Arabic, the Coptic, the AEthiopic, Armenian, Sahidic, Slavonian, Vulgate, and Itala, besides several of the fathers. The eyes of your HEART is undoubtedly the true reading.
The hope of his calling] That you may clearly discern the glorious and important objects of your hope, to the enjoyment of which God has called or invited you.
The riches of the glory of his inheritance] That you may understand what is the glorious abundance of the spiritual things to which you are entitled, in consequence of being made children of God; for if children, then heirs, heirs of that glorious inheritance which God has provided for the saints - for all genuine Christians, whether formerly Jews or Gentiles. On the chief subject of this verse, see the notes on Gal. iv. 6, 7.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 18. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened , &c.] By the Spirit of God already, to see the exceeding sinfulness of sin; the insufficiency of their own righteousness; the beauty, glory, fulness, and suitableness of Christ, as a Saviour; the excellency, truth, and usefulness of the doctrines of the Gospel; in which their understandings were before dark, but now had light into them: wherefore these words are not to be considered as part of the apostle's petitions, but rather as what was taken for granted by him; and are to be put into a parenthesis, and the following words to be joined in connection with the preceding verse; unless it should be thought, that the apostle prays for greater illuminations, and for more spiritual light, and that the eyes of their understandings might be more and more enlightened; the phrase, lkh y[ , omma thv dianoiav , the eye of the understanding, is Rabbinical, and often to be met with in Jewish writings f6 ; the Alexandrian copy, and several others, the Complutensian edition, the Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions, read, the eyes of your heart; and to, twbblh yny[ , the eyes of the hearts, or minds, is a phrase used by the Jewish writers f7 : that ye may know what is the hope of his calling ; by which is meant, the effectual calling of the saints; which is not a call to an office, or a call merely by the external ministry of the word; but which is internal, special, powerful, high, and heavenly: and this is the calling of God, of which he is the author; who calls with an holy calling, unto eternal glory by Christ Jesus; and which is without repentance: and the hope of this calling, is either eternal happiness, which is the thing hoped for; or Christ, who is the ground and foundation of it; or the grace of hope, which is exercised on both; or all three: for hope of eternal glory, as it is founded on Christ, may be said to be the hope of the calling of God, because it is wrought in the soul at the time of the effectual calling, and what saints are then called to the exercise of; and calling grace, is an encouragement to hope for eternal life; since whom God calls, he justifies and glorifies: and now the apostle prays, that these saints who were called by the grace of God, might know more of Christ, the foundation of their hope; and what that is they are hoping for, and more and more what it is to hope for the same, upon the view of Christ's person, blood, and righteousness: and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints ; the saints themselves are the Lord's portion, and the lot of his inheritance, in whom he is, and will be abundantly glorified; but here it rather seems to design the heavenly inheritance before spoken of, of which the Spirit is the earnest; and this is the Lord's, it is of his preparing, and it is his gift, and a very rich and glorious inheritance it is: hence it is not only signified by mansions, and everlasting habitations, by an house, and by a city, but by a kingdom; the riches of grace are preparatory to it, and the riches of glory are comprised in it; and this is in, or among the saints, who only have a right unto it, and a meetness for it; and what this inheritance is, with the riches and glory of it, will not be fully known in this life; and indeed but little of it is known; so that such a petition as this is always proper and pertinent.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 15-23 - God has laid up spiritual blessings for us in his Son the Lord Jesus but requires us to draw them out and fetch them in by prayer. Even the best Christians need to be prayed for: and while we hear of the welfar of Christian friends, we should pray for them. Even true believer greatly want heavenly wisdom. Are not the best of us unwilling to com under God's yoke, though there is no other way to find rest for the soul? Do we not for a little pleasure often part with our peace? And i we dispute less, and prayed more with and for each other, we shoul daily see more and more what is the hope of our calling, and the riche of the Divine glory in this inheritance. It is desirable to feel the mighty power of Divine grace, beginning and carrying on the work of faith in our souls. But it is difficult to bring a soul to believ fully in Christ, and to venture its all, and the hope of eternal life upon his righteousness. Nothing less than Almighty power will work thi in us. Here is signified that it is Christ the Saviour, who supplie all the necessities of those who trust in him, and gives them all blessings in the richest abundance. And by being partakers of Chris himself, we come to be filled with the fulness of grace and glory in him. How then do those forget themselves who seek for righteousness ou of him! This teaches us to come to Christ. And did we know what we ar called to, and what we might find in him, surely we should come and be suitors to him. When feeling our weakness and the power of our enemies we most perceive the greatness of that mighty power which effects the conversion of the believer, and is engaged to perfect his salvation Surely this will constrain us by love to live to our Redeemer's glory __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
πεφωτισμενους 5461 5772 τους 3588 οφθαλμους 3788 της 3588 διανοιας 1271 υμων 5216 εις 1519 το 3588 ειδεναι 1492 5760 υμας 5209 τις 5101 εστιν 2076 5748 η 3588 ελπις 1680 της 3588 κλησεως 2821 αυτου 846 και 2532 τις 5101 ο 3588 πλουτος 4149 της 3588 δοξης 1391 της 3588 κληρονομιας 2817 αυτου 846 εν 1722 τοις 3588 αγιοις 40
Vincent's NT Word Studies
18. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened (pefwtismenouv touv ofqalmouv thv kardiav umwn). Rev., eyes of your heart. Lit., being enlightened as to the eyes of your heart; enlightened being joined with you (ver. 17) by a somewhat irregular construction: may give unto you being enlightened. For a similar construction see Acts xv. 22. The phrase eyes of the heart occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. Plato has eye of the soul (yuchv, "Sophist," 254). Ovid, speaking of Pythagoras, says: "With his mind he approached the gods, though far removed in heaven, and what nature denied to human sight, he drew forth with the eyes of his heart" ("Metamorphoses," xv., 62-64). Heart is not merely the seat of emotion, as in popular usage, but of thought and will. See on Rom. i. 21. The particular aspect in which its activity is viewed, perception or cognition, is determined by what follows, "that ye may know," etc.
Hope of His calling. Hope, not, as sometimes, the thing hoped for, but the sentiment or principle of hope which God's calling inspires.
The riches of the glory of His inheritance. Ellicott remarks that this is a noble accumulation of genitives, "setting forth the inheritance on the side of its glory, and the glory on the side of its riches." Glory is the essential characteristic of salvation, and this glory is richly abounding. His inheritance: which is His, and His gift.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
1:18 {Having the eyes of your heart enlightened} (pefwtismenous tous ofqalmous tes kardias humwn). A beautiful figure, the heart regarded as having eyes looking out toward Christ. But the grammar is difficult. There are three possible interpretations. One is an anacoluthon, the case of pefwtismenous being changed from the dative humin (to you) to the accusative because of the following infinitive like eklexamenous (#Ac 15:22) after apostolois. Another way of explaining it is to regard it as a tertiary predicate of dwie, a loose expansion of pneuma. The third way is to regard the construction as the accusative absolute, a rare idiom possible in #Ac 26:3; 1Co 16:3; 1Ti 2:6. In this case, the participle merely agrees with tous ofqalmous, not with humin, "the eyes of your heart having been enlightened." Otherwise tous ofqalmous is the accusative retained after the passive participle. {That ye may know} (eis to eidenai). Final use of eis to and the infinitive (second perfect of oida) as in verse #12. Note three indirect questions after eidenai (what the hope tis h elpis, what the riches tis ho ploutos, and what the surpassing greatness kai ti to huperballon megeqos). When the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of the heart, one will be able to see all these great truths. {In the saints} (en tois hagiois). Our riches is in God, God's is in his saints.
