SEV Biblia, Chapter 1:21
sobre todo principado y potestad, y potencia, y seorío, y todo nombre que se nombra, no slo en este siglo, sino aun en el venidero:
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Ephesians 1:21
Verse 21. Far above all principality] The difficulty in this verse does not arise from the words themselves, the meaning of each being easily understood, but from the sense in which the apostle uses them. Some think he has reference here to the different orders among good and evil angels; he is superior to all the former, and rules all the latter. Others think he refers to earthly governments; and as apch, principality, the first word, signifies the most sovereign and extensive kind of dominion; and kuriothv, lordship, the last word, signifies the lowest degree of authority; hence we are to understand that to our Lord, in his human nature, are subjected the highest, the intermediate, and the lowest orders of beings in the universe. - Chandler. Others imagine that the apostle has in view, by whatsoever is named in this world, all the dignitaries of the Jewish Church; and by what is named in the world to come, all the dignities that should be found in the Christian Church. Schoettgen supposes that the "apostle's arch (for arcontev, the abstract for the concrete) means the same as the yayn Nesiim among the Jews, whose chief business it was to clear and decide all contentions which arose concerning traditions and legal controversies.
"That exousia, power, is the same as abrwx tsorba, he who possesses authority to propound, expound, persuade, convince, and refute.
"That dunamiv, might, answers to twnbr rabbanoth, signifying all the class of rabbins, whose office it was to expound the law, and teach the people generally.
"And that kuriothv, dominion, answers to rm mar, which signifies a person above the lower orders of men. And he observes that Jesus Christ, after his resurrection, called fishermen, publicans, and men from the lowest orders of the people, to the work of the ministry; and made them instruments of confounding and overturning all the Jewish rulers, rabbins, and doctors. And that in the world which is to come - the successive ages of Christianity, he should ever be exalted above all those powers and authorities which Antichrist might bring into the Christian Church; such as popes, cardinals, wicked archbishops, bishops, deans, and canons; and all those who among the schoolmen were termed seraphic doctors, angelic doctors, most illuminated, most perfect, and irrefragable doctors. And although Wiclif, Huss, Luther, Melancthon, and the rest of the reformers, were men of little or no note when compared with the rulers of the popish Church, so eminently did the power of Christ work in and by them, that the pope and all his adjutants were every where confounded, and their power and authority annihilated in several entire regions." It is certain that the apostle means that all created power, glory, and influence, are under Christ; and hence it is added:
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 21. Far above all principality and power , &c.] Good angels and bad angels, and civil magistrates, who also may be intended by the following words: and might and dominion ; good angels may be so called, because of their employment under God in the affairs of Providence, and the government of this world; and Christ is not only above them, as he is God, being their Creator, who has made them, and on whom they depend, and is the Lord whom they serve, and is the object of their worship and adoration, and as he is Mediator, to whom they minister, and so is above them in nature, name, and office; but also as he is man, in union with the Son of God; and chiefly he here is said to be above them on account of place, being at the right hand of God, where they are not, ( Hebrews 1:13). And evil angels may be so called, because of the government which subsists among themselves, and the power and influence they have over mankind; Christ was above them when here on earth, as appears by his resisting the temptations of Satan, and defeating him in them; by his dispossessing devils from the bodies of men; by his spoiling and destroying them and their works at his death; and by his leading them captive, and triumphing over them at his ascension; and by delivering souls out of his hands at conversion, through his power attending the ministration of his Gospel; and his being above them will still be more manifest, in the binding of Satan a thousand years, and in the final condemnation of him, and of all his angels under him: civil magistrates are sometimes called by these names, and Christ is above them; they receive their governments from him, they rule by him, and are accountable to him, and are set up and put down at his pleasure; all these senses may be taken in; but the first seems chiefly designed: it is added, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come ; persons of authority and dignity, of fame and renown, whether in earth or heaven; as emperors, kings, princes, nobles, generals of armies &c. in this world, and cherubim, seraphim, &c. in the other world: this phrase denotes both the extensiveness of Christ's kingdom, and the eternity of it; as reaching to both worlds, and being over everything in them, and as lasting to the end of this, and unto that which is to come.
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
υπερανω 5231 πασης 3956 αρχης 746 και 2532 εξουσιας 1849 και 2532 δυναμεως 1411 και 2532 κυριοτητος 2963 και 2532 παντος 3956 ονοματος 3686 ονομαζομενου 3687 5746 ου 3756 μονον 3440 εν 1722 τω 3588 αιωνι 165 τουτω 5129 αλλα 235 και 2532 εν 1722 τω 3588 μελλοντι 3195 5723
Vincent's NT Word Studies
21. Far above (uperanw). Lit., over above. See on ver. 19. Connect with made Him to sit.
Principality, power, etc. These words usually refer to angelic powers; either good, as ch. iii. 10; Col. i. 16; ii. 10; or bad, as ch. vi. 12; 1 Corinthians xv. 24; Col. ii. 15; or both, as Rom. viii. 38. See on Col. i. 16; ii. 15. Here probably good, since the passage relates to Christ's exaltation to glory rather than to His victory over evil powers. And every name that is named. And has a collective and summary force - and in a word. Every name, etc. Whatever a name can be given to. "Let any name be uttered, whatever it is, Christ is above it; is more exalted than that which the name so uttered affirms" (Meyer). Compare Philippians ii. 9. "We know that the emperor precedes all, though we cannot enumerate all the ministers of his court: so we know that Christ is placed above all, although we cannot name all" (Bengel).
Not only in this world, etc. Connect with which is named. For world (aiwni), see on John i. 9.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
1:21 {Far above all rule} (huperanw pases arces). Late compound adverbial preposition (huper, anw) with the ablative case. In N.T. only here and #Heb 9:5. As in #Col 1:16, so here Paul claims primacy for Jesus Christ above all angels, aeons, what not. These titles all were used in the Gnostic speculations with a graduated angelic hierarchy. {World} (aiwni). "Age." See this identical expression in #Mt 12:32 for the present time (#Gal 1:4; 1Ti 6:17) and the future life (#Eph 2:7; Lu 20:35). Both combined in #Mr 10:30; Lu 18:30.
