SEV Biblia, Chapter 2:3
entre los cuales todos nosotros tambin vivimos en otro tiempo en los deseos de nuestra carne, haciendo la voluntad de la carne y de la mente; y ramos por naturaleza hijos de ira, tambin como los dems.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Ephesians 2:3
Verse 3. Among whom also we all had our conversation] We JEWS, as well as you Gentiles, have lived in transgressions and sins; anestrafhmen, this was the course of our life; we lived in sin, walked in sin, it was woven through our whole constitution, it tinged every temper, polluted every faculty, and perverted every transaction of life. The lusts - the evil, irregular, and corrupt affections of the heart, showed themselves in the perversion of the mind as well as in our general conduct. The mind was darkened by the lusts of the flesh, and both conjoined to produce acts of unrighteousness. It was not the will of God that was done by us, but the will of the flesh and of the mind.
And were by nature the children of wrath] For the import of the phrase, by nature, fusei, see the note on Gal. ii. 15, and Rom. ii. 14. To what is said on those passages, I may add, from Dr. Macknight:-"Nature often signifies one's birth and education, Gal. ii. 15: We, who are Jews BY NATURE. Also, men's natural reason and conscience, Rom. ii. 14: The Gentiles who have not the law, do BY NATURE the things contained in the law, &c. Also, the general sense and practice of mankind, 1 Cor. xi. 14: Doth not even NATURE itself teach you, that if a man have long hair, &c. Also, the original constitution of any thing, Gal. iv. 8: Who are not gods BY NATURE, Also, a disposition formed by custom and habit; thus Demetrius Phalereus said of the Lacedemonians: fusei ebraculogoun lakwnev? The Lacedemonians had naturally a concise mode of speaking. Hence our word laconic; a short speech, or much sense conveyed in a few words." The words in the text have often been quoted to prove the doctrine of original sin, but, though that doctrine be an awful truth, it is not, in my opinion, intended here; it is rather found in the preceding words, the lusts of the flesh, and the desires of the flesh and of the mind. The apostle appears to speak of sinful habits; and as we say HABIT is a second nature, and as these persons acted from their originally corrupt nature - from the lusts of the flesh and of the mind, they thus became, by their vicious habits, or second nature, children of wrath - persons exposed to perdition, because of the impurity of their hearts and the wickedness of their lives. Here we see that the fallen, apostate nature produces the fruits of unrighteousness. The bad tree produces bad fruit.
Children of wrath is the same as son of perdition, son of death, &c.; i.e. persons exposed to God's displeasure, because of their sins.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 3. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past , &c.] What the apostle says of the Gentile Ephesians before conversion, he says of himself and other Jews; and this he does, partly to show that it was not from ill will, or with a design to upbraid the Gentiles, that he said what he did; and partly to beat down the pride of the Jews, who thought themselves better than the sinners of the Gentiles; as well as to magnify the grace of God in the conversion of them both: the sense is, that the apostle and other Jews in the time of their unregeneracy, had their conversation according to the customs of the world, and to the prince of the air, and among unbelievers, as well as the Gentiles; and that they were equally sinners, and lived a like sinful course of life: in the lusts of our flesh ; by flesh is meant, the corruption of nature; so called, because it is propagated by natural generation; and is opposed to the Spirit, or principle of grace; and has for its object fleshly things; and discovers itself mostly in the body, the flesh; and it makes persons carnal or fleshly: and this is called our, because it belongs to human nature, and is inherent in it, and inseparable from it in this life: and the lusts of it, are the inward motions of it, in a contrariety to the law and will of God; and are various, and are sometimes called fleshly and worldly lusts, and the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life: and persons may be said to have their conversations in these, when these are the ground of their conversation, when they are solicitous about them, and make provision for the fulfilling of them, and constantly employ themselves in obedience to them, as follows: fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind : or the wills of them; what they incline to, will, and crave after: various are the degrees of sin, and its several motions; and universal is the corruption of human nature; not only the body, and the several members of it, are defiled with sin, and disposed to it, but all the powers and faculties of the soul; even the more noble and governing ones, the mind, understanding, and will, as well as the affections; and great is the power and influence which lust has over them: and were by nature children of wrath , even as others: by which is meant, not only that they were wrathful persons, living in malice, hateful, and hating one another; but that they were deserving of the wrath of God, which comes upon the children of disobedience, among whom they had their conversation; and which is revealed from heaven against such sins as they were guilty of, though they were not appointed to it: and they were such by nature; really, and not in opinion, and by and from their first birth: so a Jewish commentator on these words, thy first father hath sinned, ( Isaiah 43:27) has this note; how canst thou say thou hast not sinned? and behold thy first father hath sinned, and he is the first man, for man ajjb [bjwm , is naturally in sin; or by nature a sinner, or sin is naturally impressed in him; and hence being by nature a sinner, he is by nature deserving of the wrath of God, as were the persons spoken of: even as others ; as the rest of the world, Jews as well as Gentiles; and Gentiles are especially designed, in distinction from the Jews, the apostle is speaking of; and who are particularly called in the Jewish dialect yrja , others; (See Gill on Luke 18:11).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-10 - Sin is the death of the soul. A man dead in trespasses and sins has n desire for spiritual pleasures. When we look upon a corpse, it gives a awful feeling. A never-dying spirit is now fled, and has left nothin but the ruins of a man. But if we viewed things aright, we should be far more affected by the thought of a dead soul, a lost, fallen spirit A state of sin is a state of conformity to this world. Wicked men ar slaves to Satan. Satan is the author of that proud, carnal dispositio which there is in ungodly men; he rules in the hearts of men. From Scripture it is clear, that whether men have been most prone to sensua or to spiritual wickedness, all men, being naturally children of disobedience, are also by nature children of wrath. What reason have sinners, then, to seek earnestly for that grace which will make them of children of wrath, children of God and heirs of glory! God's eterna love or good-will toward his creatures, is the fountain whence all his mercies flow to us; and that love of God is great love, and that merc is rich mercy. And every converted sinner is a saved sinner; delivere from sin and wrath. The grace that saves is the free, undeserve goodness and favour of God; and he saves, not by the works of the law but through faith in Christ Jesus. Grace in the soul is a new life in the soul. A regenerated sinner becomes a living soul; he lives a lif of holiness, being born of God: he lives, being delivered from the guilt of sin, by pardoning and justifying grace. Sinners rol themselves in the dust; sanctified souls sit in heavenly places, ar raised above this world, by Christ's grace. The goodness of God in converting and saving sinners heretofore, encourages others i after-time, to hope in his grace and mercy. Our faith, our conversion and our eternal salvation, are not of works, lest any man should boast These things are not brought to pass by any thing done by us, therefor all boasting is shut out. All is the free gift of God, and the effec of being quickened by his power. It was his purpose, to which he prepared us, by blessing us with the knowledge of his will, and his Holy Spirit producing such a change in us, that we should glorify God by our good conversation, and perseverance in holiness. None can from Scripture abuse this doctrine, or accuse it of any tendency to evil All who do so, are without excuse.
Greek Textus Receptus
εν 1722 οις 3739 και 2532 ημεις 2249 παντες 3956 ανεστραφημεν 390 5648 ποτε 4218 εν 1722 ταις 3588 επιθυμιαις 1939 της 3588 σαρκος 4561 ημων 2257 ποιουντες 4160 5723 τα 3588 θεληματα 2307 της 3588 σαρκος 4561 και 2532 των 3588 διανοιων 1271 και 2532 ημεν 1510 5713 τεκνα 5043 φυσει 5449 οργης 3709 ως 5613 και 2532 οι 3588 λοιποι 3062
Vincent's NT Word Studies
3. Had our conversation (anestrafhmen). See on the kindred noun conversation, 1 Pet. i. 15. Rev., more simply, lived.
Fulfilling (poiountev). Rev., doing. The verb implies carrying out or accomplishing, so that the A.V. is more nearly correct. See on Romans vii. 15; John iii. 21.
Desires (qelhmata). Lit., willings. See on Col. iii. 12.
Mind (dianoiwn). More strictly, thoughts. See on Mark xii. 30; Luke i. 51.
By nature children of wrath. See on ver. 2. Children (tekna) emphasizes the connection by birth; see on John i. 12. Wrath (orghv) is God's holy hatred of sin; His essential, necessary antagonism to everything evil, Rom. i. 18. By nature (fusei) accords with children, implying what; is innate. That man is born with a sinful nature, and that God and sin are essentially antagonistic, are conceded on all hands: but that unconscious human beings come into the world under the blaze of God's indignation, hardly consists with Christ's assertion that to little children belongs the kingdom of heaven. It is true that there is a birth-principle of evil, which, if suffered to develop, will bring upon itself the wrath of God. Whether Paul means more than this I do not know. 167 Others (oi loipoi). Rev., correctly, the rest.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
2:3 {We also all} (kai hemeis pantes). We Jews. {Once lived} (anestrafemen pote). Second aorist passive indicative of anastrefw, old verb, to turn back and forth, to live (#2Co 1:12). Cf. pote periepatesate, of the Gentiles in verse #2. {The desires} (ta qelemata). Late and rare word except in LXX and N.T., from qelw, to will, to wish. Plural here "the wishes,"the wills" of the flesh like tais epithumiais ts sarkos just before. Gentiles had no monopoly of such sinful impulses. {Of the mind} (twn dianoiwn). Plural again, "of the thoughts or purposes." {Were by nature children of wrath} (emeqa tekna fusei orges). this is the proper order of these words which have been the occasion of much controversy. There is no article with tekna. Paul is insisting that Jews as well as Gentiles ("even as the rest") are the objects of God's wrath (orges) because of their lives of Sin. See #Ro 2:1-3:20 for the full discussion of this to Jews unpalatable truth. The use of fusei (associative instrumental case of manner) is but the application of Paul's use of "all" (pantes) as shown also in #Ro 3:20; 5:12. See fusei of Gentiles in #Ro 2:14. The implication of original Sin is here, but not in the form that God's wrath rests upon little children before they have committed acts of Sin. The salvation of children dying before the age of responsibility is clearly involved in #Ro 5:13f.
