Ephesians 1:17

the God of our Lord Jesus Christ Cp. the Saviour's own words on the Cross, "Eli, Eli" (Matthew 27:46); and after Resurrection (John 20:17), "I ascend unto … my God." See also John 4:22. The Father is the God of the Son Incarnate, in a sense which, however partially, we may be said to understand. Hence in the two passages just quoted, where the Death and the Resurrection of the Incarnate One Who could not "taste death" except as Incarnate (Hebrews 2:9), are respectively in view, the thought is specially in point; and so also in a passage like this, where the Saviour's exaltation after deathis before us. There mayalso lie in the phrase here the thought that He is "the God of our Lord" in the sense of being the God revealed and known through our Lord.

the Father of glory Not merely "the glorious Father," but the Father who is the Origin and King of all that is meant by eternal "glory." Cp. the words "the Lord of glory" (James 2:1), used of the Son. Alford suggests that the "glory" here involves the thought of Christ as the true Shechinah, in whom the true glory of Godhead shines forth; who is thus the true "Glory of God." But the suggestion, beautiful and true in itself, appears far-fetched here. Cp. the phrase "Father of mercies," 2 Corinthians 1:3, to illustrate the interpretation above.

may give Lit., might give. The writer records his object as it waswhen he last prayed.

the spirit R. V., "a spirit." The Gr. has no article, but this does not settle the question, for (not to speak of other grammatical reasons) the article is often omitted with well-known words, such as God, and Christ. And in passages where certainly "theHoly Spirit" is meant, we have the same omission; see esp. the LXX. of Isaiah 11:2, where lit., "Aspirit of God shall rest upon Him, aspirit of wisdom and intelligence, &c.;" a close verbal parallel to this passage. The Scripture use of the word "spirit" seems to us to favour the reference here to the Holy Spirit. The word is rarely if ever in Scripture used in the loose modern sense of "sentiment," "tendency," or the like, but far rather of personal spirits the spirit of man, in or out of the body; spirits, good or evil, not human; and The Spirit of God. And the idea of Giftis deeply connected with this last, very usually betokening the impartation to man, in whatever mode, of the Holy Spirit in His presence and power, whether for lower effects and purposes (as e.g. Exodus 28:3), or for the highest. Romans 11:8 is an exception; "God hath given them the (or a) spirit of slumber." But even there the reference is probably to a personalspiritual agent.

It may be asked, was not the Holy Spirit already "given" to these saints? Yes, undoubtedly. But where spiritis concerned we must be cautious how we insist too much on logical inferences from forms of expression. We are not to think of the "coming" of the Spirit as a literal passage through space to a locality, but a manifestation of His power in human subjects in a new way. Similarly we are not to think of the "giving" of the Spirit as of an isolated deposit of what, once given, is now locally in possession. The first "gift" is, as it were, the first point in a series of actions of which each one may be expressed also as a gift. Not infrequently in Scripture spiritual processes are viewed as beginningat what is more precisely a point of new development.

Practically, the bearing of this passage is not greatly affected by the question of "a" or "the". The work would in any case be immediately done by the Holy Spirit, and would take the form of a developed experience in the spirit of the Christian.

in the knowledge of him Precisely, in full, or thorough, knowledge; epignôsis, more than gnôsis. The same word is used, e.g. Romans 3:20; Romans 10:2; Colossians 2:2; and the cognate verb, e. g. 1 Corinthians 13:12. The tendency of the word in N. T. usage is to denote knowledge which is not merely intellectual, but of the nature of spiritual experience. "Of Him" :of the Father, to Whom similar pronouns throughout the passage plainly refer. To know Him (in and with the Son) is the inmost secret of "life eternal"(John 17:3; cp. Matthew 11:27). "Philosophy, taking, as it must, man for its centre, says to him, Know thyself. But the inspired Word, which alone can originate with God, is alone able to say to man, Know God" (Monod, after Pascal).

This Divine knowledge is the region, so to speak, "in" which the "wisdom and unveiling" just spoken of are to grow and work.