Ephesians 6.12

Ephesians 6:12

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

• struggle - G3823 - paléG3823-palé

  • wrestling, generally fight
  • a struggle, fight, conflict, contest
  • 3823 pálē – properly, “a wrestling bout; hence, a struggle, a conflict” (Souter).
  • only used in this verse.

• rulers - G746 - archéG746-arché

  • Strong’s Concordance
    • beginning, origin
    • (a) rule (kingly or magisterial); (b) plur: in a quasi-personal sense, almost: rulers, magistrates, (c) beginning
  • HELPS Word-studies
    • 746 arxḗ – properly, from the beginning (temporal sense), i.e. “the initial (starting) point”; (figuratively) what comes first and therefore is chief (foremost), i.e. has the priority because ahead of the rest (“preeminent”).
  • NAS Exhaustive Concordance
    • NASB Translation
      • beginning (38), corners (2), domain (1), elementary (1), elementary* (1), first (1), first preaching (1), principalities (1), rule (4), rulers (6).
  • Thayer’s Greek Lexicon
    • 5. the first place, principality, rule, magistracy (cf. English ‘authorities’) (ἄρχω τίνος): Luke 12:11; Luke 20:20; Titus 3:1; office given in charge (Genesis 40:13, 21; 2 Macc. 4:10, etc.), Jude 1:6. Hence, the term is transferred by Paul to angels and demons holding dominions entrusted to them in the order of things (see ἄγγελος, 2 (cf. Lightfoot on Colossians 1:16; Meyer on Ephesians 1:21)): Romans 8:38; 1 Corinthians 15:24; Ephesians 1:21; Ephesians 3:10; Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 1:16; Colossians 2:10, 15. See ἐξουσία, 4{c}. ββ.
  • Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
    • magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule.
    • From archomai; (properly abstract) a commencement, or (concretely) chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or rank) — beginning, corner, (at the, the) first (estate), magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule.

• authorities - G1849 - exousiaG1849-exousia

  • Strong’s Concordance
    • power to act, authority
    • (a) power, authority, weight, especially: moral authority, influence, (b) in a quasi-personal sense, derived from later Judaism, of a spiritual power, and hence of an earthly power.
  • HELPS W-ordStudies
    • 1849 eksousía (from 1537 /ek, “out from,” which intensifies 1510 /eimí, “to be, being as a right or privilege”) – authority, conferred power; delegated empowerment (“authorization”), operating in a designated jurisdiction.
    • In the NT, 1849 /eksousía (“delegated power”) refers to the authority God gives to His saints – authorizing them to act **to the extent they are guided by faith (His revealed word).**
  • Thayer’s Greek Lexicon
    • 4. the power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed (generally translated authority));
      • c. metonymically, α. a thing subject to authority or rule: Luke 4:6; jurisdiction: ἐκ τῆς ἐξουσίας ἡδωρου ἐστιν, Luke 23:7 (1 Macc. 6:11 (cf. Psalm 113:2 (); Isaiah 39:2)). β. one who possesses authority; (cf. the Latin use ofhonestates, dignitates, auctoritates (so the English authorities, dignities, etc.) in reference to persons); αα. a ruler, human magistrate (Dionysius Halicarnassus 8, 44; 11, 32): Romans 13:1-3; plural: Luke 12:11; Romans 13:1; Titus 3:1. ββ. the leading and more powerful among created beings superior to man, spiritual potentates; used in the plural of a certain class of angels (see ἀρχή, δύναμις, θρόνος, κυριότης): Colossians 1:16; 1 Peter 3:22 (cf. Fritzsche on Romans, vol. ii., p. 226f; (Lightfoot on Colossians, the passage cited)); with ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις added, Ephesians 3:10; πᾶσα ἐξουσία, 1 Corinthians 15:24; Ephesians 1:21; Colossians 2:10; used also of demons: in the plural, Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 2:15; collectively (cf. Lob. ad Phryn., p. 469), ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ ἀέρος (see ἀήρ), Ephesians 2:2; τοῦ σκότους, Colossians 1:13 (others refer this to 4 a. (or c. α.) above (cf. Luke 22:53 in 2), and regard σκότος as personified; see σκότος, b.).

• powers - G2888 - kosmokratórG2888-kosmokratór

  • Strong’s Concordance
    • a ruler of this world, that is, of the world as asserting its independence of God; used of the angelic or demonic powers controlling the sublunary world.
  • HELPS Word-studies
    • 2888 kosmokrátōr (from 2889 /kósmos, “world” and 2902 /kratéō, “to rule”) – properly, world-ruler, referring to Satan (demons) influencing the lives of worldly people (used only in Eph 6:12).