Ephesians 2:16 kjv

And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Ephesians 2:16 nkjv

and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

Ephesians 2:16 niv

and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

Ephesians 2:16 esv

and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

Ephesians 2:16 nlt

Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

Ephesians 2 verses

Ephesians 2 16 Meaning

Ephesians 2:16 states that Christ's purpose on the cross was to reconcile both Jews and Gentiles—formerly separated and hostile—unto God. This reconciliation occurs as they become one new humanity, unified in a single body, the Church. By His sacrificial death on the cross, Christ decisively put to death the enmity or hostility that existed both between Jew and Gentile, and vertically between humanity and God, fundamentally bridging the chasm created by sin and the dividing law.

Ephesians 2 16 Context

Ephesians Chapter 2, specifically verses 11-22, describes the transformative work of God in bringing Gentiles, who were formerly alienated from the covenants of promise and without hope, into fellowship with God alongside Jewish believers. This passage highlights how Christ's sacrifice abolished the dividing wall between them. Verse 16 builds upon verses 14 and 15, which establish Christ as "our peace" who made both Jew and Gentile "one," abolishing the Mosaic Law, the "enmity" that caused the division. Verse 16 further elaborates on why this breaking down happened: to fully reconcile both groups, now unified, to God Himself through the means of the cross and by decisively killing the hostility. The historical context is crucial: the profound and often violent division between Jews and Gentiles in the ancient world, especially concerning access to God and His covenant, underscored by the strictures of the Mosaic Law. Paul shows that Christ's redemptive work directly addressed this separation, forging a new, unified body of believers.

Ephesians 2 16 Word analysis

• and might reconcile (ἀποκαταλλάξῃ - apokatallaxē): This Greek term implies a complete and thorough reconciliation, a comprehensive restoration to favor from a state of total alienation. It means to bring back together and effect a radical change from hostility to peace. It is stronger than simple "reconcile," emphasizing the thoroughness of the re-establishment of harmony.
• both (ἀμφοτέρους - amphoteroys): This specifically refers to the two groups previously mentioned: Jews and Gentiles. It highlights the universality of Christ's reconciling work, embracing all humanity.
• unto God (τῷ Θεῷ - tō Theō): This indicates the ultimate aim and recipient of the reconciliation. It's not just a reconciliation between Jew and Gentile, but through that unity, a restoration of alienated humanity to God Himself. Sin created a vertical barrier with God, and the Law also served as a specific form of separation which Christ removed.
• in one body (ἐν ἑνὶ σώματι - en heni sōmati): This signifies the Church, the spiritual body of Christ, comprised of both reconciled Jews and Gentiles. It emphasizes unity and corporate identity as a new humanity under Christ's headship, distinct from the old divisive categories.
• by the cross (διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ - dia tou stauroû): The instrument and means by which this radical reconciliation was achieved. The cross represents Christ's atoning sacrifice, His death as a vicarious payment for sin. This is the sole medium for overcoming both the vertical alienation from God and the horizontal enmity among humanity.
• having slain (ἀποκτείνας - apokteínas): A strong participle meaning "having put to death" or "having killed off." It conveys a definitive, irreversible action. Christ did not merely wound the enmity but utterly abolished it through His finished work.
• the enmity (τὴν ἔχθραν - tēn echthran): This term refers to hostility, animosity, or hatred. In context, it primarily refers to two facets: (1) The specific hostility and division between Jews and Gentiles fostered by the Mosaic Law, which Christ abolished (as seen in Eph 2:15). (2) The general hostility and alienation between humanity and God caused by sin. The cross simultaneously addressed both the legal barrier and the inherent human rebellion against God.
• thereby (ἐν αὐτῷ - en autō): This phrase points back to the "cross" (τῷ σταυρῷ). It confirms that the cross was the effective means and sphere within which the enmity was slain. The reconciliation is secured in or through Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

Ephesians 2 16 Bonus section

• The reconciliation described in this verse is both definitive and corporate. It's not just individuals reconciled, but the formation of a new man or one body, comprising those previously separated, united in a shared identity "in Christ."
• The "slaying of the enmity" is a decisive act of spiritual crucifixion. The divisive power of sin and the Law, which fueled animosity, was decisively put to death by Christ's death on the cross. This is not a gradual process but an accomplished fact in God's plan.
• The purpose clause ("that He might reconcile") emphasizes God's sovereign intent in Christ's atoning work. Reconciliation was the goal, and the cross was the perfectly appointed means to achieve it.

Ephesians 2 16 Commentary

Ephesians 2:16 encapsulates the profound transformative power of the cross. Paul clarifies that Christ's ultimate purpose in dying was not merely to pardon sins, but to actively dismantle the deep-seated divisions that alienated humanity, both from each other (Jew vs. Gentile) and from God. The cross became the divine battlefield where enmity—the inherent hostility of fallen humanity towards God and the specific legal/cultural animosity between peoples—was definitively conquered. By becoming "one body," a new creation of reconciled individuals, Jews and Gentiles alike find their common identity and access to God. This unity, forged in Christ's sacrificial love, means the Law, which once served as a barrier and condemnation, is fulfilled and set aside as a dividing force, replaced by the unifying grace found in Christ. The outcome is not merely peace, but thorough, complete, and vertical reconciliation with God for a horizontally unified new humanity.