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The Crossway Classic Commentaries
Ephesians
When Paul came to Ephesus in AD 54 it claimed to be the first city of Asia. Yet today the city is gone; and on the site of the Temple of Diana, which was the rallying-point of heathenism, is a stagnant pond. Ephesus is now known principally for its connection with the Christian Church- for Paul's visit and his subsequent letter.
The epistle to the Ephesians is in many respects the profoundest of Paul's writings. The grandeur of pagan learning and devotion pales by comparison with the Apostle s mighty exposition of the truth as it is in Jesus. The great theme of Ephesians is the one church, the new spiritual temple God is erecting of Jew and Gentile. Because of its profundity and scope, it is one of the most demanding of books upon which adequately to comment.
Charles Hodge, whose commentaries on 1 and 2 Corinthians were among the earlier volumes in the Geneva Series, is qualified on several grounds to write on Ephesians. Though a competent linguist, his main interest was not in the field of textual criticism. Hodge, first and foremost, was a theologian, and without a mastery of systematic theology one cannot do justice to the early chapters of Ephesians. Reference may also be made to his noted piety and graciousness, his catholic spirit and his wide vision.
The great virtue of Hodge on Ephesians is his ability constantly to communicate the sense and overall argument of a passage. A peerless teacher, his aim, with the pen as in the classroom, was the simple exhibition of the truth which God had revealed - his own description of Paul's preaching.
The epistle to the Ephesians is in many respects the profoundest of Paul's writings. The grandeur of pagan learning and devotion pales by comparison with the Apostle s mighty exposition of the truth as it is in Jesus. The great theme of Ephesians is the one church, the new spiritual temple God is erecting of Jew and Gentile. Because of its profundity and scope, it is one of the most demanding of books upon which adequately to comment.
Charles Hodge, whose commentaries on 1 and 2 Corinthians were among the earlier volumes in the Geneva Series, is qualified on several grounds to write on Ephesians. Though a competent linguist, his main interest was not in the field of textual criticism. Hodge, first and foremost, was a theologian, and without a mastery of systematic theology one cannot do justice to the early chapters of Ephesians. Reference may also be made to his noted piety and graciousness, his catholic spirit and his wide vision.
The great virtue of Hodge on Ephesians is his ability constantly to communicate the sense and overall argument of a passage. A peerless teacher, his aim, with the pen as in the classroom, was the simple exhibition of the truth which God had revealed - his own description of Paul's preaching.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1980
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About the author
Charles Hodge
490 books34 followersCharles Hodge (1797–1878) was an important Presbyterian theologian and principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878. He was a leading exponent of the Princeton theology, an orthodox Calvinist theological tradition in America during the 19th century. He argued strongly for the authority of the Bible as the Word of God. Many of his ideas were adopted in the 20th century by Fundamentalists and Evangelicals.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 6, 2023
Exegesis of Ephesians 5 and 6 is right on!
July 15, 2015
Good baseline commentary
This is a good commentary to use to help develop a sense of what Paul is saying in Ephesians. I like Hodge's approach, but sometimes the commentary can get so technical that it's difficult to follow. So use another commentary or two as accompanying texts, but this is a good tool to go deeper into the epistle.
This is a good commentary to use to help develop a sense of what Paul is saying in Ephesians. I like Hodge's approach, but sometimes the commentary can get so technical that it's difficult to follow. So use another commentary or two as accompanying texts, but this is a good tool to go deeper into the epistle.
January 23, 2023
A helpful albeit technical commentary on the entire epistle of Ephesians, with minor background information provided. I found it somewhat dense and hard to follow at parts, as the author occasionally quotes theologians in Greek, Latin, German, etc. (all three of which I do not understand), and examines the grammatical construction of sentences to determine proper meaning. This is probably more suited to pastors or seminarians, though I found it of benefit. The commentary on Ephesians 6:10 and onwards was magnificent.
Two quotes, both from Ephesians 5:
"Christ presents the church to himself... he and no other, to himself. He does it. He gave himself for it. He sanctifies it. He, before the assembled universe, places by his side the bride purchased with his blood. He presents it to himself a glorious church. That is glorious which excites admiration. The church is to be an object of admiration to all intelligent beings, because of its freedom from all defect, and because of its absolute perfection. It is to be conformed to the glorified humanity of the Son of God, in the presence of which the disciples on the mount became as dead men, and from the clear manifestation of which, when Christ comes the second time, the heavens and the earth are to flee away."
"It is of vital importance to the best interests of society that the true doctrine of marriage, as taught in this passage and in other portions of God's word, should be known and regarded. The highest social duty of a husband is to love his wife; and a duty which he cannot neglect without entailing great injury on his own soul as well as misery on his household. The greatest social crime, next to murder, which any one can commit, is to seduce the affections of a wife from her husband, or of a husband from his wife. And one of the greatest evils which civil authorities can inflict on society, is the dissolution of the marriage contract (so far as it is a civil contract, for further the civil authority cannot go), on other than scriptural grounds.
Two quotes, both from Ephesians 5:
"Christ presents the church to himself... he and no other, to himself. He does it. He gave himself for it. He sanctifies it. He, before the assembled universe, places by his side the bride purchased with his blood. He presents it to himself a glorious church. That is glorious which excites admiration. The church is to be an object of admiration to all intelligent beings, because of its freedom from all defect, and because of its absolute perfection. It is to be conformed to the glorified humanity of the Son of God, in the presence of which the disciples on the mount became as dead men, and from the clear manifestation of which, when Christ comes the second time, the heavens and the earth are to flee away."
"It is of vital importance to the best interests of society that the true doctrine of marriage, as taught in this passage and in other portions of God's word, should be known and regarded. The highest social duty of a husband is to love his wife; and a duty which he cannot neglect without entailing great injury on his own soul as well as misery on his household. The greatest social crime, next to murder, which any one can commit, is to seduce the affections of a wife from her husband, or of a husband from his wife. And one of the greatest evils which civil authorities can inflict on society, is the dissolution of the marriage contract (so far as it is a civil contract, for further the civil authority cannot go), on other than scriptural grounds.
April 29, 2021
Hodge pays close attention to the text, and draws meaning forward in logically consistent ways. This commentary is a must-have for teaching or preaching Ephesians.
His commentary on Ephesians 5, however, requires close reading. Hodge does well in upholding the language of Scripture, but in the case of husbands he couches the issue of male headship in marriage on the a priori basis of men's natural superiority for leadership; the position demands proof, but instead is treated as a given. The outcome of his interpretation is not greatly impacted as Hodge rightly interprets and applies the covenantal dynamics of Christ and the Church - but the foundation of natural superiority is flawed.
His commentary on Ephesians 5, however, requires close reading. Hodge does well in upholding the language of Scripture, but in the case of husbands he couches the issue of male headship in marriage on the a priori basis of men's natural superiority for leadership; the position demands proof, but instead is treated as a given. The outcome of his interpretation is not greatly impacted as Hodge rightly interprets and applies the covenantal dynamics of Christ and the Church - but the foundation of natural superiority is flawed.
December 2, 2021
I love reading the classic commentaries when I'm preaching through a book. Hodge is one of those classic writers. Though I must say, this one didn't do a ton to separate himself from other writers. It was good. It was not great.
January 29, 2024
Pretty exhaustive commentary on the book of Ephesians. One would need a knowledge of Greek to fully glean all that Hodge is writing on here, but overall great and helpful.
June 18, 2025
Great treatment of baptism.
March 14, 2012
I really enjoyed Hodge's commentary on Ephesians. His attention to detail, especially the way to translate various Greek constructions, was great. Unlike many modern commentaries however, he does not leave out application. He exhorts us to grow in Christ throughout the book. Of course, there were some disagreements I had with him at points. But he is a good corrective to a lot of modern sterile commentaries.
March 9, 2015
Hodge is clear, concise, and yet also digs into the Greek words for those interested. I appreciate that he explains some differing interpretations but at times it would have been nice to have had more of that. All in all, very excellent as a reference and very excellent for reading.
October 11, 2017
Good. Classic Hodge with the exegesis one would expect from him.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews