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For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
Ephesians 2:14 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,
  • KJV For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
  • BSB For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility
  • NKJV For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
  • NLT For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Christ himself is our peace, who united Jew and Gentile by breaking down the dividing wall. It presents Christ as the one who reconciles divided peoples.

Overview

Paul declares 'he is our peace' — Christ does not merely make peace but is peace in person. He 'made both one' and 'broke down the middle wall of partition,' an image likely evoking the temple barrier separating Gentiles. In Christ the deepest human division is overcome, and a single new people is formed.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 27

  • Gal 3:28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
  • Col 3:15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
  • Col 3:11where there can’t be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondservant, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all.
  • Eph 2:15having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace;
  • 1 Cor 12:12–13For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.
  • Col 1:20and through him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, whether things on the earth, or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross.
  • Isa 9:6–7For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
  • Col 2:10–14and in him you are made full, who is the head of all principality and power;
  • Rom 5:1Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
  • Col 2:20If you died with Christ from the elements of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to ordinances,
  • Acts 10:36The word which he sent to the children of Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ — he is Lord of all —
  • Luke 2:14“Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men.”
  • Heb 13:20Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus,
  • Acts 10:28He said to them, “You yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to join himself or come to one of another nation, but God has shown me that I shouldn’t call any man unholy or unclean.
  • Mic 5:5He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land, and when he marches through our fortresses, then we will raise against him seven shepherds, and eight leaders of men.
  • Ezek 34:24–25I, Yahweh, will be their God, and my servant David prince among them; I, Yahweh, have spoken it.
  • John 16:33I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have oppression; but cheer up! I have overcome the world.”
  • John 10:16I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd.
  • Luke 1:79to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death; to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
  • Zech 6:13even he shall build Yahweh’s temple; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on his throne; and he shall be a priest on his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
  • Eph 4:16from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.
  • Ezek 37:19–20tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in my hand.
  • Isa 19:24–25In that day, Israel will be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing within the earth;
  • Eph 3:15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
  • Esth 3:8Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are different than other people’s. They don’t keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not for the king’s profit to allow them to remain.
  • Heb 7:2to whom also Abraham divided a tenth part of all (being first, by interpretation, “king of righteousness”, and then also “king of Salem”, which means “king of peace”;
  • John 11:52and not for the nation only, but that he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Ephesians videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Ephesians 2:14YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on EphesiansMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Every spiritual blessing is 'in Christ,' the head over all things for the church, in whom Jew and Gentile are made one new man by his blood.

How Ephesians 2:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.