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That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Ephesians 3:16 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;
  • BSB I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being,
  • NKJV that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
  • NASB that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self,
  • NLT I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.

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

Paul prays God would strengthen them inwardly with power through his Spirit. It asks for Spirit-given inner strength.

Overview

Paul's first petition is that God, 'according to the riches of his glory,' would grant them to be 'strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man.' The need is for inner, spiritual strength supplied by the Holy Spirit. This empowering prepares for the indwelling of Christ and the grasp of his love that follow.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 26

  • Col 1:11Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
  • Phil 4:13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
  • Isa 40:29–31He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
  • Isa 41:10Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
  • Zech 10:12And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD.
  • 2 Tim 4:17Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
  • 2 Cor 4:16For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
  • Eph 6:10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
  • 2 Cor 12:9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
  • Ps 28:8The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
  • Phil 4:19But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
  • Rom 7:22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
  • 1 Cor 16:13Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
  • Ps 138:3In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
  • Rom 9:23And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
  • Col 1:27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
  • Matt 6:13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
  • Eph 3:8Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
  • Eph 1:18The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
  • Eph 1:7In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
  • Heb 11:34Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
  • Jer 31:33But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
  • 1 Pet 3:4But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
  • Rom 2:29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
  • Eph 2:7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
  • Job 23:6Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (6)

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 3:16YouTube · 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 3:16 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.