Ephesians 6:5

BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.”

What this verse means

A short, plain-language explanation of Ephesians 6:5 goes here — the kind of answer a reader (or an AI assistant) can quote in one breath. Original meaning coming soon.

Compare translations
BSBPD

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.”

Berean Standard Bible · Public Domain (CC0)
KJVPD

“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;”

King James Version · Public Domain
ASVPD

“Servants, be obedient unto them that according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;”

American Standard Version · Public Domain
YLTPD

“The servants! obey the masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, as to the Christ;”

Young's Literal Translation · Public Domain
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Cross references

Other passages that echo Ephesians 6:5 — 24 related verses from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  1. Genesis 16:9So the angel of the LORD told her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.”
  2. Joshua 24:14Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; cast aside the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
  3. 1 Chronicles 29:17I know, my God, that You test the heart and delight in uprightness. All these things I have given willingly and with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are present here giving joyfully and willingly to You.
  4. Psalms 86:11Teach me Your way, O LORD, that I may walk in Your truth. Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.
  5. Psalms 123:2As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on the LORD our God until He shows us mercy.
  6. Malachi 1:6“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?” says the LORD of Hosts to you priests who despise My name. “But you ask, ‘How have we despised Your name?’
  7. Matthew 6:22The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
  8. Matthew 6:24No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
  9. Matthew 8:9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes; and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.”
  10. Acts 2:46With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart,
  11. Acts 10:7When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among his attendants.
  12. 1 Corinthians 2:3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.
  13. 1 Corinthians 7:22For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman. Conversely, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave.
  14. 2 Corinthians 1:12And this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.
  15. 2 Corinthians 7:15And his affection for you is even greater when he remembers that you were all obedient as you welcomed him with fear and trembling.
  16. 2 Corinthians 11:2I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
  17. Ephesians 1:1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
  18. Ephesians 5:22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
  19. Ephesians 6:24Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
  20. Philippians 2:12Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
  21. Colossians 3:17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
  22. 1 Timothy 6:1All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their masters as fully worthy of honor, so that God’s name and our teaching will not be discredited.
  23. Titus 2:9Slaves are to submit to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative,
  24. Philemon 1:16no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a beloved brother. He is especially beloved to me, but even more so to you, both in person and in the Lord.

Cross-reference data: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain) via OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

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