Ephesians 6:14

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

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Ephesians 6:14 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
English Standard Version (ESV)
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
New Living Translation (NLT)
14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
The Message Bible (MSG)
14 Truth, righteousness,
American Standard Version (ASV)
14 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
14 So then, take your stand! Fasten truth around your waist like a belt. Put on God's approval as your breastplate.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest,
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
14 So stand firm. Put the belt of truth around your waist. Put the armor of godliness on your chest.

Ephesians 6:14 Meaning and Commentary

Ephesians 6:14

Stand therefore
Keep your ground, do not desert the army, the church of Christ, nor his cause; continue in the station in which you are placed, keep your post, be upon your watch, stand upon your guard:

having your loins girt about with truth;
by which is meant the Gospel, and the several doctrines of it; see ( Ephesians 1:13 ) ( 4:15 ) ; and to have the loins girt with it, shows, that it should be near and close to the saints, and never departed from; and that it is a means of keeping them close to God and Christ, and of strengthening them against the assaults and attacks of Satan; and is of great use in the Christians' spiritual conflict with their enemies; the girdle is a part of armour, and so considerable as sometimes to be put for the whole, ( Isaiah 5:27 ) ; and here it is mentioned in the first place:

and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
in allusion to ( Isaiah 59:17 ) , meaning not works of righteousness done by men, though these are a fence when rightly used against the reproaches and charges of the enemy, as they were by Samuel, ( 1 Samuel 12:3 ) , but rather the graces of faith and love, ( 1 Thessalonians 5:8 ) , though faith has another place in the Christian armour, afterwards mentioned; wherefore it seems best to understand this of the righteousness of Christ, which being imputed by God, and received by faith, is a guard against, and repels the accusations and charges of Satan, and is a security from all wrath and condemnation.

Ephesians 6:14 In-Context

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Isaiah 11:5
  • 2. Psalms 132:9; Isaiah 59:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:8
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