Ephesians 5:21

Ephesians 5:21

Ephesians 5:21
(KJV) Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
(1611 KJV) Submitting your selues one to another in the feare of God.
(1587 Geneva) Submitting your selues one to another in the feare of God.
(1568 Bishops Bible) Submittyng your selues one to another in the feare of God.
(1539 Great Bible) submittynge youre selues one to another in the feare of God.
(1535 Coverdale) submyttinge youreselues one to another in the feare of God.
(1526 Tyndale) submittinge youre selves one to another in the feare of God.

Counterfeit Versions
(1881 RV) subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.
(1901 ASV) subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.
(AMP) being subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
(CEB) and submit to each other out of respect for Christ.
(CEV) Honor Christ and put others first.
(CSB) submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.
(1899 Douay-Rheims American Edition) Being subject one to another, in the fear of Christ.
(ERV) Be willing to serve each other out of respect for Christ.
(ESV) submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
(GNB) Submit yourselves to one another because of your reverence for Christ.
(HCSB) submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.
(ISV) and you will submit to one another out of reverence for the Messiah.
(JB PHILLIPS) And “fit in with” each other, because of your common reverence for Christ.
(LEB) being subject to one another out of reverence for Christ
(LB) Honor Christ by submitting to each other.
(THE MESSAGE) Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another.
(NABRE) Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.
(NASV) and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
(NCV) Yield to obey each other as you would to Christ.
(NET) and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
(NIRV) Follow the lead of one another because of your respect for Christ.
(NIV) Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
(NLV) Be willing to help and care for each other because of Christ. By doing this, you honor Christ.
(NLT) And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
(NRSV) Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
(RSV) Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
(TLV) Also submit yourselves to one another out of reverence for Messiah—
(VOICE) And the Spirit makes it possible to submit humbly to one another out of respect for the Anointed.
(NWT-Jehovah’s Witnesses) Be in subjection to one another in fear of Christ.

Textus Receptus – Traditional Text

υποτασσομενοι αλληλοις εν φοβω θεου

Hort-Westcott – Critical Texts

υποτασσομενοι αλληλοις εν φοβω χριστου

Corrupted Manuscripts

This verse is corrupted in the following manuscripts:

Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
A 02 - Alexandrinus - Fifth century

B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century

L 020 - Ninth century

P 025 - Ninth century

Manuscripts which agree with the Textus Receptus for this verse

Byzantine Text (450-1450 A.D.)

Stephanus (1550 A.D.)

Published Critical Greek Texts with Corruptions

Renders “fear of Christ” instead of “fear of God”

Greisbach, Johann - 1805

Lachmann, Karl - 1842

Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869

Tregelles, Samuel - 1857

Alford, Henry - 1849 revised in 1871

Wordsworth, Christopher - 1856 revised in 1870

Westcott and Hort - 1881

Weiss, Bernhard - 1894

Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941

Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition

Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition

Nestle-Aland - 2012 - Twenty Eighth Edition

United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition

Von Soden, Freiherr - 1902

Affected Teaching

I do not have a solid reason as to why the text was changed from “God” to “Christ.” I can only offer a speculation. Since the Gnostics did not believe that Christ could be fully man and fully God, they may have wanted to reduce the fear of people in their assemblies by removing God and placing in Christ, whom they thought was only a man.

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