Ephesians 2:2

Wherein … ye walked The transgressions were the road, or region, of the moral "walk," i.e. the successive acts and practices of life. Contrast below, Ephesians 2:10, the region of the regenerate "walk." The Gr. verb is aorist. The whole past experience, however long, is gathered up in memory into a point.

the course Lit. the age. But the A. V. perfectly represents the meaning. See above on Ephesians 1:21.

this world This present sinful order of things, as characterized by discord with the will of God. Cp. for the precise phrase John 8:23; John 9:39; John 12:25; John 12:31; John 13:1; John 16:11; John 18:36; 1 Corinthians 1:20; 1Co 3:19; 1 Corinthians 7:31; 1 John 4:17; (and see Galatians 1:4, where however "world" is aiôn). In almost all the above passages the word (cosmos) will be seen clearly to mean not the physical world, (or certainly not it alone,) but the sinful human race, as now conditioned on earth. Full illustration will be found in very many passages where "theworld," (not as here, "thisworld"), occurs, and which context will distinguish from others (e.g.Ephesians 1:4 above) where the Cosmos of Creation is intended. The Gr. word rendered "world" in some passages of A. V. (Matthew 24:14; Luke 2:1; Luke 4:5; Acts 17:31; Romans 10:18; Hebrews 1:6; Hebrews 2:5; Revelation 3:10; Revelation 12:9; Revelation 16:14; are the most important) is different, meaning literally "the inhabited earth," and so either the Roman empire and its surroundings, or the mystic empire of the Messiah, according to context.

the prince, &c. Lit., the Ruler of the authority of the air; the great Personal Evil Spirit, Satan; whose existence, sparingly indicated in the O. T., is largely dwelt upon in the N. T. To the Lord and the Apostles he was assuredly no mere personification of evil, but an evil personality, as truly as for example "Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God," is a good personality. As such, his existence is a fact-mystery, so to speak, not greater in kind, though in degree, than that of the permitted existence of an evil man who tempts and influences others. There is a strong prejudice in our time against the recognition of the personality of Satan; but it must stand on the level of other mysteries of Revelation; and the prejudice should never be fostered by exaggeration. Some food for prejudice has perhaps been found in the grotesque terrors of medieval art and legendary demonology; but this is not Scripture, rather the deepest contrast to Scripture. The belief of a Devil has been called (Westminster Review, April, 1865, in an article on the Positive Philosophy), "a thoroughly polytheistic conception;" but what excuse is there for this statement in the Scriptureportrait of the Enemy, save the solitary and quite explicable phrase, "God of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4)?

For St Paul's recognition of the great fact, cp. Acts 13:10; Acts 26:18; Rom 16:20; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 1Co 7:5; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 2 Corinthians 11:14; 1Th 2:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; 1Ti 1:20; 1 Timothy 3:6-7; 1 Timothy 5:15; 2 Timothy 2:26; and below, Ephesians 4:27; Ephesians 6:11.

" The authority of the air:" "The ruler of the authority" means the chief of all that is in power, the general of subordinate governors; an allusion to the organization of the evil spiritual world, of which much more is said below, Ephesians 6:12. The word rendered "authority" does not necessarily mean lawfulauthority; indeed it often inclines to mean usurped or arbitrary authority. But it is authority as distinguished from mere dynamic force. See Bp. Lightfoot on Colossians 1:13.

" Of the air:" on this phrase much has been written. It here stands alone (as connected with spiritual mysteries) in the N. T., and hence is the more difficult to analyse with certainty. In studying it we must dismiss the thought (Wetstein) that St Paul is speaking "the language of Pythagorean philosophy, in which his readers were versed," or the like; no where is his tone more dogmatic. And we must seek a meaning of "air" literal and local, rather than otherwise, looking at his usage elsewhere (1 Corinthians 9:26; 1 Corinthians 14:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:17). This however does not mean a narrow localization, or hard literality, only that "air" is not a mere figure of speech for "mystery," "darkness," or the like. On the whole we gather, as the revelation of this passage, that as earth is the present abode of embodied spirits, mankind, so the airy envelope of earth is the haunt, for purposes of action on man, of the spirits of evil, which, if not bodiless, have not "animal" bodies (cp. 1 Corinthians 15:44). Observe our Lord's use of "the birds of the sky" (Luke 8:5) as the figure for the Tempter in the parable of the Sower.

Abundant illustrations of such a view may be found in quotations from classical, Jewish, and medieval literature. But it would be a hasty inference either that the Apostle derivedhis doctrine from previous extraneous sources, or that below the wildest exaggerations there lay no fact.

the spirit This word is in grammatical apposition, in the Greek, with that rendered "power" or "authority" just before. That "authority" meant, as we have said, "those in authority," the unseen lords of evil, including their head. "The spirit" seems accordingly to mean, practically, "the spirits," summed up into one idea, and used by one central power.

that now worketh "Now," as opposed to the "then" of its former action on those now rescued from it. For illustrations of its "working" cp. the language used of Satan's power on Judas (Luke 22:3; John 13:2; John 13:27), and Ananias (Acts 5:3), and of his energies (through men) at a time of persecution (Revelation 2:10). See also 2 Thessalonians 2:9. The subtle power of human personal influence may well prepare us to believe in the mysterious depth, force, and variety, of Satanic influences.

in the children of disobedience I.e., in men characterized by moral resistance to the Holy God; a "disobedience" which, whether explicit or implicit, patent or latent, marks fallen man as such. There is that in the central Ego of fallen man which is antagonistic to the true claims of the God of Revelation, and which waits only the presentation of those claims to come out in action. For the phrase, sons of disobedience, cp. ch. Ephesians 5:6, and Colossians 3:6. It is an example of the frequent Hebrew phrase, "son of," "child of," in the sense of close connexion, whether a connexion, as here, of principle and motive, or, as Luke 20:36 ("sons of the resurrection"), and 2 Peter 2:14 ("children of a curse"), of result and reward. "Disobedience:" the Latin versions have diffidentia, unbelief; and so the A.V. renders the same word, Romans 11:30; Romans 11:32; Hebrews 4:6; Hebrews 4:11. But the proper meaning of the word is resistance of the will. This is deeply connected with spiritual unbelief, but not identical. The same remarks apply to the kindred verb, which occurs John 3:36; Acts 14:2; Acts 17:5; Acts 19:9; Romans 11:30-31; Romans 15:31; Hebrews 3:18; Hebrews 11:31; places where A.V. has "believe not," &c.