Ephesians 2:12

Ephesians 2:12. That ye were at that time. This is what they should remember; Ephesians 2:11 being an explanation of ‘ye.' The emphasis rests on ‘were;' the fact that this was their condition being made more prominent by the added phrase ‘at that time,' which is stronger than ‘once.'

Apart from Christ, deprived of Him, the promised Messiah, separated from Him. This was the state of the Gentiles. What follows is an expansion of the meaning of this phrase, not something additional, or confirmatory.

Alienated from the commonwealth of Israel. This part of the verse sets forth the two sides of their condition as Gentiles, separated from Christ. The external relation is first described, and in two clauses; then the internal relation (‘having no hope,' etc.). ‘Alienated' is more exact than ‘aliens,' pointing to a previous nearness, for Paul in Romans 1:18, etc., states that there was such a process of alienation from God, and this alienation would be involved in that. ‘The commonwealth of Israel' may mean that commonwealth which was Israel, or which belonged to Israel. The latter is preferable and the reference is not to a civil constitution, or to citizenship, but rather to the theocratic spiritual privileges which the Jewish people possessed.

Strangers from the covenants of the promise. This is the second half of the external relation, corresponding closely to the previous clause. ‘Covenants,' as in Romans 9:4, points to the several renewals of the covenant with the patriarchs, all pertaining to the one ‘promise' of the Messiah. To these the Gentiles were ‘strangers,' having no part in them. The reference is not to the old and new covenants, or to the two tables of the law.

Having no hope. The internal phrase of their condition ‘apart from Christ' is now described. The Gentiles were not only without the Messianic hope but without any hope. This does not depend upon the previous clause, as the result of their being ‘strangers,' but points to the thoughts and feelings which these converted Gentiles could recall, and which are ex-pressed in the heathen writings of that age

Without God, in the world. This is the second part of the description of their internal condition, and is properly divided into two distinct yet related thoughts. ‘Without God' is an adjective in the original and may mean, (1.) opposed to God; (2.) ignorant of God; (3.) forsaken of God, without His help. The last (or passive) sense agrees best with the passive character of the entire description. This is not a weakening of the thought, since this is the darkest fact in the whole history of heathenism. ‘In the world' is not simply ‘among men,' or an unnecessary addition, but points to the depraved world as the place where they continued as forsaken of God. This view is sustained by the correspondence with ‘the commonwealth of Israel.' The whole verse asserts that they were, as Gentiles, deprived of Christ, and this meant, without church, without promise, hopeless, godless, homeless.