Daily Devotions
Ephesians
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
Text: Ephesians 6:12
TRANSLATION OF THE WORDS “PRINCIPALITIES” AND “POWERS”
What comes to mind when you think of the word “principalities” and “powers”? Let us ponder the following thoughts.
1. What must not come to mind
a) That “principalities” and “powers” are mere abstract ways of describing evil.
b) That these terms are but a general and vague reference to wickedness.
2. What must come to mind
a) The significance of the use of the Greek article.
In English, we have an indefinite article and the definite article (“a” and “the”). In Greek there is no indefinite article.
Thus when an article appears, it has a number of uses and they need to be noted:-
i) The article is used to point out a particular fact or truth.
ii) When it appears it makes the subject very definite.
b) The significance of the article with reference to “principalities” and “powers”.
The Greek text uses the article to describe “principalities” and “powers”. (It is therefore incorrect to leave the article out when translating this text… as in the NKJV. The translators used the article correctly in the phrase “the rulers of the darkness of this age”. The article was consistently employed by Paul in describing all four groups in the demonic hierarchy). Let us consider the significant difference when we try and translate it using the Greek articles.
i) Paul warned his readers about “the principalities” and “the powers”.
ii) What he had in mind was that these were actually demonic beings. These were specific individual spirits that have tremendous power.
iii) Just as there are specific and powerful angels like Gabriel (Cf. Luke 1:19) and Michael (Cf. Daniel 10:21) who come to the rescue of God’s people, so there are powerful demonic beings who will offer resistance.
A DEEPER KNOWLEDGE
We now have a deeper knowledge. But what does this deeper knowledge do for us? May this deeper knowledge challenge us to cry out to God for His grace even more.