Father’s gift came wrapped in love.
He heard her heart, knew her warmth.
She used cloth for special lambs.
One seamless robe. The kingdom is near.
With grief Jo and Nick bound with stripes, cold, dark, silent.
Stone rolled away, Father’s gift came with power and light.
Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: (KJV)
God bless translators who seek to help us understand His Word better. This will help further why we should study the Bible and for the assignment in 1:8. The last word in the Greek text of verse nine is auto. “Himself” would be a good rendering, but newer versions have Christ. Christ is a title that shows the God of the man Jesus: Christ = God, Jesus = man. My Vine’s Dictionary suggests that the order is important to the meaning of the text.
Use the links below to explore all of the words in the passage in Ephesians.
Ephesians 1 MOUNCE – Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the – Bible Gateway
Ephesians 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; (KJV)
This is a good place to remind you that a French printer added the chapter and verse numbers. I give credit to modern translators for the punctuation, sentences, and paragraphs. So, remember to read the complete thought as it was written, which in this case is probably 1:7 and 8.
I will do this again at the end of verse 10 because no one likes a last-minute assignment. Start at verse 1:3 and go to 1:10 and underline what the Father is doing and has done. I am trying to get us to see the Father’s actions and how Jesus was part of that plan. The He, Him, titles, and names can run together and we lose track of who is doing what.
Use the links below to explore all of the words in the passage in Ephesians.
Ephesians 1 MOUNCE – Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the – Bible Gateway
Revelations 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. (KJV)
The phrase in this verse “the seven Spirits of God” has caused several Bible studies in the past, but I never found them explained or listed until now. I tried combing through the New Testament for seven distinct spirits or attributes of the Holy Spirit and even wrote a series on Him from the Old Testament. To be fair there are seven times “seven spirits” appear in the New Testament.
Seven – Because of Genesis 2:2 seven is associated with completeness or wholeness. That makes the eighth day a new beginning or another starting point. I keep those ideas in my mind as I read every verse or time 7 or 8 is used in Scripture. For this study, they work very well, so keep them in mind.
Ruach and Pneuma
These two words are translated into spirit in the Bible; ruach is Hebrew and pneuma is Greek. A confusing thing is that it is the same for good or evil spirits. Adjectives and context will determine if translators give it a capital letter for the Spirit of God. In both languages, they carry the idea of breath or wind. It will be pointed out that they come from the idea of something being immaterial in nature. If you use the Strong’s pneuma is G 4151 and ruach or ruah is H 7307.
The evil ones – Matthew 12:45 and Luke 11:26 are Jesus’ teachings about when an evil spirit leaves a man. This block of teaching, in Matthew starts, in verse 22 where the Pharisees claim he drives demons out by the prince of demons. It actually reads that one leaves and brings back seven others making it a total of eight. The person is really bad off now. Jesus applies that concept to the entire generation; no wonder people are crazier now. Luke 8:2 tells of Mary Magdalene’s deliverance from seven demons or spirits. They did not come back.
The Good Ones
The “seven good ones” are in Revelations 1:4, 3:1, 4:5, and 5:6. Revelations 1:4 may refer to the spirits assigned to those particular seven churches, but the other three are “the seven spirits of God”.
Before this goes weird, I serve a triune God. There is one Holy Spirit. Some commentators use the term sevenfold nature of God. That is fine and if you look through the corpus on the Holy Spirit, I believe it is correct. Jesus said He would send the Comforter to be with us, the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The term sevenfold is not used very much, but the King James and Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition had the most sevenfold entries listed for the ones I checked.
What I Found
Isaiah 11:1-4 is the text where I found seven attributes of the Spirit. In verse four “the breath of His mouth/lips” is ruach. I always stopped at the six listed in verse two. My study on wind is what did the trick for me. This chapter is a Christmas Connection as verse one is about Jesus (See the Root, Branch, and Fruit). Yes, it would also fit at His baptism.
The Seven Spirits of God or Yahweh in Isaiah 11:1-4
Note – Elisha, the prophet, is the son of Shaphat (1 Kings 19:16).
Ruach HaKodesh or Holy Spirit
The term “Holy Spirit” or Ruach Hakodesh appears three times in the Old Testament. In the Christian Bible, there are many Ruach’s that are capitalized. The three times are Isaiah 63: 10 and 11 and Psalm 51. The Christian concept of the Holy Spirit is different than the Jewish one, so you may see that if you continue this study. I used these references; may they serve you well.
Hebrew Names for God – Ruach HaKodesh (hebrew4christians.com)
Ruach HaKodesh: The Holy Spirit | Living Word Discovery (livingwordin3d.com)
The four Hebrew letters for Hakodesh each have a separate symbolic meaning. You will find them on the websites. Holy Spirit in Judaism – Wikipedia
Psalm 51
This psalm has three different uses of rauch. One of them is “holy”. The translation is the Orthodox Jewish Bible by way of Bible Gateway.
10 (12) Create in me a lev tahor, O Elohim; and renew a ruach nekhon (steadfast spirit [i.e., regeneration Ezek 36:26; Yn 3:3,6]) within me.
11 (13) Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Ruach Hakodesh from me.
12 (14) Restore unto me the sasson of Thy salvation; and uphold me with a ruach nedivah (a willing spirit; see Jer 31:31-34).
Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (KJV)
Verses three through six are more than an introduction and a reminder to the Ephesians, they are the foundation of the Good News of Jesus’ Kingdom. Use 2 Corinthians 5:21 as a reference and comparison.
For study purposes, I suggest you compare verse, 1:6, in both websites. I listed five words that deserve your attention, so spend some with them and let them in.
Use the links below to explore all of the words in the passage in Ephesians.
Ephesians 1 MOUNCE – Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the – Bible Gateway
Mark's Bible Study 