Ephesians 3:19
New International Version
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

New Living Translation
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

English Standard Version
and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Berean Standard Bible
of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Berean Literal Bible
and to know the love of Christ surpassing knowledge, so that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.

King James Bible
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

New King James Version
to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

New American Standard Bible
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.

NASB 1995
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

NASB 1977
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.

Legacy Standard Bible
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Amplified Bible
and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].

Christian Standard Bible
and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

American Standard Version
and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God.

Contemporary English Version
I want you to know all about Christ's love, although it is too wonderful to be measured. Then your lives will be filled with all that God is.

English Revised Version
and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You will know Christ's love, which goes far beyond any knowledge. I am praying this so that you may be completely filled with God.

Good News Translation
Yes, may you come to know his love--although it can never be fully known--and so be completely filled with the very nature of God.

International Standard Version
that is, you will know the love of the Messiah — which transcends knowledge, and will be filled with all the fullness of God.

Majority Standard Bible
of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

NET Bible
and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

New Heart English Bible
and to know Christ's love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Webster's Bible Translation
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Weymouth New Testament
yes, to attain to a knowledge of the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ, so that you may be made complete in accordance with God's own standard of completeness.

World English Bible
and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
to know also the love of the Christ that is exceeding the knowledge, that you may be filled—to all the fullness of God;

Berean Literal Bible
and to know the love of Christ surpassing knowledge, so that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.

Young's Literal Translation
to know also the love of the Christ that is exceeding the knowledge, that ye may be filled -- to all the fulness of God;

Smith's Literal Translation
To know also the love of Christ, surpassing knowledge, that ye might be filled in all the fulness of God.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
To know also the charity of Christ, which surpasseth all knowledge, that you may be filled unto all the fulness of God.

Catholic Public Domain Version
of the charity of Christ, and even be able to know that which surpasses all knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

New American Bible
and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

New Revised Standard Version
and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And to know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And you may know the magnitude of the knowledge of the love of The Messiah and you may be filled in all the fullness of God.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
and to know the love of the Christ that passes our knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Godbey New Testament
and to know the divine love of Christ which transcends knowledge, in order that you may be filled with all the fulness of God.

Haweis New Testament
and to know the love of Christ, transcendently surpassing knowledge, that ye may be filled with all the fulness of God.

Mace New Testament
and be sensible of his exceeding love, in giving you the knowledge of Christ, that you may be filled with all the supplies of divine bounty.

Weymouth New Testament
yes, to attain to a knowledge of the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ, so that you may be made complete in accordance with God's own standard of completeness.

Worrell New Testament
and to know the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God.

Worsley New Testament
and height, and to know the love of Christ, which surpasseth knowledge; that ye may be filled according to the abundant fulness of God.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Paul's Prayer for the Ephesians
18will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth 19of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,…

Cross References
Colossians 2:9-10
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form. / And you have been made complete in Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

John 1:16
From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:39
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 John 4:16
And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

2 Corinthians 5:14
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died.

John 15:9-10
As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love. / If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.

Romans 5:5
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

1 John 3:1
Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.

1 Corinthians 13:12
Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

2 Peter 1:4
Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

John 17:23
I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Psalm 103:11
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him.

Jeremiah 31:3
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion.


Treasury of Scripture

And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God.

to know.

Ephesians 3:18
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

Ephesians 5:2,25
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour…

John 17:3
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

passeth.

Philippians 1:7
Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

that ye.

Ephesians 1:23
Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Psalm 17:15
As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

Psalm 43:4
Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.

Jump to Previous
Accordance Attain Christ Christ's Complete Completeness Exceeding Filled Fullness Fulness God's Love Measure Outside Passeth Standard Surpasses
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Accordance Attain Christ Christ's Complete Completeness Exceeding Filled Fullness Fulness God's Love Measure Outside Passeth Standard Surpasses
Ephesians 3
1. The hidden mystery that the Gentiles should be saved was made known to Paul by revelation;
8. and to him was that grace given, that he should preach it.
13. He desires them not to be discouraged over his tribulation;
14. and prays that they may perceive the great love of Christ toward them.














and to know
The Greek word for "know" here is "γινώσκω" (ginōskō), which implies a deep, intimate understanding, not just intellectual awareness. In the biblical context, this knowledge is experiential, suggesting a personal relationship with Christ. This aligns with the conservative Christian view that faith is not merely about knowing facts but involves a transformative relationship with Jesus.

the love of Christ
The phrase "the love of Christ" refers to the selfless, sacrificial love that Jesus demonstrated, especially through His death and resurrection. The Greek word for love here is "ἀγάπη" (agapē), which is unconditional and divine. Historically, this love was revolutionary in the Greco-Roman world, which often viewed love in more transactional terms. For believers, this love is the foundation of their faith and life, calling them to love others in the same way.

that surpasses knowledge
The Greek word for "surpasses" is "ὑπερβάλλω" (hyperballō), meaning to exceed or go beyond. This suggests that Christ's love is beyond human comprehension and cannot be fully grasped by the mind alone. It emphasizes the mystery and majesty of divine love, which is a central theme in Christian theology. This surpassing nature of Christ's love invites believers to trust in God's wisdom and grace, even when they do not fully understand His ways.

that you may be filled
The phrase "that you may be filled" uses the Greek word "πληρόω" (plēroō), which means to make full or complete. In a spiritual sense, it implies being filled with God's presence and attributes. This filling is not a one-time event but a continual process of spiritual growth and maturity, aligning with the conservative Christian emphasis on sanctification and the work of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life.

with all the fullness of God
The term "fullness" comes from the Greek "πλήρωμα" (plērōma), indicating completeness or totality. In the context of Ephesians, it suggests that believers are to be filled with God's character, power, and presence. This reflects the conservative Christian belief in the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, enabling believers to reflect God's nature in their lives. Historically, this concept would have been radical, as it implies that ordinary people can partake in the divine nature, a privilege once thought reserved for the divine or semi-divine in ancient cultures.

(19) To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.--The intentional paradox of this expression is weakened if (with many interpretations) we suppose that there is opposition in kind between knowledge referred to in the two clauses: as if "to know" meant to know by faith and spiritual experience, while the "knowledge," which the love of Christ "passes," is mere "human knowledge"--head-knowledge, and the like. Of such opposition there is no trace (contrast 1Corinthians 2:6-16). In the original, the word "to know" is in a tense which expresses cognition in a particular case; hence the meaning of St. Paul's prayer seems to be that they may know from time to time, as each opportunity offers, what must in its entirety pass all human knowledge, either to discover or fully to understand, even when revealing itself; so that they may always go on from faith to faith, from knowledge to knowledge, and yet find new depths still to be fathomed. The "love of Christ" is the love which He bears to us, and which is the motive of His sacrifice for our redemption. It is known only by those who are rooted in love to Him; such love being at once the consequence of the first knowledge of His love to us (1John 4:19) and the condition of entering more deeply into that knowledge.

That ye might be filled with (or, rather, up to) all the fulness of God.--This clause must be taken as dependent, not merely on the clause immediately preceding, but on the whole sentence. It describes the final and glorious consequence of the indwelling of Christ in the heart, viz., the "being filled" with grace "up to the fulness of God." The meaning is more clearly seen in the fuller expression below (Ephesians 4:13): "till we all come . . . to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." It is simply perfect conformation to the image of Him in whom "dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9), and whose fulness is therefore the "fulness of God," manifesting all the attributes of the divine nature. The process is described in 2Corinthians 3:18, "We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory;" its consummation in 1John 3:2, "When He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." (Comp. Philippians 3:20-21.) Here it completes the climax. When Christ dwells in the heart we have first, love perfecting the faith which roots the life in Him; next, a thoughtful knowledge, entering by degrees into the unsearchable riches of His love to us; and, lastly, the filling the soul, itself weak and empty, up to the perfection of likeness to Him, so renewing and deepening through all time and eternity the image of God in our humanity. . . .

Verse 19. - And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. The love here is evidently the love of Christ to us, and this may well be specified as a special matter of prayer. Knowledge of Christ's love, in the sense of an inward personal experience of it - its freeness, its tenderness, its depth, its patience - is the great dynamic of the gospel. This love is transmuted into spiritual force. As the breeze fills the sails and bears forward the ship, so the love of Christ fills the soul and moves it in the direction of God's will. But in its fullness it passeth knowledge; it is infinite, not to be grasped by mortal man, and therefore always presenting new fields to be explored, new depths to be fathomed. That ye may be filled with all the fullness of God; that is, that ye may be filled with spiritual grace and blessing to an extent corresponding to all the fullness of God. Though the finite cannot compare with the infinite, there may be a correspondence between them according to the capacity of each. There is a fullness of gracious attainment in every advanced believer that corresponds to all the fullness of God; every part of his nature is supplied from the Divine fountain, and, so far as a creature can, he presents the image of the Divine fullness. In the human nature of Christ this correspondence was perfect: "In him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;" in the soul of the believer there may be a progressive movement towards this fullness. No higher view can be conceived of the dignity of man's nature, and the glorious privileges conferred on him by the gospel, than that he is susceptible of such conformity to God. Who can conceive that man should have attained to such a capacity by a mere process of evolution? "So God made man in his own image;" and in Christ man is "renewed in righteousness and holiness after the image of him who created him."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
and
τε (te)
Conjunction
Strong's 5037: And, both. A primary particle of connection or addition; both or also.

to know
γνῶναί (gnōnai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 1097: A prolonged form of a primary verb; to 'know' in a great variety of applications and with many implications.

the
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

love
ἀγάπην (agapēn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 26: From agapao; love, i.e. Affection or benevolence; specially a love-feast.

of Christ
Χριστοῦ (Christou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 5547: Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. From chrio; Anointed One, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.

[that] surpasses
ὑπερβάλλουσαν (hyperballousan)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 5235: To surpass, excel, exceed, transcend. From huper and ballo; to throw beyod the usual mark, i.e. to surpass.

knowledge,
γνώσεως (gnōseōs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 1108: Knowledge, doctrine, wisdom. From ginosko; knowing, i.e. knowledge.

that
ἵνα (hina)
Conjunction
Strong's 2443: In order that, so that. Probably from the same as the former part of heautou; in order that.

you may be filled
πληρωθῆτε (plērōthēte)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Passive - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4137: From pleres; to make replete, i.e. to cram, level up, or to furnish, satisfy, execute, finish, verify, etc.

with
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

all
πᾶν (pan)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

the
τὸ (to)
Article - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

fullness
πλήρωμα (plērōma)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4138: From pleroo; repletion or completion, i.e. what fills, or what is filled.

of God.
Θεοῦ (Theou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.


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NT Letters: Ephesians 3:19 And to know Christ's love which surpasses (Ephes. Eph. Ep)
Ephesians 3:18
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