3. Eulogetos kurios translates the Hebrew baruk YHWH ’elohey ("Blessed be the Lord") about 55x in the LXX; esp. in the Psalms (15x).
4. A. Skevington Wood, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Galatians, Ephesians, ed. by F. E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 125. The references, apart from here, are: Lk 1:69; Rom 1:25; 9:5; 2 Cor 1:3; 11:31; 1 Pet 1:3.
5. Gordon D. Fee, God's Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul (Peabody, MS: Hendrickson, 1994), 666. In similar fashion, O'Brien suggests, ". . . there is a deliberate play on words, for three terms from the same stem are compactly woven together in this short verse: "Blessed be God, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing". The same verb is used for men and women blessing God and for his blessing them, although in different sense. In the former case blessed denotes the ascription of praise to God, while in the latter the verb describes God's providing his benefits. The cognate noun "blessing", which modifies the second use of the verb, completes the trio" (The Letter to the Ephesians (Pillar New Testament Commentary; Leicester: Apollos, 1999), 95.
6. Francis Foulkes, Ephesians (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries; London: Tyndale Press, 1963), 45.
7. John R. W. Stott, The Message of Ephesians: God's New Society (BST; Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1979), 35.
8. Gordon D. Fee, God's Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul (Peabody, MS: Hendrickson, 1994), 666-667.
9. Peter T. O'Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians (Pillar New Testament Commentary; Leicester: Apollos, 1999), 97.
10. F. F. Bruce, The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians (New International Commentary on the New Testament; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984), 254.
11. The the noun 'Spirit' (specifically the Holy Spirit) and the adjective 'spiritual,' occur more frequently (on average, once every 10.3 verses) than in any other letter—just edging out Gal (once every 9.9 verses). This concern in Eph is additionally augmented by the unique occurrences, 5x, of "the heavenlies."
12. Fee, op cit., 661.
13. Clinton E. Arnold, Ephesians: Power and Magic (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992), 155. Much more can be said about "the heavenlies" than has been said here, of course. Let me just add one more observation here as it is expressed so well by Peter O'Brien: ". . . in the heavenly realm is not describing some celestial topography, for the sense conveyed by the local imagery is metaphorical rather than literal. In the heavenly realms is bound up with the divine saving events and is to be understood within a Pauline eschatological perspective. In line with the Jewish two-age structure heaven is seen from the perspective of the age to come, which has now been inaugurated by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. At the same time, it is still part of this present evil age until the final consummation, for the hostile powers are currently active in the heavenly realms (cf. 3:10; 6:12). The blessings of salvation which believers have received from God link them with the heavenly realms. These gracious gifts are not simply future benefits but are a present reality for us, since they have already been won for us by God's saving action in Christ." (The Letter to the Ephesians (Pillar New Testament Commentary; Leicester: Apollos, 1999), 97.)
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