Bible Strands
Ephesians 3:16
I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul, writing from prison, is in the middle of a prayer to the Ephesians (3:14–19). This verse is the first petition: that God would act in them.
The words — πλοῦτος (ploutos, "riches") names the source from which the strengthening flows — God's own abundance, not the reader's effort. The subjunctive δῷ (dō, "He may give") marks this as a request, not a declaration of fact.
The thread — Colossians 1:11 pairs "strengthened with all power" with "according to His glorious might," mirroring the same source-strength logic. Isaiah 40:29 grounds the pattern in the Old Testament: God is the one who gives power to the faint.
Why it lands — The verse is a prayer directed at God on the reader's behalf; the reader's role is to receive, not to produce. The "riches" language removes the burden of self-sufficiency: the supply is God's, the channel is the Spirit, and the location is the inner being.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Cross-references
- Colossians 1:11 being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully
- Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
- Isaiah 40:29 He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak.
- Isaiah 41:10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
- Zechariah 10:12 I will strengthen them in the LORD, and in His name they will walk,” declares the LORD.
- 2 Timothy 4:17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion.
- 2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day.
- Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.
- Psalms 28:8 The LORD is the strength of His people, a stronghold of salvation for His anointed.