Ephesians 3:18
“May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;”
King James Version (KJV)
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This verse is the heart of Paul's prayer in 3:14-21, leading directly into verse 19's mention of "the love of Christ." The four dimensions describe the immeasurable scope of that love.
What Does Ephesians 3:18 Mean?
Paul prays that believers would "comprehend" -- truly grasp and lay hold of -- the vast dimensions of Christ's love. He reaches for the language of measurement: "breadth, and length, and depth, and height." By naming all four directions he is straining to express something that cannot really be measured at all. The love of Christ stretches in every direction; there is no edge to it, no limit one could finally reach. Paul wants his readers not merely to know about this love but to comprehend it, to take its sweep into the heart and mind.
Just as important is the little phrase "with all saints." This grasping of Christ's love is not a solitary achievement. It happens in the company of God's whole people. No single believer can take in the fullness of Christ's love alone; we need one another -- the shared worship, testimony, and experience of the wider community -- to begin to perceive how great it is. Together the people of God see more than any one of them could see apart. For the reader, this offers both a goal and a means. The goal is an ever-deepening understanding of a love without boundaries. The means includes belonging -- staying connected to fellow believers, learning from their experience of Christ, and adding your own. Comprehension grows in fellowship, not in isolation.
In the Original Language
The Greek "katalambano" (comprehend) means to seize, grasp, or lay hold of -- more than intellectual understanding. "Hagioi" (saints) means the holy ones, all of God's set-apart people.
Cross References
“Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- Romans 8:39
“For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.”
- Psalm 103:11
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:”
- 1 John 3:1
Application
Stay connected to other believers, for the fullness of Christ's love is grasped together. Let their experience of Him enlarge your own, and offer yours in return.