Ephesians 2:19 Meaning and Explanation
“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Those who once stood outside are now full citizens of God's people and family members in His own house.
What Does Ephesians 2:19 Mean?
Paul has been describing people who lived as outsiders, strangers and foreigners with no claim on Israel's promises. A foreigner could live in a city for years and never belong to it, always on the edge, never quite home. The little word Now changes their standing entirely. They are fellowcitizens with the saints, sharing the same rights as God's long-gathered people, and more than that, members of the household of God.
Paul climbs from one belonging to a deeper one: from citizens of a city to children in a home. To be of the household of God is to have a place at the family table, kin to all the saints and known by the Father Himself. This is what Christ purchased when He brought the far-off near. The outsider has been brought all the way inside, given not a guest room but a place among the family forever.
Ephesians 2:19 in the Original Language
oikeios (οἰκεῖος), 'household' -- belonging to the house, a member of the family; one who lives inside, not a visitor at the door.
Where Ephesians 2:19 Echoes in Scripture
Paul tells the Galatians the same: 'Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith' (Galatians 6:10). The family Christ gathers spans every background.
How to Apply Ephesians 2:19 Today
If we have ever felt like an outsider, this verse speaks directly to that ache and tells us where we truly stand: full citizens, members of God's own household. In Christ we are not guests but family, given a permanent place at the Father's table.