Ephesians 6:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

“With Him there is no partiality.” Do not think, he says, that God will forgive an injury done to a slave because it was done to a slave.

External laws, being human laws, still allow distinction by origin. But the law of the common Master knows no distinction, since He benefits all alike and grants the same things to all.

If someone asks, “Whence then is slavery, and why did it appear in human life?” I know that many inquire about this with curiosity and wish to know it. I shall tell you.

Slavery came from love of acquisition, and also from envy and insatiable greed. Noah had no slaves, nor Abel, nor Seth, nor the others after them.

This condition was produced by the sin that consisted in disrespect toward parents. Let children know that they deserve to be slaves for dishonoring parents.

Whoever does not honor his parents is deprived of his nobility, because one who despises his father is no longer his son.

If one who despises an earthly parent already ceases to be his son, how will one who despises our heavenly Father remain His son? He is excluded from the noble rank. He has insulted his nature.

Then wars and battles contributed to the appearance of the condition of slavery, when captives began to be taken. But, they will say, Abraham also had slaves. Yes, he had them. Yet it is known that he did not treat them as slaves.

Thus the Apostle directs everything to the head: the wife, so that the husband, as was said, may love her. Children, so that he may bring them up “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph 6:4).

Slaves, “knowing that both your Master and theirs is in heaven.” By this he speaks, as it were, in this way: since you yourselves also are slaves, be humane and condescending.

Further, if you are willing to listen, we shall say the same about servants that we said before about children. Teach them to be reverent, and they will become so.

But now one man, setting off for the theater or going to the bath, drags all the children there with him. Yet he does not take them to church, nor make them go there to hear Christian teaching.

How will the slave hear, when you, the master, give your attention to something altogether different?

Have you acquired and bought a slave? First of all, command him to live according to the will of God, so that he may be meek toward his companions and especially care for virtue.

The house of each person is like a city, and each master is ruler over his own house. That this is truly so is clear when one looks at the house of the rich, where there are fields, stewards, and rulers over rulers.

Nevertheless, I also liken the house of the poor man to a city. Here too there are authorities: the husband rules the wife, the wife rules the servants, the servants rule their wives, and husbands and wives rule their children.

Does it not seem to you, then, that the head of the household is like a certain king, under whom so many rulers are placed? Should he not be more skillful and experienced than all in governing the house?

Whoever is excellently knowledgeable in this matter will know how to choose capable rulers for himself. Indeed, he will choose splendid ones.

Yet the wife remains another king in the house, though without a diadem. Whoever knows how to choose this king will arrange everything else well.

"Knowing that both over you and over them there is a Lord in heaven." See how he inspires fear. For the Lord says: "With the measure you measure, it will be measured to you" (Mt. 7:2). Do not yourself hear: "Wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you besought me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow servant?" (Mt. 18:32-33).

"With whom there is no partiality." Do not think, he says, that if you are harsh to your slave, you will not give answer before God because this person is insignificant. That belongs to external laws, which know the difference between nobility and slavery, because these laws are from men.

But here it is not so, because you yourself are a slave of the same Lord, even if you are harsh toward your slave. For in the beginning God did not create slavery. Covetousness created it, as in the case of captives, and insult to parents, as happened with Canaan.

Yet even if it did not come from God, God nevertheless legislates subordination for the sake of good order, and so that life may not be burdened with bloodshed.

The order in this exhortation is worthy of wonder. The Apostle first prescribed laws for husbands and wives, because marriage precedes childbearing. Then he spoke to children and fathers, because childbearing is the fruit of marriage. After the child is born, one is called father and the other son.

He gave the last place to the mutual bond of servants and masters, because this bond is established by circumstances. The former bonds are honored by natural advantages. Therefore, after prescribing distinct laws concerning these things, he then offers a general exhortation.

"They serve you as the Lord and before the face of the Lord, and you should command in the Lord. They see the Lord in you, and you should see brethren in them. They honor and fear you, and you should not push them about. They serve you with good disposition, and you also should be kindly disposed and good to them" (Bishop Theophan).

St. Chrysostom especially sets forth this last point. He also lays upon masters care for slaves, warning lest God condemn them for negligence toward them. Blessed Jerome finds the following admonitions from what was said to slaves applicable to masters: in simplicity of heart, doing the will of God, from the soul, and with good-mindedness, kindly. Yet he does not explain in detail in what sense.

In general, there is one commandment here: you also, masters, should relate to servants in a Christian manner. The holy Apostle himself especially insists that masters moderate severity. He does not require that they entirely abandon it, but that they relax threats. By this he obliges them to deal with slaves "with goodness and meekness" (Theodoret), and "not to be terrors to them, but their fathers" (Jerome). "Do not be cruel and harsh," he says (St. Chrysostom).

To keep the authority of masters within due bounds, the holy Apostle found no better motive than pointing to the Lord in heaven. He sees all and will repay both slaves and masters without any partiality. It is as though he says: "As you wish to have the Master toward yourself, so be yourself toward the servant, because God knows no difference between slave and master, having created all alike" (Theodoret).

"He wished to arouse fear in masters also. By what? By this: with the measure you measure, it will be measured to you (Mt. 7:2; Mk. 4:24; Lk. 6:38). This is so that you may not hear: wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt (Mt. 18:32). And it is said, there is no partiality with Him. This is so that no one may think God will forgive an offense done to a slave because it was done to a slave. External laws, as human laws, still allow distinctions between social ranks. But the law of the common Master knows no distinction, since it benefits all generally and bestows one and the same thing on all" (St. Chrysostom).