Eph 2:2 | NETfull | STEP | in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience,

Ephesians 2:2

2 in which ^{▼▼ The relative pronoun which is feminine as is sins, indicating that sins is the antecedent.} you formerly lived ^{▼▼ Grk “walked.”} ^{▼▼ The Greek verb translated lived (περιπατέω, peripateō) in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.} according to this world’s present path, ^{▼▼ Or possibly “Aeon.”} ^{▼▼ The word translated present path is the same as that which has been translated [this] age in 1:21 (αἰών, aiōn).} according to the ruler of the kingdom ^{▼▼ Grk “domain, [place of] authority.”} of the air, the ruler of ^{▼▼ Grk “of” (but see the note on the word “spirit” later in this verse).} the spirit ^{▼▼ The ruler of the kingdom of the air is also the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience. Although several translations regard the ruler to be the same as the spirit, this is unlikely since the cases in Greek are different (ruler is accusative and spirit is genitive). To get around this, some have suggested that the genitive for spirit is a genitive of apposition. However, the semantics of the genitive of apposition are against such an interpretation (cf. ExSyn 100).} that is now energizing ^{▼▼ Grk “working in.”} the sons of disobedience, ^{▼▼ Sons of disobedience is a Semitic idiom that means “people characterized by disobedience.” However, it also contains a subtle allusion to vv. 4–10: Some of those sons of disobedience have become sons of God.}