Efesus 6:1-3

6:1 Children, ¹  obey your parents in the Lord ²  for this is right. 6:2 “Honor your father and mother,” ³  which is the first commandment accompanied by a promise, namely, 6:3 “that it may go ⁴  well with you and that you will live ⁵  a long time on the earth.” ⁶ 

[6:1]  ¹ tn The use of the article τά (ta) with τέκνα (tekna) functions in a generic way to distinguish this group from husbands, wives, fathers and slaves and is left, therefore, untranslated. The generic article is used with γύναῖκες (gunaikes) in 5:22, ἄνδρες (andres) in 5:25, δοῦλοι (douloi) in 6:5, and κύριοι (kurioi) in 6:9.

[6:1]  ² tc B D* F G as well as a few versional and patristic representatives lack “in the Lord” (ἐν κυρίῳ, en kuriw), while the phrase is well represented in Ì⁴⁶ א A D¹ I^vid Ψ 0278 0285 33 1739 1881 Ï sy co. Scribes may have thought that the phrase could be regarded a qualifier on the kind of parents a child should obey (viz., only Christian parents), and would thus be tempted to delete the phrase to counter such an interpretation. It is unlikely that the phrase would have been added, since the form used to express such sentiment in this Haustafel is ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ/Χριστῷ (Jw" tw kuriw/Cristw, “as to the Lord/Christ”; see 5:22; 6:5). Even though the witnesses for the omission are impressive, it is more likely that the phrase was deleted than added by scribal activity.

[6:2]  ³ sn A quotation from Exod 20:12 and Deut 5:16.

[6:3]  ⁴ tn Grk “be.”

[6:3]  ⁵ tn Grk “will be.”

[6:3]  ⁶ sn A quotation from Deut 5:16.