I will cite a portion of Philip W.Comfort's findings from his excellent book :New Testament Text and Translation Commentary. Remember,I will cite only a part of what he says regarding some passages --not the entirety.
3:9b
WH NU : the stewardship [administration] of the mystery
var/TR : the fellowship of the mystery
"The reading of the TR is remarkable for its slim documentary support --a few very late cursive manuscripts...But Paul was not speaking about 'the fellowship of mystery' (whatever that is supposed to mean);rather,he was speaking about his stewardship (or administration,economy) of God's secret plan...(p.586)
3:14
WH NU : the Father
var/TR : the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
"The documentary support for the shorter reading far exceeds that for the longer reading." (p.587)
4:6
WH NU : and in all
var 1 : and in us all
var 2/TR : and in you all
Comfort says that us has better attestation. "By comparison,you is barely supported (appearing in no Greek manuscripts),yet it found its way into TR and has been perpetuated in KJV and NKJ." (p.588)
4:17
WH NU : the Gentiles
var/TR : the other Gentiles
"The WH NU reading has superior documentation to that of the variant... The insertion of [other] was a scribal attempt to clearly show that Paul's Gentile audience,now Christian,was distinct from other Gentiles --or from 'the rest of the Gentiles,'as it is worded in the NKJV." (p.590)
5:9
WH NU : fruit of the light
var/TR : fruit of the spirit
"But the emphasis in Ephesians is on how Christians should be living enlightened lives. The 'fruit of the light' is the natural outcome of living in the light,for such living produces goodness,righteousness,and truth." (p.595)
5:21
WH NU : fear of Christ
var/TR : fear of God
"The documentary evidence strongly supports the WH NU reading...TR,followed by KJV and NKJV,has very minimal and late support for its reading." (p.597)
5:29
WH NU : Christ to the church
var/TR : the Lord to the church
Comfort says that the WH NU text has a "powerful array of witnesses." (p.597)
6:9
WH NU : knowing that both their master and yours is in heaven
var/TR : knowing that also your own master is in heaven
"The WH NU reading has superior documentation. The change in the majority of later manuscripts (and TR) was probably influenced by Col 4:1, a parallel verse." (p.599)
6:12b
WH NU : world powers of this darkness
var/TR : world powers of the darkness of this age
"The WH NU reading has excellent documentation,both early and diverse. The change in later manuscripts is an expansion probably motivated by 2:2..." (p.600)
Some Textual Variants In Ephesians
Discussion in 'Bible Versions & Translations' started by Rippon, Oct 29, 2011.