Ephesians 3:5 (ASV)

Passage

which in other generation was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;

Nearby Context

Ephesians 3:3 how that by revelation was made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words,

Ephesians 3:4 whereby, when ye read, ye can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ;

Ephesians 3:5 which in other generation was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;

Ephesians 3:6 [to wit], that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,

Ephesians 3:7 whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "other", "generation", "known", "sons", "hath", "been", and "revealed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "other", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "whereby when ye read ye can perceive..." into verse 6's "to wit that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs...", so "Spirit" and "other" belong inside that flow. In Ephesians context, the local focus is grace, union with Christ, the church, and new creation.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "Spirit" and "other" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.