Ephesians 6:3 (ASV)

Passage

that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Nearby Context

Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

Ephesians 6:2 Honor thy father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise),

Ephesians 6:3 that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Ephesians 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but nurture them in the chastening and admonition of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:5 Servants, be obedient unto them that according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "well", "thee", "thou", "mayest", "live", "long", and "earth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "well" and "thee", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Honor thy father and mother which is..." into verse 4's "And ye fathers provoke not your children...", so "well" and "thee" 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 "well" and "thee" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.