Ephesians 6:5 (DBY)

Passage

Bondmen, obey masters according to flesh, with fear and trembling, in simplicity of your heart as to the Christ;

Nearby Context

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

Ephesians 6:4 And [ye] fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in [the] discipline and admonition of [the] Lord.

Ephesians 6:5 Bondmen, obey masters according to flesh, with fear and trembling, in simplicity of your heart as to the Christ;

Ephesians 6:6 not with eye-service as men-pleasers; but as bondmen of Christ, doing the will of God from [the] soul,

Ephesians 6:7 serving with good will as to the Lord, and not to men;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bondmen", "obey", "masters", "flesh", "fear", "trembling", "simplicity", and "heart". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bondmen" and "obey", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "And ye fathers do not provoke your..." into verse 6's "not with eye-service as men-pleasers but as...", so "bondmen" and "obey" 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 "bondmen" and "obey" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.