Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easy to miss here is that "the threatening" refers not to occasional discipline, but to the constant, ingrained habit of intimidating slaves. Paul urges masters to abandon this oppressive demeanor, knowing that their shared heavenly Master sees all and judges without favoring status or power. This is a radical call to treat those under them with the same humane spirit they expect from them, because God sees both master and servant as equal before Him.
Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is continuing his instructions on household relationships, now turning his attention from slaves to their masters. He's urging masters to treat their enslaved people with fairness and kindness, not with harshness and intimidation. This command is grounded in the reality that they, like their slaves, have one ultimate Master in heaven who judges impartially.
Paul tells masters to 'do the same things' to their slaves. What does this mean when their positions are so different?
The phrase 'do the same things' isn't about identical actions, but a mirrored spirit and attitude. Just as servants were told to act with sincerity and as if serving Christ, masters are to extend that same sincerity, kindness, and conscientiousness towards their servants.
Think of it as a divine echo: Servants were to give their best, remembering God's watchfulness. Masters, in turn, are called to give their best—what is just, equitable, and merciful—remembering their own accountability to the ultimate Master.
This isn't about erasing the roles of master and servant, but about infusing both with the same God-honoring heart. It calls for masters to see their servants not as mere property, but as fellow humans under God's authority, deserving of fair and kind treatment.
Why does Paul specifically mention 'stop your threatening'? What did that look like, and how does heaven change it?
The word 'threatening' here refers to the kind of intimidation and harshness that masters, holding absolute legal power, could easily wield. It was a constant pressure, a way to control through fear rather than respect or love.
Paul directly confronts this by reminding masters of a higher authority: 'knowing that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven.' This truth is a powerful check against arbitrary cruelty. It means earthly power is always subordinate to heavenly justice.
This heavenly Master doesn't play favorites. 'There is no partiality with Him.' This divine impartiality means that the master who abuses his power will face divine judgment, and the servant who is wronged has an ultimate Advocate. The threat of human power is dwarfed by the reality of divine accountability.
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Understand the original words
kyrios · Greek Noun
Those who possess authority over others; in a biblical context, they are held accountable to God for how they treat their subordinates.
apeilē · Greek Noun
To cause alarm or to intimidate through warnings of punishment or harm; forbidden for those under Christ’s lordship.
prosōpolēmpsia · Greek Noun
The divine attribute indicating that God does not judge based on human status, ethnicity, or social rank, but deals with all people according to truth and righteousness.
Paul's instruction to masters to 'do the same things' and 'stop threatening' their slaves, while acknowledging a common heavenly Master, directly challenges the absolute power dynamics of the Roman Empire and points toward a revolutionary ethic of mutual respect grounded in faith.
c. 50s AD— this verse
Paul Writes Ephesians
The Apostle Paul writes this letter from prison, likely in Rome, to the church in Ephesus. It addresses various aspects of Christian living within the social structures of the Roman Empire.
1st Century AD
Roman Slavery System
The Roman Empire, in which Paul's letter was written and received, had slavery deeply embedded in its economy and social fabric. Slaves were property with limited rights, and masters held significant power over them.
1st Century AD
Emergence of Christian Households
As Christianity spread, it entered into existing households, including those with slave owners and slaves. The Apostle Paul's letters provide guidance for these complex relationships within the new faith.
This passage offers a direct parallel, commanding masters to give their servants what is 'just and equal,' echoing Ephesians 6:9's call for fairness and restraint from harshness.
Luke 12:48Jesus teaches that 'everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required,' which resonates with the idea that masters, having authority and power, will be held to a higher standard by God, their ultimate Master.
James 2:1-4This passage strongly condemns showing partiality based on social status ('respect of persons'), directly supporting Ephesians 6:9's assertion that God shows no favoritism between masters and their servants.
Deuteronomy 10:17This Old Testament text establishes God's impartiality, stating that 'He shows no partiality, nor takes any bribe,' reinforcing the foundational principle that underpins the Apostle Paul's instruction to masters in Ephesians.
1 Peter 2:18Peter instructs household servants to 'be submissive to your masters with all respect,' which complements Ephesians 6:9 by showing the reciprocal nature of Christian conduct in hierarchical relationships, where both parties are accountable to a higher Master.
vincentEphesians 6:9: "And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him."
Forbearing (ἀνιέντες)See on the kindred noun ἄνεσις, A.V., liberty, Acts 24:23.Threatening (τὴν ἀπειλήν)Note the article, the threatening customary from the master to the slave.KnowingSince ye know.Your master also (ὑμῶν αὐτῶν ὁ κυριός)The correct reading is καὶ αὐτῶν καὶ ὑμῶν ὁ κυριός both their ma…
barnesEphesians 6:9: "And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him."
And, ye masters - The object of this is, to secure for servants a proper treatment. It is evident, from this, that there were in the Christian church those who were "masters;" and the most obvious interpretation is, that they were the owners of slaves. Some such persons would be converted, as such are now. Paul did not…
What's easy to miss here is that "the threatening" refers not to occasional discipline, but to the constant, ingrained habit of intimidating slaves. Paul urges masters to abandon this oppressive demeanor, knowing that their shared heavenly Master sees all and judges without favoring status or power. This is a radical call to treat those under them with the same humane spirit they expect from them, because God sees both master and servant as equal before Him.
Paul is continuing his instructions on household relationships, now turning his attention from slaves to their masters. He's urging masters to treat their enslaved people with fairness and kindness, not with harshness and intimidation. This command is grounded in the reality that they, like their slaves, have one ultimate Master in heaven who judges impartially.
Paul is continuing his instructions on household relationships, now turning his attention from slaves to their masters. He's urging masters to treat their enslaved people with fairness and kindness, not with harshness and intimidation. This command is grounded in the reality that they, like their slaves, have one ultimate Master in heaven who judges impartially.
"Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him." — What's easy to miss here is that "the threatening" refers not to occasional discipline, but to the constant, ingrained habit of intimidating slaves. Paul urges masters to abandon this oppressive deme…
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Last reviewed October 2026