This verse, which follows in Greek without a break from verse 19, is like Colossians 3.18. The phrase In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ qualifies the participle “giving thanks”: all prayers of thanksgiving to God are made by people who acknowledge Christ as Lord and themselves as his disciples; it is because of this relationship that they offer their prayers to God.

In a number of languages the statement In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ is relatively meaningless. If the term for name is understood as a kind of substitute for the personality, the expression becomes repetitious. In a number of languages this expression is best rendered as “because of our Lord Jesus Christ” or “because of your relationship to our Lord Jesus Christ.”

For everything translates a Greek phrase which could mean “for all people.” Nearly everyone, however, takes it to mean “everything” here. In this context everything is not a reference to things but to events. The admonition is not to thank God for all the things that he has given but for all that happens. Therefore one may translate the second part of verse 20 as “always give thanks to God the Father for everything that happens.”

As in other contexts, the phrase God the Father must often be restructured as “God who is our Father,” since in many languages the appositional relationship is not completely clear. In a number of languages one cannot use a definite article with “father” but must use some kind of possessive pronoun.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1982. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .