The salutation in verse 2 is standard in all of Paul’s letters and is exactly like the one in Romans (see also Col 1.2). Grace is the one word which most vividly expresses God’s unconditional, unmerited, and uncaused love and favor which he displays toward mankind in Christ. In the stereotyped formula of a salutation, however, it most probably refers to the result of God’s attitude in terms of blessing, so that its equivalent would be “May God bless you” or “be kind to you.” Peace is a word with its roots in the Old Testament concept of salvation as wholeness, completeness, the full and abundant life enjoyed by God’s people because of their relationship to one another and to God. It is the new quality of life enjoyed by those who are in the fellowship of the people of God. As part of the salutation, its main emphasis is probably the lack of conflict and dissension in the Christian fellowship.

In order to introduce properly the prayer and hope expressed in verse 2, it may be relevant to begin this statement with a phrase such as “I pray that….” For example, “I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ may give you….”

It may be extremely difficult to translate literally give you grace and peace. The closest equivalent may be “be very good to you and cause you to be at peace.” Peace is often expressed figuratively, for example, “to sit down in one’s heart” or “to feel warm inside.”

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 .