Ephesians 3:18

May be able. The subject to be grasped is beyond ordinary comprehension; therefore Paul prays that his hearers may receive a special enabling power for the attainment of it.

To comprehend. Literally, “to seize”; metaphorically, “to perceive.”

All saints. See on ch. 1:1. There are certain spiritual transactions that take place only in the individual heart, but there are other matters that belong to the community of God, and this comprehension of the love of Christ is one of them. It is the common possession that binds believers together.

Breadth. Paul does not state to what the dimensions mentioned in this clause apply. Commentators have given various interpretations. Perhaps the simplest explanation is that Paul breaks off his sentence as though overwhelmed by the magnitude of the subject he is contemplating. He is simply yet profoundly moved, as he contemplates the mystery — the indwelling Christ, the love of God, the unity of the body of Christ, or specifically the love of Christ (v. 19). It is as though on some starry night the spectator looks out on God’s unbounded universe in all directions, lost in wonder.