Ephesians 6:5

Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

Cross-reference

Ephesians 6:1 commands children to obey parents — same household obedience theme as slaves obeying masters here.

Ephesians 6:7 reiterates serving as to the Lord — identical teaching to the 'as you would obey Christ' in verse 5.

Ephesians 6:9 addresses masters, commanding them to treat slaves justly — the counterpart to the slave's obedience here.

Ephesians 5:22 begins the household code with wives submitting to husbands — same pattern of hierarchical obedience as slaves here.

1 Peter 2:18-21 expands on slave submission even under harsh masters, with Christ's example deepening the call to sincere obedience.

In Genesis 16:9, Hagar is told to submit to her mistress—a precedent for the obedience to earthly masters commanded here.

Titus 2:10 Parallel

Titus 2:10 continues the instruction, urging trustworthiness to adorn the gospel — a motivation similar to serving Christ in Ephesians 6:5.

Titus 2:9 Parallel

Titus 2:9 directly commands slaves to be subject and pleasing, closely paralleling the obedience and sincerity urged in Ephesians 6:5.

1 Timothy 6:1-3 expands on slave-master relationships, urging respect to avoid slandering God's name, paralleling Ephesians 6:5's instruction.

Colossians 3:22 gives an identical command to slaves, emphasizing sincerity and reverence for the Lord, reinforcing Ephesians 6:5.

In Colossians 3:17-24, a parallel household code commands slaves to obey as working for the Lord, matching the instruction and theology here.

Phil 2:12 uses the identical phrase 'fear and trembling' for working out salvation, paralleling the obedient attitude here.

In 2 Cor 7:15, the same 'fear and trembling' describes obedient reception, echoing the attitude slaves are to show masters.

In 1 Corinthians 7:22, Paul teaches that a slave in Christ is the Lord's freed person, reinforcing the spiritual equality behind obeying masters as to Christ.

Malachi 1:6 Allusion

Malachi 1:6 establishes that a slave honors his master—the same expectation of respect from slaves to earthly masters.

Romans 12:11 calls for serving the Lord with zeal — directly parallels the 'as to Christ' attitude commanded for slaves here.

Philemon 1:16 reframes the slave-master relationship as brotherhood in Christ, adding a dimension of equality to Ephesians 6:5's command.

Psalm 123:2 Parallel

Psalm 123:2 uses the slave's attentive look to the master as an image of dependence on God—the same posture of respect called for here.