2:2 in which3 you formerly lived4 according to this world’s present path,5 according to the ruler of the kingdom6 of the air, the ruler of7 the spirit8 that is now energizing9 the sons of disobedience,10
tnGrk “of” (but see the note on the word “spirit” later in this verse).
8
sn The ruler of the kingdom of the air is also the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience. Although several translations regard the ruler to be the same as the spirit, this is unlikely since the cases in Greek are different (ruler is accusative and spirit is genitive). To get around this, some have suggested that the genitive for spirit is a genitive of apposition. However, the semantics of the genitive of apposition are against such an interpretation (cf. ExSyn100).
snSons of disobedience is a Semitic idiom that means “people characterized by disobedience.” However, it also contains a subtle allusion to vv. 4–10: Some of those sons of disobedience have become sons of God.