ordinary worshippers.  Prayer, normally, is addressed to the Father, through the

Son -- in other words prayer recognizes the necessity for a Mediator.  Those who

address their prayer to `Jesus', instead of honouring the Son by this direct

approach, set aside His great office of Mediation.  In prayer as in salvation,

the Saviour's words remain true `No man cometh unto the Father but by Me'.  The

apostle not only bowed his knees unto `the Father', he bowed his knees unto the

Father in a special sense:

`Of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named' (Eph. 3:15).

Two very important items call for attention here:

The meaning of the word `family'.

The translation of pasa, `the whole family' (A.V.), or `every

family' (R.V.).

It is somewhat surprising to discover that the word `family' does not occur in

the New Testament A.V. in any other place than in Ephesians 3:15.  The Greek

word Patria so translated occurs but three times as follows `family', `kindreds'

and `lineage'.  The two other translations reveal something that is not so

evident in the word `family'.  Patria in the LXX answers to the Hebrew

Mishpachah, translated mostly `family', once `kind' and nine times `kindred'.

The word occurs twelve times in Genesis and a consideration of these references

will provide an example of its shades of meaning.  `After their kinds' (Gen.

8:19).  This opening reference does not speak of mankind, but of `every creeping

thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their

kinds' and so gives an indication of the categorical nature of the term.  It

denotes a genus, or a class.

`After their families' (Gen. 10:5).  This chapter gives the generations of

the sons of Noah, `after their generations, in their nations' who divided the

earth between them after the flood.

`All families of the earth' (Gen. 12:3) to whom blessing will ultimately

flow through the seed of Abraham -- himself so called because `Abraham' means

`Father of nations'.

`My kindred' (Gen. 24:38,40,41).  Into this very moving narrative other

qualifying words are introduced. `Thou shalt go unto my country, and to my

kindred' (Gen. 24:4) where the word translated `kindred' is the Hebrew moledeth,

a word indicating birth, e.g. `nativity' (Gen. 11:28), `issue' (Gen. 48:6), and

placed in strong contrast with `the Canaanites' (Gen. 24:3), a further

indication that `lineage' and `kind' are always in view.  As we follow this word

through Genesis, we are made conscious of a narrowing and a dividing, that

prevents us from making the term `the whole family' or `every family' universal

in its embrace.  Mankind is differentiated from `creeping things' and `fowls',

the three divisions of mankind after the flood are kept distinct, and after the

call of Abraham, a definite line is drawn between the Canaanites and the family

of promise.  Before we can apply what we have learned in Ephesians 3:15 we must

consider the question of two translations `every family' and `the whole family'.

The Companion Bible agrees with the R.V. `every family'.  The word translated

`every' or `the whole' is the Greek pas and is here employed without the article

`the'.  Romans 3:19 supplies a good illustration of the use of pas both with and

without the article.