I've been listening to Pete Cabrera, Jr. specifically MASTERCLASS: The full guide to divine healing & training in the spirit # 5. He says that we are not to be swayed by the powers. Is that a valid interpretation?
Ephesians 6:12 NIV
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
ἡ πάλη is a noun, occurring only in Eph. 6:12 in the New Testament but a common Greek word. It has to do with a struggle or contest one is an active participant in. In contrast, swayed makes one a passive participant, and thus is less in line with the meaning of Eph. 6:12. A solder doesn't put on armor to be a passive participant in battle.
The wording οὐκ ἔστιν ⸀ἡμῖν translated literally is rather awkward in English (is not to us) but is not awkward in Hebrew (אין לנו) and is a Hebraism meaning we do not have, "we do not have the battle/struggle ..." The article means the struggle Paul has already started describing. Do not be would be expressed something like μὴ γίνεσθε (Eph. 5:17). Thus, we would expect "we are not to be" to have μὴ instead of οὐκ for the negative particle, and a form of γίνομαι instead of εἰμί for the verb.
Note: If you translate it "We are not to be swayed by flesh and blood," then it would follow that we are to be swayed by "the rulers, by the authorities, by the cosmic powers over this present darkness, by the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." That would be a rather demonic interpretation. Paul is contrasting the physical with the spiritual demonic and a translation "we are not to be" loses that contrast.
Lexicons
πάλη, ης, ἡ (παλαίω ‘wrestle’; Hom. et al.; ins; Sb 678, 6) engagement in a challenging contest (orig. ‘wrestling’ Il. 23, 635 al., then of fights or battles Aeschyl., Ch. 866; Eur., Heracl. 159) struggle against, fig. ext. (Longus 3, 19, 2 of love; Philo, Sobr. 65 πρὸς πάθη π., here w. wrestling imagery), of Christians’ fight against powers of darkness Eph 6:12 (the opponent is introduced by πρός w. the acc. as in Philo above, but the context suggests military imagery).—DELG s.v. παλαίω. M-M. TW. -- Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). In A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 752). University of Chicago Press.
πάλη [ᾰ], Dor. πάλᾱ, ἡ, (πάλλω) wrestling, Lat. lucta, Hom., Pind., etc. 2. generally, battle, Aesch., Eur. -- Liddell, H. G. (1996). In A lexicon: Abridged from Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English lexicon (p. 587). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
P.S. Example of Hebrew grammatic structure
וְאִם־אֵ֨ין לָאִ֜ישׁ גֹּאֵ֗ל (from Num. 5:8, BHS2003)
Literally "If there/it is no kinsman [redeemer] to the man..." But the meaning is:
If the man has no kinsman ... (from Num. 5:8, JPS1985)
Greek:
Our wrestling is not (οὐκ ἐστιν ἡμιν ἡ παλη [ouk estin hēmin hē palē]). “To us the wrestling is not.” Παλη [Palē] is an old word from παλλω [pallō], to throw, to swing (from Homer to the papyri, though here only in N. T.), a contest between two till one hurls the other down and holds him down (κατεχω [katechō]). Note προς [pros] again (five times) in sense of “against,” face to face conflict to the finish. -- Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Eph 6:12). Broadman Press.
The original social context also adds weight to the idea of very active wrestling and not a passive don't be swayed.
Ephesus was the home of Artemis; or, more correctly, it was the home of the cult of Artemis. Recent research has reoriented a number of significant details regarding that cult, but the entire city lived in fear of retribution from Artemis if they didn't toe the line to her will. One of the details is that current research suggests that the bulbous appendages pictured on Artemis torso were very likely "magic flasks."
Which brings us to see the magnitude of this idol's influence by reading Acts 19.
Here's two highlights:
And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they added up the prices of the books and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. (Acts 19:19)
That's a lot of money! That amount of investment in the magic arts, of which Artemis was at the center, shows the extent to which the idol was embedded into people's lives.
And then there's the silver-smiths. They point out the economic impact that was occurring because of Paul's preaching of the gospel. Though note that the argument they put forward is that the idol's magnificence would be felled.
Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as worthless, and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.” (Acts 19:27)
It's interesting that Roman law forbade the practice of magic arts. However, Artemis was held to be so powerful that Ephesus was the notable exception. Thus the reference to "whom all of Asia and the world worship." The wealth would have flowed from around the world into Ephesus based on this centralization of the magic arts. This success would have been directly attributed to Artemis. And, people would have done anything so that such "blessing" would not be replaced by "wrath". These magic arts were the dark powers.
All that to say, the challenge being faced by the believers in Ephesus was not something that could be met with "do not be swayed." It was something that needed strenuous, energetic wrestling. The authority and dark powers of Ephesians 6:12 are clearly a reference to Artemis. And the enormity of the situation suggested by Acts 19 provides support for the latent fear within the Ephesian citizenry. Paul was on the offense; he wasn't taking a defensive posture.
For more detail consult
The word πάλη (palé) occurs only in Eph 6:12 in all the NT. It is a noun denoting (BDAG)
engagement in a challenging contest (originally 'wrestling' ... the of fights or battles ...) struggle against ... of Christians' fight against powers of darkness ...
Thus, Eph 6:12 reads (BLB)
because to us the wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Note that the phraseology is "wrestling against [πρὸς] blood and flesh ...". The meaning "swayed" cannot be valid for the following reasons:
The Greek here is not complicated and relatively easy to translate and most versions have it correct.
