Struggle (3823) (pale from pállo = shake, vibrate; related word palaio = wrestle) is used only here in the Bible (not in the LXX). Pale is the literal word for wrestling. As such it pictured hand—to—hand combat between wrestling athletes, this combat in the ancient world being characterized by trickery, cunning and deception. Pale thus describes the contest between two individuals in which each endeavors to throw the other and which ultimately is decided when the victor is able to press down his prostrate antagonist with his hand upon his neck! When we consider that often the loser in a Greek wrestling contest had his eyes gouged out with resulting blindness for the rest of his days, we have a taste of how the Ephesian saints who read Paul's letter would have received this illustration. The believer's wrestling against the powers of darkness is no less desperate and fateful. Pale was also used to describe hand—to—hand combat of soldiers, such combat requiring both deftness and speed. Pale describes the struggle between individual combatants which distinguishes it from strateia (4752) which refers more to the entire military expedition or campaign, to military service or to warfare Pale pictures one engaged in an intense struggle involving physical or nonphysical force against strong opposition. Paul uses pale in the figurative sense to picture the believer's struggle and conflict against evil angelic forces arranged in a military like hierarchy described below. Wuest writes that... One might be troubled at the change of figure from that of a Roman soldier to that of a Greek wrestler, arguing that a soldier does not engage in a wrestling contest clad in full armor. But the difficulty disappears when one sees that the figure of a wrestling match speaks of a contest at close quarters, and an individual contest, between the Christian and his demon enemies. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans) Against (4314) (pros) is marker of direction, of movement toward or of closeness of relation or proximity which in this context clearly pictures an unfriendly, hostile relation (against, toward). Pros (against) is repeated before each of the designations -- rulers, powers, world forces, spiritual forces. In Ephesians 2 Paul explains to his readers that when they were non-believers they were under the power of these evil forces writing... you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. (See notes Ephesians 2:1; 2:2) "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/ephesians_612-13.htm#struggle