Ephesians 4:31

Ephesians 4:31 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
• New International Version (NIV)Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

Context of Ephesians 4:31

29Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak]. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [but seek to please Him], by whom you were sealed and marked [branded as God’s own] for the day of redemption [the final deliverance from the consequences of sin]. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence]. 32Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you.

Ephesians 4:31 word by word

Πᾶσα πικρία καὶ θυμὸς καὶ ὀργὴ καὶ κραυγὴ καὶ βλασφημία ἀρθήτω ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν σὺν πάσῃ κακίᾳ.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Letαἴρωairō · to take upG142
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956
• bitternessπικρίαpikria · bitternessG4088
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• wrathθυμόςthumos · wrathG2372
• angerὀργήorgē · wrathG3709
• clamourκραυγήkraugē · shoutingG2906
• evil speakingβλασφημίαblasphēmia · blasphemyG988
• fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
• youσύsu · youG4771
• withσύνsun · withG4862
• maliceκακίαkakia · evilG2549

Cross-references for Ephesians 4:31

• Psalms 64:3Who have sharpened their tongues like a sword. They aim venomous words as arrows,
• Romans 3:14“Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
• Colossians 3:8But now rid yourselves [completely] of all these things: anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene (abusive, filthy, vulgar) language from your mouth.
• James 3:14But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be arrogant, and [as a result] be in defiance of the truth.
• Ephesians 4:26Be angry [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], yet do not sin; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down.
• Proverbs 14:17A quick-tempered man acts foolishly and without self-control, And a man of wicked schemes is hated.
• Proverbs 19:12The king’s wrath terrifies like the roaring of a lion, But his favor is as [refreshing and nourishing as] dew on the grass.
• Ecclesiastes 7:9Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, For anger dwells in the heart of fools.
• 2 Corinthians 12:20For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you not to be as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder;
• Galatians 5:20idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies],
• 2 Timothy 2:23But have nothing to do with foolish and ignorant speculations [useless disputes over unedifying, stupid controversies], since you know that they produce strife and give birth to quarrels.
• James 1:19Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving];
• James 4:1What leads to [the unending] quarrels and conflicts among you? Do they not come from your [hedonistic] desires that wage war in your [bodily] members [fighting for control over you]?
• 2 Samuel 19:43Then the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, “We have ten [tribes’] shares in the king, and we have more claim on David than you. Why then did you treat us with contempt and ignore us [by rushing ahead]? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king?” But the words of the men of Judah were harsher than those of the men of Israel.
• 2 Samuel 20:1There happened to be there a worthless and wicked man named Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. He blew a trumpet [to call Israel to revolt] and said, “We have no portion in David And no inheritance in the son of Jesse, Every man to his tents, O Israel!”
• Proverbs 29:9If a wise man has a controversy with a foolish and arrogant man, The foolish man [ignores logic and fairness and] only rages or laughs, and there is no peace (rest, agreement).

Commentaries on Ephesians 4:31

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31Let all bitterness - . It is astonishing that any who profess the Christian name should indulge bitterness of spirit. Those who are censorious, who are unmerciful to the failings of others, who have fixed a certain standard by which they measure all persons in all circumstances, and unchristian every one that does not come up to this standard, these have the bitterness against which the apostle speaks. In the last century there was a compound medicine…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 31Let all bitterness - see the notes on Ephesians 4:2. And wrath - The word here does not differ essentially from anger. Anger - see the note on Ephesians 4:26. All cherished, unreasonable anger. And clamour - Noise, disorder, high words; such as men use in a brawl, or when they are excited. Christians are to be calm and serious. Harsh contentions and strifes; hoarse brawls and tumults, are to be unknown among them. And evil-speaking - Slander, backbiting…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 29-32Verses 29-32 Filthy words proceed from corruption in the speaker, and they corrupt the minds and manners of those who hear them: Christians should beware of all such discourse. It is the duty of Christians to seek, by the blessing of God, to bring persons to think seriously, and to encourage and warn believers by their conversation. Be ye kind one to another. This sets forth the principle of love in the heart, and the outward expression of it, in a…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-32Paul gives believers specific guidelines for living a new life in Christ.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3131. bitterness--both of spirit and of speech: opposed to "kind." wrath--passion for a time: opposed to "tender-hearted." Whence Bengel translates for "wrath," harshness. anger--lasting resentment: opposed to "forgiving one another." clamour--compared by Chrysostom to a horse carrying anger for its rider: "Bridle the horse, and you dismount its rider." "Bitterness" begets "wrath"; "wrath," "anger"; "anger," "clamor"; and "clamor," the more chronic…Read the comment

Topics related to Ephesians 4:31

• Anger
• Commandments
• Hatred
• Malice
• Righteous
• Slander
• Speaking

In the dictionaries

• Evil-Speaking
• Bitterness
• Compact
• Dark
• Forbear
• Grieve
• Lasciviousness
• Lowliness
• Renew
• Steal

Commentaries on Ephesians 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings