Ephesians 5:18

Ephesians 5:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
• New International Version (NIV)Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,
• English Standard Version (ESV)And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
• New King James Version (NKJV)And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

Context of Ephesians 5:18

16making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is wickedness (corruption, stupidity), but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit and constantly guided by Him. 19Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, [offering praise by] singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20always giving thanks to God the Father for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Ephesians 5:18 word by word

καὶ μὴ μεθύσκεσθε οἴνῳ, ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν ἀσωτία, ἀλλὰ πληροῦσθε ἐν πνεύματιRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• beμεθύσκωmethuskō · to get drunkG3182
• notμήmē · notG3361
• withἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• wineοἶνοςoinos · wineG3631
• whereinὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• excessἀσωτίαasōtia · debaucheryG810
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• be filledπληρόωplēroō · to fulfillG4137
• the Spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151

Cross-references for Ephesians 5:18

• Genesis 9:21He drank some of the wine and became drunk, and he was uncovered and lay exposed inside his tent.
• Genesis 19:32Come, let us make our father drunk with wine, and we will lie with him so that we may preserve our family through our father.”
• Deuteronomy 21:20They shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey us, he is a glutton and a drunkard.’
• Psalms 69:12They who sit in the [city’s] gate talk about me and mock me, And I am the song of the drunkards.
• Proverbs 20:1Wine is a mocker, strong drink a riotous brawler; And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.
• Proverbs 23:20Do not associate with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat,
• Isaiah 5:11Woe (judgment is coming) to those who rise early in the morning to pursue intoxicating drink, Who stay up late in the night till wine inflames them!
• Matthew 24:49and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards;
• Luke 12:45But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is taking his time in coming,’ and begins to beat the servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk,
• Luke 21:34“But be on guard, so that your hearts are not weighed down and depressed with the giddiness of debauchery and the nausea of self-indulgence and the worldly worries of life, and then that day [when the Messiah returns] will not come on you suddenly like a trap;
• Romans 13:13Let us conduct ourselves properly and honorably as in the [light of] day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and irresponsibility, not in quarreling and jealousy.
• 1 Corinthians 5:11But actually, I have written to you not to associate with any so-called [Christian] brother if he is sexually immoral or greedy, or is an idolater [devoted to anything that takes the place of God], or is a reviler [who insults or slanders or otherwise verbally abuses others], or is a drunkard or a swindler—you must not so much as eat with such a person.
• 1 Corinthians 6:10nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers [whose words are used as weapons to abuse, insult, humiliate, intimidate, or slander], nor swindlers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God.
• 1 Corinthians 11:21for when you eat, each one hurries to get his own supper first [not waiting for others or the poor]. So one goes hungry while another gets drunk.
• Galatians 5:21envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night.

Commentaries on Ephesians 5:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess - This is a farther allusion to the Bacchanalian mysteries; in them his votaries got drunk, and ran into all manner of excesses. Plato, though he forbade drunkenness in general, yet allowed that the people should get drunk in the solemnities of that god who invented wine. And indeed this was their common custom; when they had offered their sacrifices they indulged themselves in drunkenness, and ran into all kinds…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18And be not drunk with wine - A danger to which they were exposed and a vice to which those around them were much addicted. Compare notes on Luke 21:34. It is not improbable that in this verse there is an allusion to the orgies of Bacchus, or to the festivals celebrated in honor of that pagan god. He was “the god of wine,” and during those festivals, men and women regarded it as an acceptable act of worship to become intoxicated, and with wild songs and…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-21Verses 15-21 Another remedy against sin, is care, or caution, it being impossible else to maintain purity of heart and life. Time is a talent given us by God, and it is misspent and lost when not employed according to his design. If we have lost our time heretofore, we must double our diligence for the future. Of that time which thousands on a dying bed would gladly redeem at the price of the whole world, how little do men think, and to what trifles they…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18The Holy Spirit, not wine, should have the most influence in the lives of believers (see Proverbs 23:29–35; compare Acts 2:15–18). be filled: The grammar here suggests a repeated, ongoing process of letting the Holy Spirit guide and influence the lives of believers, not a single event.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. excess--worthless, ruinous, reckless prodigality. wherein--not in the wine itself when used aright (1Ti 5:23), but in the "excess" as to it. but be filled with the Spirit--The effect in inspiration was that the person was "filled" with an ecstatic exhilaration, like that caused by wine; hence the two are here connected (compare Ac 2:13-18). Hence arose the abstinence from wine of many of the prophets, for example, John the Baptist, namely, in order to…Read the comment

Topics related to Ephesians 5:18

• Commandments
• Drunkenness
• Holy Spirit
• Joy
• Wine

In the dictionaries

• Arise
• Awake
• Dear
• Drunk
• Fellowship
• Flesh
• Fruit
• Light
• Melody
• Redeem

Commentaries on Ephesians 5

• 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