Ephesians 4:17

Ephesians 4:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
• New International Version (NIV)So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
• New King James Version (NKJV)This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,

Context of Ephesians 4:17

15Instead, we will love each other and we will speak God's true message. As a result, we will become more and more like Christ in every way. He is the head of his body, which is the church. 16As its head, he helps the whole body to grow well. Each part joins with the other parts so that the whole body becomes strong. As each separate part does its proper work, we love each other more and more. So I say this to you. I am sure that I have the Lord's authority to say it. You must not live any longer like the Gentile people who do not know God. They do whatever their silly ideas teach them to do. 18They cannot understand God's true message because their minds are in the dark. They have not accepted the life that God gives. They have decided that they do not want to know about God. They do not even try to understand. 19They do not feel ashamed when they do all kinds of disgusting things. They do more and more bad things just to please themselves.

Ephesians 4:17 word by word

Τοῦτο οὖν λέγω καὶ μαρτύρομαι ἐν κυρίῳ μηκέτι ὑμᾶς περιπατεῖν καθὼς καὶ τὰ ἔθνη περιπατεῖ ἐν ματαιότητι τοῦ νοὸς αὐτῶν,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• I sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• testifyμαρτύρομαιmarturomai · to testifyG3143
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• that yeσύsu · youG4771
• henceforthμηκέτιmēketi · never againG3371
• walkπεριπατέωperipateō · to walkG4043
• asκαθώςkathōs · as/just asG2531
• otherὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• otherλοιπόςloipoi · remainingG3062
• Gentilesἔθνοςethnos · GentilesG1484
• the vanityματαιότηςmataiotēs · futilityG3153
• of theirαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• mindνοῦςnous · mindG3563

Cross-references for Ephesians 4:17

• 1 Corinthians 1:12It happens like this: One of you says, ‘I belong to Paul's group.’ Another person says, ‘I belong to Apollos's group.’ Another person says, ‘I belong to Peter's group.’ And another person says, ‘I belong to Christ's group.’
• 1 Corinthians 15:50I tell you this, my Christian friends. Our weak human bodies cannot go to heaven, to join God in his kingdom there. Our human bodies will die. They cannot share in something that will continue for ever.
• 2 Corinthians 9:6Remember this: If a farmer plants only a few seeds, he will not get much as a result. But if he plants plenty of seeds, he will get a big harvest.
• Galatians 3:17What I mean is this: God made an agreement with Abraham. He promised to bless him. Then, 430 years later, God gave his Law to Moses for the Jewish people. But that Law could not take away the authority of God's agreement with Abraham. It could not stop what God had already promised.
• Colossians 2:4I am telling you these things so that false teachers will not deceive you. They may teach ideas that seem good, but do not listen to them.
• Nehemiah 9:29You warned them to obey your laws. But they refused to listen to you. They did not obey your commands. You had given them rules which would help them to have true life if they obeyed them. But they would not obey your laws. They turned away from you and they continued to do bad things.
• Nehemiah 13:15In those days, I saw people in Judah who were working on Sabbath days. They were making wine. They were bringing their grain from the fields. They were making their donkeys carry the grain, as well as wine, grapes, figs and other things. They were bringing all those things into Jerusalem when it was a Sabbath day. I warned them that they must not sell things on any Sabbath day.
• Jeremiah 42:19Listen to me, you people who still remain in Judah. The Lord has said to you, “Do not go to Egypt.” You must understand that I am now warning you.
• Acts 2:40Peter also told them many other things. He continued to speak strongly to them. He told them to be careful and he said, ‘People who are alive today do not do what is right. Save yourselves from the punishment that God will send on them.’
• Acts 18:5Then Silas and Timothy arrived there from the country called Macedonia. After that, the only work that Paul did was to teach people God's message. He told the Jews clearly that Jesus is God's Messiah.
• Acts 20:21I have taught the same things both to Jewish people and to Gentiles. I have said clearly to them all, “You must stop doing wrong things. Change the way that you live and turn to God. Believe in our Lord Jesus.”
• Galatians 5:3I will say it very clearly. Every man who lets someone circumcise him must then obey all the Jewish rules.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:6No man among you should ever have sex with the wife of a Christian friend. That would be the same as if you robbed him. It would be a bad thing to do against him. Remember that the Lord will punish everyone who does things like that. We have already told you that. We warned you very seriously about it.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:1Christian friends, there are a few more things that we need to say. We have already taught you how to live in a way that pleases God. And we know that you are living in that way. Now we ask you to continue to live like that even more. On behalf of the Lord Jesus, we seriously ask you to do this.
• 1 Timothy 5:21I say this to you very strongly: Obey what I am telling you to do. Remember that God himself and Christ Jesus, together with their special angels, are all watching what you do. Do not quickly decide if someone has done right or wrong. Be fair and judge everyone in the same way.
• 1 Timothy 6:13Christ Jesus himself spoke God's true message clearly when he stood in front of Pontius Pilate. I now say this to you, in front of God who causes all things to be alive, and in front of Jesus.

Commentaries on Ephesians 4:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Walk not as other Gentiles walk - Ye are called to holiness by the Gospel, the other Gentiles have no such calling; walk not as they walk. In this and the two following verses the apostle gives a most awful account of the conduct of the heathens who were without the knowledge of the true God. I shall note the particulars. 1. They walked in the vanity of their mind, ̔· In the foolishness of their mind; want of genuine wisdom is that to which the apostle…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord - I bear witness in the name of the Lord Jesus, or ministering by his authority. The object of this is, to exhort them to walk worthy of their high calling, and to adorn the doctrine of the Saviour. With this view, he reminds them of what they were before they were converted, and of the manner in which the pagan around them lived. That ye henceforth walk not - That you do not henceforth live - the Christian…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-24Verses 17-24 The apostle charged the Ephesians in the name and by the authority of the Lord Jesus, that having professed the gospel, they should not be as the unconverted Gentiles, who walked in vain fancies and carnal affections. Do not men, on every side, walk in the vanity of their minds? Must not we then urge the distinction between real and nominal Christians? They were void of all saving knowledge; they sat in darkness, and loved it rather than…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17God's people are called to live in a way that is different from unbelievers in the world.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. therefore--resuming the exhortation which he had begun with, "I therefore beseech you that ye walk worthy," &c. (Ep 4:1). testify in the Lord--in whom (as our element) we do all things pertaining to the ministry (1Th 4:1 [Alford]; Ro 9:1). henceforth ... not--Greek, "no longer"; resumed from Ep 4:14. other--Greek, "the rest of the Gentiles." in the vanity, &c.--as their element: opposed to "in the Lord." "Vanity of mind" is the waste of the rational…Read the comment

Topics related to Ephesians 4:17

• Adultery
• Amusements and Worldly Pleasures
• Conscience
• Depravity of Man
• Example
• Gentiles
• Lasciviousness
• Obedience
• Pride
• Vanity
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• In the Lord
• 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