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

15but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, 16from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. So I say this, and affirm in the Lord, that you are to no longer walk just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their minds, 18being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19and they, having become callous, have given themselves up to indecent behavior for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

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

• Soοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• I sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• and affirmμαρτύρομαιmarturomai · to testifyG3143
• in the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• that you are to noμηκέτιmēketi · never againG3371
• walkπεριπατέωperipateō · to walkG4043
• Gentilesἔθνοςethnos · GentilesG1484
• alsoκαίkai · andG2532
• futilityματαιότηςmataiotēs · futilityG3153
• of their mindsνοῦςnous · mindG3563

Cross-references for Ephesians 4:17

• 1 Corinthians 1:12Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am with Paul,” or “I am with Apollos,” or “I am with Cephas,” or “I am with Christ.”
• 1 Corinthians 15:50Now I say this, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
• 2 Corinthians 9:6Now I say this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows generously will also reap generously.
• Galatians 3:17What I am saying is this: the Law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.
• Colossians 2:4I say this so that no one will deceive you with persuasive arguments.
• Nehemiah 9:29And admonished them in order to turn them back to Your Law. Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to Your commandments but sinned against Your ordinances, Which, if a person follows them, then he will live by them. And they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck, and would not listen.
• Nehemiah 13:15In those days I saw in Judah people who were treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs, and every kind of load, and they were bringing them into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I admonished them on the day they sold food.
• Jeremiah 42:19The Lord has spoken to you, you remnant of Judah, “Do not go to Egypt!” You know for certain that I have admonished you today.
• Acts 2:40And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on urging them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”
• Acts 18:5But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.
• Acts 20:21solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Galatians 5:3And I testify again to every man who has himself circumcised, that he is obligated to keep the whole Law.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:6and that no one violate the rights and take advantage of his brother or sister in the matter, because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you previously and solemnly warned you.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:1Finally then, brothers and sisters, we request and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel even more.
• 1 Timothy 5:21I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.
• 1 Timothy 6:13I direct you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate,

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