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

16Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20And give thanks for everything to God the Father 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 9:21One day he drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent.
• Genesis 19:32Come, let’s get him drunk with wine, and then we will have sex with him. That way we will preserve our family line through our father.”
• Deuteronomy 21:20The parents must say to the elders, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious and refuses to obey. He is a glutton and a drunkard.’
• Psalms 69:12I am the favorite topic of town gossip, and all the drunks sing about me.
• Proverbs 20:1Wine produces mockers; alcohol leads to brawls. Those led astray by drink cannot be wise.
• Proverbs 23:20Do not carouse with drunkards or feast with gluttons,
• Isaiah 5:11What sorrow for those who get up early in the morning looking for a drink of alcohol and spend long evenings drinking wine to make themselves flaming drunk.
• Matthew 24:49and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?
• Luke 12:45But what if the servant thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?
• Luke 21:34“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware,
• Romans 13:13Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.
• 1 Corinthians 5:11I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.
• 1 Corinthians 6:10or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.
• 1 Corinthians 11:21For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk.
• Galatians 5:21envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:7Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk.

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