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 your time because the days are evil. 17For this reason do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. And do not get drunk on wine, for that is recklessness. Instead, be filled with the Ruach, 19speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your heart to the Lord— 20always giving thanks for everything to God the Father, in the name of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

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, got drunk, and was uncovered in his tent.
• Genesis 19:32Come on! Let’s make our father drink wine so that we can lie with him and keep the seed from our father alive.
• Deuteronomy 21:20They will say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious—he does not listen to our voice. He is a glutton and a drunkard.’
• Psalms 69:12When I put on sackcloth, I became a joke to them.
• Proverbs 20:1Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler. Whoever is led astray by them is unwise.
• Proverbs 23:20Do not join those drinking too much wine or gorging on meat,
• Isaiah 5:11Woe to those who rise up early in the morning— so they may pursue liquor, who stay up late at night, until wine inflames them!
• Matthew 24:49and he begins to beat his fellow servants, and he eats and drinks with drunkards,
• Luke 12:45“But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is taking a long time to come,’ and he begins to beat the young slave boys and girls and to eat and drink and get drunk,
• Luke 21:34“But watch out so your hearts are not weighed down by carousing, strong drink, and the worries of life. Do not let that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.
• Romans 13:13Let us walk properly as in the day—not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and envy.
• 1 Corinthians 5:11But now I am writing to you not to mix together with anyone who is being called a brother if he is sexually immoral or greedy or an idolater or a slanderer or a drunkard or a swindler—not even to eat with such a fellow.
• 1 Corinthians 6:10thieves, the greedy, drunkards, slanderers, swindlers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.
• 1 Corinthians 11:21for each one takes his own supper beforehand, and one goes hungry while another gets drunk.
• Galatians 5:21envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, just as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit God’s kingdom.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:7For those who sleep, sleep at night; and those who get 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