Ephesians 4 31

Ephesians 4:31 kjv

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Ephesians 4:31 nkjv

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

Ephesians 4:31 niv

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

Ephesians 4:31 esv

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Ephesians 4:31 nlt

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.

Ephesians 4 verses

Ephesians 4 31 meaning

Ephesians 4:31 issues a strong command for believers to completely eradicate a range of negative attitudes and behaviors from their lives. These include inner resentment (bitterness), uncontrolled emotional outbursts (wrath and anger), noisy quarrels (clamour), abusive speech (evil speaking), and underlying ill-will (malice). The verse calls for a decisive, conscious, and complete removal of these destructive elements, which are incompatible with the new life in Christ and harmful to the unity and health of the Christian community. This stripping away of negative traits paves the way for the positive attributes encouraged in the following verse, reflecting the character of God.

Ephesians 4 31 Context

Ephesians chapter 4 shifts from theological doctrine (chapters 1-3, detailing God's eternal plan and the believer's exalted position in Christ) to practical exhortation on Christian living (chapters 4-6). Specifically, verses 1-16 emphasize the call to unity within the body of Christ, built on love and diverse spiritual gifts. Verses 17-24 urge believers to shed their "old self" ways—characterized by futile thinking and corrupt desires common to their pagan past—and "put on the new self," created in righteousness and holiness. Verses 25-32 provide concrete examples of how to live out this new identity. Verse 31 directly follows the command to "grieve not the Holy Spirit" (Eph 4:30), underscoring that these negative behaviors are an offense to the Spirit who seals them. This verse then forms a critical bridge to the positive commands of kindness, tender-heartedness, and forgiveness in Eph 4:32, presenting a stark contrast between the behaviors to be rejected and those to be embraced. Historically, the audience in Ephesus would have been surrounded by a Greco-Roman culture often marked by unrestrained passions, quarrels, and verbal abuse, making this instruction a clear distinction of Christian conduct.

Ephesians 4 31 Word analysis

• Let all bitterness (πικρία, pikria): Signifies a harsh, acrimonious spirit, an inward resentment, grudge, or embittered state of mind. It’s often the root or deeply seated sourness that poisons relationships, arising from unforgiveness. Its opposite is kindness and sweetness.
• and wrath (θυμός, thymos): Refers to passionate, impulsive anger, a sudden outburst of intense indignation or rage that quickly ignites and subsides, like a flash fire. It denotes heated emotion and volatility.
• and anger (ὀργή, orgē): Points to a deeper, more settled and prolonged indignation, resentment, or a slow-burning displeasure. Unlike thymos, orgē suggests a brooding, deliberate antagonism, often simmering before erupting. It can refer to a fixed state of mind rather than just a momentary passion.
• and clamour (κραυγή, kraugē): Means a loud shouting, outcry, or brawling. It signifies the public, often noisy and violent, manifestation of anger through heated arguments, quarreling, or boisterous disputes. It’s the verbal noise that accompanies contention.
• and evil speaking (βλασφημία, blasphēmia): Denotes abusive speech, slander, reviling, defaming, or cursing, often against God (blasphemy) but here more commonly against fellow humans. It's hurtful, derogatory language designed to demean or harm another's reputation.
• be put away (ἀρθήτω, arthētō): This is an aorist imperative passive verb from airō, meaning "to lift up," "take away," or "remove." The passive voice with the imperative suggests an action to be definitively and completely accomplished, implying that believers are to actively allow these things to be removed or to put them away themselves decisively. It denotes a radical severance, not just suppression.
• from you: Emphasizes that this command applies personally to each believer and requires a personal disposition and removal of these behaviors and attitudes from within their lives.
• with all malice (κακία, kakia): A comprehensive term for general wickedness, ill-will, vice, or a disposition to inflict evil upon others. It’s the malevolent character that often underlies and fuels the other negative traits listed. It's not just doing evil but wanting evil, an evil intention.

• Words-group Analysis: The sequence of terms from "bitterness" to "malice" illustrates a progression from internal disposition (bitterness), through various expressions of anger (wrath, anger), to their outward verbal manifestations (clamour, evil speaking), culminating in the overarching underlying motive of "malice" (general evil intention). "Malice" serves as both a comprehensive term for all these destructive tendencies and often as their root cause—the desire for bad things to happen to others or the general spirit of ill-will. The imperative "be put away" applies to this entire catalogue, signifying a complete and permanent severance of these characteristics from the life of a Christian, mirroring the "putting off" of the old self (Eph 4:22). This radical removal is essential for fostering the new community of peace and love that the gospel establishes.

Ephesians 4 31 Bonus section

The strong ethical demands in this verse are not simply moralistic rules, but rather the logical outflow of being "sealed with the Holy Spirit" (Eph 1:13; 4:30) and living as "children of light" (Eph 5:8). To maintain bitterness or engage in clamorous rage directly opposes the nature of God's Spirit, who indwells believers and works towards holiness, peace, and love. The "all" modifying each vice and "with all malice" emphasizes the comprehensive nature of this command; no room is left for partial compliance or a residual form of these sins. Furthermore, the imperative form in the Greek, arthētō, signals not merely a suppression but a decisive removal and severing of these destructive elements, akin to casting off a discarded garment. It signifies a radical commitment to a changed lifestyle, powered by the Holy Spirit, which directly contributes to the building up of the church mentioned earlier in the chapter. These actions were pervasive in the ancient world, and the Apostle Paul here calls for a counter-cultural transformation among believers, a clear ethical distinction from society.

Ephesians 4 31 Commentary

Ephesians 4:31 is a critical and direct ethical injunction, a non-negotiable command for believers. It lays bare a progression of sins that poison community and grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30). "Bitterness" represents the internal, festering grudge that refuses forgiveness. "Wrath" and "anger" describe the spectrum of uncontrolled temper, from explosive outbursts to smoldering resentment. "Clamour" captures the noisy, public expression of these angers in brawls and shouting matches, while "evil speaking" encompasses any form of slander, abuse, or destructive verbal communication. "Malice" acts as the underlying spirit of ill-will, the wicked intention that gives birth to all these vices. The command "be put away" is not an suggestion but a decisive imperative, calling for a total, active eradication. These are the vestiges of the "old self" that hinder Christian unity and betray the new nature received in Christ. Their removal is vital for walking in love, unity, and a Spirit-filled life.

• Examples for Practical Usage:
  • Bitterness: When past hurts resurface, actively choose to forgive, letting go of the demand for restitution, rather than replaying the offense.
  • Anger: Instead of letting frustrations build or erupt, pause to pray or express concerns calmly, addressing the issue not the person.
  • Evil Speaking: Before sharing gossip or a critical comment about someone, ask if it is true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, and kind (THINK test).