Ephesians 4:29

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
Let	ἐκπορευέσθω ekporeuesthō	G1607	to depart · verb — present middle or passive deponent imperative, 3rd person singular
no	μὴ mē	G3361	(adverb) not · particle — negative
corrupt	σαπρὸς sapros	G4550	rotten · adjective — nominative singular masculine
communication	λόγος logos	G3056	something said (including the thought) · noun — nominative singular masculine
proceed	ἐκπορεύομαι ekporeúomai	G1607	to depart
of	ἐκ ek	G1537	literal or figurative · preposition
your	ὑμῶν hymōn	G5216	of (from or concerning) you
mouth	στόματος stomatos	G4750	the mouth (as if a gash in the face) · noun — genitive singular neuter
but	ἀλλ᾽ all᾽	G235	properly · conjunction
that	εἴ ei	G1487	if · conditional particle
is	τις tis	G5100	some or any person or object · indefinite pronoun — nominative singular masculine
good	ἀγαθὸς agathos	G18	"good" (in any sense · adjective — nominative singular masculine
to	πρὸς pros	G4314	a preposition of direction · preposition
use	χρείας, chreias	G5532	employment · noun — genitive singular feminine
edifying	οἰκοδομὴν oikodomēn	G3619	architecture · noun — accusative singular feminine
that	ἵνα ina	G2443	compare G3588 (ὁ)) · conjunction
minister	δῷ dō	G1325	to give (used in a very wide application · verb — second aorist active subjunctive, 3rd person singular
grace	χάριν charin	G5485	graciousness (as gratifying) · noun — accusative singular feminine
hearers	ἀκούουσιν. akouousin	G191	to hear (in various senses) · verb — present active participle, dative plural masculine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Colossians 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
Ecclesiastes 10:12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
Proverbs 15:7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.
Colossians 3:8-9 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Matthew 12:34-37 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Proverbs 25:11-12 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
Psalms 37:30-31 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 4:17–end

The apostle having gone through his exhortation to mutual love, unity, and concord, in the foregoing verses, there follows in these an exhortation to Christian purity and holiness of heart and life, and that both more general (Eph 4:17-24) and in several particular instances, Eph 4:25-32. This is solemnly introduced: "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord; that is, seeing the matter is as above described, seeing you are members of Christ's body and partakers of such gifts, this I urge upon your consciences, and bear witness to as your duty in the Lord's name, and by virtue of the authority I have derived from him." Consider, I. The more general exhortation to purity and holiness of h…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ephesians 4:29

corrupt--literally, "insipid," without "the salt of grace" (Col 4:6), so worthless and then becoming corrupt: included in "foolish talking" (Eph 5:4). Its opposite is "that which is good to edifying." communication--language. that which, &c.--Greek, "whatever is good." use of edifying--literally, "for edifying of the need," that is, for edifying where it is needed. Seasonably edifying; according as the occasion and present needs of the hearers require, now censure, at another time consolation. Even words good in themselves must be introduced seasonably lest by our fault they prove injurious instead of useful. TRENCH explains, Not vague generalities, which would suit a thousand other ca…

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Adam Clarke on Ephesians 4:29

Let no corrupt communication - Πας λογος σαπρος. Kypke observes that λογος σαπρος signifies a useless, putrid, unsavory, and obscene word or conversation. 1. Useless, particularly that which has been rendered so by old age and corruption. 2. Putrid, impure; so Aristophanes in Lysistrat., p. 859, calls a bad woman σαπρα: εμοι συ λουτρον, ω σαπρα· Tune, Spurca! balneum mihi parabis? 3. Calumnious, or reproachful; whatever has a tendency to injure the name, fame, or interest of another. In short, it appears to mean any word or thing obscene, any thing that injures virtue, countenances vice, or scoffs at religion. In the parallel place, Col 4:6, the apostle exhorts that our speech may be seasone…

The Church Fathers

And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ hath forgiven you."
— Pope Anterus,

A hermit said, 'A monk ought not to listen to disparagement; he ought not to be disparaging, and he ought not to be scornful.'
— Desert Fathers, The Desert Fathers, Sayings of the Early Christian Monks

A good word is one that serves to build upon the occasion, communicating grace to the hearers because it teaches them to pursue virtues and shun vices. An evil word is one that prompts them to sin and rather drives them headlong into disaster.… Whenever we say what is not in season or inappropriate for the context, or that which does not contribute to the good of the hearers, an evil word proceeds from our mouth.… Even if we do no direct harm, yet we are not thereby building up. We shall pay the penalty of an evil word.
— Jerome, Commentary on Ephesians 4:29

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Commandments · PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES — PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES
Edification · All to be done to — All to be done to
Falsehood · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Grace · Saints: Should speak with — Saints: Should speak with
Missionaries, All Christians Should Be As · In holy conservation — In holy conservation
Speaking · 1:29,30;3:13,14; — 1:29,30;3:13,14;

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Ephesians 4:29

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 4:17–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ephesians 4:29

Adam Clarke on Ephesians 4:29

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Ephesians 4:29

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 4:17–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ephesians 4:29

Adam Clarke on Ephesians 4:29

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Ephesians 4:29

John Calvin on Ephesians 4:29-31

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ephesians 4:29