Ephesians 5:3

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
But	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
fornication	Πορνεία Porneia	G4202	harlotry (including adultery and incest) · noun — nominative singular feminine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
all	πᾶσα pasa	G3956	all · adjective — nominative singular feminine
uncleanness	ἀκαθαρσία akatharsia	G167	impurity (the quality) · noun — nominative singular feminine
or	ἢ ē	G2228	disjunctive · conjunction
covetousness	πλεονεξία pleonexia	G4124	avarice · noun — nominative singular feminine
it	ὀνομαζέσθω onomazesthō	G3687	to name · verb — present passive imperative, 3rd person singular
once	μηδὲ mēde	G3366	but not · conjunction — negative
named	ὀνομάζω onomázō	G3687	to name
among	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
you	ὑμῖν hymîn	G5213	to (with or by) you
as	καθὼς kathōs	G2531	just (or inasmuch) as · conjunction
becometh	πρέπει prepei	G4241	to tower up (be conspicuous) · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person singular
saints	ἁγίοις hagiois	G40	sacred (physically · adjective — 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 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousnes…
Ephesians 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Chri…
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
1 Corinthians 6:13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord;…
Ephesians 5:12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 5:3-20

These verses contain a caution against all manner of uncleanness, with proper remedies and arguments proposed: some further cautions are added, and other duties recommended. Filthy lusts must be suppressed, in order to the supporting of holy love. Walk in love, and shun fornication and all uncleanness. Fornication is folly committed between unmarried persons. All uncleanness includes all other sorts of filthy lusts, which were too common among the Gentiles. Or covetousness, which being thus connected, and mentioned as a thing which should not be once named, some understand it, in the chaste style of the scripture, of unnatural lust; while others take it in the more common sense, for an immod…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ephesians 5:3

once named--Greek, "Let it not be even named" (Eph 5:4, Eph 5:12). "Uncleanness" and "covetousness" are taken up again from Eph 4:19. The two are so closely allied that the Greek for "covetousness" (pleonexia) is used sometimes in Scripture, and often in the Greek Fathers, for sins of impurity. The common principle is the longing to fill one's desire with material objects of sense, outside of God. The expression, "not be even named," applies better to impurity, than to "covetousness."

Adam Clarke on Ephesians 5:3

But fornication - It is probable that the three terms used here by the apostle refer to different species of the same thing. The word fornication, πορνεια, may imply not only fornication but adultery also, as it frequently does; uncleanness, ακαθαρσια may refer to all abominable and unnatural lusts - sodomy, bestiality, etc., and covetousness, πλεονεξια, to excessive indulgence in that which, moderately used, is lawful. As the covetous man never has enough of wealth, so the pleasure-taker and the libertine never have enough of the gratifications of sense, the appetite increasing in proportion to its indulgence. If, however, simple covetousness, i.e. the love of gain, be here intended, it sho…

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John Gill

The Church Fathers

Even one who is in fact free of fornication is not holy if he remains mentally preoccupied with some uncleanness or with the avaricious pursuit of the pleasures that have once delighted him.
— Jerome, Commentary on Ephesians 5:3-4

Again: "But let fornication and every impurity not be even named among you, as becometh saints," -so far is it from being excused,-"knowing this, that every fornicator or impure (person) hath not God's kingdom.
— Tertullian, On Modesty

What a grave sin is covetousness, though we gloss over it when compared with fornication and uncleanness. We treat covetousness as a minor fault when in fact it is a grave matter. No one can be a saint in whom is found any of these things that he forbids.
— Ambrosiaster, EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 5.3

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

Chastity · 2:10,11,16-22;5:15-21;6:24,25;7:1-5;31:3; — 2:10,11,16-22;5:15-21;6:24,25;7:1-5;31:3;
Commandments · PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES — PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES
Covetousness · 6:13;8:10;17:11;22:17;51:13; — 6:13;8:10;17:11;22:17;51:13;
Holiness · 2:17;5:22-25;6:15; — 2:17;5:22-25;6:15;

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 5:3

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 5:3-20

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ephesians 5:3

Adam Clarke on Ephesians 5:3

John Gill

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Ephesians 5:3

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 5:3-20

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ephesians 5:3

Adam Clarke on Ephesians 5:3

John Gill

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Ephesians 5:3-7

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ephesians 5:3-5