What does Ephesians chapter 4 verse 29 mean?

Answer 1

29Let 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.30And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Answer 2

"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." (Eph.4:29 KJV)

Sometimes a different translation helps to overcome modern man's difficulties in understanding some of the "strangeness" of the earlier versions of the English language. Like the New Living Translation [NLT]:

"Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them."

There is also the matter of connecting the passage in question with other scriptural lessons regarding the "tongue" in order to grasp its meaning, and the bigger picture The Bible paints. Like:

"...at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the Glory of God the Father." (Philip.2:10-11 NLT)

And: "If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless." (James 1:26 NLT)

And: "...the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself." (James 3:5-6 NLT) [hell; Gehenna, the valley on the outskirts of Jerusalem that Jesus indicates will become the 'Lake of Fire'; see the Judgment account - Rev.20:11-15]

And: "...no one can tame the tongue. It is full of uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our LORD and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, THIS IS NOT RIGHT!" (James 3:8-10 NLT)

And if you follow up these passages [and others] with Matthew Henry's commentary on Ephesians 4:29... you may begin to get a grasp on its meaning:

"...Filthy words proceed from corruption in the speaker, and they corrupt the minds and manners of those who hear them: Christians should beware of all such discourse. It is THE DUTY of Christians to seek, by the blessing of God, to bring persons to think seriously, and to encourage and warn believers by their conversation..." (Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary: Eph.4:29).

Answer 3

Sometimes, just a different translation from the "sometimes difficult language" of the King James Version helps:

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpfull for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (Eph.4:29 NIV)

Matthew Henry comments:

"Filthy words proceed from corruption in the speaker, and they corrupt the minds and manners of those who hear them: Christians should beware of all such discourse. It is the duty of Christians to seek, by the blessing of God, to bring persons to think seriously, and to encourage and warn believers by their conversation. Be ye kind to one another. This sets forth the principle of love in the heart, and the outward expression of it, in a humble, courteous behaviour. Mark how God's forgiveness causes us to forgive. God forgives us, though we had no cause to sin against him. We must forgive, as he has forgiven us. All lying, and corrupt communication, that stir up evil desires and lusts, grieve the Spirit of God. Corrupt passions of bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, evil-speaking, and malice, grieve the Holy Spirit..." (excerpt: Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary; Eph.4:Ver. 29-- )

AND

This is from the Believers Bible Commentary

4:29 The apostle now turns to the subject of speech, and contrasts that which is worthless with that which edifies. Corrupt speech generally means conversation that is filthy and suggestive; this would include off-color jokes, profanity, and dirty stories. But here it probably has the wider sense of any form of conversation that is frivolous, empty, idle, and worthless. Paul deals with obscene and vile language in Eph_5:4; here he is telling us to abandon profitless speech and substitute constructive conversation. The Christian's speech should be:

Edifying. It should result in building up the hearers.

Appropriate. It should be suitable to the occasion.

Gracious. It should impart grace to the hearers.

Answer 4

If this is taken in connection with the preceding verse, it means that worthless talk grieves the Spirit. It may also be linked to verses 25-28 to indicate that lying, unrighteous anger, and stealing also hurt Him. Or in a still wider sense, it may be saying that we should abstain from anything and everything that grieves Him.

Sealed with the Holy Spirit means that every true believer receives the Spirit of God as a sign that he belongs to God and that he will be kept safe by God until the time his redemption is complete.

A merchant would go to the market and when he saw something he wanted he would place his seal on the goods to show that he intended to come back and collect the goods. The indwelling Spirit brands the Christian as God's property.