Ephesians 4:29

Bible in Basic English (1941)

Let no evil talk come out of your mouth, but only what is good for giving necessary teaching, and for grace to those who give ear.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Πᾶς λόγος σαπρὸς ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν μὴ ἐκπορευέσθω, ἀλλʼ εἴ τις ἀγαθὸς πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς χρείας, ἵνα δῷ χάριν τοῖς ἀκούουσιν.

Transliteration

All logos sapros from the stomatos of you not let ekporeuestho, but if any agathos pros oikodomēn of the chreias, hina it might dō charin to the ones akouousin.

Grammar Details

• *logos*: nominative masculine singular - word/speech
• *sapros*: nominative masculine singular - corrupt/unwholesome
• *stomatos*: genitive neuter singular - of mouth
• *ekporeuestho*: present middle/passive imperative, 3rd singular - let proceed
• *agathos*: nominative masculine singular - good
• *pros*: preposition with accusative - for/toward
• *oikodomēn*: accusative feminine singular - edification/building up
• *chreias*: genitive feminine singular - of need
• *hina*: conjunction - so that/in order that
• *dō*: aorist active subjunctive, 3rd singular - it might give
• *charin*: accusative feminine singular - grace/favor
• *akouousin*: present active participle, dative masculine plural - to those hearing

Word Meanings

• *logos*: word/speech/message
• *sapros*: corrupt/unwholesome/rotten
• *stomatos*: mouth/speech
• *ekporeuestho*: proceed/come out
• *agathos*: good/beneficial/worthy
• *oikodomēn*: edification/building up
• *chreias*: need/necessity
• *dō*: might give/grant/impart
• *charin*: grace/favor/benefit
• *akouousin*: those hearing/listeners

Referenced Verses

• Col 4:6 : 6 Let your talk be with grace, mixed with salt, so that you may be able to give an answer to everyone.
• Prov 15:7 : 7 The lips of the wise keep knowledge, but the heart of the foolish man is not right.
• Prov 12:13 : 13 In the sin of the lips is a net which takes the sinner, but the upright man will come out of trouble.
• Eccl 10:12 : 12 The words of a wise man's mouth are sweet to all, but the lips of a foolish man are his destruction.
• 1 Thess 5:11 : 11 So then, go on comforting and building up one another, as you have been doing.
• Prov 15:2-4 : 2 Knowledge is dropping from the tongue of the wise; but from the mouth of the foolish comes a stream of foolish words. 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. 4 A comforting tongue is a tree of life, but a twisted tongue is a crushing of the spirit.
• Prov 25:11-12 : 11 A word at the right time is like apples of gold in a network of silver. 12 Like a nose-ring of gold and an ornament of the best gold, is a wise man who says sharp words to an ear ready to give attention.
• Ps 37:30-31 : 30 The mouth of the good man says words of wisdom; the talk of his tongue is of righteousness. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; he will never make a false step.
• Col 3:8-9 : 8 But now it is right for you to put away all these things; wrath, passion, bad feeling, curses, unclean talk; 9 Do not make false statements to one another; because you have put away the old man with all his doings,
• Jas 3:2-8 : 2 For we all go wrong in a number of things. If a man never makes a slip in his talk, then he is a complete man and able to keep all his body in control. 3 Now if we put bits of iron into horses' mouths so that they may be guided by us, we have complete control of their bodies. 4 And again ships, though they are so great and are moved by violent winds, are turned by a very small guiding-blade, at the impulse of the man who is using it. 5 Even so the tongue is a small part of the body, but it takes credit for great things. How much wood may be lighted by a very little fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire; it is the power of evil placed in our bodies, making all the body unclean, putting the wheel of life on fire, and getting its fire from hell. 7 For every sort of beast and bird and every living thing on earth and in the sea has been controlled by man and is under his authority; 8 But the tongue may not be controlled by man; it is an unresting evil, it is full of the poison of death.
• Matt 5:16 : 16 Even so let your light be shining before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
• Prov 10:31-32 : 31 The mouth of the upright man is budding with wisdom, but the twisted tongue will be cut off. 32 The lips of the upright man have knowledge of what is pleasing, but twisted are the mouths of evil-doers.
• Matt 12:34-37 : 34 You offspring of snakes, how are you, being evil, able to say good things? because out of the heart's store come the words of the mouth. 35 The good man out of his good store gives good things; and the evil man out of his evil store gives evil things. 36 And I say to you that in the day when they are judged, men will have to give an account of every foolish word they have said. 37 For by your words will your righteousness be seen, and by your words you will be judged.
• Col 3:16-17 : 16 Let the word of Christ be in you in all wealth of wisdom; teaching and helping one another with songs of praise and holy words, making melody to God with grace in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in act, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving praise to God the Father through him.
• Eph 5:3-4 : 3 But evil acts of the flesh and all unclean things, or desire for others' property, let it not even be named among you, as is right for saints; 4 And let there be no low behaviour, or foolish talk, or words said in sport, which are not right, but in place of them the giving of praise.
• 1 Pet 2:12 : 12 Being of good behaviour among the Gentiles; so that though they say now that you are evil-doers, they may see your good works and give glory to God when he comes to be their judge.
• 1 Pet 3:1 : 1 Wives, be ruled by your husbands; so that even if some of them give no attention to the word, their hearts may be changed by the behaviour of their wives,
• Luke 4:22 : 22 And they were all giving witness, with wonder, to the words of grace which came from his mouth: and they said, Is not this the son of Joseph?
• Rom 3:13-14 : 13 Their throat is like an open place of death; with their tongues they have said what is not true: the poison of snakes is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of curses and bitter words:
• Mal 3:16-18 : 16 Then those in whom was the fear of the Lord had talk together: and the Lord gave ear, and it was recorded in a book to be kept in mind before him, for those who had the fear of the Lord and gave thought to his name. 17 And they will be mine, says the Lord, in the day when I make them my special property; and I will have mercy on them as a man has mercy on his son who is his servant. 18 Then you will again see how the upright man is different from the sinner, and the servant of God from him who is not.
• Prov 15:23 : 23 A man has joy in the answer of his mouth: and a word at the right time, how good it is!
• Prov 16:21 : 21 The wise-hearted will be named men of good sense: and by pleasing words learning is increased.
• Ps 5:9 : 9 For no faith may be put in their words; their inner part is nothing but evil; their throat is like an open place for the dead; smooth are the words of their tongues.
• Ps 52:2 : 2 Purposing destruction, using deceit; your tongue is like a sharp blade.
• Ps 73:7-9 : 7 Their eyes are bursting with fat; they have more than their heart's desire. 8 Their thoughts are deep with evil designs; their talk from their seats of power is of cruel acts. 9 Their mouth goes up to heaven; their tongues go walking through the earth.
• Isa 50:4 : 4 The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are experienced, so that I may be able to give the word a special sense for the feeble: every morning my ear is open to his teaching, like those who are experienced:
• Eph 4:16 : 16 Through whom all the body, being rightly formed and united together, by the full working of every part, is increased to the building up of itself in love.
• 1 Cor 15:32-33 : 32 If, after the way of men, I was fighting with beasts at Ephesus, what profit is it to me? If the dead do not come to life again, let us take our pleasure in feasting, for tomorrow we come to an end. 33 Do not be tricked by false words: evil company does damage to good behaviour.
• 1 Cor 14:19 : 19 But in the church it would be better for me to make use of five words of which the sense was clear, so that others might have profit, than ten thousand words in a strange tongue.
• Jude 1:13-16 : 13 Violent waves of the sea, streaming with their shame, wandering stars for whom the darkest night is kept in store for ever. 14 The prophet Enoch, who was the seventh after Adam, said of these men, The Lord came with tens of thousands of his saints, 15 To be the judge of all, and to give a decision against all those whose lives are unpleasing to him, because of the evil acts which they have done, and because of all the hard things which sinners without fear of God have said against him. 16 These are the men who make trouble, ever desiring change, going after evil pleasures, using high-sounding words, respecting men's position in the hope of reward.
• Ps 71:17-18 : 17 O God, you have been my teacher from the time when I was young; and I have been talking of your works of wonder even till now. 18 Now when I am old and grey-headed, O God, give me not up; till I have made clear your strength to this generation, and your power to all those to come.
• Ps 71:24 : 24 My tongue will be talking of your righteousness all the day; for those whose purpose is to do me evil have been crushed and put to shame.
• Ps 78:4-5 : 4 We will not keep them secret from our children; we will make clear to the coming generation the praises of the Lord and his strength, and the great works of wonder which he has done. 5 He put up a witness in Jacob, and made a law in Israel; which he gave to our fathers so that they might give knowledge of them to their children;
• Deut 6:6-9 : 6 Keep these words, which I say to you this day, deep in your hearts; 7 Teaching them to your children with all care, talking of them when you are at rest in your house or walking by the way, when you go to sleep and when you get up. 8 Let them be fixed as a sign on your hand, and marked on your brow; 9 Have them lettered on the pillars of your houses and over the doors of your towns.
• Ps 45:2 : 2 You are fairer than the children of men; grace is flowing through your lips; for this cause the blessing of God is with you for ever.
• Rev 13:5-6 : 5 And there was given to him a mouth to say words of pride against God; and there was given to him authority to go on for forty-two months. 6 And his mouth was open to say evil against God, and against his name and his Tent, even against those who are in heaven.
• 2 Pet 2:18 : 18 For with high-sounding false words, making use of the attraction of unclean desires of the flesh, they get into their power those newly made free from those who are living in error;
• Eph 4:12 : 12 For the training of the saints as servants in the church, for the building up of the body of Christ: