Ephesians 4.29b-The Command to Produce Divine Good to Build Up One's Fellow Believer
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday November 13, 2025
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 4:29b-The Command to Produce Divine Good to Build Up One’s Fellow Believer
Lesson # 296
Ephesians 4:29 Any harmful word must habitually not proceed from the mouth of any one of you. But rather, if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that something is characterized as the production of divine good in quality and character for the building up of the one who does possess a need. And we agree that something is characterized as the production of divine good in quality and character for the building upon of the one who does possess a need. Then, the production of divine good in quality and character must regularly proceed from the mouth of each one of you in order that it would provide grace for the benefit of those who are hearing. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 4:29 is composed of the following:
(1) Solemn prohibition: pas logos sapros ek tou stomatos hymōn mē ekporeuesthō (πᾶς λόγος σαπρὸς ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν μὴ ἐκπορευέσθω), “Any harmful word must habitually not proceed from the mouth of any one of you.” (Author’s translation)
(2) Elliptical protasis of a responsive first class conditional statement: ei tis agathos pros oikodomēn tēs chreias (εἴ τις ἀγαθὸς πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς χρείας), “if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that something is characterized as the production of divine good in quality and character for the building up of the one who does possess a need. And we agree that something is characterized as the production of divine good in quality and character for the building upon of the one who does possess a need.” (Author’s translation)
(3) Elliptical apodosis of a responsive first class conditional statement: “Then, the production of divine good in quality and character must regularly proceed from the mouth of each one of you. (Author’s translation)
(4) Purpose clause: hina dō charin tois akouousin (ἵνα δῷ χάριν τοῖς ἀκούουσιν), “in order that it would provide grace for the benefit of those who are hearing.” (Author’s translation)
The first class conditional statement presents an emphatic contrast with the solemn prohibition.
Therefore, the emphatic contrast is between using harmful words while engaging in conversations with each other and that of using words, which would be characterized as the production of divine good because their words would build each other up spiritually.
The conditional particle ei (εἰ) is employed with the indicative mood of the verb eimi (εἰμί), which is omitted but implied from the previous prohibition because Paul is using the figure of ellipsis.
Together, they introduce the protasis of a first class condition, which indicates the assumption of truth for the sake of argument.
The eimi (εἰμί) pertains to something possessing a particular characteristic, which is identified by the context as something which is characterized as being divine good or that which is produced through the believer when they obey the various Spirit inspired prohibitions and commands in Scripture.
The referent of the third person singular of this verb is words which are characterized as divine good which benefit a believer in need.
As was the case in Ephesians 4:28, the adjective agathos (ἀγαθός) means “divine good” or “divine good in quality and character” and describes works or actions as good in the sense that they are divine in quality and character because it is in accordance with the Father’s will.
They are in accordance with the Father’s will because they are the direct result of a person being influenced by the Spirit.
This word describes these works or actions as being intrinsically valuable, intrinsically good, inherently good in quality but with the idea of good which is also profitable, useful, benefiting others, benevolent because it is based upon and motivated by the teaching of the Spirit in the Word of God.
It describes these works or actions as being intrinsically valuable, intrinsically good, inherently good in quality but with the idea of good which is also profitable, useful, benefiting others.
The adjective agathos (ἀγαθός) contains the figure of metonymy, which means that which is divine good in quality and character is put for the production of good, which is divine in quality and character.
It refers to the communication of the Word of God, which is the production of divine good, because serves to build up and edify believers spiritually.
The present tense of this verb eimi (εἰμί) functions as a gnomic present, which expresses the idea that something “does as eternal spiritual truth” or “general timeless fact” exists in the state of being characterized as the production of divine good for the benefit of a believer in need.
The apodosis of this first class condition is also elliptical since the third person singular present middle imperative conjugation of the verb ekporeuomai (ἐκπορεύομαι) is omitted but implied from the previous prohibition because Paul employs the figure of ellipsis.
Also, omitted but implied from the previous prohibition is the prepositional phrase ek tou stomatos hymōn (ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν), “from the mouth of any one of you.”
The subject of this verb is the adjective agathos (ἀγαθός) means “divine good” or “divine good in quality and character” and contains the figure of metonymy as it did earlier in the verse meaning that divine good is put for the production of it.
Once again, the present imperative conjugation of the verb ekporeuomai (ἐκπορεύομαι) is a customary present imperative, which has the force of a general precept and makes no comment about whether the action is going on or not.
The present tense of this verb is a customary present tense, which is used to signal a regularly occurring action on the part of the subject of the verb.
Therefore, it expresses the idea of the production of divine good must “regularly” or “habitually’ proceed out of the mouths of the recipients of this epistle.
The noun chreia (χρεία) means “need” and refers to the spiritual need of a believer.
The dative masculine singular present active participle conjugation of the verb echō (ἔχω) is omitted but implied from Ephesians 4:28 when it was used the second time in this verse because Paul is once again using the figure of ellipsis.
As was the case the second time the word was used in Ephesians 4:28, this verb in Ephesians 4:29 pertains to possessing something, which is identified by the articular dative masculine singular form of the noun chreia (χρεία), “need.”
The referent of the masculine singular form of this verb echō (ἔχω) is a hypothetical Christian.
The participle conjugation of this verb is in the dative case and functions as dative of advantage, which expresses the idea of those who are in need “benefiting” from those who build them up spiritually with their words.
As was the case in Ephesians 4:12 and 16, the noun oikodomē (οἰκοδομή) here in Ephesians 4:29 is used in a figurative sense of the act of bringing something closer to completion.
Specifically, the word speaks of building up spiritually the members of the body of Christ in the sense of facilitating their spiritual growth as individuals and as a corporate unit.
In this case, it is building up believer with words which are characterized as divine good.
This word is the object of the preposition pros (πρός), which functions as a marker of purpose which indicates that the noun oikodomē (οἰκοδομή) presents the purpose of believers speaking only words, which are characterized as the production of divine good.
