Ephesians 5.4-The Prohibition in Ephesians 5.3 Corresponds to the Prohibition in Ephesians 5.4
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Saturday January 31, 2026
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 5:4-The Prohibition in Ephesians 5:3 Corresponds to the Prohibition in Ephesians 5:4
Lesson # 315
Ephesians 5:1 Therefore, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of conducting your lives by imitating the one and only God because each and every one without exception are beloved children. 2 Specifically, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of living your lives by means of the practice of divine-love because the one and only Christ in fact divinely-loved each and every one of you of us as a corporate unit. Namely, He gave Himself up as a substitute for each and every one of us as a corporate unit to be a voluntary offering, which is a sacrifice for the benefit of the one and only God for a fragrant aroma. 3 But sexual immorality in the form of temple prostitution, in fact, sexual impurity of any kind, or greed must continue to never be mentioned as being practiced among any one of you because this conduct is appropriate behavior for saints. 4 Correspondingly, not only obscene language but also stupid conversation or crude joking must continue to never be mentioned as being practiced among any one of you. These are absolutely never appropriate. But instead, the practice of thanksgiving is in fact appropriate. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 5:4 is composed of the following:
(1) elliptical prohibition: kai aischrotēs kai mōrologia ē eutrapelia (καὶ αἰσχρότης καὶ μωρολογία ἢ εὐτραπελία), “Correspondingly, not only obscene language but also stupid conversation or crude joking must continue to never be mentioned as being practiced among any one of you. (Lecturer’s translation)
(2) relative pronoun clause: ha ouk anēken (ἃ οὐκ ἀνῆκεν), “These are absolutely never appropriate. (Lecturer’s translation)
(3) elliptical strong adversative clause: alla mallon eucharistia (ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον εὐχαριστία), “But instead the practice of thanksgiving is in fact appropriate.” (Lecturer’s translation)
Therefore, we can see that Ephesians 5:4 begins with an elliptical prohibition, which corresponds with the prohibition, which appears in Ephesians 5:3.
It required that not only obscene language but also stupid conversation or crude joking must continue to never be mentioned as being practiced by the recipients of this epistle who we have noted many times in our study of Ephesians were members of the Gentile Christian community in the Roman province of Asia.
This prohibition is modified by a relative pronoun clause, which describes these sins of the tongue as never being appropriate for them to practice.
It is followed by an elliptical strong adversative clause, which presents an emphatic contrast with practicing these sins of the tongue.
It asserts that the practice of giving thanks to God is appropriate for them to be practicing with each other and with those outside the Christian community.
The elliptical prohibition which begins Ephesians 5:4 contains a correlative clause, which contains the correlative use of the conjunction kai (καί), which is employed twice by Paul in order to present the correlation between the nouns aischrotēs (αἰσχρότης), “vulgar speech” and mōrologia (μωρολογία), “foolish talk.”
The correlation between the two is that they both are sins of the tongue or in other words, they both speak of sins, which are committed verbally.
This construction also marks the correspondence with the nouns porneia (πορνεία) and akatharsia (ἀκαθαρσία), which Paul uses in Ephesians 5:3.
So therefore, the correlative use of the conjunction kai (καί) by Paul in Ephesians 5:4 marks the correspondence between the nouns aischrotēs (αἰσχρότης), “vulgar speech” and mōrologia (μωρολογία), “foolish talk” in Ephesians 5:4 and the nouns porneia (πορνεία) and akatharsia (ἀκαθαρσία) in Ephesians 5:3.
This indicated by the fact that all four nouns are associated with sexual immorality with the nouns in verse 3 referring to acts and the nouns in verse 4 referring to sins committed verbally.
It was common practice in the unregenerate Gentile community for both men and women to sell their bodies for sex as part of the worship of the Graeco-Roman pantheon of gods.
Correspondingly, it was also common practice for them to have sexual relations with temple prostitutes.
We also noted in our study of Ephesians 5:3 that the noun akatharsia (ἀκαθαρσία) refers to all types of sexual sins such as pre-marital sex (Gen. 1:18-24; 1 Cor. 7:2), adultery (1 Sam. 21:5), rape (Gen. 34:5), homosexuality (Lev. 18:20), and other sexual deviations (Lev. 18:6-30) and denotes the state or moral impurity in relation to sexual sin.
The word contains the figure of metonymy meaning that sexual impurity of any kind is put for the practice of it.
It is modified by the adjective adjective pas (πᾶς), which pertains to “every kind of, each and every kind of, each and every type of” sexual impurity.
So therefore, the correlative use of the conjunction kai (καί) by Paul in Ephesians 5:4 marks the correspondence between the nouns aischrotēs (αἰσχρότης), “vulgar speech” and mōrologia (μωρολογία), “foolish talk” in Ephesians 5:4 and the nouns porneia (πορνεία) and akatharsia (ἀκαθαρσία) in Ephesians 5:3.
This indicated by the fact that all four nouns are associated with sexual immorality with the nouns in verse 3 referring to acts and the nouns in verse 4 referring to sins committed verbally.
