On our Speech | Ephesians Study

Ephesians 5:4

Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

Added to fornication, uncleanness, and covetousness (which should never be named among us), are:

Filthiness - NT:151 (ahee-skhrot'-ace); from NT:150; shamefulness, i.e. obscenity:

Foolish talking - NT:3473 morologia (mo-rol-og-ee'-ah); from a compound of NT:3474 and NT:3004; silly talk, i.e. buffoonery:

Jesting -  NT:2160 eutrapelia (yoo-trap-el-ee'-ah); from a compound of NT:2095 and a derivative of the base of NT:5157 (meaning well-turned, i.e. ready at repartee, jocose); witticism, i.e. (in a vulgar sense) ribaldry:

These are all individual words, the Greek words not used again the New Testament. They all give the idea of what comes out of the mouth. Looking these words up in the Webster's 1828 dictionary, we find,

Filthiness - 1. The state of being filthy. 2. Foulness; dirtiness; filth; nastiness. 3. Corruption; pollution; defilement by sin; impurity.

Foolish - 1. Void of understanding or sound judgment; weak in intellect; applied to general character. 2. Unwise; imprudent; acting without judgment or discretion in particular things.3. Proceeding from folly, or marked with folly; silly; vain; trifling. 4. Ridiculous; despicable. 5. In scripture, wicked; sinful; acting without regard to the divine law and glory, or to one's own eternal happiness. 6. Proceeding from depravity; sinful; as foolish lusts. 1 Tim 6.

Jesting -

ppr. Joking; talking for diversion or merriment.

n. A joking; concise wit; wit that consists in a trope or verbal figure, in a metaphorical sense of words, or in a double sense of the same word, or in similitude of sound in different words.

Honestly, this is one verse I wrestle with - because I like to jest, tease, and be silly. Taken at face-value, it means that any conversation coming out of my mouth should not be filthy (that which is not pure), foolish (empty, silly), or in jest (which gives the sense of negative wit, dirty wit); the definitions given these words, however, make me wonder: does this mean all witticism? or just the witticism that degrades others and is dirty?

Some verses linked to this thought are:

"But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes." (2 Timothy 2:23)

"But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain." (Titus 3:9)

"Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6)

{if our speech is "alway with grace" then it should ever be something that is not "grace"}

I would do well if I evaluated my speech with questions based on these passages:

~Are my words pure in God's eyes?

~Are they silly, frivolous, and empty? or do they minister grace to the hearers?

~Are they funny . . . but not quite acceptable?

~Do they degrade someone else - even if it is "in sport"?

If so, I should probably cleanse my mouth from them.

"But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." (Matthew 12:36-37)