Ephesians 4:19

19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

Ephesians 4:19 in Other Translations

KJV
19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
ESV
19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
NLT
19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
MSG
19 They can't think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.
CSB
19 They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.

Ephesians 4:19 Meaning and Commentary

Ephesians 4:19

Who being past feeling
Their consciences being cauterized or seared as with a red hot iron, which is the consequence of judicial hardness; so that they have lost all sense of sin, and do not feel the load of its guilt upon them, and are without any concern about it; but on the contrary commit it with pleasure, boast of it and glory in it, plead for it and defend it publicly, and openly declare it, and stand in no fear of a future judgment, which they ridicule and despise: the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions, and the Claromontane exemplar read, who "despairing": of mercy and salvation, saying there is no hope, and therefore grow hardened and desperate in sin;

have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all
uncleanness with greediness;
by "lasciviousness" is meant all manner of lusts, and a wanton and unbridled course of sinning; and their giving themselves over unto it denotes their voluntariness in sinning, the power of sin over them, they being willing slaves unto it, and their continuance in it; and this they do in order

to work all uncleanness;
to commit every unclean lust, to live in a continued commission of uncleanness of every sort; and that

with greediness;
being like a covetous man, never satisfied with sinning, but always craving more sinful lusts and pleasures.

Ephesians 4:19 In-Context

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned
21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.

Cross References 3

  • 1. 1 Timothy 4:2
  • 2. Romans 1:24
  • 3. Colossians 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3
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