Ephesians 4:17-19

¹⁷ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,

¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;

¹⁹ who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

this I say (v.17) — what Paul is about to write

therefore (v.17) — based on all Paul has said so far in the book but also resuming his thoughts from vs. 1-3

testify (v.17) = solemnly declare

in the Lord (v.17) — the declaration is one made by the Lord Himself

walk (v.17) = conduct one’s self, order one’s behavior

futility (v.17) = aimless, without result

mind (v.17) = intellectual faculty, but also the faculty for recognizing spiritual truth and moral rightness

understanding (v.18) = the faculty of understanding, feeling, desiring

darkened (v.18) = blinded — the tense indicates a process completed in the past with continuing results

alienated (v.18) = estranged — shut out from one’s fellowship and unity — here, from God and true life

ignorance (v.18) = not merely lack of intellect, but an ignorance of divine things, an inexcusable want of knowledge — this ignorance is in them; the cause is not external, casual or superficial — it is in their own nature and heart (see Acts 3:17; Acts 17:30; 1 Peter 1:14).

blindness (v.18) = hardness, covered with a callous (see Mark 3:5; Romans 11:25)

who (v.19) = who are of such a nature that

being past feeling (v.19) = to cease to feel pain or grief, insensible to pain, apathetic, morally insensible

given themselves over (v.19) = give into the hands of another, to betray, to give one’s self up

lewdness (v.19) = wanton lawless insolence — acknowledging no restraints — a complete surrender of self

to work (v.19) — the word has the sense of a trade, of the prosecution of a business

all uncleanness (v.19) = every kind of uncleanness, moral uncleanness in the widest sense

greediness (v.19) — the condition of the mind in which they did the uncleanness