Ephesians 5:9-14

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ephesians 5:3-20

These verses contain a caution against all manner of uncleanness, with proper remedies and arguments proposed: some further cautions are added, and other duties recommended. Filthy lusts must be suppressed, in order to the supporting of holy love. Walk in love, and shun fornication and all uncleanness. Fornication is folly committed between unmarried persons. All uncleanness includes all other sorts of filthy lusts, which were too common among the Gentiles. Or covetousness, which being thus... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Ephesians 5:9-14

5:9-14 For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. You must behave as children of the light, for the fruit of light consists in all benevolence and righteousness and truth. You must decide what is well-pleasing to the Lord. You must take no share in the barren works of the dark. Rather you must expose them, for it is a shameful thing even to speak about the hidden things which are done in secret by such men. Whatever is exposed to the light is illuminated. And everything... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ephesians 5:9

For the fruit of the Spirit ,.... Either of the spirit of man, as renewed, or rather of the Spirit of God; the allusion is to fruits of trees: the believer is a tree of righteousness; Christ is his root; the Spirit is the sap, which supports and nourishes; and good works, under the influence of his grace, are the fruit: the Alexandrian copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, read "the fruit of light"; which agrees with the preceding words: and the genuine... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ephesians 5:10

Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. There are many things that are acceptable to God, as the person of Christ, his righteousness, sacrifice, sufferings, death, and mediation; the persons of his people, their services, sufferings, sacrifices of prayer, and praise to him, and of bounty and liberality to the poor; their graces, and the exercise of them; and the actions of their lives and conversations, when they are becoming the Gospel, are according to the will of God, and are done in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ephesians 5:11

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness ,.... It is not said with the workers of darkness, or with the men of the world, who are in darkness, and are darkness itself; to have fellowship with them in a civil way, or to dwell among them, is not prohibited; it is allowed of, and countenanced by the greatest examples; and especially it is lawful and right, when there is any prospect of doing good to the souls of men; and even when natural right, relation, and necessity... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ephesians 5:12

For it is a shame even to speak of those things ,.... This is a reason, why persons should walk as children of light; why they should prove what is acceptable to God; why they should have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; why the apostle exhorts to reprove them, and yet does not express what they are; and why they should be reproved rather by deeds than by words: and he tacitly intimates, that if it is a shame to speak of those sins which are done of them in secret ,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ephesians 5:13

But all things that are reproved ,.... As all sins should be, by the ministers of the Gospel, and by other saints, and will be by God; either by his Spirit convincing of them, or by his judgments, and the letting out of his wrath and fury, either here or hereafter, for the punishment of them: are made manifest by the light : either by the saints, who are made light in the Lord, and detect and reprove the sins of others; or by the word of the Lord, which discovers the heinousness of sins;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ephesians 5:14

Wherefore he saith ,.... Either the man that is light in the Lord, who reproves the unfruitful works of darkness; or else the Holy Ghost by Paul, who here speaks after the manner of the prophets; or God, or the Spirit, or the Scripture; see James 4:6 ; but where is it said? some think the apostle refers to Isaiah 9:2 ; others to Isaiah 26:19 ; others to Isaiah 60:1 ; some are of opinion the words are cited out of an apocryphal book of Jeremy, or from some writing now lost; and some... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ephesians 5:9

For the fruit of the Spirit - Instead of Spirit, Πνευματος , ABD*EFG, the Syriac, Coptic, Sahidic, Ethiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, and Itala, together with several of the fathers, read φωτος , light, which is supposed by most critics to be the true reading, because there is no mention made of the Spirit in any part of the context. As light, Ephesians 5:8 , not only means the Divine influence upon the soul, but also the Gospel, with great propriety it may be said: The fruit of the light,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ephesians 5:10

Proving what is acceptable - By walking in the light - under the influence of the Divine Spirit, according to the dictates of the Gospel, ye shall be able to try, and bring to full proof, that by which God is best pleased. Ye shall be able to please him well in all things. read more

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