Coarse Jesting (2160) eutrapelia

Coarse Jesting (2160) (eutrapelia from eú = easily + trépo = to turn = well-turned, i.e. ready at repartee, jocose) literally means to turn easily and describes witticisms in a vulgar sense. The idea is that the person "turns easily", making quick comebacks with clever words having for example double meaning. This includes facetiousness, course wittiness, ribaldry. It refers to the "turning" of one’s speech for the purpose of exciting wit or humor that ends in deceptive speech, so formed that the speaker easily contrives to wriggle out of its meaning or engagement (John Eadie). Since such persons can easily manipulate circumstances, they are apt to deteriorate into mischief–makers and clowns. Therefore, the noun form eutrápelos which can mean a witty person, is also used in a bad sense meaning a scoffer, one who sneers, or one who offers coarse jokes. Eadie calls eutrapelia... dexterity of turning a discourse...then wit or humour; and lastly deceptive speech, so formed that the speaker easily contrives to wriggle out of its meaning or engagements...Chrysostom's amplified definition is..."the man called eutrapelia is the man who is versatile, of all complexions, the restless one, the fickle one, the man who is everything or anything."... (eutrapelia) denotes that ribaldry, studied artifice, and polite equivoque (double meaning), which are worse in many cases than open foulness of tongue...Pleasantry of every sort is not condemned by the apostle. He seems to refer to wit in connection with lewdness—double entendre. (Ephesians 5 Commentary) Barber says that... coarse jesting means to be talking to somebody, usually of another sex in this context, and you have a hidden agenda. You are baiting the person with what you are saying. You have a double meaning. You are seeing if they are going to listen to you so you can move to the silly talk and then to the filthiness which leads you to the greed which says, "I want something. I want to feel good." (Ephesians 5:6-7: Don't Be Deceived) Vincent comments that eutrapelia is found... Only here in the New Testament. From eu =well or easily, trepho = to turn. That which easily turns and adapts itself to the moods and conditions of those with whom it may be dealing at the moment. From this original sense of versatility it came to be applied to morals, as time-serving, and to speech with the accompanying notion of dissimulation. Aristotle calls it chastened insolence. The sense of the word here is polished and witty speech as the instrument of sin; refinement and versatility without the flavor of Christian grace. “Sometimes it is lodged in a sly question, in a smart answer, in a quirkish reason, in shrewd intimation, in cunningly diverting or cleverly retorting an objection: sometimes it is couched in a bold scheme of speech, in a tart irony, in a lusty hyperbole, in a startling metaphor, in a plausible reconciling of contradictions, or in acute nonsense.… Sometimes an affected simplicity, sometimes a presumptuous bluntness giveth it being.… Its ways are unaccountable and inexplicable, being answerable to the numberless rovings of fancy and windings of language” (Barrow, Sermon XIV., “Against Foolish Talking and Jesting.” The whole passage is well worth reading). (Word Studies in the NT) Morris has a pithy comment... It seems surprising at first glance that "foolish talking" and "jesting" would be condemned as in the same category of sins as fornication and filthiness. Nevertheless, there are many Biblical warnings against "every idle word" (Matthew 12:36), and it may be significant that the only Biblical reference to "jesting" is a warning against it. There are also many such Biblical commands as: "Let your speech be always with grace" (see note Colossians 4:6). It seems that the popularity of many Christian speakers today is measured by the amount of humorous anecdotes and witticisms that they can inject into their messages, but one never finds this element in the sermons of Christ, the letters of Paul or anywhere in the Bible. Sin and salvation are sober, serious issues. Wiersbe adds that here Paul ... warned against sins of the tongue, which, of course, are really sins of the heart. It is not difficult to see the relationship between the sins named in Ephesians 5:3 and those in Ephesians 5:4. People who have base appetites usually cultivate a base kind of speech and humor, and often people who want to commit sexual sins, or have committed them, enjoy jesting about them. Two indications of a person’s character are what makes him laugh and what makes him weep. The saint of God sees nothing humorous in obscene language or jests. (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor) WHICH ARE NOT FITTING: a ouk aneken, (3SIAI): (Romans 1:28; Philemon 1:8) It is notable that sexual purity/impurity is a frequent theme in Paul’s letters. He mentions purity or warns about immorality in Romans (5" class="scriptRef">5-Rom.1.27" class="scriptRef">Ro 1:25, 26, 27, 13:13, 14); 1Corinthians (1Co 5:1, 10, 11, 12, 13; 6:12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 7:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10:6, 7, 8, 9); 2 Corinthians (2Co 6:14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 7:1); Galatians (Gal 5:19, 20, 21); Ephesians (Eph 4:17, 18, 19, 5:3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12); Colossians (Col 3:5); 1 Thessalonians (1Th 4:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8); 1 Timothy (1Ti 1:8, 9, 10, 3:2, 5; 5;6:13), 2 Timothy (2Ti 3:3); and Titus (Titus 1:15, 3:3). Since all of these letters are addressed to professing Christians in the church, God intends that you as a Christian be reminded of and be on guard against the sexual temptation that tempts us all. Charles Hodge writes that... Clearly foolish talk and coarse joking are not the ways in which Christian cheerfulness should express itself, but rather thanksgiving. Religion is the source of joy and gladness, but its joy is expressed in a religious way, in thanksgiving and praise. Cole writes that... To be morally pure, you’ve got to commit yourself to God’s standard and fight to maintain it. To fight for purity, you must guard your thought life and restrict the kinds of media that you expose yourself to. You must be accountable in your use of the computer. Guys, you must make a covenant with your eyes (Job 31:1), so that you stop checking out every attractive girl who walks by. It is a battle and it won’t happen automatically. You must actively fight against it. Cut off your hand! Pluck out your eye if you need to (Mt 5:27, 28, 29, 30)! (Ibid) Fitting (433) (aneko from aná = up, again + heko = to come) means that which is is fitting or right, what is proper or what is one's duty, with the implication of possible moral judgment involved. Aneko is used to describe actions that are due someone and thus which are suitable or proper. Here this verb is modified by "not" (ou) which indicates absolute negation. Here are all the uses of aneko in the NT - Eph 5:4; Col. 3:18; Philemon 1:8. There are 2 uses in the Septuagint - Joshua 23:14; 1Sa 27:8 The three perversions of language described above are not to be part of the character of believers, for they are part of that old man which was cast aside when we were born again. Things which absolutely are not proper to saints! Barnes has some good advice writing that... Christians should be grave and serious, though cheerful and pleasant. They should feel that they have great interests at stake, and that the world has too. They are redeemed--not to make sport; purchased with precious blood--for other purposes than to make men laugh. They are soon to be in heaven--and a man who has any impressive sense of that will habitually feel that he has muck else to do than to make men laugh. The true course of life is midway between moroseness and levity; sourness and lightness; harshness and jesting. Be benevolent, kind, cheerful, bland, courteous, but serious. Be solemn, thoughtful, deeply impressed with the presence of God and with eternal things, but pleasant, affable, and benignant. Think not a smile sinful; but think not levity and jesting harmless. (Albert Barnes. Barnes NT Commentary) BUT RATHER GIVING OF THANKS: alla mallon eucharistia: (Eph 5:19,20; 1:16; Psalms 33:1; 92:1; 107:21,22; Daniel 6:10; John 6:23; 2Corinthians 1:11; 2Corinthians 9:15; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 3:15, 16, 17; 1Thessalonians 3:9; 5:18; Hebrews 13:15) Eadie wisely remarks that... For the apostolic idea of the duty of thanksgiving, the reader may compare Eph 5:20-note; Col 2:7-note, 4:2; 1Th 5:18-note. The Christian life is one of continuous reception, which should prompt to continuous praise. Were this the ruling emotion, an effectual check should be given to such sins of the tongue as are here condemned.(Ephesians 5 Commentary) Giving thanks (2169) (eucharistia from eucháristos = thankful, grateful, well–pleasing) describes grateful language (striking contrast to the language saints are not to exhibit). Language and speech are good gifts of God. Rather than foolish use of these gifts or using our speech to injure others, Christians are admonished to use their speech as a means of communicating their gratitude to God for His gifts of life to us. We never have reason to use obscene language or jokes. Being righteous is much more important than being coarsely funny. There are 15 uses of eucharista in the NT - Acts 24:3; 1Co. 14:16; 2 Co. 4:15; 9:11, 12; Eph. 5:4; Phil. 4:6; Col. 2:7; 4:2; 1Th 3:9; 1Ti 2:1; 4:3, 4; Rev. 4:9; 7:12 Christians should consider carefully the content of their talk. Thanksgiving credits God and is a proper topic for conversation. Instead of talking like the world, we are to give thanks to the Lord. Christians who have God’s Word in their hearts (Col 3:16-note) will always season their speech with salt (Col 4:6-note); for grace in the heart means grace on the lips. These three inappropriate sins of the tongue include any speech that is obscene and degrading or foolish and dirty, as well as suggestive and immoral wit. All such are destructive of holy living and godly testimony and should be confessed, forsaken, and replaced by open expressions of thankfulness to God (cf. Col 3:8 -note). Barnes writes that... Thanks to God, or praises, are more becoming Christians than jesting. The idea here seems to be, that such employment would be far more appropriate to the character of Christians, than idle, trifling, and indelicate conversation. Instead, therefore, of meeting together for low wit and jesting; for singing songs, and for the vulgar discourse which often attends such "gatherings" of friends, Paul would have them come together for the purpose of praising God, and engaging in his service. Men are social in their nature; and if they do not assemble for good purposes, they will for bad ones. It is much more appropriate to the character of Christians to come together to sing praises to God, than to sing songs; to pray, than to jest; to converse of the things of redemption, than to tell anecdotes; and to devote the time to a contemplation of the world to come, than to trifles and nonsense. (Albert Barnes. Barnes NT Commentary) Trench puts in perspective what the believer's speech is now to be like... Words obtain a new earnestness when assumed into the ethical terminology of Christ’s school. Nor, in seeking to enter fully into the meaning of this one, ought we to leave out of sight the greater emphasis which the words fool, foolish, folly obtain in Scripture than elsewhere they have or can have (Trench, R. C. Synonyms of the New Testament. Hendrickson Publishers. 2000) Illustration of Imitators of God - Welsh Revival of 1904 -- In an eyewitness report of the great Welsh revival of 1904, G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “The horses are terribly puzzled. A manager said to me. ‘The haulers are some of the very lowest. They have driven their horses by obscenity and kicks. Now they can hardly persuade the horses to start working, because there is no obscenity and no kicks.’”

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Coarse Jesting (2160) eutrapelia

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