The Meaning of Ephesians 4:32 Explained

Ephesians 4:32

KJV: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

YLT: and become one to another kind, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, according as also God in Christ did forgive you.

Darby: and be to one another kind, compassionate, forgiving one another, so as God also in Christ has forgiven you.

ASV: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  be  ye kind  one to another,  tenderhearted,  forgiving  {5746} one another,  even as  God  for  Christ's  sake  hath forgiven  you. 

What does Ephesians 4:32 Mean?

Verse Meaning

We are kind when we say or do what is suitable or fitting to a need with a sweet and generous disposition. We are tenderhearted or compassionate when we feel affection for someone else. We are forgiving when we let offenses and grievances go, freely and graciously. The reason we should be forgiving that underlies all the commands in this verse is that God has forgiven us freely in Jesus Christ.
Demonstrating an attitude of constant forgiveness will greatly enrich a marriage. It enables us to develop transparency and oneness with our mate. To resolve conflict there must be a willingness to forgive. We need to seek forgiveness when we wrong our mate and to communicate understanding to that person. Try restating how your mate feels to him or her and ask for forgiveness. Say, "I was wrong; I"m sorry; will you forgive me?" It is important to be specific in this process.

Context Summary

Ephesians 4:20-32 - Putting On The "new Man"
The Lord Jesus is our text-book and our teacher, the schoolhouse in which we are taught, and the object lesson in which all truth is enshrined. But all is in vain unless we definitely and forever put away the old man; that is, our old manners and customs in so far as they are contrary to the Spirit of Christ. With equal decision we are called upon to seek the daily renewal of our spirit and the outward conformity of our mode of life to the example of Jesus. But it should never be forgotten that the latter will be a dry husk unless it is energized from the true vine. There can be little of Christ without unless He dwells without a rival within. But the Holy Spirit will see to this, if only we grieve Him not.
What a transformation immediately ensues! Truth instead of falsehood, gentleness for anger, earnest toil for dishonesty, cleansed instead of filthy speech. If all believers were to live like this, the world would know that the Son of God has come. It is not enough that a man should believe to secure deliverance from the wrath of God; he must daily seek to attain to such resemblance of Jesus as shall make men recall Him to mind. [source]

Chapter Summary: Ephesians 4

1  He exhorts to unity;
7  and declares that God therefore gives various gifts unto men;
11  that his church might be edified,
16  and grow up in Christ
18  He calls them from the impurity of the Gentiles;
24  to put on the new man;
25  to cast off lying;
29  and corrupt communication

Greek Commentary for Ephesians 4:32

Be ye kind to one another [γινεστε εις αλληλους χρηστοι]
Present middle imperative of γινομαι — ginomai “keep on becoming kind (χρηστος — chrēstos used of God in Romans 2:4) toward one another.” See notes on Colossians 3:12. [source]
Tenderhearted [ευσπλαγχνοι]
Late word (ευ σπλαγχνα — eusplagchna) once in Hippocrates, in lxx, here and 1 Peter 3:8 in N.T. [source]
Be ye [γίνεσθε]
Lit., become, as following the putting away of anger, etc. [source]
Kind [χρηστοί]
See on easy, Matthew 11:30; see on gracious, 1 Peter 2:3. [source]
Each other [ἑαυτοῖς]
Lit., yourselves. See on Colossians 3:13. “Doing as a body for yourselves that which God did once for you all” (Alford). [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Ephesians 4:32

Ephesians 5:1 Be ye [γίνεσθε]
Become, as Ephesians 4:32. [source]
Colossians 3:13 One another - one another [ἀλλήλων - ἑαυτοῖς]
Lit., one another - yourselves. For a similar variation of the pronoun see Ephesians 4:32; 1 Peter 4:8-10. The latter pronoun emphasizes the fact that they are all members of Christ's body - everyone members one of another - so that, in forgiving each other they forgive themselves. [source]
Colossians 2:13 Having forgiven us [χαρισάμενος ἡμῖν]
Freely ( χάρις gracefree gift ), as Luke 7:42; 2 Corinthians 2:7, 2 Corinthians 2:10; Colossians 3:13. Note the change of pronoun from you to us, believers generally, embracing himself. This change from the second to the first person, or, vice versa, is common in Paul's writings. See Colossians 1:10-13; Colossians 3:3, Colossians 3:4; Ephesians 2:2, Ephesians 2:3, Ephesians 2:13, Ephesians 2:14; Ephesians 4:31, Ephesians 4:32. [source]
Titus 3:3 Malice [κακίᾳ]
Only here in Pastorals. See on James 1:21. In N.T. κακία is a special form of vice, not viciousness in general, as Cicero, Tusc. iv. 15, who explains by “vitiositas, a viciousness which includes all vices.” Calvin, on Ephesians 4:32, defines as “ a viciousness of mind opposed to humanity and fairness, and commonly styled malignity.” The homily ascribed to Clement of Rome, describes κακία as the forerunner ( προοδοίπορον ) of our sins (x). Malice is a correct translation. [source]
James 5:11 Very pitiful and of tender mercy [πολυσπλαγχνός καὶ οἰκτίρμων]
The former adjective only here in New Testament; the latter here and Luke 6:36. Rev., full of pity and merciful. Πολυσπλαγχνός is from πολύς , much, and σπλάγχνα , the nobler entrails, used like our heart, as the seat of the emotions Hence the term bowels in the A. V. (Philemon 1:8; Colossians 3:12, etc.). Compare εὔσπλαγχνοι , tender-hearted, Ephesians 4:32. The distinction between this and οἰκτίρμων , merciful, seems to be that the former denotes the general quality of compassion, while the latter emphasizes the sympathy called out by special cases, being the feeling which is moved to pain at another's suffering. [source]
1 Peter 3:8 Pitiful [εὔσπλαγχνοι]
Only here and Ephesians 4:32. Rev., better, tender-hearted. From εὖ , well, and σπλάγχνα , the nobler entrails, which are regarded as the seat of the affections, and hence equivalent to our popular use of heart. The original sense has given rise to the unfortunate translation bowels in the A. V., which occurs in its literal meaning only at Acts 1:18. [source]
1 Peter 3:8 Likeminded [ομοπρονες]
Old compound Old adjective (πιλαδελποι — sunπιλοσ αδελπος — paschō), in N.T. only here and Romans 12:15. Our “sympathetic” in original sense.Loving as brethren Old compound Late and rare compound (ταπεινοσ πρην — eu and splagchnon), in Hippocrates, Apocrypha, in N.T. only here and Ephesians 4:32.Humble minded Late compound (tapeinosphrēn), in Plutarch, Proverbs 29:23, here only in N.T. [source]
1 Peter 3:8 Loving as brethren [ευσπλαγχνοι]
Old compound Late and rare compound (ταπεινοσ πρην — eu and splagchnon), in Hippocrates, Apocrypha, in N.T. only here and Ephesians 4:32.Humble minded Late compound (tapeinosphrēn), in Plutarch, Proverbs 29:23, here only in N.T. [source]
1 Peter 3:8 Tender-hearted [ταπεινοπρονες]
Late and rare compound (ταπεινοσ πρην — eu and splagchnon), in Hippocrates, Apocrypha, in N.T. only here and Ephesians 4:32. [source]

What do the individual words in Ephesians 4:32 mean?

Be now to one another kind tender-hearted forgiving each other as also - God in Christ forgave you
γίνεσθε δὲ εἰς ἀλλήλους χρηστοί εὔσπλαγχνοι χαριζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς καθὼς καὶ Θεὸς ἐν Χριστῷ ἐχαρίσατο ὑμῖν

δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
ἀλλήλους  one  another 
Parse: Personal / Reciprocal Pronoun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀλλήλων  
Sense: one another, reciprocally, mutually.
χρηστοί  kind 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: χρηστός  
Sense: fit, fit for use, useful.
εὔσπλαγχνοι  tender-hearted 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: εὔσπλαγχνος  
Sense: having strong bowels.
χαριζόμενοι  forgiving 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: χαρίζομαι  
Sense: to do something pleasant or agreeable (to one), to do a favour to, gratify.
ἑαυτοῖς  each  other 
Parse: Reflexive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἑαυτοῦ  
Sense: himself, herself, itself, themselves.
καὶ  also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεὸς  God 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
Χριστῷ  Christ 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: Χριστός  
Sense: Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God.
ἐχαρίσατο  forgave 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: χαρίζομαι  
Sense: to do something pleasant or agreeable (to one), to do a favour to, gratify.