Ephesians 4:26

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,”
Ephesians 4:26 · direct translation from the Greek

Be angry without sinning: do not let the sun set on your angerConflict and Reconciliation

With the Greek beneath

Be angryὀργίζεσθεandκαὶdo notμὴsin;ἁμαρτάνετεdo not letμὴthe sunὁ ἥλιοςgo downἐπιδυέτωonἐπὶyour anger,παροργισμῷ ὑμῶν

Quotation · Psalms 4:4

Ephesians uses without a formula the beginning of Psalm 4:4. Where the Hebrew says “tremble,” Ephesians says “be angry.”

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: ὀργίζεσθε καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε ὁ ἥλιος μὴ ἐπιδυέτω ἐπὶ παροργισμῷ ὑμῶν

Hebrew (Masoretic text): רִגְזוּ וְאַל תֶּחֱטָאוּ אִמְרוּ בִלְבַבְכֶם עַל מִשְׁכַּבְכֶם וְדֹמּוּ סֶלָה

Septuagint (Psalms 4:5 in the Septuagint numbering): ὀργίζεσθε καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε· ἃ λέγετε ἐν καρδία, ἐπὶ ταῖς κοίταις ὑμῶν κατανύγητε. διάψαλμα.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 4 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Ephesians 4:26, word by word

Be angryὀργίζεσθεorgizesthe

be angry

Be angry.

Where else “orgizesthe” appears

sinἁμαρτάνετεhamartanete

sin

Sin: fail God, do what he forbids.

Where else “hamartanete” appears

the sunἥλιοςhēlios

sun

Sun.

Where else “hēlios” appears

go downἐπιδυέτωepidyetō

go down, set

Go down, of the sun: set.

Where else “epidyetō” appears

your angerπαροργισμῷparorgismōi

anger

Anger, irritation.

Where else “parorgismōi” appears

Translation note

“Be angry and do not sin” is quoted from Psalm 4:4, according to the Greek of the Old Testament.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Psalms 4:4

Ephesians uses without a formula the beginning of Psalm 4:4. Where the Hebrew says “tremble,” Ephesians says “be angry.”

See them side by side

Ephesians 4:26

²⁶Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Psalms 4:4

⁴Tremble and do not sin; speak in your heart on your bed and be silent. Selah.

The context

25Therefore, having put off falsehood, speak truth, each one with his neighbor, because we are members of one another.

26 · This verse (above)

27nor give a place to the devil.

Read all of Ephesians 4

To study Ephesians 4 in a group

1. What it says
What does Paul urge them to do about unity, and how many times does he say "one" (v. 1-6)?
2. What it means
Why do you think Paul contrasts the old way of life with the new, and what specific changes does he name (v. 22-32)?
3. How I live it
Paul writes, "do not let the sun go down on your anger" (v. 26). With whom could you talk calmly today to make something right?

How to use it