Ephesians 4:28 (DBY)

Passage

Let the stealer steal no more, but rather let him toil, working what is honest with [his] hands, that he may have to distribute to him that has need.

Nearby Context

Ephesians 4:26 Be angry, and do not sin; let not the sun set upon your wrath,

Ephesians 4:27 neither give room for the devil.

Ephesians 4:28 Let the stealer steal no more, but rather let him toil, working what is honest with [his] hands, that he may have to distribute to him that has need.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt word go out of your mouth, but if [there be] any good one for needful edification, that it may give grace to those that hear [it].

Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which ye have been sealed for [the] day of redemption.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "stealer", "rather", "toil", "working", "honest", "hands", and "distribute". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "stealer" and "rather", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 27's "neither give room for the devil..." into verse 29's "Let no corrupt word go out of...", so "stealer" and "rather" belong inside that flow. In Ephesians context, the local focus is grace, union with Christ, the church, and new creation.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "stealer" and "rather" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.