Ephesians 4:31 (LSB)

Passage

Let all bitterness and anger and wrath and shouting and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Nearby Context

Ephesians 4:29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for building up what is needed, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness and anger and wrath and shouting and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Ephesians 4:32 Instead, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, graciously forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven you.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bitterness", "anger", "wrath", "shouting", "slander", "away", "along", and "malice". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bitterness" and "anger", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 30's "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit..." into verse 32's "Instead be kind to one another tender-hearted...", so "bitterness" and "anger" 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 "bitterness" and "anger" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.