Ephesians 4:28 (YLT)

Passage

whoso is stealing let him no more steal, but rather let him labour, working the thing that is good with the hands, that he may have to impart to him having need.

Nearby Context

Ephesians 4:26 be angry and do not sin; let not the sun go down upon your wrath,

Ephesians 4:27 neither give place to the devil;

Ephesians 4:28 whoso is stealing let him no more steal, but rather let him labour, working the thing that is good with the hands, that he may have to impart to him having need.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt word out of your mouth go forth, but what is good unto the needful building up, that it may give grace to the hearers;

Ephesians 4:30 and make not sorrowful the Holy Spirit of God, in which ye were sealed to a day of redemption.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whoso", "stealing", "rather", "labour", "working", "good", and "hands". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whoso" and "stealing", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 27's "neither give place to the devil..." into verse 29's "Let no corrupt word out of your...", so "whoso" and "stealing" 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 "whoso" and "stealing" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.