by saying, ὀργιζόμενοι μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε, being angry sin not. This is perhaps the most satisfactory view of the passage. It is indeed objected that the apostle is here speaking of sins, and that in v. 31, he forbids all anger, and therefore any interpretation which assumes that anger is not itself a sin is inadmissible. But it is cer- tain that all anger is not sinful. Christ himself, it is said, regarded the perverse Jews “with anger.” Mark 3,5. The same generic feeling, if mingled with holy affections, or in a holy mind, is virtuous; if mingled with malice it is sinful. Both feelings, or both combi- nations of feeling, are expressed in Scripture by the term anger. Nothing in itself sinful can be attributed to God, but anger is attributed to him. Verse 31 is not inconsistent with this interpretation, for there the context shows the apostle speaks of malicious anger— just as “all hatred” means all malice, and not the hatred of evil.
Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. The word is here παροργισμός, paroxysm or excitement. An- ger even when justifiable is not to be cherished. The “wise man says: “ Anger resteth in the bosom of fools.” Eccl. 7, 9.
Neither give place to the devil To give place to” is to get out of the way of, to allow free scope to; and therefore to give an occasion or advantage to any one. We are neither to cherish anger, nor are we to allow Satan to take advantage of our being angry. Anger when cherished gives the Tempter great power over us, as it furnishes a motive to yield to his evil suggestions.
CHAP. Iv. VER. 28. 271
The word διάβολος is rendered by Luther, Lésterer, slanderer. It is used as an adjective in that sense in 1 Tim. 3, 11; 2 Tim. 3, 3, and Tit. 2, 3, but with the article (ὁ διάβολος) it always means Satan—the great accuser—the prince of the demons or fallen angels, who is the great opposer of God and seducer of men— against whose wiles we are commanded to be constantly on our guard.
V. 28. The next exhortation relates to theft—we are not to steal—but to labour, that we may not only honestly support ourselves, but be able also to give to those who need.
The word ὁ κλέπτων does not mean. one who stole, but one who steals, the thief. But how, it is asked, could the apostle assume that there were thieves in the Ephesian church, especially as he is addressing those who had been renewed, and whom he is exhorting to live agreeably to their new nature? To get over this difficulty Calvin says, Paul does not refer merely to such thefts as the civil law punishes, but to all unjust acquisition. And Jerome says, Ephesios monet, ne sub occasione emolumenti furti crimen incurrant, furtum nominans, omne quod alterius damno quaeritur. This enlargement of the idea of theft, though it transcends the limits assigned the offence in human laws, does not go beyond the law of God. As the command, “ Thou shalt do no murder,” includes the prohibition of malice; so the command, “Thou shalt not steal,” forbids every thing that doth or may unjustly hinder our neighbour’s wealth or outward estate. It is very certain that many