Ephesians 4:26

Amplified Bible

BE ANGRY [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], YET DO NOT SIN; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
"When you are angry, don't let that anger make you sin," and don't stay angry all day.

Revised Standard Version
Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Be angrye but synne not let not the sonne go doune apon your wrathe

Hebrew Names Version
"Be angry, and don't sin." Don't let the sun go down on your wrath,

New American Standard Bible
BE ANGRY, AND YET DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

New Century Version
When you are angry, do not sin, and be sure to stop being angry before the end of the day.

Update Bible Version
Be angry, and don't sin: don't let the sun go down on your wrath:

Webster's Bible Translation
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

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

World English Bible
"Be angry, and don't sin." Don't let the sun go down on your wrath,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Be ye angry, and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath,

Weymouth's New Testament
If angry, beware of sinning. Let not your irritation last until the sun goes down;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Be ye wrooth, and nyle ye do synne; the sunne falle not doun on youre wraththe.

English Revised Version
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Berean Standard Bible
"Be angry, yet do not sin." Do not let the sun set upon your anger,

Contemporary English Version
Don't get so angry that you sin. Don't go to bed angry

American Standard Version
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Bible in Basic English
Be angry without doing wrong; let not the sun go down on your wrath;

Complete Jewish Bible
Be angry, but don't sin — don't let the sun go down before you have dealt with the cause of your anger;

Darby Translation
Be angry, and do not sin; let not the sun set upon your wrath,

International Standard Version
"Be angry, yet do not sin."Psalm 4:4">[fn] Do not let the sun go down on your wrath,Psalm 4:4; 37:8;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
Be angry and sin not, and let not the sun set upon your wrath,

Murdock Translation
Be ye angry, and sin not: and let not the sun go down upon your wrath.

King James Version (1611)
Be ye angry and sinne not, let not the Sunne go down vpon your wrath:

New Living Translation
And "don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry,

New Life Bible
If you are angry, do not let it become sin. Get over your anger before the day is finished.

New Revised Standard
Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Bee angrie, but sinne not: let not the sunne goe downe vpon your wrath,

George Lamsa Translation
Be angry, but sin not: and let not the sun go down upon your anger;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Be ye angry, and not committing sin, let not the sun be going down upon your angry mood,

Douay-Rheims Bible
Be angry: and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your anger.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Be ye angry, and sinne not, let not the sunne go downe vpon your wrath,

Good News Translation
If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day.

Christian Standard Bible®
Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger,

King James Version
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Lexham English Bible
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger,

Literal Translation
"Be angry but do not sin;" do not let the sun go down on your wrath, LXX-Psa. 4:4; MT-Psa. 4:5

Young's Literal Translation
be angry and do not sin; let not the sun go down upon your wrath,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Be angrie, but synne not. Let not ye Sonne go downe vpo youre wrath:

Mace New Testament (1729)
are you angry? have a care you don't sin. "let not the sun go down upon your wrath,"

THE MESSAGE
Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't go to bed angry. Don't give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.

New English Translation
Be angry and do not sin ; do not let the sun go down on the cause of your anger.

New King James Version
"Be angry, and do not sin": Psalms 4:4">[fn] do not let the sun go down on your wrath,

Simplified Cowboy Version
Don't let anger control you. Don't let the sun set while you are fuming or bitter.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Legacy Standard Bible
Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Contextual Overview

¹⁷So this I say, and solemnly affirm together with the Lord [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the [unbelieving] Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds [and in the foolishness and emptiness of their souls], ¹⁸for their [moral] understanding is darkened and their reasoning is clouded; [they are] alienated and self-banished from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the [willful] ignorance and spiritual blindness that is [deep-seated] within them, because of the hardness and insensitivity of their heart. ¹⁹And they, [the ungodly in their spiritual apathy], having become callous and unfeeling, have given themselves over [as prey] to unbridled sensuality, eagerly craving the practice of every kind of impurity [that their desires may demand]. ²⁰But you did not learn Christ in this way! ²¹If in fact you have [really] heard Him and have been taught by Him, just as truth is in Jesus [revealed in His life and personified in Him], ²²that, regarding your previous way of life, you put off your old self [completely discard your former nature], which is being corrupted through deceitful desires, ²³and be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh, untarnished mental and spiritual attitude], ²⁴and put on the new self [the regenerated and renewed nature], created in God's image, [godlike] in the righteousness and holiness of the truth [living in a way that expresses to God your gratitude for your salvation]. ²⁵Therefore, rejecting all falsehood [whether lying, defrauding, telling half-truths, spreading rumors, any such as these], SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are all parts of one another [and we are all parts of the body of Christ]. ²⁶BE ANGRY [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], YET DO NOT SIN; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

ye: Ephesians 4:31, Ephesians 4:32, Exodus 11:8, Exodus 32:21, Exodus 32:22, Numbers 20:10-13, Numbers 20:24, Numbers 25:7-11, Nehemiah 5:6-13, Psalms 4:4, Psalms 37:8, Psalms 106:30-33, Proverbs 14:29, Proverbs 19:11, Proverbs 25:23, Ecclesiastes 7:9, Matthew 5:22, Mark 3:5, Mark 10:14, Romans 12:19-21, James 1:19

let: Deuteronomy 24:15

Reciprocal: Genesis 27:41 - then Genesis 30:2 - anger Genesis 31:36 - was wroth Exodus 16:20 - and Moses Exodus 32:19 - anger Leviticus 10:16 - angry Numbers 16:15 - very wroth Numbers 31:14 - wroth Deuteronomy 24:13 - the sun 1 Samuel 11:6 - his anger 1 Samuel 20:34 - in fierce 1 Samuel 25:21 - Surely 2 Samuel 13:22 - hated Job 32:2 - kindled Amos 1:11 - kept Matthew 18:22 - but Mark 6:19 - a quarrel 2 Corinthians 7:11 - indignation Colossians 3:8 - anger 1 John 2:1 - that

Cross-References

Genesis 4:14
"Behold, You have driven me out this day from the face of the land; and from Your face (presence) I will be hidden, and I will be a fugitive and an [aimless] vagabond on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

Genesis 4:15
And the LORD said to him, "Therefore, whoever kills Cain, a sevenfold vengeance [that is, punishment seven times worse] shall be taken on him [by Me]." And the LORD set a [protective] mark (sign) on Cain, so that no one who found (met) him would kill him.

Genesis 4:17
Cain knew his wife [one of Adam's descendants] and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch; and Cain built a city and named it Enoch, after the name of his son.

Genesis 4:18
Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech.

Genesis 12:8
Then he moved on from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD [in worship through prayer, praise, and thanksgiving].

Genesis 26:25
So Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD [in prayer]. He pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants dug a well.

1 Kings 18:24
"Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the god who answers by fire, He is God." And all the people answered, "It is well spoken."

Psalms 116:17
I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call on the name of the LORD.

Isaiah 44:5
"One will say, 'I am the LORD'S'; And another will name himself after Jacob; And another will write on his hand, 'I am the LORD'S,' And be called by the [honorable] name of Israel.

Isaiah 48:1
"Hear this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel And who come from the seed of Judah, You who swear [allegiance] by the name of the LORD And invoke the God of Israel, But not in truth (sincerity) nor in righteousness [with moral and spiritual integrity].

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Be ye angry, and sin not,.... There is anger which is not sinful; for anger is fouled in God himself, in Jesus Christ, in the holy angels, and in God's people; and a man may be said to be angry and not sin, when his anger arises from a true zeal for God and religion; when it is kindled not against persons, but sins; when a man is displeased with his own sins, and with the sins of others: with vice and immorality of every kind; with idolatry and idolatrous worship, and with all false doctrine; and also when it is carried on to answer good ends, as the good of those with whom we are angry, the glory of God, and the promoting of the interest of Christ: and there is an anger which is sinful; as when it is without a cause; when it exceeds due bounds; when it is not directed to a good end; when it is productive of bad effects, either in words or actions; and when it is soon raised, or long continues: the Jews have a like distinction of anger; they say e,

"there is an anger and an anger; there is an anger which is blessed above and below, and it is called blessed, as it is said Genesis 14:19 and there is an anger which is cursed above and below, as it is said Genesis 3:14''

And these two sorts are compared to "Ebal" and "Gerizzim", from the one of which proceeded blessing, and from the other cursing: anger for the most part is not only sinful, but it tends to sin, and issues in it; hence that saying of the Jews, לא תרתח ולא תחטי, "be not angry, and thou wilt not sin" f: the spring of it is a corrupt heart, it is stirred up by Satan, encouraged by pride, and increased by grievous words and reproachful language:

let not the sun go down upon your wrath; there is an allusion to

Deuteronomy 24:10 it seems to be a proverbial expression; and the design of it is to show, that anger should not be continued; that it should not last at furthest more than a day; that when the heat of the day is over, the heat of anger should be over likewise; and that we should not sleep with it, lest it should be cherished and increased upon our pillows; and besides, the time of the going down of the sun, is the time of evening prayer, which may be greatly interrupted and hindered by anger. R. Jonah g has an expression or two like to this;

"let not the indignation of anyone abide upon thee; and let not a night sleep with thee, and anger be against any one:''

it should be considered, that as God is slow to anger, so he does not retain it for ever; and that to retain anger, is to gratify the devil; wherefore it follows,

e Zohar in Gen. fol. 104. 1. f T. Bab. Beracot fol. 80. 3. g Apud Capell. in Matt. v. 23.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Be ye angry and sin not - It has been remarked that the direction here is conformable to the usage of the Pythagoreans, who were bound, when there were any differences among them, to furnish some token of reconciliation before the sun set. Burder, in Ros. Alt. u. neu. Morgenland, in loc. It is implied here:

(1) That there “may” be anger without sin; and,

(2) That there is special danger in all cases where there is anger that it will be accompanied with sin. “Anger” is a passion too common to need any description. It is an excitement or agitation of mind, of more or less violence, produced by the reception of a real or supposed injury, and attended commonly with a desire or purpose of revenge. The desire of revenge, however, is not essential to the existence of the passion, though it is probably always attended with a disposition to express displeasure, to chide, rebuke, or punish; compare Mark 3:5. To a great extent the sudden excitement on the reception of an injury is involuntary, and consequently innocent. Anger is excited when a horse kicks us; when a serpent hisses; when we dash our foot against a stone - and so when a man raises his hand to strike us. The “object or final cause” of implanting this passion in the mind of man is, to rouse him to an immediate defense of himself when suddenly attacked, and before his reason would, have time to suggest the proper means of defense. It prompts at once to self-protection; and when that is done its proper office ceases. If persevered in; it becomes sinful malignity. or revenge - always wrong. Anger may be excited against a “thing” as well as a “person;” as well against an act as a “man.” We are suddenly excited by a wrong “thing,” without any malignancy against the “man;” we may wish to rebuke or chide “that,” without injuring “him.” Anger is sinful in the following circumstances:

(1) When it is excited without any sufficient cause - when we are in no danger, and do not need it for a protection. We should be safe without it.

(2) When it transcends the cause, if any cause really exists. All that is beyond the necessity of immediate self-protection, is apart from its design, and is wrong.

(3) When it is against “the person” rather than the “offence.” The object is not to injure another; it is to protect ourselves.

(4) When it is attended with the desire of “revenge.” That is always wrong; Romans 12:17, Romans 12:19.

(5) When it is cherished and heightened by reflection. And,

(6) When there is an unforgiving spirit; a determination to exact the utmost satisfaction for the injury which has been done. If people were perfectly holy, that sudden “arousing of the mind” in danger, or on the reception of an injury; which would serve to prompt us to save ourselves from danger, would exist, and would be an important principle of our nature. As it is now, it is violent; excessive; incontrollable; persevered in - and is almost always wrong. If people were holy, this excitement of the mind would obey the first injunctions of “reasons,” and be wholly under its control; as it is now, it seldom obeys reason at all - and is wholly wrong. Moreover, if all people were holy; if there were none “disposed” to do an injury, it would exist only in the form of a sudden arousing of the mind against immediate danger - which would all be right. Now, it is excited not only in view of “physical” dangers, but in view of the “wrongs” done by others - and hence it terminates on the “person” and not the “thing,” and becomes often wholly evil.

Let not the sun go down - Do not cherish anger. Do not sleep upon it. Do not harbor a purpose of revenge; do not cherish ill-will against another. “When the sun sets on a man’s anger, he may be sure it is wrong.” The meaning of the whole of this verse then is, “If you be angry, which may be the case, and which may be unavoidable, see that the sudden excitement does not become sin. Do not let it overleap its proper bounds; do not cherish it; do not let it remain in your bosom even to the setting of the sun. Though the sun be sinking in the west, let not the passion linger in the bosom, but let his last rays find you always peaceful and calm.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 26. Be ye angry, and sin not — οργιζεσθε, here, is the same as ει μεν οργιζεσθε, IF YE be angry, do not sin. We can never suppose that the apostle delivers this as a precept, if we take the words as they stand in our version. Perhaps the sense is, Take heed that ye be not angry, lest ye sin; for it would be very difficult, even for an apostle himself, to be angry and not sin. If we consider anger as implying displeasure simply, then there are a multitude of cases in which a man may be innocently, yea, laudably angry; for he should be displeased with every thing which is not for the glory of God, and the good of mankind. But, in any other sense, I do not see how the words can be safely taken.

Let not the sun go down upon your wrath — That is: If you do get angry with any one, see that the fire be cast with the utmost speed out of your bosom. Do not go to sleep with any unkind or unbrotherly feeling; anger, continued in, may produce malice and revenge. No temper of this kind can consist with peace of conscience, and the approbation of God's Spirit in the soul.