complete verse (Ephesians 4:28)

Following are a number of back-translations of Ephesians 4:28:

  • Uma: “People who usually steal, shouldn’t keep on stealing any longer. Rather they should work with their own hands hunting for their food, so that they can share with others who have a lack.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “A person who steals should stop stealing, instead he should work hard so that he has a living and so that he has something to help the poor.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for the thief, He must stop stealing and work so that He might be able to get His living in a proper way so that He might help the poor.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “If there is a thief among you, he should stop-it so that he will be emphatically industrious to work so he will have a proper livelihood and there will of course be that which he can-use-to-help those who are-lacking.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The person whose habit is stealing must drop (that) now and cause his sweat to drip in whatever good work, so that he will have that-with-which-to-help whoever has a lack.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Concerning the person who was a thief, he must separate from thieving and work. From his own work he will find what he needs for eating, and there will be that which he gives to people who are in need.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Ephesians 4:28

Commentators disagree on whether occasional or full-time thievery is implied; the positive injunction to work, however, would seem to indicate that the writer is talking about people who would support themselves by stealing. The new life in Christ requires a new way of making a living. The Greek verb “to steal” is the one used in the Septuagint to translate the commandment Do not steal (Exo 20.15), quoted in Matthew 19.18; Mark 10.19; Luke 18.20; Romans 13.9.

In English the word rob refers technically to taking possessions from someone by threat or force, while thievery or stealing implies taking possession without the owner knowing about it. However, the verb rob is often used to include both types of wrongdoing. But it would be more in keeping with the Greek text to translate “the man who is constantly stealing from others should stop stealing.”

In Greek the positive injunction is stated: “he is to toil, working with his own hands the good.” The first verb means “to work hard, to labor,” and the second verb “to work” is followed by the phrase “with his own hands,” as in 1 Corinthians 4.12; 1 Thessalonians 4.11. Good News Bible places the adjective idiais “own” within brackets. For the translator the sense is not affected by the absence of the adjective; the phrase still means “with his hands.” here means simply “to work hard”; it does not mean that only manual labor is recommended. And “the good” means “honestly”; Twentieth Century New Testament translates “let him toil with his hands at honest work.”

Start working may be expressed in some languages as “get a permanent job” or “start working at a job each day.”

To earn an honest living for himself may be made somewhat more specific by translating “to earn money by the good work that he has done and in this way support himself” or “… and in this way pay his expenses” or “… pay for what is needed.”

To be able to help the poor translates “in order that he might have (something) to share with the one having need.” It should be remembered that this applies primarily to the poor in the Christian fellowship; Barth takes it to have a wider application, including anyone who is in need.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1982. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .