for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
Parallel translations
- WEB and don’t give place to the devil.
- KJV Neither give place to the devil.
- BSB and do not give the devil a foothold.
- NKJV nor give place to the devil.
- NASB and do not give the devil an opportunity.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Believers must not give the devil a foothold. Cherished sin, like lingering anger, opens the door to satanic influence.
Overview
This brief command flows from the warning about anger: nursing grievances 'gives place to the devil,' offering him an opportunity to work division and destruction. Paul takes spiritual conflict seriously (cf. 6:11-12). Guarding the heart against unresolved sin is part of resisting the enemy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Jas 4:7Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
- Eph 6:16above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.
- 1 Pet 5:8Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
- Eph 6:11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
- 2 Cor 2:10–11Now I also forgive whomever you forgive anything. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ,
- Acts 5:3But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Every spiritual blessing is 'in Christ,' the head over all things for the church, in whom Jew and Gentile are made one new man by his blood.
How Ephesians 4:27 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.