Here the writer warns his readers against people who would deceive them with foolish words, literally “empty words,” that is, words devoid of wisdom, of sense, of truth. Beare translates “specious arguments,” and Abbott summarizes the situation: these are the words of “persons … who made light of sins of impurity.” It is impossible to determine, however, whether such persons were part of the Christian fellowship or were outsiders. The verb translated deceive is used elsewhere in the New Testament only in 1 Timothy 2.14; James 1.26; for the related noun “deceit” see 4.22.

It would be wrong to translate foolish words as “stupid words” or “meaningless words.” In order to be deceitful, such words must be clever but wrong, and therefore in some languages foolish words may be appropriately translated as “lying words.”

Most languages have plenty of words for deceive, but one of the common phrases is “cause someone to believe a lie.”

These very things are the sins listed in verses 3-5. It may be necessary to be specific: “These very things I am talking about.”

For God’s anger see 2.3; and for those who do not obey him (literally “the sons of disobedience”) see 2.2. The whole statement is found exactly in the same form in Colossians 3.6. In place of the statement God’s anger will come upon those, it may be necessary in a number of languages to say “God will be angry with those.”

In verse 7 such people are the people who are attempting to deceive the readers. The Greek is literally “Do not, then, become partners of them”; for the noun “partners” see 3.6. Beare takes the genitive “of them” to refer not to the persons but to their actions (so Barth); others (see Jerusalem Bible) take “of them” to refer to “the sons of disobedience.”

Have nothing at all to do with such people may sometimes be expressed as “avoid such people.” But it may be more in keeping with the context to say “do not join up with such people” or “do not keep company with such people.”

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 .