Expert: Dean Gade - 4/25/2011

Question
In Ephesians 4:26, it states, "Be ye angry and sin not."  Does the word 'not' refer to only the word 'sin', or also to the words ' be ye angry' as in (be ye angry and sin) not; which would read, be ye angry not and sin not?  Is there any way of exactly knowing in the Greek  what the word 'not' is referring to?

Answer
Angela,

The placement in the sentence of the "not" shows that it refers only to the "sin" and not the "angry".

There are also a number of passages in the Bible which show us that it is not a sin to be angry.

Here are some from Young's LITERAL Translation of the NT

Matt 5:22
22 but I — I say to you, that every one who is angry at his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment,
YLT
NOTICE THAT THE DANGER OF JUDGEMENT IS THE ANGER IS "WITHOUT CAUSE".



Matt 22:7 'And the king having heard, was wroth(angry), and having sent forth his soldiers, he destroyed those murderers, and their city he set on fire;
YLT
IN THIS PASSAGE THE KING IS NOT SPOKEN OF AS HAVINGS DONE EVIL FOR BEING ANGRY

THERE ARE ALSO QUITE A FEW PASSAGES IN THE OT:

Ex 16:19-20
19 Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning."
20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.
NIV

AND HERE IS ONE THAT TELLS US THAT EVEN GOD, WHO IS SINLESS, ALSO GETS ANGRY:

Num 22:21-22
21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. 22 But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him.
NIV

THE PASSAGE YOU QUOTED IS SIMPLY STATING THAT WE ARE TO HAVE A "JUST" REASON (IN GOD'S EYES) FOR BEING ANGRY AND EVEN THEN WE ARE NOT TO KEEP OUR ANGER OVER ANY INCIDENT.