They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Ephesians 4:19
What does Ephesians 4:19 mean?
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Ephesians 4:19
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The text uses a powerful metaphor: "past feeling" doesn't just mean someone is numb to pain, but that they've reached a point where their conscience is so hardened, they no longer feel the sting of sin or its consequences. This isn't a passive state; they actively "give themselves over," trading their freedom for a relentless pursuit of impurity, driven by an insatiable "greediness" for more.
They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is describing the state of non-believers who have rejected God, emphasizing that their minds are darkened and they are alienated from the life of God. This verse further explains this alienation by detailing how they have become emotionally numb to sin and have willingly surrendered themselves to immoral desires, pursuing every kind of impurity with an insatiable hunger. This sets the stage for Paul's urgent call for believers to "put off" their old way of life and "put on" the new, Christ-like nature.
Ever feel numb to things that should bother you? This verse describes a state where the inner alarm system of the conscience is broken.
A Moral Numbness
The phrase "past feeling" (or "past sense" in some translations) is a powerful metaphor. It doesn't just mean someone is momentarily indifferent; it describes a deep-seated moral apathy.
What drives people to pursue sin relentlessly? This verse links a loss of feeling to a dangerous hunger for more.
The Drive for 'More'
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The verse doesn't just say people engage in sensuality; it points to a driving force behind it.
Understand the original words
aselgeia · Greek Noun
Unrestrained indulgence of bodily passions, often involving sexual immorality or a total lack of moral self-control. It is the lifestyle of those who follow their own sinful desires rather than God's law.
akatharsia · Greek Noun
A state of moral uncleanness or ethical filthiness, particularly associated with immorality and that which is offensive to God's holiness. It represents the corrupted character of the fallen world.
This passage describes how God 'gave them up' to impurity and shameful lusts because they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, mirroring the self-surrender to sensuality described in Ephesians 4:19.
Colossians 3:5-7Paul directly links 'sexual immorality, impurity, and greed' (which he calls idolatry) to the practices of the 'old self,' resonating with the concept of unregenerate Gentiles giving themselves over to uncleanness.
2 Peter 2:14Peter describes those who have 'fallen away' as having eyes 'full of adultery' and being unable to stop sinning, highlighting the 'past feeling' and relentless pursuit of sin in Ephesians 4:19.
Galatians 5:19-21This list of 'works of the flesh,' including sensuality, impurity, and greed, provides a detailed example of the kind of 'uncleanness' that those 'past feeling' pursue relentlessly.
barnesEphesians 4:19: "Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness."
Who being past feeling - Wholly hardened in sin. There is a total want of all emotion on moral subjects. This is an accurate description of the state of a sinner. He has no "feeling," no emotion. He often gives an intellectual assent to the truth, But it is without emotion of any kind. The heart is insensible as the hard rock. Have given themselves over - They have d…
pulpitEphesians 4:19: "Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness."
Verse 19. - Who being past feeling. Without sense of shame, without conscience, without fear of God or regard for man, without any perception of the dignity of human nature, the glory of the Divine image, or the degradation of sin. Have given themselves over to lasciviousness to work all uncleanness (fourth point of difference). This is the climax - heathenism in its…
The text uses a powerful metaphor: "past feeling" doesn't just mean someone is numb to pain, but that they've reached a point where their conscience is so hardened, they no longer feel the sting of sin or its consequences. This isn't a passive state; they actively "give themselves over," trading their freedom for a relentless pursuit of impurity, driven by an insatiable "greediness" for more.
Paul is describing the state of non-believers who have rejected God, emphasizing that their minds are darkened and they are alienated from the life of God. This verse further explains this alienation by detailing how they have become emotionally numb to sin and have willingly surrendered themselves to immoral desires, pursuing every kind of impurity with an insatiable hunger. This sets the stage for Paul's urgent call for believers to "put off" their old way of life and "put on" the new, Christ-like nature.
Paul is describing the state of non-believers who have rejected God, emphasizing that their minds are darkened and they are alienated from the life of God. This verse further explains this alienation by detailing how they have become emotionally numb to sin and have willingly surrendered themselves to immoral desires, pursuing every kind of impurity with an insatiable hunger. This sets the stage for Paul's urgent call for believers to "put off" their old way of life and "put on" the new, Christ-like nature.
"They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity." — The text uses a powerful metaphor: "past feeling" doesn't just mean someone is numb to pain, but that they've reached a point where their conscience is so hardened, they no longer feel the sting of s…
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Last reviewed October 2026