A couple of weeks ago I preached on Ephesians 4:29 here in Rio. After the service, my seminary friend gave me an interesting insight into the wording of this verse in Portuguese.
The English says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths.” (NIV) or “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouths.” (KJV) The Portuguese word for unwholesome talk or corrupt communication is torpe — this is an old Portuguese word that is also used to describe the smell of fish gone bad. Also, my friend pointed out, torpe has the same root as torpedo — which means the same in Portuguese as it does in English.
This tells us something about our words. The wrong ones stink — like bad fish. And they have the ability to do great damage, like a missile that explodes upon impact. Our words can do that, if we’re not careful.
