Pearl:Not to conuerse with the wicked

Chapter summary Ephesian 5

2 After generall exhortations, to loue, 3 to flie fornication, 4 and all vncleannesse, 7 not to conuerse with the wicked, 15 to walke warily, and to be 18 filled with the spirit, 22 he descendeth to the particular dueties, how wiues ought to obey their husbands, 25 and husbands ought to loue their wiues, 32 euen as Christ doth his Church.

not to conuerse with the wicked

(Ephesians 5:7-14 [KJV])

[7] Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
[8] For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
[9] (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
[10] Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
[11] And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
[12] For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
[13] But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
[14] Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

So we should not converse with the wicked (chapter summary Ephesian 5). And that means that we should not be partakers with them (verse 7) and we should reprove them rather than have fellowship with them (verse 11).

Converse

So what does converse mean. The king james bible has its own built in dictionary.

The first occurrence of converse in the bible is really conversant that is in Joshua 8:35.

Josh 8:35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.

We see here that conversation is about fellowship here, or living together or being socially together, like socializing.

Ps 37:14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

And we see that the wicked will try to slay us when we order our conversation right.

Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

And we see that ordering our conversation right is part of salvation.