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1 Thessalonians 4

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A Call to Walk Worthily and Please God 1–8

1
Finally then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as ye received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, even as ye do walk,—that ye abound more and more. ​
2
For ye know what charge we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
3
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication; ​
4
that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ​
5
not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God; ​
6
that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified. ​
7
For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.
8
Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you. ​

Love, Diligence, and Quiet Living 9–12

9
But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another; ​
10
for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren that are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more;
11
and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you; ​
12
that ye may walk becomingly toward them that are without, and may have need of nothing. ​

The Hope of the Resurrection 13–18

13
But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope. ​
14
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him. ​
15
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep. ​
16
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; ​
17
then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. ​
18
Wherefore comfort one another with these words. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 1 Thessalonians 4

Verse 1

as ye have received of us — Paralambano, to receive what is handed on, is the verb of 2:13, 'when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us', and of 2 Thess 3:6. The request is made with two verbs, 'beseech' and 'exhort' (parakaleo), the second being the 'comfort' of v.18. 'Abound' (perisseuo) is the verb of 3:12 and 4:10.

Verse 3

even your sanctification — Hagiasmos, holiness, occurs three times in this chapter (vv.3, 4, 7): 'God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness' (v.7). The will of God is set against porneia, fornication, named also in the apostles' counsel to the Gentile believers, 'abstain… from fornication' (Acts 15:20). Paul prays for the same at 5:23.

Verse 4

possess his vessel — Skeuos, 'vessel', is used of the body in 'this treasure in earthen vessels' (2 Cor 4:7) and of a wife in 'the weaker vessel' (1 Pet 3:7), and readers have taken it either way here. 'Possess' is ktaomai, to acquire or keep (Luke 21:19, 'possess ye your souls'). 'Honour' recurs in 1 Pet 3:7, 'giving honour unto the wife'.

Verse 5

the lust of concupiscence — The Greek pairs pathos, passion, with epithymia, desire, as in 'inordinate affection, evil concupiscence' (Col 3:5). The pattern is that of 'the Gentiles which know not God', who are described in Eph 4:17–19 as 'past feeling' and 'given themselves over unto lasciviousness'; Gal 4:8 says of the Galatians that they 'knew not God'.

Verse 6

go beyond and defraud his brother — Hyperbaino, to overstep a limit, occurs only here; pleonekteo, to take more than one's share, is the verb of 2 Cor 7:2, 'we have defrauded no man'. 'Avenger' is ekdikos, found elsewhere only in Rom 13:4; here it is the Lord himself, as 'To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence' (Deut 32:35).

Verse 8

despiseth not man, but God — Atheteo, to set aside, is the verb of Christ's saying, 'he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me' (Luke 10:16). 'Holy Spirit' and 'sanctification' (vv.3, 4, 7) are one word-family, hagios: the Spirit is given to make holy.

Verse 9

taught of God — Theodidaktos, 'taught of God', is one word and occurs only here. It recalls 'all thy children shall be taught of the LORD' (Isa 54:13), which Christ quotes as 'they shall be all taught of God' (John 6:45). Philadelphia, brotherly love, is the love of brothers, and the Thessalonians already practise it (v.10).

Verse 11

study to be quiet — Philotimeomai is to be ambitious, to strive; Paul uses it of his own labour at Rom 15:20 and 2 Cor 5:9, so 'study' means to make it one's aim. Hesychazo is to be still. The command to 'work with your own hands' is taken up in 2 Thess 3:11, 'some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies'.

Verse 12

walk honestly toward them that are without — Euschemonos is decently, in a seemly way (Rom 13:13; 1 Cor 14:40). 'Them that are without' are outsiders, as in Col 4:5 and 1 Tim 3:7, 'a good report of them which are without'. 'Lack of nothing' is chreia, need, the word of v.9, 'ye need not that I write'.

Verse 13

concerning them which are asleep — Koimao, to sleep, is Scripture's word for the death of believers: 'Our friend Lazarus sleepeth' (John 11:11); 'fallen asleep in Christ' (1 Cor 15:18). Paul forbids only sorrow 'even as others which have no hope'; Eph 2:12 describes those 'having no hope, and without God in the world'.

Verse 14

them also which sleep in Jesus — The verse sets two words side by side: Jesus 'died' (apothnesko), believers 'sleep' (koimao). The argument runs from his resurrection to theirs: 'now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept' (1 Cor 15:20), and 'he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus' (2 Cor 4:14).

Verse 15

shall not prevent them which are asleep — 'Prevent' in 1611 English means to go before, as 'I prevented the dawning of the morning' (Ps 119:147); the Greek is phthano, to arrive first. 'The coming of the Lord' is parousia, the word at 2:19, 3:13 and 5:23. Perileipo, 'remain', occurs only here and in v.17. Paul gives it 'by the word of the Lord'.

Verse 16

the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God — Keleuma, 'shout', a cry of command, occurs only here; archangelos only here and in Jude 9. The trumpet is the 'last trump' of 1 Cor 15:52; at Sinai there was 'the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud' (Ex 19:16). The order is that of 1 Cor 15:23, 'Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming'.

Verse 17

caught up together with them in the clouds — Harpazo, to seize and carry off, is used of Philip, 'the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip' (Acts 8:39), of Paul, 'caught up to the third heaven' (2 Cor 12:2), and of the child 'caught up unto God' (Rev 12:5). 'To meet' is apantesis, used of going out to meet one who arrives (Matt 25:6; Acts 28:15).

Verse 18

comfort one another with these words — The verb is parakaleo, which opened the chapter as 'exhort' (v.1) and returns at 5:11, 'comfort yourselves together'. 'These words' are vv.13–17, given 'by the word of the Lord' (v.15). The same verb begins Isaiah's promise, 'Comfort ye, comfort ye my people' (Isa 40:1).