1 Thessalonians 4

1 Thessalonians · Chapter 4

1 Thessalonians 4:15

1Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.2For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.3For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:4That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;5Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:6That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.7For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.8He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.9But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.10And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;11And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;12That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.16For 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:17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.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.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18The dead in Christ shall rise first

About 1 Thessalonians 4Paul writes that "this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication," for "God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." He urges them to grow in brotherly love, "to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands." About believers who have died, he says not to sorrow "as others which have no hope": "the dead in Christ shall rise first," then the living will be "caught up together with them... and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:31 Thessalonians 4:71 Thessalonians 4:91 Thessalonians 4:101 Thessalonians 4:111 Thessalonians 4:131 Thessalonians 4:161 Thessalonians 4:171 Thessalonians overview

Who, where and when in this chapter

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
ThisΤοῦτοToutoG3778
this/he/she/it

οὗτος (ohutos) οὗτος, αὕτη, τοῦτο, genitive, τούτου, ταύτης, τούτου, [in LXX chiefly for זֹאת ,זֶה ;] demonstr. pron. (related to ἐκεῖνος as hic to ille), this; 1. as subst., this one, he; (a) absol.: Mat.3:17, Mrk.9:7, Luk.7:44, 45, Jhn.1:15, Act.2:15, al.; expressing contempt (cl.), Mat.13:55, 56, Mrk.6:2, 3, Jhn.6:42, al.; εἰς τοῦτο, Mrk.1:38, Rom.14:9; μετὰ τοῦτο (ταῦτα; V. Westc. on Jhn.5:1), Jhn.2:12 11:7, al.; (b) epanaleptic (referring to what precedes): Mat.5:19, Mrk.3:35, Luk.9:48, Jhn.6:46, Rom.7:10, al.; …

forγὰρgarG1063
for

γάρ (gar) γάρ, co-ordinating particle, contr. of γε ἄρα, verily then, hence, in truth, indeed, yea, then, why, and when giving a reason or explanation, for, the usage in NT being in general accord with that of cl.; 1. explicative and epexegetic: Mat.4:18 19:12, Mrk.1:16 5:42 16:4, Luk.11:3o, Rom.7:1, 1Co.16:5, al. 2. Conclusive, in questions, answers and exclamations: Mat.9:5 27:23, Luk.9:25 22:27, Jhn.9:30, Act.8:31 16:37 19:35, Rom.15:26, 1Co.9:10, Php.1:18 (Ellic., in l.), 1Th.2:20, al. …

to youὑμῖνhuminG4771
you

σέ (se) αὐτός, -ή, -ό, determinative pron., in late Gk. much more frequently than in cl. (WM, 178f.; Jannaris, HGG, §1399). 1. Emphatic (so always in nom. exc. when preceded by the art., see infr., iii); (1) self (ipse), expressing opposition, distinction, exclusion, etc., αὐ. ἐκχυθήσεται, Luk.5:37; αὐ. ἐγινώσκεν, Jhn.2:25; αὐ.ὑμεῖς, Jhn.3:28; καὶ αὐ. ἐγώ, Rom.15:14; αὐ. Ἰησοῦς, Jhn.2:24; αὐ. καὶ οἱ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ, Mrk.2:25; ὑμεῖς αὐ., Mrk.6:31; esp. (as freq in cl.) αὐ. ὁ, Mat.3:4, Mrk.6:17, Jhn.16:27, 1Th.3:11, al.; in late Gk., sometimes weakened, ἐν αὐτῇ τ. ὥρᾳ, in that hour, Luk.10:21 (M, Pr., 91; …

we declareλέγομενlegomenG3004G
to say

λέγω (legō) λέγω, [in LXX very freq., chiefly for אמר; λέγει for נְאֻם, Gen.22:16, al. ;] 1. in Hom., to pick out, gather, reckon, recount. 2. In Hdt. and Att., to say, speak, affirm, declare: absol., Act.13:15, 24:10; before orat. dir., Mat.9:34, Mrk.3:11, Jhn.1:29, al.; before ὅτι recit., Mrk.3:21, Luk.1:24, Jhn.6:14, al.; accusative and inf., Luk.11:18, Jhn.12:29, al.; after another verb of speaking, προσφωνεῖν κ. λέγειν, Mat.11:17, al.; ἀπεκρίθη (ἐλάλησεν) λέγων (καὶ λέγει; Dalman, Words, 24 ff.), Mat.25:9, Mrk.3:33, 7:28, Luk.24:6, 7, al.; of unspoken thought, λ. ἐν ἑαυτῷ, Mat.3:9, Luk.3:8, al.; of …

inἐνenG1722
in/on/among

ἐν (en) ἐν, prep, (the most frequently of all in NT), with dative (= Heb. בְּ, Lat. in, with abl.). I. Of place, with dative of thing(s), of person(s), in, within, on, at, by, among: ἐν τ. πόλει, Luk.7:37; τ. οφθαλμῷ, Mat.7:3; τ. κοιλίᾳ, Mat.12:40; τ. ὄρει, 2Pe.1:18; τ. θρόνῳ, Rev.3:21; τ. δεξιᾷ τ. θεοῦ, Rom.8:34; ἐν ἡμῖν Abbott-Smith has ὑμῖν., Luk.1:1; of books, ἐν τ. βιβλίῳ, Gal.3:10; τ. νόμῳ, Mat.12:5, al.; ἐν τοῖς τ. Πατρός, in my Father's house (RV; cf. M, Pr., 103), Luk.2:49; trop., of the region of thought or feeling, ἐν τ. καρδίᾳ (-αις), Mat.5:28, 2Co.4:6, al.; τ. συνειδήσεσιν, 2Co.5:11; af …

[the] wordλόγῳlogōG3056
word

λόγος (logos) λόγος, -ου, ὁ (λέγω) [in LXX chiefly for דָּבָר, also for מִלָּה ,אֵמֶר, etc. ;] I. Of that by which the inward thought is expressed, Lat. oratio, sermo, vox, verbum. 1. a word, not in the grammatical sense of a mere name (ἔπος, ὄνομα, ῥῆμα), but a word as embodying a conception or idea: Mat.8:8, Luk.7:7, 1Co.14:9, 19 Heb.12:19, al. …

of [the] LordκυρίουkuriouG2962G
lord: God

κύριος (kurios) κύριος, -α, -ον (also -ος, -ον), [in LXX (subst.) chiefly for יהוה, also for בַּעַל ,אָדוֹן, etc. ;] having power (κῦρος) or authority; as subst., ὁ κ., lord, master; 1. in general: with genitive of thing(s), Mat.9:38 20:8, Mrk.12:9 13:35, Luk.19:33; τ. σαββάτου, Mat.12:8, Mrk.2:28, Luk.6:5; with genitive of person(s), δούλου, etc., Mat.10:24, Luk.14:21, Act.16:16, al.; absol, opposite to οἱ δοῦλοι, Eph.6:5, 9 al.; of the Emperor (Deiss., LAE, 161), Act.25:26; θεοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ κ. πολλοί, 1Co.8:5; of a husband, 1Pe.3:6; in voc, as a title of respect to masters, teachers, magistrates, etc., Ma …

thatὅτιhotiG3754G
that/since: that

ὅτι (hoti) ὅτι, conjc. (prop. neut. of ὅστις). I. As conjc, introducing an objective clause, that; 1. after verbs of seeing, knowing, thinking, saying, feeling: Mat.3:9 6:32 11:25, Mrk.3:28, Luk.2:49, Jhn.2:22, Act.4:13, Rom.1:13 8:38 10:9, Php.4:15, Jas.2:24, al.; elliptically, Jhn.6:46, Php.3:12, al. 2. After εἶναι (γίνεσθαι): defining a demonstr. or of person(s) pron., Jhn.3:19 16:19, Rom.9:6, 1Jn.3:16 al.; with pron. interrog., Mat.8:27, Mrk.4:41, Luk.4:36, Jhn.4:22 al.; id. elliptically, Luk.2:49, Act.5:4, 9, al.; …

we ourselvesἡμεῖςhēmeisG3165
me

μέ (me) 1. apostrophe for με. 2. rarely for μοι, (Homer) (ML)

livingζῶντεςzōntesG2198
to live

ζάω (zaō) ζάω, -ῶ, [in LXX chiefly for חיה (most frequently ptcp., ζῶν, inf., ζῆν, for חַי ;] 1. prop., to live, be alive (see Syn., see word βίος; in cl. usually of animal life, but sometimes of plants, as Arist., Eth. N, i, 7, 12): Act.20:12, Rom.7:1-3, 1Co.7:39, Rev.19:20, al.; ἐν αὐτῷ ζῶμεν, Act.17:28; ἐμοὶ τὸ ζῆν Χριστός, Php.1:21; διὰ παντὸς τοῦ ζῆν (M, Pr., 215, 249), Heb.2:15; ὃ δὲ νῦν ζῶ ἐν σαρκί, Gal.2:20; ζῇ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός, Gal.2:20; (ὁ) ζῶν, of God (אֵל חַי and cognate phrases, Jos.3:10, Hos.2:1 (1:10), Isa.37:4, al.; see DCG, ii, 39a), Mat.16:16, Jhn.6:57, Rom.9:26, 1Th.1:9, Heb.3:12, Re …

are remainingπεριλειπόμενοιperileipomenoiG4035
to remain

περιλείπομαι (perileipomai) περι-λείπομαι depon. mid, and pass., [in LXX: 2Ch.34:21 A (שָׁאַר ni.), 2Ma.1:31 2Mac 8:14, 4Ma.12:6 4Mac 13:18 * ;] to be left remaining, remain over, survive: 1Th.4:15 4:17† (AS)

untillεἰςeisG1519
toward

εἰς (eis) εἰς, prep. with accusative, expressing entrance, direction, limit, into, unto, to, upon, towards, for, among (Lat. in, with accusative). I. Of place. 1. After verbs of motion; (a) of entrance into: Mat.8:23, 9:7, Mrk.1:45, Luk.2:15, 8:31, al.; (b) of approach, to or towards: Mrk.11:1, Luk.6:8, 19:28, Jhn.11:31, 21:6, al.; (with) before pl. and collective nouns, among: Mrk.4:7, 8:19, 20, Luk.11:49, Jhn.21:23, al.; …

comingπαρουσίανparousianG3952
coming

παρουσία (parousia) παρ-ουσία, -ας, ἡ [in LXX: Neh.2:6 A, Jdth.10:18, 2Ma.8:12 2Mac 15:21, 3Ma.3:17 * ;] 1. usually in cl., a being present, presence: 1Co.16:17, 2Co.10:10; opposite to ἀπουσία, Php.2:12 (cf. 2Ma.15:21). …

LordκυρίουkuriouG2962G
lord: God

κύριος (kurios) κύριος, -α, -ον (also -ος, -ον), [in LXX (subst.) chiefly for יהוה, also for בַּעַל ,אָדוֹן, etc. ;] having power (κῦρος) or authority; as subst., ὁ κ., lord, master; 1. in general: with genitive of thing(s), Mat.9:38 20:8, Mrk.12:9 13:35, Luk.19:33; τ. σαββάτου, Mat.12:8, Mrk.2:28, Luk.6:5; with genitive of person(s), δούλου, etc., Mat.10:24, Luk.14:21, Act.16:16, al.; absol, opposite to οἱ δοῦλοι, Eph.6:5, 9 al.; of the Emperor (Deiss., LAE, 161), Act.25:26; θεοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ κ. πολλοί, 1Co.8:5; of a husband, 1Pe.3:6; in voc, as a title of respect to masters, teachers, magistrates, etc., Ma …

certainlyοὐouG3756
no

οὐ (ou) οὐ, before a vowel with smooth breathing οὐκ, before one with rough breathing οὐχ (but improperly οὐχ ἰδού, Act.2:7, WH, mg.; cf. WH, Intr., §409; M, Pr., 44, 244), [in LXX for אֵין ,אַיִן ,לֹא ;] neg. particle, not, no, used generally with indic, and for a denial of fact (cf . μή); 1. absol. (accented), οὔ, no: Mat.13:29 Jhn.1:21 21:5; οὒ οὕ, Mat.5:37 Jas.5:12. …

notμὴmēG3361
not

μή (mē) μή, subjective negative particle, used where the negation depends on a condition or hypothesis, expressed or understood, as distinct from οὐ, which denies absolutely. μή is used where one thinks a thing is not, as distinct from an absolute negation. As a general rule, οὐ negatives the indic, μή the other moods, incl, ptcp. [In LXX for אֵין ,אַיִן ,אַל ] I. As a neg. adv., not; 1. with ref. to thought or opinion: Jhn.3:18, Tit.1:11, 2Pe.1:9. 2. In delib. questions, with subjc. (M, Pr., 185): Mrk.12:14, Rom.3:8. …

may precedeφθάσωμενphthasōmenG5348
to precede/arrive

φθάνω (phthanō) φθάνω [in LXX for נָגַע hi., מְטָא, etc. ;] 1. to come before another, anticipate (cl.): with accusative of person(s), 1Th.4:15. 2. In late writers and MGr. (see Kennedy, Sources, 156; Lft., Notes, 35), to come, arrive: Rom.9:31; before εἰς, Php.3:16; ἄχρι, 2Co.10:14; ἐπί (cf. Da TH Dan.4:21, and see Dalman, Words, 107), Mat.12:28, Luk.11:20, 1Th.2:16 (cf. προ-φθάνω).† (AS)

having fallen asleep;κοιμηθέντας·koimēthentasG2837
to sleep

κοιμάω (koimaō) κοιμάω, -ῶ [in LXX chiefly for שָׁכַב ;] to lull to sleep, put to sleep. Mid and pass., to fall asleep (M, Pr., 162; M, Th., 1, 4, 13): Mat.28:13, Luk.22:45, Jhn.11:12, Act.12:6. Metaph, of death: Mat.27:52, Jhn.11:11 Act.7:60 13:36, 1Co.7:39 11:30 15:6 15:18 15:20 15:51, 1Th.4:13-15, 2Pe.3:4 (cf. Isa.14:8 43:17, 2Ma.12:45).† SYN.: καθεύδω (AS)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.