1 Thessalonians / Chapter 4

1 Thessalonians 4

18 verses • SBL Greek New Testament 1 tradition available

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Paul turns from personal narrative to instruction, addressing the 'what is lacking' in their faith (3:10). He begins with ethical exhortation: God's will is their sanctification, particularly in sexual purity and brotherly love. He then addresses the question that most concerned the Thessalonians: the fate of believers who have died before Christ's return. Paul provides the earliest written Christian teaching on the parousia — the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, the dead in Christ will rise first, and then the living will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

Verses 13-18 constitute the earliest surviving Christian text about the resurrection of the dead at Christ's return. This passage predates 1 Corinthians 15 and was written to address a specific pastoral crisis — grief over fellow believers who had died. The imagery of the 'meeting' (apantēsis, v. 17) is a technical term from Hellenistic civic life: when a dignitary approached a city, citizens would go out to meet him and escort him back in. Paul's eschatology is pastoral, not speculative — it ends with 'encourage one another with these words.'

Translation Friction

The phrase 'caught up' (harpagēsometha, v. 17) is the basis for the theological concept of 'the rapture,' though Paul himself does not use that term and the passage's imagery is debated. We render the Greek without imposing any particular eschatological framework. The phrase 'possess his own vessel' (v. 4) is ambiguous — it may refer to one's body or to one's wife. We note the ambiguity.

Connections

The parousia teaching connects to Jesus's Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Mark 13). The 'word of the Lord' (v. 15) may refer to an otherwise unrecorded saying of Jesus or to prophetic revelation. The trumpet imagery echoes Isaiah 27:13 and Exodus 19:16. The 'meeting the Lord in the air' language uses the civic apantēsis pattern found in Acts 28:15. **Tradition comparisons:** JST footnote at 1 Thessalonians 4:15: 'We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord' — apostolic expectation of imminent return reframed See the [JST notes](/jst/1-thessalonians).

1 Thessalonians 4:1

Λοιπὸν οὖν, ἀδελφοί, ἐρωτῶμεν ὑμᾶς καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν ἐν κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ, ἵνα καθὼς παρελάβετε παρ' ἡμῶν τὸ πῶς δεῖ ὑμᾶς περιπατεῖν καὶ ἀρέσκειν θεῷ, καθὼς καὶ περιπατεῖτε, ἵνα περισσεύητε μᾶλλον.

Finally then, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and please God — as you are in fact doing — that you do so more and more.

KJV Furthermore 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The transition loipon oun ('finally then') marks the shift from personal narrative (chs. 1-3) to ethical instruction (chs. 4-5). The verb peripatein ('to walk') is a Semitism for conduct or way of life, adopted from the Hebrew halak. Paul both affirms their current practice and calls for growth — they are already walking rightly but should abound (perisseuēte) increasingly.
1 Thessalonians 4:2

οἴδατε γὰρ τίνας παραγγελίας ἐδώκαμεν ὑμῖν διὰ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ.

For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

KJV For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The noun parangelias ('instructions, commands, charges') is a military term for orders passed down a chain of command. Paul's ethical instructions carry the authority of the Lord Jesus — they are not mere suggestions but authoritative directives mediated through apostolic teaching.
1 Thessalonians 4:3

τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ ἁγιασμὸς ὑμῶν, ἀπέχεσθαι ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς πορνείας,

For this is the will of God: your sanctification — that you abstain from sexual immorality,

KJV For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

ἁγιασμός hagiasmos
"sanctification" — sanctification, holiness, consecration, being set apart

The process of becoming holy — distinct from hagiōsynē (the state of holiness, 3:13). God's will is not merely a moral code but a transformation of character.

Translator Notes

  1. The noun hagiasmos ('sanctification, being made holy') is the practical outworking of holiness in daily life. The first concrete application is sexual ethics. The Greek porneia ('sexual immorality') is broader than 'fornication' (KJV) — it covers all sexual activity outside the covenant of marriage. Paul begins with this topic because Thessalonica's Greco-Roman culture was highly permissive sexually, and new converts needed clear guidance.
1 Thessalonians 4:4

εἰδέναι ἕκαστον ὑμῶν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος κτᾶσθαι ἐν ἁγιασμῷ καὶ τιμῇ,

Each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable,

KJV That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase to heautou skeuos ktasthai is debated: skeuos ('vessel') could mean 'body' (as we render) or 'wife' (as in 1 Peter 3:7's 'weaker vessel'). The verb ktasthai means 'to acquire' or 'to possess/control.' If 'body,' the instruction is about self-mastery; if 'wife,' about honorable marriage. The context of sexual ethics supports either reading. We follow 'body' as more likely given the parallel with verse 5.
1 Thessalonians 4:5

μὴ ἐν πάθει ἐπιθυμίας καθάπερ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ εἰδότα τὸν θεόν,

Not in the lust of sinful desire, even as the Gentiles which know not God:.

KJV Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase pathei epithymias ('passion of desire') denotes uncontrolled sexual craving. Paul distinguishes believers from ta ethnē ('the nations, Gentiles') — ironic given that most Thessalonian believers were themselves formerly Gentile pagans (1:9). The distinguishing factor is knowing God (eidota ton theon), which transforms sexual ethics from cultural convention into covenantal faithfulness.
1 Thessalonians 4:6

τὸ μὴ ὑπερβαίνειν καὶ πλεονεκτεῖν ἐν τῷ πράγματι τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, διότι ἔκδικος κύριος περὶ πάντων τούτων, καθὼς καὶ προείπαμεν ὑμῖν καὶ διεμαρτυράμεθα.

That no person depart beyond and defraud his brother in any matter — on account of the fact that that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we as well have forewarned you and testified.

KJV That 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verbs hyperbainein ('to overstep, transgress') and pleonektein ('to take advantage of, exploit') combined with en tō pragmati ('in this matter') likely refer to sexual violation of another person's marriage or family — not general business ethics. The Lord as ekdikos ('avenger') draws on Old Testament language of God as the defender of the wronged (Psalm 94:1, Deuteronomy 32:35).
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Psalm 94:1. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Deuteronomy 32:35. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
1 Thessalonians 4:7

οὐ γὰρ ἐκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ ἀλλ' ἐν ἁγιασμῷ.

For God has not called us to impurity but to holiness.

KJV For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul grounds sexual ethics in vocation — the call of God defines the standard. The prepositions shift meaningfully: epi akatharsia ('upon/toward impurity') versus en hagiasmo ('in holiness') — impurity is a destination God rejects; holiness is the sphere God intends believers to inhabit.
1 Thessalonians 4:8

τοιγαροῦν ὁ ἀθετῶν οὐκ ἄνθρωπον ἀθετεῖ ἀλλὰ τὸν θεὸν τὸν καὶ διδόντα τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ τὸ ἅγιον εἰς ὑμᾶς.

Therefore, whoever rejects this is not rejecting a human authority but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

KJV He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb athetōn ('rejecting, setting aside, nullifying') was used for annulling a treaty or covenant — to reject Paul's instruction is to violate the covenant relationship with God. The present participle didonta ('the one giving') indicates the ongoing gift of the Spirit. Some manuscripts read 'us' (hēmas) instead of 'you' (hymas); the SBLGNT reads 'you,' making the point more direct.
1 Thessalonians 4:9

Περὶ δὲ τῆς φιλαδελφίας οὐ χρείαν ἔχετε γράφειν ὑμῖν, αὐτοὶ γὰρ ὑμεῖς θεοδίδακτοί ἐστε εἰς τὸ ἀγαπᾶν ἀλλήλους·

Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.

KJV But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

φιλαδελφία philadelphia
"brotherly love" — love of brothers/siblings, familial affection among believers

Literally 'love of siblings' — the church is conceived as a family, and this term describes the mutual affection appropriate within that family.

Translator Notes

  1. The compound theodidaktoi ('God-taught') is found only here in the New Testament and may be a Pauline coinage. It echoes the prophetic promise of direct divine instruction (Isaiah 54:13, Jeremiah 31:33-34). Paul's compliment is genuine but also serves as encouragement to continue.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Isaiah 54:13. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Jeremiah 31:33-34. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
1 Thessalonians 4:10

καὶ γὰρ ποιεῖτε αὐτὸ εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς τοὺς ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ. παρακαλοῦμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, περισσεύειν μᾶλλον

For indeed you are practicing it toward all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more,

KJV And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The love of the Thessalonians extends beyond their local congregation to believers throughout the province — evidence of inter-church relationships and mutual support in the earliest Christian movement. Paul's pattern is consistent: affirm what is already happening, then call for growth (cf. v. 1).
1 Thessalonians 4:11

καὶ φιλοτιμεῖσθαι ἡσυχάζειν καὶ πράσσειν τὰ ἴδια καὶ ἐργάζεσθαι ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσὶν ὑμῶν, καθὼς ὑμῖν παρηγγείλαμεν,

Make it your goal to live a quiet life, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you.

KJV And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase philotimeisthai hēsychazein ('to make it your ambition to be quiet') is a deliberate paradox — 'ambitiously pursue non-ambition.' Some Thessalonians may have abandoned daily work in light of the expected parousia. Paul counters this with a call to ordinary, productive life. The three infinitives — live quietly, mind your own affairs, work with your hands — form a practical ethic for eschatological living.
1 Thessalonians 4:12

ἵνα περιπατῆτε εὐσχημόνως πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω καὶ μηδενὸς χρείαν ἔχητε.

That you may conduct your lives honestly toward them that are without, and that you may possess lack of nothing.

KJV That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase tous exō ('those outside') refers to non-believers — Paul is concerned about the church's public witness. The practical goals are reputation (euschēmonōs, 'properly, respectably') and self-sufficiency (mēdenos chreian echēte, 'having need of no one'). A church financially dependent on outsiders loses credibility.
1 Thessalonians 4:13

Οὐ θέλομεν δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, περὶ τῶν κοιμωμένων, ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε καθὼς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα.

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve as the rest do, who have no hope.

KJV But 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The formula ou thelomen hymas agnoein ('we do not want you to be ignorant') introduces a new and important teaching section. 'Fallen asleep' (koimōmenōn) is a common early Christian metaphor for death — it implies the expectation of waking. The Thessalonians' grief was not about death in general but about the specific fear that deceased believers would miss the parousia. Paul does not forbid grief but grief 'as those who have no hope' — Christian grief is real but bounded by resurrection hope.
1 Thessalonians 4:14

εἰ γὰρ πιστεύομεν ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἀνέστη, οὕτως καὶ ὁ θεὸς τοὺς κοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ.

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.

KJV For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul's logic: Jesus's death and resurrection is the pattern for believers' death and resurrection. The phrase dia tou Iēsou ('through Jesus') could modify 'fallen asleep' (those who died as Christians) or 'will bring' (God will bring them through Jesus). The ambiguity may be intentional — Jesus is the means of both their death-experience and their resurrection. Note Paul uses apethanen ('died') for Jesus but koimēthentas ('fallen asleep') for believers — Jesus's death was the raw reality; believers' death is softened by his victory over it.
1 Thessalonians 4:15

τοῦτο γὰρ ὑμῖν λέγομεν ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου, ὅτι ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι εἰς τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ κυρίου οὐ μὴ φθάσωμεν τοὺς κοιμηθέντας·

For this we declare to you by a word of the Lord: we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.

KJV For 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.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

παρουσία parousia
"coming" — presence, arrival, coming, advent

Here the central eschatological use: the visible, triumphant arrival of the Lord. The term evokes the official visit of a king, with all the associated civic ceremony.

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase en logō kyriou ('by a word of the Lord') may cite an unrecorded saying of Jesus, a prophetic revelation given to Paul, or an interpretation of Jesus's known teaching (cf. Matthew 24:30-31). The double negative ou mē ('by no means, definitely not') is the strongest negation in Greek — the living will absolutely not have an advantage over the dead. Paul includes himself among 'we who are alive' (hēmeis hoi zōntes), suggesting he expected the parousia in his lifetime, though he later moderated this (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:1-10).

Joseph Smith Translation (Footnotes)eschatological

'We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord' — apostolic expectation of imminent return reframed

Paul's first-person 'we' language in the Parousia expectation implies he expected to be alive at the Second Coming. The JST footnote revises this to a more general statement about those alive at that time, removing the implication that Paul was mistaken about the timing of the return.

1 Thessalonians 4:16

ὅτι αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἐν κελεύσματι, ἐν φωνῇ ἀρχαγγέλου καὶ ἐν σάλπιγγι θεοῦ, καταβήσεται ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναστήσονται πρῶτον,

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

KJV 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:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Three auditory images accompany the descent: keleusma ('a command, a shout of authority' — used for a military officer's command or a charioteer's cry), phōnē archangelou ('voice of an archangel'), and salpingi theou ('trumpet of God,' echoing the Sinai theophany of Exodus 19:16 and the eschatological trumpet of Isaiah 27:13). The phrase 'the Lord himself' (autos ho kyrios) emphasizes personal presence — this is not delegated to angels. 'Dead in Christ' (nekroi en Christō) defines the scope: those who died in union with Christ.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Exodus 19:16. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Isaiah 27:13. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
1 Thessalonians 4:17

ἔπειτα ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι ἅμα σὺν αὐτοῖς ἁρπαγησόμεθα ἐν νεφέλαις εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ κυρίου εἰς ἀέρα· καὶ οὕτως πάντοτε σὺν κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα.

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

KJV Then 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.

Notes & Key Terms 2 terms

Key Terms

ἁρπαγησόμεθα harpagēsometha
"caught up" — to seize, snatch, take by force, carry off

The future passive of harpazō. The passive voice indicates divine action — believers do not ascend by their own power but are taken up by God.

ἀπάντησις apantēsis
"meet" — meeting, encounter, going out to meet an arriving dignitary

A civic reception term. The implication is that believers go out to greet the arriving King and return with him, not that they are permanently removed from earth.

Translator Notes

  1. The verb harpagēsometha ('we will be caught up, snatched away') is the basis for the later theological term 'rapture' (from the Latin rapturo in the Vulgate). The Greek conveys sudden, forceful action. The noun apantēsis ('meeting') is a technical term from Hellenistic civic life: when an important dignitary approached a city, the citizens would go out to meet (apantēsis) him and escort him back into the city. This imagery suggests the believers go out to meet the descending Lord and accompany him — the destination is not specified as heaven but as permanent presence 'with the Lord.' The clouds echo Daniel 7:13 and the ascension narrative (Acts 1:9-11).
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Daniel 7:13. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
1 Thessalonians 4:18

ὥστε παρακαλεῖτε ἀλλήλους ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις.

Therefore encourage one another with these words.

KJV Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb parakaleite ('encourage, comfort, exhort') frames the entire parousia teaching as pastoral, not speculative. Paul's purpose in describing the Lord's return is not to construct a detailed eschatological timeline but to provide comfort for the grieving. The instruction is communal — 'one another' (allēlous) — making this teaching a shared possession of the church, not private knowledge.
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