1 Thessalonians 4:17

1 Thessalonians 4:17 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (NIV)After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Context of 1 Thessalonians 4:17

15For we say this to you by the Lord’s [own] word, that we who are still alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede [into His presence] those [believers] who have fallen asleep [in death]. 16For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the [blast of the] trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain [on the earth] will simultaneously be caught up (raptured) together with them [the resurrected ones] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord! 18Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words [concerning our reunion with believers who have died].

1 Thessalonians 4:17 word by word

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Thenἔπειταepeita · thenG1899
• weἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• which are aliveζάωzaō · to liveG2198
• remainπεριλείπομαιperileipō · to remainG4035
• shall be caught upἁρπάζωharpazō · to seizeG726
• togetherἅμαhama · togetherG260
• withσύνsun · withG4862
• themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• the cloudsνεφέληnephelē · cloudG3507
• toεἰςeis · towardG1519
• meetἀπάντησιςapantēsis · meetingG529
• the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• the airἀήρaēr · airG109
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• soοὕτωςhoutō · thus(-ly)G3779
• shall weεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• everπάντοτεpantote · alwaysG3842

Cross-references for 1 Thessalonians 4:17

• 1 Thessalonians 4:15For we say this to you by the Lord’s [own] word, that we who are still alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede [into His presence] those [believers] who have fallen asleep [in death].
• 1 Corinthians 15:52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at [the sound of] the last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [who believed in Christ] will be raised imperishable, and we will be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed].
• 1 Kings 18:12And as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I come to tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. Yet your servant has [reverently] feared the Lord from my youth.
• 2 Kings 2:11As they continued along and talked, behold, a chariot of fire with horses of fire [appeared suddenly and] separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
• Acts 8:39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord [suddenly] took Philip [and carried him] away [to a different place]; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but he went on his way rejoicing.
• 2 Corinthians 12:2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, [only] God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven.
• Revelation 11:12And the two witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” Then they ascended into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.
• Revelation 12:5And she gave birth to a Son, a male Child, who is destined to rule (shepherd) all the nations with a rod of iron; and her Child was caught up to God and to His throne.
• Matthew 26:64Jesus said to him, “You have [in fact] said it; but more than that I tell you [regardless of what you do with Me now], in the future you will see [Me revealed as] the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
• Mark 14:62Jesus said, “I am; and you will [all] see the Son of Man seated [with authority] at the right hand of Power (the Father), and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
• Acts 1:9And after He said these things, He was caught up as they looked on, and a cloud took Him up out of their sight.
• Revelation 1:7Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes (nations) of the earth will mourn over Him [realizing their sin and guilt, and anticipating the coming wrath]. So it is to be. Amen.
• Psalms 16:11You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
• Psalms 17:15As for me, I shall see Your face in righteousness; I will be [fully] satisfied when I awake [to find myself] seeing Your likeness.
• Psalms 49:15But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.
• Psalms 73:24You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to honor and glory.

Commentaries on 1 Thessalonians 4:17

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17Then we which are alive - Those who shall then be alive; see 1 Thessalonians 4:15. The word here rendered “then” ( ̓́ epeita), does not necessarily mean that this would occur immediately. It properly marks succession in time, and means “afterward, next, next in the order of events;” Luke 16:7; Galatians 1:21; James 4:14. There may be a considerable interval between the resurrection of the pious and the time when the living shall be caught up to meet the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-18Verses 13-18 Here is comfort for the relations and friends of those who die in the Lord. Grief for the death of friends is lawful; we may weep for our own loss, though it may be their gain. Christianity does not forbid, and grace does not do away, our natural affections. Yet we must not be excessive in our sorrows; this is too much like those who have no hope of a better life. Death is an unknown thing, and we know little about the state after death; yet…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17to meet: This implies the custom of sending an official delegation to welcome a visiting leader and accompany him into the city (Matthew 25:6, 10; Acts 28:15–16).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. we which are alive ... shall be caught up--after having been "changed in a moment" (1Co 15:51, 52). Again he says, "we," recommending thus the expression to Christians of all ages, each generation bequeathing to the succeeding one a continually increasing obligation to look for the coming of the Lord. [Edmunds]. together with them--all together: the raised dead, and changed living, forming one joint body. in the clouds--Greek, "in clouds." The same…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Thessalonians 4:17

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Bereavement
• Death
• Heaven
• Immortality
• Jesus Continued
• Righteous

In the dictionaries

• Air
• Asleep
• Immortality
• Peter, Second Epistle of
• Quiet
• Rise
• Sleep
• Trump
• Ascension
• Cloud

Commentaries on 1 Thessalonians 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings