1 Thessalonians 5:3

1 Thessalonians 5:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
• New International Version (NIV)While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
• English Standard Version (ESV)While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

Context of 1 Thessalonians 5:3

1Now as to the times and dates, brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you. 2For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord is coming just as a thief [comes unexpectedly and suddenly] in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety [all is well and secure!]” then [in a moment unforeseen] destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains on a woman with child, and they will absolutely not escape [for there will be no way to escape the judgment of the Lord]. 4But you, believers, [all you who believe in Christ as Savior and acknowledge Him as God’s Son] are not in spiritual darkness [nor held by its power], that the day [of judgment] would overtake you [by surprise] like a thief; 5for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We do not belong to the night nor to darkness.

1 Thessalonians 5:3 word by word

ὅταν λέγωσιν· εἰρήνη καὶ ἀσφάλεια, τότε αἰφνίδιος αὐτοῖς ἐφίσταται ὄλεθρος ὥσπερ ἡ ὠδὶν τῇ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσῃ, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐκφύγωσιν.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• whenὅτανhotan · when(-ever)G3752
• they shall sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• Peaceεἰρήνηeirēnē · peaceG1515
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• safetyἀσφάλειαasphaleia · securityG803
• thenτότεtote · thenG5119
• suddenαἰφνίδιοςaiphnidios · suddenG160
• destructionὄλεθροςolethros · destructiveG3639
• comethἐφίστημιephistēmi · to approachG2186
• upon themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• asὥσπερhōsper · just asG5618
• travailὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• travailὠδίνōdin · laborG5604
• withἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• childγαστήρgastēr · bellyG1064
• they shallἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• notοὐou · noG3756
• notμήmē · notG3361
• escapeἐκφεύγωekpheugō · to escapeG1628

Cross-references for 1 Thessalonians 5:3

• Deuteronomy 29:19It will happen that when he (a renegade) hears the words of this oath, and he imagines himself as blessed, saying, ‘I will have peace and safety even though I walk within the stubbornness of my heart [rejecting God and His law], in order that the watered land dwindles away along with the dry [destroying everything],’
• Judges 18:27They took the [idolatrous] things that Micah had made, and his priest, and they came to Laish, to a people who were quiet and secure; and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.
• Psalms 10:11He says to himself, “God has [quite] forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see my deed.”
• Isaiah 21:4My mind reels, horror overwhelms me; The twilight I longed for has been turned into fear and trembling for me.
• Isaiah 56:12“Come,” [they say,] “let us get wine, and let us fill ourselves with strong drink; And tomorrow will be like today, very great indeed.”
• Daniel 5:3Then they brought in the gold and silver vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.
• Nahum 1:10Like tangled thorn branches [gathered for fuel], And like those drowned in drunkenness, The people of Nineveh are consumed [through fire] Like stubble completely withered and dry [in the day of the Lord’s wrath].
• Matthew 24:37For the coming of the Son of Man (the Messiah) will be just like the days of Noah.
• Luke 17:26And just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the time of [the second coming of] the Son of Man:
• Luke 21:34“But be on guard, so that your hearts are not weighed down and depressed with the giddiness of debauchery and the nausea of self-indulgence and the worldly worries of life, and then that day [when the Messiah returns] will not come on you suddenly like a trap;
• Exodus 15:9The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be satisfied against them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall dispossess them and drive them out.’
• Joshua 8:20When the men of Ai turned back and looked, behold, the smoke of the city was ascending toward the sky, and they had no opportunity to run this way or that way. Then the people who had been running to the wilderness turned back toward the pursuers.
• Judges 20:41When the men of Israel turned back again, the men of Benjamin were terrified, for they saw that disaster had fallen upon them.
• 2 Chronicles 32:19They spoke of the God of Jerusalem as [they spoke of] the gods of the peoples of the earth, [which are only] the work of the hands of men.
• Psalms 73:18Surely You set the wicked-minded and immoral on slippery places; You cast them down to destruction.
• Proverbs 29:1He who hardens his neck and refuses instruction after being often reproved (corrected, criticized), Will suddenly be broken beyond repair.

Commentaries on 1 Thessalonians 5:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3For when they shall say, Peace and safety - This points out, very particularly, the state of the Jewish people when the Romans came against them; and so fully persuaded were they that God would not deliver the city and temple to their enemies, that they refused every overture that was made to them. Sudden destruction - In the storming of their city and the burning of their temple, and the massacre of several hundreds of thousands of themselves; the rest…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3For when they shall say, Peace and safety - That is, when the wicked shall say this, for the apostle here refers only to those on whom “sudden destruction” will come; compare Matthew 24:36-42 notes; 2 Peter 3:3-4 notes. It is clear from this: (1) that when the Lord Jesus shall come the world will not all be converted. There will be some to be “destroyed.” How large this proportion will be, it is impossible now to ascertain. This supposition, however, is…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3“Peace and security”: This phrase was common during the time of the pax Romana (Roman peace). Despite this assumption of security, God's final judgment arrives suddenly and no one can avoid it.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-53. they--the men of the world. 1Th 5:5, 6; 1Th 4:13, "others," all the rest of the world save Christians. Peace--(Jud 18:7, 9, 27, 28; Jr 6:14; Eze 13:10). then--at the very moment when they least expect it. Compare the case of Belshazzar, Da 5:1-5, 6, 9, 26-28; Herod, Ac 12:21-23. sudden--"unawares" (Lu 21:34). as travail--"As the labor pang" comes in an instant on the woman when otherwise engaged (Psa 48:6; Is 13:8). shall not escape--Greek, "shall not…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Thessalonians 5:3

• Confidence
• Death
• Escape
• Jesus Continued
• Procrastination
• Self-Delusion
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Edify
• Greet
• Patient
• Peter, Second Epistle of
• Quench
• Render
• Sudden
• Warn
• Eschatology of the New Testament
• Parousia

Commentaries on 1 Thessalonians 5

• 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