1 Thessalonians 5:20

1 Thessalonians 5:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Despise not prophesyings.
• New International Version (NIV)Do not treat prophecies with contempt
• English Standard Version (ESV)Do not despise prophecies,
• New King James Version (NKJV)Do not despise prophecies.

Context of 1 Thessalonians 5:20

18give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies, 21but test all things. Hold on to what is good. 22Stay away from every kind of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:20 word by word

προφητείας μὴ ἐξουθενεῖτε·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Despiseἐξουθενέωexoutheneō · to rejectG1848
• notμήmē · notG3361
• prophesyingsπροφητείαprophēteia · prophecyG4394

Cross-references for 1 Thessalonians 5:20

• 1 Thessalonians 4:8Consequently, anyone who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
• Numbers 11:25Then the Lord descended in the cloud and spoke to him. He took some of the Spirit who was on Moses and placed the Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they never did it again.
• 1 Samuel 10:5“After that you will come to Gibeah of God where there are Philistine garrisons. When you arrive at the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place prophesying. They will be preceded by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres.
• 1 Samuel 19:20he sent agents to seize David. However, when they saw the group of prophets prophesying with Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God came on Saul’s agents, and they also started prophesying.
• Acts 19:6And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy.
• 1 Corinthians 11:4Every man who prays or prophesies with something on his head dishonors his head.
• 1 Corinthians 12:10to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of tongues.
• 1 Corinthians 13:2If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.
• 1 Corinthians 14:1Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy.
• Ephesians 4:11And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,
• Revelation 11:3I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth.”

Commentaries on 1 Thessalonians 5:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Despise not prophesyings - Do not suppose that ye have no need of continual instruction; without it ye cannot preserve the Christian life, nor go on to perfection. God will ever send a message of salvation by each of his ministers to every faithful, attentive hearer. Do not suppose that ye are already wise enough; you are no more wise enough than you are holy enough. They who slight or neglect the means of grace, and especially the preaching of God's holy…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Despise not prophesyings - On the subject of prophesyings in the early Christian church, see the notes on 1 Corinthians 14:1 ff1 ff. The reference here seems to be to preaching. They were not to undervalue it in comparison with other things. It is possible that in Thessalonica, as appears to have been the case subsequently in Corinth (compare 1 Corinthians 14:19), there were those who regarded the power of working miracles, or of speaking in unknown…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-22Verses 16-22 We are to rejoice in creature-comforts, as if we rejoiced not, and must not expect to live many years, and rejoice in them all; but if we do rejoice in God, we may do that evermore. A truly religious life is a life of constant joy. And we should rejoice more, if we prayed more. Prayer will help forward all lawful business, and every good work. If we pray without ceasing, we shall not want matter for thanksgiving in every thing. We shall see…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20-21Do not treat prophecies with contempt: No one should dismiss prophecy intended to spiritually strengthen the church (1 Corinthians 14:1–4). Instead, the Thessalonians should evaluate the prophecies to understand where they come from. Paul says they should make sure any prophecies align with the apostles' teachings (1 Corinthians 12:10; 14:29; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 1 John 4:1–3). The church should also assess the character of those who deliver the…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. prophesyings--whether exercised in inspired teaching, or in predicting the future. "Despised" by some as beneath "tongues," which seemed most miraculous; therefore declared by Paul to be a greater gift than tongues, though the latter were more showy (1Co 14:5).Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Thessalonians 5:20

• Commandments
• Miracles
• Religion
• Word of God

In the dictionaries

• Edify
• Greet
• Patient
• Quench
• Render
• Sudden
• Warn
• Ministry
• Spiritual Gifts
• Thessalonians, the First Epistle of Paul to the

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