EasyEnglish Bible 2018
1 Thessalonians 5:4
4But you, our Christian friends, know about these things. You are not like people who live in the dark. So when the great day of the Lord happens, it should not suddenly surprise you, like a robber might surprise you.
1 Thessalonians 5:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
- New International Version (NIV)But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
Context of 1 Thessalonians 5:4
2You know very well about how the great day of the Lord will happen. That day will surprise people very much, like when a robber comes in the night. 3At that time, people will be saying, ‘We are safe and there is no trouble for us.’ But then, when they are not ready for it, great punishment will suddenly happen to them. It will be impossible for them to run away. Pain will suddenly come to them, like a woman who is giving birth to a baby. But you, our Christian friends, know about these things. You are not like people who live in the dark. So when the great day of the Lord happens, it should not suddenly surprise you, like a robber might surprise you. 5All of you are people who belong to the light and to the day. We who are believers do not belong to the night or to the dark. 6So we must watch carefully. We should be like people who stay awake. We should not be like other people who are sleeping.
Read all of 1 Thessalonians 51 Thessalonians 5:4 word by word
ὑμεῖς δέ, ἀδελφοί, οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σκότει, ἵνα ἡ ἡμέρα ὑμᾶς ὡς κλέπτης καταλάβῃ·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Butδέde · thenG1161
- yeσύsu · youG4771
- brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
- areεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- notοὐou · noG3756
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- darknessσκότοςskotos · darknessG4655
- thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
- that dayὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- that dayἡμέραhēmera · dayG2250
- should overtakeκαταλαμβάνωkatalambanō · to graspG2638
- asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
- a thiefκλέπτηςkleptēs · thiefG2812
Cross-references for 1 Thessalonians 5:4
- Romans 13:11Live in that way, because you know what is happening in this time now. It is time that you should stop sleeping. It is now time to wake up. The time when God will save us completely is near. That time is nearer now than when we first believed in him.
- Colossians 1:13God has saved us from the dark kingdom where Satan rules. He has brought us into the kingdom of his Son, whom he loves.
- 1 Peter 2:9But you are not like that. You are a special group of people that God has chosen. You serve God like priests who serve a King. You are his own holy people who belong to him. He has taken you out of the dark place of sin, and he has brought you into his great light. He has done all this so that you can tell people how great he is.
- 1 John 2:8But there is something new about it. This rule has become true in the way that Christ lived. Now it has also become true in your lives. God's true message has brought light to shine in your lives. You no longer live in the dark where you do bad things.
- Deuteronomy 19:6If there was no safe city near enough, the killer might not escape safely. The dead person's relative might chase him, catch him and kill him. But the killer did not deserve to die. He had made a mistake. He had killed someone that he did not already hate.
- Deuteronomy 28:15But if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God, all these curses will happen to you. So be careful to obey all his commands and rules that I am giving you today. If you do not obey the Lord, these curses will happen to you:
- Jeremiah 42:16You are afraid of wars here, but I will cause wars to hurt you in Egypt. You worry that you might be hungry here, but I will make you hungry in Egypt. Finally, you will die in Egypt.
- Hosea 10:9The Lord says, ‘People of Israel, you have continued to do bad things, since the time that you were at Gibeah. When the people did evil things at Gibeah, war destroyed them as a result.
- Zechariah 1:6I told my prophets to speak my message and my commands. I punished your ancestors, as I warned them I would do. Then they turned back to me. They said, “The Lord Almighty has punished us for our sins, as he said he would do.” ’
Commentaries on 1 Thessalonians 5:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4But ye, brethren, are not in darkness - Probably St. Paul refers to a notion that was very prevalent among the Jews, viz.: that God would judge the Gentiles in the night time, when utterly secure and careless; but he would judge the Jews in the day time, when employed in reading and performing the words of the law. The words in Midrash Tehillim, on Psalm 9:8, are the following: When the holy blessed God shall judge the Gentiles, it shall be in the night…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief - The allusion here is to the manner in which a thief or robber accomplishes his purpose. He comes in the night, when people are asleep. So, says the apostle, the Lord will come to the wicked. They are like those who are asleep when the thief comes upon them. But it is not so with Christians. They are, in relation to the coming of the day of the Lord, as people are who are…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The day of the Lord will not surprise Christians. This is not because they know exactly when Jesus will come again, but because they are spiritually ready.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. not in darkness--not in darkness of understanding (that is, spiritual ignorance) or of the moral nature (that is, a state of sin), Ep 4:18. that--Greek, "in order that"; with God results are all purposed. that day--Greek, "THE day"; the day of the Lord (He 10:25, "the day"), in contrast to "darkness." overtake--unexpectedly (compare Joh 12:35). as a thief--The two oldest manuscripts read, "as (the daylight overtakes) thieves" (Job 24:17). Old…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Thessalonians 5:4
In the dictionaries
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
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