God’s Word Translation
1 Thessalonians 4:17
17Then, together with them, we who are still alive will be taken in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. In this way we will always be with the Lord.
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
15We are telling you what the Lord taught. We who are still alive when the Lord comes will not go ⌞into his kingdom⌟ ahead of those who have already died. 16The Lord will come from heaven with a command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet ⌞call⌟ of God. First, the dead who believed in Christ will come back to life. Then, together with them, we who are still alive will be taken in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. In this way we will always be with the Lord. 18So then, comfort each other with these words!
Read all of 1 Thessalonians 41 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 4:15We are telling you what the Lord taught. We who are still alive when the Lord comes will not go ⌞into his kingdom⌟ ahead of those who have already died.
- 1 Corinthians 15:52It will happen in an instant, in a split second at the sound of the last trumpet. Indeed, that trumpet will sound, and then the dead will come back to life. They will be changed so that they can live forever.
- 1 Kings 18:12This is what will happen: When I leave you, the Lord’s Spirit will take you away to some unknown place. I’ll tell Ahab, but he won’t be able to find you. Then he will kill me. “I have been faithful to the Lord since I was a child.
- 2 Kings 2:11As they continued walking and talking, a fiery chariot with fiery horses separated the two of them, and Elijah went to heaven in a windstorm.
- Acts 8:39When they had stepped out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away. The official joyfully continued on his way and didn’t see Philip again.
- 2 Corinthians 12:2I know a follower of Christ who was snatched away to the third heaven fourteen years ago. I don’t know whether this happened to him physically or spiritually. Only God knows.
- Revelation 11:12The witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven calling to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.
- Revelation 12:5She gave birth to a son, a boy, who is to rule all the nations with an iron scepter. Her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne.
- Matthew 26:64Jesus answered him, “Yes, I am. But I alone can guarantee that from now on you will see the Son of Man in the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne . He will be coming on the clouds of heaven.”
- Mark 14:62Jesus answered, “Yes, I am, and you will see the Son of Man in the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne. He will be coming with the clouds of heaven.”
- Acts 1:9After he had said this, he was taken to heaven. A cloud hid him so that they could no longer see him.
- Revelation 1:7Look! He is coming in the clouds. Every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. Every tribe on earth will mourn because of him. This is true. Amen.
- Psalms 16:11You make the path of life known to me. Complete joy is in your presence. Pleasures are by your side forever.
- Psalms 17:15I will see your face when I am declared innocent. When I wake up, I will be satisfied ⌞with seeing⌟ you.
- Psalms 49:15But God will buy me back from the power of hell because he will take me. Selah
- Psalms 73:24With your advice you guide me, and in the end you will take me to 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
In the dictionaries
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
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