1 Thessalonians 4:5

not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who don’t know God;

World English Bible
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Other translations

WEBBE

not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who don’t know God,

BSB

not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God;

KJV

Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

ASV

not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God;

BBE

Not in the passion of evil desires, like the Gentiles, who have no knowledge of God;

Original Greek

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μὴ mē not G3361 ἐν en in G1722 πάθει pathei [the] passion G3806 ἐπιθυμίας epithumias of lust G1939 καθάπερ kathaper as G2509 καὶ kai also G2532 τὰ ta the G3588 ἔθνη ethnē Gentiles G1484 τὰ ta (the) G3588 μὴ mē not G3361 εἰδότα eidota knowing G6063 τὸν ton (the) G3588 θεόν theon God G2316

The early church

"That each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles which know not God." He says, "That each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel." It is, then, a matter to be learnt, and that diligently, not to be wanton. But we possess our vessel, when it is pure; when it is impure, sin possesses it. And reasonably. For it does not do the things which we wish, but what sin commands. "Not in the passion of lust," he says. Here he shows also the manner, according to which one ought to be temperate; that we should cut off the passions of lust. For luxury, and wealth, and idleness, and sloth, and ease, and all such things, lead us on to irregular lust. "Even as the Gentiles," he says, "which know not God." For such are they who do not expect that they shall suffer punishment.
John Chrysostom · d. 407Homilies on 1 Thessalonians

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 1–8

To abide in the faith of the gospel is not enough, we must abound in the work of faith. The rule according to which all ought to walk and act, is the commandments given by the Lord Jesus Christ. Sanctification, in the renewal of their souls under the influences of the Holy Spirit, and attention to appointed duties, constituted the will of God respecting them. In aspiring after this renewal of the soul unto holiness, strict restraint must be put upon the appetites and senses of the body, and on the thoughts and inclinations of the will, which lead to wrong uses of them. The Lord calls none into his family to live unholy lives, but that they may be taught and enabled to walk before him in holiness. Some make light of the precepts of holiness, because they hear them from men; but they are God's commands, and to break them is to despise God.

Read Matthew Henry on 1 Thessalonians 4 →

Cross-references

15

Topics

CommandmentsBlindnessAffectionsLasciviousness

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.