But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
Read it in contextInstructions on Christian Living and the Lord's Coming
Start reading at 1 Thessalonians 4:1 (1 Thessalonians 4:1 to 1 Thessalonians 4:18).
This section begins with exhortations for holy living and brotherly love (4:1-12) and then transitions to address the Thessalonians' concerns about deceased believers, introducing the teaching on the resurrection and the Lord's coming (4:13-18).
4:1Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
4:2For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
4:3For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
4:4That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
4:5Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
4:6That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
4:7For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
4:8He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
4:9But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
4:10And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;
4:11And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
4:12That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
4:13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
4:14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
4:15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
4:16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
4:17Then 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.
4:18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
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Who
Who wrote the book? Paul is the principal author, with Silvanus and Timothy named as co-senders. Biblical references: 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:18. stated in the text
Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (1 Thessalonians 4:1–5:28): The Thessalonian believers receive instructions about holiness, love, deceased believers, the Lord's coming, and congregational life. stated in the text
Who was the book written to? The church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, including converts who had turned from idols. Biblical references: 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:9. stated in the text
What
What is the main event or theme? Paul addresses the Thessalonians' ignorance and sorrow concerning deceased believers, contrasting their grief with the hopeless sorrow of those who do not know God. This sets the stage for teaching about the resurrection.
What is God revealing? God is revealing through Paul that believers should not grieve without hope for those who have died, because there is a future hope for them, unlike those who do not know God.
What is the literary style? Epistle.
When
When was it written? c. A.D. 51.
When does the event take place? The writing of the letter and the Thessalonians' sorrow occurred around A.D. 51. The future events concerning 'them which are asleep' and the Lord's coming are yet to occur.
Where
Where did it happen? The original audience, the church at Thessalonica, was experiencing this sorrow.
Where was the author located? Corinth.
Where does the context start?
This passage sits in Instructions on Christian Living and the Lord's Coming (1 Thessalonians 4:1 to 1 Thessalonians 4:18).
Start reading at 1 Thessalonians 4:1. This section begins with exhortations for holy living and brotherly love (4:1-12) and then transitions to address the Thessalonians' concerns about deceased believers, introducing the teaching on the resurrection and the Lord's coming (4:13-18).
How
How does it fit the broader context? This verse marks a transition in the epistle. After exhorting the Thessalonians on sanctification, brotherly love, and honest living (1 Thessalonians 4:1-12), Paul addresses a specific concern they had regarding believers who had died, introducing the teaching on the resurrection and the Lord's coming (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18). stated in the text
How does it point to Christ? This verse introduces the topic of deceased believers, setting the stage for the revelation in the following verses that their hope is entirely dependent on Jesus' death and resurrection, and His future coming to bring them with Him. stated in the text
How do I apply it today? Believers today should not grieve for those who have died in Christ with the same hopelessness as those who do not know God, but rather with the comfort and hope of the resurrection and future reunion with the Lord. interpretation
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
1 Thessalonians 4
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Paul, Silvanus, and Timotheus address the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Their conversion, affliction, and expectation of the Lord's coming frame instruction in holiness, love, and hope.
Connection to the wholePaul identifies God's will in the readers' sanctification and warns that rejecting this instruction is not merely rejecting a human teacher.
Connection to the wholePaul comforts the bereaved by explaining that the dead in Christ will not be excluded at the Lord's coming; the teaching ends with mutual comfort.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
1 Thessalonians
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Paul, Silvanus, and Timotheus address the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Their conversion, affliction, and expectation of the Lord's coming frame instruction in holiness, love, and hope.
Connection to the wholeThe readers' response to the gospel and their witness to others introduce the letter's recurring themes of service, endurance, and expectation.
Connection to the wholePaul recalls the mission and separation, explains Timothy's visit, and prays for the church's growth and establishment in holiness.