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Saturday, June 7th, 2025
Eve of Pentacost
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Read the Bible

Complete Jewish Bible

1 Thessalonians 5:22

but keep away from every form of evil.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Commandments;   Evil;   Holiness;   Religion;   Thompson Chain Reference - Abstain;   Daily Duty;   Duty;   Evil;   Invitations-Warnings;   Shun Evil;   Warnings;   The Topic Concordance - Evil;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Conduct, Christian;   Sin;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Self-discipline;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Abstain, Abstinence;   Ministry, Minister;   Thessalonians, First and Second, Theology of;   Touch;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Thessalonians, the Epistles to the;   Holman Bible Dictionary - 1 Thessalonians;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Perfection;   Thessalonians, First Epistle to the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Abstinence;   Holy Spirit;   Judging (by Men);   Quotations;   Thessalonians Epistles to the;   Wicked (2);   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Abstinence;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Form;   Thessalonians, the First Epistle of Paul to the;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for December 11;   Every Day Light - Devotion for December 14;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Stay away from every kind of evil.
King James Version (1611)
Abstaine from all appearance of euill.
King James Version
Abstain from all appearance of evil.
English Standard Version
Abstain from every form of evil.
New American Standard Bible
abstain from every form of evil.
New Century Version
and stay away from everything that is evil.
Legacy Standard Bible
abstain from every form of evil.
Berean Standard Bible
Abstain from every form of evil.
Contemporary English Version
and don't have anything to do with evil.
Darby Translation
hold aloof from every form of wickedness.
Easy-to-Read Version
and stay away from everything that is evil.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Absteine from all appearance of euill.
George Lamsa Translation
Abstain from every sort of evil.
Good News Translation
and avoid every kind of evil.
Lexham English Bible
Abstain from every form of evil.
Literal Translation
Keep back from every form of evil.
Amplified Bible
Abstain from every form of evil [withdraw and keep away from it].
American Standard Version
abstain from every form of evil.
Bible in Basic English
Keep from every form of evil.
Hebrew Names Version
Abstain from every form of evil.
International Standard Version
but keep away from every kind of evil.1 Thessalonians 4:12;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
22 And from every evil thing [fn] flee.
Murdock Translation
and fly from every thing evil.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Abstayne from all appearaunce of euyll.
English Revised Version
abstain from every form of evil.
World English Bible
Abstain from every form of evil.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Weymouth's New Testament
Hold yourselves aloof from every form of evil.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Absteyne you fro al yuel spice.
Update Bible Version
abstain from every form of evil.
Webster's Bible Translation
Abstain from all appearance of evil.
New English Translation
Stay away from every form of evil.
New King James Version
Abstain from every form of evil.
New Living Translation
Stay away from every kind of evil.
New Life Bible
Keep away from everything that even looks like sin.
New Revised Standard
abstain from every form of evil.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
From every form of wickedness, abstain.
Douay-Rheims Bible
From all appearance of evil refrain yourselves.
Revised Standard Version
abstain from every form of evil.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Abstayne from all suspicious thinges.
Young's Literal Translation
from all appearance of evil abstain ye;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Abstayne fro all suspicious thinges.
Mace New Testament (1729)
if it has the least appearance of evil, reject it.
Simplified Cowboy Version
If it's wrong, pop your dallies and ride off.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
abstain from every form of evil.

Contextual Overview

16 Always be joyful. 17 Pray regularly. 18 In everything give thanks, for this is what God wants from you who are united with the Messiah Yeshua. 19 Don't quench the Spirit, 20 don't despise inspired messages. 21 But do test everything — hold onto what is good, 22 but keep away from every form of evil.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

1 Thessalonians 4:12, Exodus 23:7, Isaiah 33:15, Matthew 17:26, Matthew 17:27, Romans 12:17, 1 Corinthians 8:13, 1 Corinthians 10:31-33, 2 Corinthians 6:3, 2 Corinthians 8:20, 2 Corinthians 8:21, Philippians 4:8, Jude 1:23

Reciprocal: Genesis 20:12 - And yet Genesis 27:12 - a deceiver Genesis 39:10 - or to be Leviticus 8:23 - Moses took Leviticus 11:4 - unclean unto you Leviticus 15:24 - General Numbers 6:3 - General Deuteronomy 22:8 - then thou shalt Ruth 3:4 - uncover his feet Ruth 3:14 - Let it not Ezra 4:12 - rebellious Esther 9:15 - but on the prey Proverbs 4:15 - General Proverbs 8:13 - The fear Proverbs 14:16 - feareth Jeremiah 37:12 - went Amos 5:15 - Hate Matthew 10:16 - harmless John 12:6 - the bag Romans 14:16 - General 1 Corinthians 10:29 - why Galatians 2:12 - he withdrew 1 Timothy 3:7 - lest 1 Timothy 5:2 - with

Cross-References

Genesis 5:5
In all, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.
Genesis 5:6
Shet lived 105 years and fathered Enosh.
Genesis 5:24
Hanokh walked with God, and then he wasn't there, because God took him.
Genesis 6:9
But Noach found grace in the sight of Adonai . Haftarah B'resheet: Yesha‘yahu (Isaiah) 42:5–43:10 (A); 42:5–21 (S) B'rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah B'resheet: Mattityahu (Matthew) 1:1–17; 19:3–9; Mark 10:1–12; Luke 3:23–38; Yochanan (John) 1:1–18; 1 Corinthians 6:15–20; 15:35–58; Romans 5:12–21; Ephesians 5:21–32; Colossians 1:14–17; 1 Timothy 2:11–15; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 1:1–3; 3:7–4:11; 11:1–7; 2 Kefa (2 Peter) 3:3–14; Revelation 21:1–5; 22:1–5 Here is the history of Noach. In his generation, Noach was a man righteous and wholehearted; Noach walked with God.
Genesis 17:1
When Avram was 99 years old Adonai appeared to Avram and said to him, "I am El Shaddai [God Almighty]. Walk in my presence and be pure-hearted.
Genesis 24:40
Avraham answered me, ‘ Adonai , in whose presence I live, will send his angel with you to make your trip successful; and you are to pick a wife for my son from my kinsmen in my father's house;
Genesis 48:15
Then he blessed Yosef: "The God in whose presence my fathers Avraham and Yitz'chak lived, the God who has been my own shepherd all my life long to this day,
Exodus 16:4
Adonai said to Moshe, "Here, I will cause bread to rain down from heaven for you. The people are to go out and gather a day's ration every day. By this I will test whether they will observe my Torah or not.
Leviticus 26:12
but I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.
Deuteronomy 5:33
(A: iv, S: iii) Then Moshe called to all Isra'el and said to them, "Listen, Isra'el, to the laws and rulings which I am announcing in your hearing today, so that you will learn them and take care to obey them. Adonai our God made a covenant with us at Horev. Adonai did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us — with us, who are all of us here alive today. Adonai spoke with you face to face from the fire on the mountain. At that time I stood between Adonai and you in order to tell you what Adonai was saying; because, on account of the fire, you were afraid and wouldn't go up onto the mountain. He said, א "‘I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you lived as slaves. ב "‘You are to have no other gods before me. You are not to make for yourselves a carved image or any kind of representation of anything in heaven above, on the earth beneath or in the water below the shoreline — you are not to bow down to them or serve them; for I, Adonai your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the parents, also the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but displaying grace to the thousandth generation of those who love me and obey my mitzvot. ג "‘You are not to misuse the name of Adonai your God, because Adonai will not leave unpunished someone who misuses his name. ד "‘Observe the day of Shabbat, to set it apart as holy, as Adonai your God ordered you to do. You have six days to labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Shabbat for Adonai your God. On it you are not to do any kind of work — not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your ox, your donkey or any of your other livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property — so that your male and female servants can rest just as you do. You are to remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Adonai your God brought you out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore Adonai your God has ordered you to keep the day of Shabbat. ה "‘Honor your father and mother, as Adonai your God ordered you to do, so that you will live long and have things go well with you in the land Adonai your God is giving you. ו "‘Do not murder. ז "‘Do not commit adultery. ח "‘Do not steal. ט "‘Do not give false evidence against your neighbor. י "‘Do not covet your neighbor's wife; do not covet your neighbor's house, his field, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.' (A: v, S: iv) "These words Adonai spoke to your entire gathering at the mountain from fire, cloud and thick mist, in a loud voice; then it ceased. But he wrote them on two stone tablets, which he gave to me. When you heard the voice coming out of the darkness, as the mountain blazed with fire, you came to me, all the heads of your tribes and your leaders, and said, ‘Here, Adonai our God has shown us his glory and his greatness! We have heard his voice coming from the fire, and we have seen today that God does speak with human beings, and they stay alive. But why should we keep risking death? This great fire will consume us! If we hear the voice of Adonai our God any more, we will die! For who is there of all humanity that has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the fire, as we have, and stayed alive? You, go near; and hear everything Adonai our God says. Then you will tell us everything Adonai our God says to you; and we will listen to it and do it.' " Adonai heard what you were saying when you spoke to me, and Adonai said to me, ‘I have heard what this people has said when speaking to you, and everything they have said is good. Oh, how I wish their hearts would stay like this always, that they would fear me and obey all my mitzvot; so that it would go well with them and their children forever. Go, tell them to return to their tents. But you, stand here by me; and I will tell you all the mitzvot, laws and rulings which you are to teach them, so that they can obey them in the land I am giving them as their possession.' "Therefore you are to be careful to do as Adonai your God has ordered you; you are not to deviate either to the right or the left. You are to follow the entire way which Adonai your God has ordered you; so that you will live, things will go well with you, and you will live long in the land you are about to possess.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Abstain from all appearance of evil. Of doctrinal evil. Not only open error and heresy are to be avoided, but what has any show of it, or looks like it, or carries in it a suspicion of it, or may be an occasion thereof, or lead unto it; wherefore all new words and phrases of this kind should be shunned, and the form of sound words held fast; and so of all practical evil, not only from sin itself, and all sorts of sin, lesser or greater, as the w Jews have a saying,

"take care of a light as of a heavy commandment,''

that is, take care of committing a lesser, as a greater sin, and from the first motions of sin; but from every occasion of it, and what leads unto it, and has the appearance of it, or may be suspected of others to be sin, and so give offence, and be a matter of scandal. The Jews have a saying very agreeable to this x,

"remove thyself afar off (or abstain) from filthiness, and from everything, הדומה לו, "that is like unto it".''

w Pirke Abot, c. 2. sect. 1. x Apud Drusium in loc.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Abstain from all appearance of evil - Not only from evil itself, but from that which seems to be wrong. There are many things which are known to be wrong. They are positively forbidden by the laws of heaven, and the world concurs in the sentiment that they are wicked. But there are also many things about which there may be some reasonable doubt. It is not quite easy to determine in the case what is right or wrong. The subject has not been fully examined, or the question of its morality may be so difficult to settle, that the mind may be nearly or quite balanced in regard to it. There are many things which, in themselves, may not appear to us to be positively wrong, but which are so considered by large and respectable portions of the community; and for us to do them would be regarded as inconsistent and improper. There are many things, also, in respect to which there is great variety of sentiment among mankind - where one portion would regard them as proper, and another as improper.

There are things, also, where, whatever may be our motive, we may be certain that our conduct will be regarded as improper. A great variety of subjects, such as those pertaining to dress, amusements, the opera, the ball-room, games of chance and hazard, and various practices in the transaction of business, come under this general class; which, though on the supposition that they cannot be proved to be in themselves positively wrong or forbidden, have much the “appearance” of evil, and will be so interpreted by others. The safe and proper rule is to lean always to the side of virtue. In these instances it may be certain that there will be no sin committed by abstaining; there may be by indulgence. No command of God, or of propriety, will be violated if we decline complying with these customs; but on the other hand we may wound the cause of religion by yielding to what possibly is a mere temptation. No one ever does injury or wrong by abstaining from the pleasures of the ball-room, the theater, or a glass of wine; who can indulge in them without, in the view of large and respectable portions of the community, doing that which has the “appearance” at least of “evil?”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 22. Abstain from all appearance of evil. — Sin not, and avoid even the appearance of it. Do not drive your morality so near the bounds of evil as to lead even weak persons to believe that ye actually touch, taste, or handle it. Let not the form of it, ειδος, appear with or among you, much less the substance. Ye are called to holiness; be ye holy, for God is holy.


 
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