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Saturday, August 2nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Young's Literal Translation

1 Thessalonians 5:4

and ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day may catch you as a thief;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Blindness;   Darkness;   Righteous;   Watchfulness;   Wisdom;   Thompson Chain Reference - Darkness;   Light-Darkness;   Spiritual;   The Topic Concordance - Alertness;   Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ;   Darkness;   Day of the Lord;   Light;   Sobriety;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Blindness, Spiritual;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Day;   Day of the lord;   Jesus christ;   Paul;   Sleep;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Darkness;   Day of the Lord, God, Christ, the;   Watchfulness;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ahab;   Belshazzar;   Thessalonians, the Epistles to the;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Church;   Darkness;   Day of the Lord;   Time, Meaning of;   1 Thessalonians;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Thessalonians, First Epistle to the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Day and Night;   Feasting;   Night (2);   Thessalonians Epistles to the;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Day of the Lord;   Thief;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Thessalonians;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Day;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Day of the Lord (Yahweh);   Eschatology of the New Testament;   Thessalonians, the First Epistle of Paul to the;   Thessalonians, the Second Epistle of Paul to the;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for November 5;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the dark, for this day to surprise you like a thief.
King James Version (1611)
But ye, brethren, are not in darkenesse, that that day should ouertake you as a thiefe.
King James Version
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
English Standard Version
But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
New American Standard Bible
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, so that the day would overtake you like a thief;
New Century Version
But you, brothers and sisters, are not living in darkness, and so that day will not surprise you like a thief.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;
Legacy Standard Bible
But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief,
Berean Standard Bible
But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief.
Contemporary English Version
My dear friends, you don't live in darkness, and so that day won't surprise you like a thief.
Complete Jewish Bible
But you, brothers, are not in the dark, so that the Day should take you by surprise like a thief;
Darby Translation
But *ye*, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you as a thief:
Easy-to-Read Version
But you, brothers and sisters, are not living in darkness. And so that day will not surprise you like a thief.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But ye, brethren, are not in darkenes, that that day shal come on you, as it were a thiefe.
George Lamsa Translation
But you, my brethren, are not in darkness that that day shall overtake you as a thief.
Good News Translation
But you, friends, are not in the darkness, and the Day should not take you by surprise like a thief.
Lexham English Bible
But you, brothers, are not in the darkness, so that the day should catch you like a thief,
Literal Translation
But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that the Day should overtake you as a thief.
Amplified Bible
But you, believers, [all you who believe in Christ as Savior and acknowledge Him as God's Son] are not in spiritual darkness [nor held by its power], that the day [of judgment] would overtake you [by surprise] like a thief;
American Standard Version
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief:
Bible in Basic English
But you, my brothers, are not in the dark, for that day to overtake you like a thief:
Hebrew Names Version
But you, brothers, aren't in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief.
International Standard Version
However, brothers, you are not in the darkness, in order that the day might surprise you like a thief.Romans 13:12-13; 1 John 2:8;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
But you, my brethren, are not in darkness, that that day as a thief should overtake you.
Murdock Translation
But ye, my brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But ye brethren are not in darknesse, that that day shoulde ouertake you as a theefe.
English Revised Version
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief:
World English Bible
But you, brothers, aren't in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
Weymouth's New Testament
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that daylight should surprise you like a thief;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But, britheren, ye ben not in derknessis, that the ilke dai as a theef catche you.
Update Bible Version
But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief:
Webster's Bible Translation
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
New English Translation
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the darkness for the day to overtake you like a thief would.
New King James Version
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
New Living Translation
But you aren't in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won't be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief.
New Life Bible
But you are not in darkness, Christian brothers. That day will not surprise you as a robber would.
New Revised Standard
But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that, the day, upon you, as upon thieves, should lay hold;
Douay-Rheims Bible
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you as a thief.
Revised Standard Version
But you are not in darkness, brethren, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
But ye brethre are not in darcknes that yt daye shuld come on you as it were a thefe.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But ye brethren are not in darknes, that that daye shulde come on you as a thefe.
Mace New Testament (1729)
but you, my brethren, are too well inform'd to be surpriz'd by that day, as by a thief.
THE MESSAGE
But friends, you're not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You're sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let's not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let's keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we're creatures of Day, let's act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.
Simplified Cowboy Version
But you cowboys and cowgirls won't be caught flat footed when the fire is lit. Y'all will be ready and waiting.

Contextual Overview

1 And concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need of my writing to you, 2 for yourselves have known thoroughly that the day of the Lord as a thief in the night doth so come, 3 for when they may say, Peace and surety, then sudden destruction doth stand by them, as the travail [doth] her who is with child, and they shall not escape; 4 and ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day may catch you as a thief; 5 all ye are sons of light, and sons of day; we are not of night, nor of darkness,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

are: Romans 13:11-13, Colossians 1:13, 1 Peter 2:9, 1 Peter 2:10, 1 John 2:8

overtake: Deuteronomy 19:6, Deuteronomy 28:15, Deuteronomy 28:45, Jeremiah 42:16, Hosea 10:9, Zechariah 1:6

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 3:24 - smote the Matthew 7:22 - to me Luke 1:79 - give Luke 12:38 - General John 1:9 - every Acts 26:18 - and to 2 Corinthians 6:14 - and what Ephesians 5:8 - but 2 Timothy 1:12 - against 2 Timothy 4:8 - at that Revelation 3:3 - I will

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
And God blesseth them, and God saith to them, `Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over fish of the sea, and over fowl of the heavens, and over every living thing that is creeping upon the earth.'
Genesis 5:1
This [is] an account of the births of Adam: In the day of God's preparing man, in the likeness of God He hath made him;
Genesis 5:3
And Adam liveth an hundred and thirty years, and begetteth [a son] in his likeness, according to his image, and calleth his name Seth.
Genesis 5:7
And Seth liveth after his begetting Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begetteth sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:10
And Enos liveth after his begetting Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begetteth sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:13
And Cainan liveth after his begetting Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begetteth sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:19
And Jared liveth after his begetting Enoch eight hundred years, and begetteth sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:22
And Enoch walketh habitually with God after his begetting Methuselah three hundred years, and begetteth sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:26
And Methuselah liveth after his begetting Lamech seven hundred and eighty and two years, and begetteth sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:30
And Lamech liveth after his begetting Noah five hundred and ninety and five years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But ye, brethren, are not in darkness,.... In a state of unregeneracy, which is a state of darkness, blindness, and ignorance, and which is the condition of all men by nature; they are born in darkness, and are brought up in it, and willingly, walk in it; they are covered with it, as the earth was covered with darkness in its first creation; and dwell in it, as the Egyptians did for some days, in thick darkness, darkness which might be felt; their understandings are darkened with respect to the true knowledge of God, the nature of sin, the way of salvation by Christ, the work of the spirit of God upon the soul, and the necessity of it, the Scriptures of truth, and the mysteries of the Gospel; and which is the case of God's elect themselves, while unregenerate: but now these persons were called out of darkness, turned from it, and delivered from the power of it; and therefore knew that the day of the Lord comes as above described, by the metaphors of a thief in the night, and a woman with child, and needed not to be informed about that matter: or

that that day should overtake you as a thief; or seize and lay hold upon you as a thief who comes in the dark, and lays hold upon a person suddenly; but these saints were not in the dark, but in the light, and so could see when the day of the Lord came; and would not be surprised with it, as a man is seized with terror and fright, when laid hold on by a thief; since they would be, or at least should be on their watch, and be looking out for, and hasting to the coming of the day of God.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But 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 awake when the robber comes. They could see his approach, and could prepare for it, so that it would not take them by surprise.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Thessalonians 5:4. But 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 Psalms 9:8, are the following: When the holy blessed God shall judge the Gentiles, it shall be in the night season, in which they shall be asleep in their transgressions; but when he shall judge the Israelites, it shall be in the day time, when they are occupied in the study of the law. This maxim the apostle appears to have in view in the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th verses. (1 Thessalonians 5:4-8)


 
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