1 Thessalonians 5:4

Contextual Overview

¹ But you have no need to have anything written to you, brothers, about the times and dates when this will happen; ¹ But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that ye should be written to, ¹ But concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need that anything be written to you. ¹ Now you do not need to have anything written to you about times and dates, brothers,Matthew 24:3,36; Acts 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:9;">[xr] ¹ But of the times and the seasons, my brethren, you need not that I write to you; ¹ But concerning the times and seasons, my brethren, ye need not that I write to you: ¹ But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you. ¹ But about the times and their order, my brothers, there is no need for me to say anything to you. ¹ Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. ¹ Bvt of the times and seasons, brethren, yee haue no neede that I write vnto you.

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 blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over every animal that moveth on the earth.

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, "Have many children. Fill the earth and take control of it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. Rule over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them. God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the eretz, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the eretz."

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them; and God said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth.'

Genesis 1:28
And God gave them his blessing and said to them, Be fertile and have increase, and make the earth full and be masters of it; be rulers over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing moving on the earth.

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God sayde vnto them: be fruitefull, & multiplie, and replenishe the earth, & subdue it, and haue dominion of the fisshe of the sea, and foule of the ayre, & of euery lyuing thing that moueth vpon the earth.

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said to them, Bring forth fruite and multiplie, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule ouer the fish of the sea, and ouer the foule of the heauen, & ouer euery beast that moueth vpon the earth.

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild beasts that move upon the earth.

Genesis 1:28
blessed them, and said, "Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals.

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, saying, Increase and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the seas and flying creatures of heaven, and all the cattle and all the earth, and all the reptiles that creep on the earth.

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)