1 Thessalonians 5:14-22

Note; Are the items in the apostle’s exhortation list set in parallels?

14 Now we exhort you, brethren,

warn them that are unruly,
comfort the feebleminded,
support the weak,
be patient toward all men.

15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man;
but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

16 Rejoice evermore.
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

19 Quench not the Spirit.
20 Despise not prophesyings.

21 Prove all things;
hold fast that which is good.
22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

One thought on “1 Thessalonians 5:14-22”

  1. I can’t help but see a chiasm in 5:15-22.

    First off, there’s an inversion of the imperative verb relative to the predicate that occurs after the main imperative of verse 15 “see to it.” We then have:

    A: an encouragement against evil/to good,
    B: three commands (responding to good and evil),
    C: the center of the chiasmus (why we obey – for it’s God’s will)
    B’: three commands (recognizing good and evil)
    A: an encouragement to uphold good/abstain from evil [in opposite order]

    Thoughts?

    Warmly,
    Devon Rossman

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.