1 Thessalonians 4:8

Contextual Overview

¹Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. ¹ As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. ¹ Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. ¹Finally then, brothers, we ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. ¹ As for some other things, we've taught y'all the fundamentals of how to ride for the Lord. But don't be satisfied with a little progress. Continue to grow and ride further every day. ¹ And last of all, the prayer which we make to you from our heart and in the name of the Lord Jesus, is this: that as we made clear to you what sort of behaviour is pleasing to God, as in fact you are doing now, so you will go on in these ways, but more and more. ¹ For the rest, then, brethren, we beg you and exhort you in [the] Lord Jesus, even as ye have received from us how ye ought to walk and please God, even as ye also do walk, that ye would abound still more. ¹ Finally then, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us how you must walk and please God—as you are doing—do so even more. ¹ Finally then, brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, -- that you abound more and more. ¹ It remaineth then, brethren, that we beseech and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, that ye abound therein more and more.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

despiseth: or, rejecteth, 1 Samuel 8:7, 1 Samuel 10:19, John 12:48

despiseth not: Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 23:9, Isaiah 49:7, Isaiah 53:10, Luke 10:16, Acts 13:41, Jude 1:8

who: Nehemiah 9:30, Acts 5:3, Acts 5:4, 1 Corinthians 2:10, 1 Corinthians 7:40, 1 Peter 1:12, 2 Peter 1:21, 1 John 3:24

Reciprocal: Exodus 16:8 - but against Leviticus 26:15 - despise Numbers 11:17 - I will take Numbers 11:20 - despised Numbers 12:8 - were ye Numbers 15:31 - despised Deuteronomy 17:12 - the priest Deuteronomy 33:11 - smite 2 Samuel 12:10 - because 1 Chronicles 19:6 - had made 2 Chronicles 36:16 - despised Psalms 10:13 - contemn Proverbs 5:13 - General Isaiah 5:24 - despised Isaiah 30:12 - Because Jeremiah 23:17 - that despise Jeremiah 35:15 - I have Jeremiah 37:2 - neither Ezekiel 20:13 - and they Amos 2:4 - because Malachi 2:7 - the messenger Matthew 10:14 - whosoever Matthew 10:40 - He that Matthew 16:19 - and whatsoever Matthew 18:10 - heed Mark 9:37 - receive me Luke 9:48 - Whosoever shall receive this John 13:20 - He John 14:26 - Holy Ghost Acts 15:28 - it 1 Corinthians 4:10 - but we 1 Corinthians 9:8 - as 1 Corinthians 16:11 - no 2 Corinthians 5:20 - in Galatians 4:14 - ye 1 Thessalonians 5:20 - General 2 Thessalonians 3:14 - obey 1 Timothy 6:3 - the words 2 Timothy 3:3 - despisers 1 Peter 1:22 - unto

Cross-References

Genesis 4:3
In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD .

Genesis 4:3
In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord .

Genesis 4:3
So it happened in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to Yahweh of the fruit of the ground.

Genesis 4:3
So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground.

Genesis 4:3
And in processe of dayes it came to passe, that Cain brought of the fruite of the grounde, an oblation vnto ye lorde:

Genesis 4:3
At harvest time, Cain brought a gift to the Lord . He brought some of the food that he grew from the ground, but Abel brought some animals from his flock. He chose some of his best sheep and brought the best parts from them. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift.

Genesis 4:3
In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground,

Genesis 4:3
Sotheli it was don after many daies, that Cayn offride yiftis to the Lord of the fruytis of erthe;

Genesis 4:3
And in processe of time it came to passe, that Cain brought of the fruite of the ground, an offering vnto the LORD.

Genesis 4:3
And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord .

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He therefore that despiseth,.... The Vulgate Latin adds, "these things"; these exhortations now delivered, the commandments given by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the will of God above declared; he that rejects these things with contempt, takes no notice of them, and acts not according to them,

despiseth not man; not men only, the apostles of Christ, and ministers of the Gospel; for, by despising these exhortations, they themselves were despised, though not alone: but God; Father, Son, and Spirit; God the Father, whose will was their sanctification, even to abstain from fornication, and every act of uncleanness, which, if not attended to, was a despising of him; and the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom, and for whose sake they were entreated and exhorted, and in whose name, and by whose authority the apostle gave them these commandments; wherefore to slight them, was to slight Jesus Christ himself; and, by the way, this is a proof of the true and proper deity of Christ. Moreover, such despisers also, in some sense, do despite unto the spirit of grace, by whom the apostles spake, or who spoke in them these things, as follows,

who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit; as he did to the prophets of the Old Testament, and therefore what they said was equally by divine inspiration of God; and hence despising them, was despising the Spirit of God that spake by them. The Syriac and Arabic versions read, "who hath given unto you his Holy Spirit"; and so all Stephens's copies; which furnishes out a fresh reason or argument, dissuading from uncleanness, since God had given them his "Spirit" to convince them of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, so that they were not ignorant of the things warned against; and he had given them his Spirit as an "holy" Spirit, as a Spirit of sanctification, to begin and carry on that work in them, to which uncleanness was very opposite; and he had given his Spirit unto, or "into" them, to dwell in them, as in his temple, and therefore should be careful not to defile it; and to cause them to walk in his statutes, and to assist them to keep his judgments, and do them, and as an earnest of their inheritance, and a sealer of them up unto the day of redemption; wherefore it became them not to grieve him by an impure life; and they were laid under obligations to live in the Spirit, and to walk after him, and not after the flesh.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He therefore that despiseth - Margin, “rejecteth.” That is, he who disregards such commands as these which call him to a holy life, is really rejecting and disobeying God. Some might be disposed to say that these were merely the precepts of man, and that therefore it was not important whether they were obeyed or not. The apostle assures them in the most solemn manner, that, though communicated to them by man, yet they were really the commands of God.

Who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit - This is a claim to inspiration. Paul did not give these commands as his own, but as taught by the Spirit of God; compare notes on 1 Corinthians 7:40.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 8. He therefore that despiseth — He who will not receive these teachings, and is led either to undervalue or despise them, despises not us but God, from whom we have received our commission, and by whose Spirit we give these directions. See Clarke's note on 1 Thessalonians 4:15.

Hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit. — Instead of εις ημας, unto US, εις υμας, unto YOU, is the reading of BDEFG, a great many others, the Syriac, all the Arabic, Armenian, later Syriac in the margin, some of the Itala, Clement, Didymus, and Ambrosiaster; this seems to be the better reading. God has taught us that we may teach you; and he has also given you his Holy Spirit that ye might understand and be enabled to practise these things. It is one thing to receive a revelation from the Spirit of God; it is another thing to receive that Spirit to enable a man to live according to that revelation. In the first sense the apostles alone received this Holy Spirit; in the latter sense all true Christians, as well as the Thessalonians, receive it. I think υμας, you, is the true reading, and that it is confirmed by the following verse: For ye yourselves are TAUGHT OF GOD to love one another. Griesbach has inserted it in the margin, but has not admitted it into the text, because it has not what he deemed full support from those MSS. which are of the Alexandrian recension; but he thought its genuineness very probable.