the First Week after Epiphany
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King James Version
1 Thessalonians 4:4
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
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- InternationalParallel Translations
that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,
That euery one of you should know, how to possesse his vessell in holines and honour,
that each of you knows how to control his own body in holiness and honor,
that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honour,
God wants each one of you to learn to control your own body. Use your body in a way that is holy and that gives honor to God.
that each of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor [being available for God's purpose and separated from things profane],
that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,
Respect and honor your wife.
that each of you know how to manage his sexual impulses in a holy and honorable manner,
each of you must know how to control his own bodyvessel">[fn] in holiness and honor,Romans 6:19; 1 Corinthians 6:15,18;">[xr]
and that every man of you know to possess his vessel in sanctification and in honour,
and that each one of you might know how to possess his vessel, in sanctity and in honor;
That euery one of you should know how to possesse his vessell in sanctification and honour:
That euery one of you should knowe how to possesse his vessell in holynesse and honour:
that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honour,
that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
each one of you to know to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor,
that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
He wants each of you to learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable.
that each of you know how to possess his own body in holiness and honor,
that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor—
that each one of you know how to control your own body in holiness and honor,
That ye should know, each one of you, how, of his own vessel, to possess himself in sanctification and honour:
That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour,
That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
Each of you should know how to live with your wife in a holy and honorable way,
that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
That every one of you know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
that each man among you shall know how to procure a wife who shall be his own in purity and honour;
That ech of you kunne welde his vessel in holynesse, and onour;
That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor;
that each one of you know how to take a wife for himself in holiness and honor,
that every one of you shuld knowe how to kepe his vessell in holynes and honoure
that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
that each of you know his own vessel to possess in sanctification and honour,
So that every one of you may keep his body holy and in honour;
yt euery one of you shulde knowe how to kepe his vessell in holynes and honoure,
that every one of you should take care to preserve the dignity of his
Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God.
God wants each of you to use his body in the right way by keeping it holy and by respecting it.
A top hand controls his body and his desires. Be honorable and admirable in all that you do and at all times.
that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
should: Romans 6:19, Romans 12:1, 1 Corinthians 6:15, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
his: 1 Samuel 21:5, Acts 9:15, Romans 9:21-23, 2 Timothy 2:20, 2 Timothy 2:21, 1 Peter 3:7
honour: Philippians 4:8, Hebrews 13:4
Reciprocal: Esther 2:12 - to go in Romans 1:24 - to dishonour 1 Thessalonians 4:3 - your
Cross-References
And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord , and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.
And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
That thou shalt set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the Lord 's.
And there came a fire out from before the Lord , and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.
And there came out a fire from the Lord , and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.
All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the Lord , them have I given thee.
But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the Lord .
Gill's Notes on the Bible
That everyone of you should know how to possess his vessel,.... By which may be meant, either a man's wife, or his body, and it is not very easy to determine which, for the Jews call both by this name. Sometimes they call p a woman גולם, which the gloss says is a "vessel" unfinished. It is reported q, that when R. Eleazar died, Rabbenu Hakkadosh would have married his widow, and she would not, because she was כלי של קדושה, "a vessel of holiness", greater than he. Moreover, it is said r, that
"he that forces (a young woman) must drink בעציצו, "in his own vessel" how drink in his own vessel? though she be lame, though she be blind, and though she is stricken with ulcers.''
The commentators s on the passage add,
"in the vessel which he has chosen; that is to say, whether he will or not, he must marry her;''
see Proverbs 5:15. And again, they sometimes call a man's wife his tent: hence that saving t,
"wtva ala wlha Nya "there is no tent but his wife", as it is said, Deuteronomy 5:30, go, say to them, get you into your tents again.''
And certain it is, that the woman is called the "weaker vessel" in 1 Peter 3:7, between which passage and this there seems to be some agreement. The same metaphor of a "vessel" is made use of in both; and as there, honour to be given to the weaker vessel, so here, a man's vessel is to be possessed in honour; and as there, husbands are to dwell with their wives according to knowledge so here, knowledge is required to a man's possessing his vessel aright. Now for a man to possess his vessel in this sense, is to enjoy his wife, and to use that power he has over her in a becoming manner; see 1 Corinthians 7:4, and which is here directed to "in sanctification and honour"; that is, in a chaste and honourable way; for marriage is honourable when the bed is kept undefiled; and which may be defiled, not only by taking another into it, and which is not possessing the wife in sanctification and honour, it is the reverse, for it is a breaking through the rules of chastity and honour; but it may even be defiled with a man's own wife, by using her in an unnatural way, or by any unlawful copulation with her; for so to do is to use her in an unholy, unchaste, wicked, and dishonourable manner; whereas possessing of her according to the order and course of nature, is by the Jews, in agreement with the apostle, called u, מקדש עצמו, "a man's sanctifying himself", and is chaste, and honourable. And it may be observed, that the Jews use the same phrase concerning conjugal embraces as the apostle does here. One of their canons runs thus w:
"though a man's wife is free for him at all times, it is fit and proper for a disciple of a wise man to use himself
בקדושה, "in", or "to sanctification".''
When these thing's are observed, this sense of the words will not appear so despicable as it is thought by some. The body is indeed called a "vessel"; see 2 Corinthians 4:7, because in it the soul is contained, and the soul makes use of it, and its members, as instruments, for the performance of various actions; and, with Jewish writers, we read of כלי גופו, "the vessel of his body" x; so then, for a man to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour, is to keep under his body and bring it into subjection, and preserve it in purity and chastity; as the eyes from unchaste looks, the tongue from unchaste words, and the other members from unchaste actions; and to use it in an honourable way, not in fornication, adultery, and sodomy; for, by fornication, a man sins against his own body; and by adultery he gets a wound, and a dishonour, and a reproach that will not be wiped away; and by sodomy, and such like unnatural lusts, men dishonour their own bodies between themselves: particularly by "his vessel", as Gataker thinks, may be meant the "membrum virile", or the genital parts, which, by an euphemism, may he so called; see 1 Samuel 21:5
p T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol 22. 2. q Juchasin, fol. 48. 2. Shalsheleth Hakkabala, fol. 23. 1. r Misna Cetubot, c. 3. sect. 4, 5. s Jarchi & Bartenora in ib. t T. Bab. Moed Katon, fol. 7. 2. & 15. 2. u Maimon. in Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 7. sect. 4. w Maimon. Hilch Deyot, c. 5. sect. 4. x Caphtor, fol. 57. 2.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel - The word “vessel” here (σκεῦος skeuos), probably refers to the body. When it is so used, it is either because the body is frail and feeble, like an earthen vessel, easily broken 2 Corinthians 4:7, or because it is that which contains the soul, or in which the soul is lodged. Lucret. Lib. iii. 441. The word vessel also (Greek σκεῦος skeuos) was used by the latter Hebrews to denote a wife, as the vessel of her husband. Schoettg. Hor. Heb. p. 827. Compare Wetstein in loc. Many, as Augustine, Wetstein, Schoettgen, Koppe, Robinson (Lex.), and others, have supposed that this is the reference here; compare 1 Peter 3:7. The word body, however, accords more naturally with the usual signification of the word, and as the apostle was giving directions to the whole church, embracing both sexes, it is hardly probable that he confined his direction to those who had wives. It was the duty of females, and of the unmarried among the males, as well as of married men, to observe this command. The injunction then is, that we should preserve the body pure; see the notes on 1 Corinthians 6:18-20.
In sanctification and honour - Should not debase or pollute it; that is, that we should honor it as a noble work of God, to be employed for pure purposes; notes, 1 Corinthians 6:19.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 1 Thessalonians 4:4. How to possess his vessel — Let every man use his wife for the purpose alone for which God created her, and instituted marriage. The word ακευος answers to the Hebrew כלי keli, which, though it signifies vessel in general, has several other meanings. That the rabbins frequently express wife by it, Schoettgen largely proves; and to me it appears very probable that the apostle uses it in that sense here. St. Peter calls the wife the weaker VESSEL, 1 Peter 3:7. Others think that the body is meant, which is the vessel in which the soul dwells. In this sense St. Paul uses it, 2 Corinthians 4:7: We have this treasure in earthen VESSELS; and in this sense it is used by both Greek and Roman authors. There is a third sense which interpreters have put on the word, which I forbear to name. The general sense is plain; purity and continency are most obviously intended, whether the word be understood as referring to the wife or the husband, as the following verse sufficiently proves.
