Passage

1 Thessalonians 5.23

Book: 1 Thessalonians · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"21. prove all things; hold fast that which is good; 22. abstain from every form of evil."

"23. And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

"24. Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it. 25. Brethren, pray for us." (1 Thessalonians 5:21-25, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"21. Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good. 22. Abstain from every form of evil."

"23. May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

"24. He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it. 25. Brothers, pray for us." (1 Thessalonians 5:21-25, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

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

"23. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

"24. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 25. Brethren, pray for us." (1 Thessalonians 5:21-25, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"21. all things prove; that which is good hold fast; 22. from all appearance of evil abstain ye;"

"23. and the God of the peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved unblameably in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ;"

"24. stedfast is He who is calling you, who also will do [it]. 25. Brethren, pray for us;" (1 Thessalonians 5:21-25, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Paul the Apostle + Silas + Timothy
Audience: Christian believers in Thessalonica
Location: composed in Corinth; addressed to Thessalonica
Time period: composed c. AD 50-51

Theological reading

Key words

G2316 - theos, theos (Strong's G2316). Also appears in: Matthew 1.23, Matthew 3.16, Matthew 5.9.
G2424 - Iesous, Iesous (Strong's G2424). Also appears in: Matthew 1.1, Matthew 1.16, Matthew 1.18.
G2962 - kyrios, kyrios (Strong's G2962). Also appears in: Matthew 1.20, Matthew 1, Matthew 6.24.
G3952 - parousia, parousia (Strong's G3952). Also appears in: 1 Corinthians 15, Philippians 2, 2 Thessalonians 2.8.
G4151 - pneuma, pneuma (Strong's G4151). Also appears in: Matthew 1.18, Matthew 1.20, Matthew 3.16.
G4983 - soma, soma (Strong's G4983). Also appears in: Matthew 6.25-26, Matthew 10.28, Matthew 27.59-60.
G5547 - christos, christos (Strong's G5547). Also appears in: Matthew 1.1, Matthew 1.16, Matthew 1.
G5590 - psyche, psyche (Strong's G5590). Also appears in: Matthew 6.25-26, Matthew 10.28, Matthew 10.37-39.

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.