to have faith (in · verb — present active indicative, 1st person plural
that
ὅτιhoti
G3754
demonstrative · conjunction
Jesus
ἸησοῦςIēsous
G2424
Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua) · noun — nominative singular masculine, a proper name
died
ἀπέθανενapethanen
G599
to die off (literally or figuratively) · verb — second aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
again
ἀνέστη,anestē
G450
to stand up (literal or figurative · verb — second aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
so
οὕτωςhoutōs
G3779
in this way (referring to what precedes or follows) · adverb
them
ὁho
G3588
the (sometimes to be supplied · article — nominative singular masculine
also
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
sleep
κοιμηθένταςkoimēthentas
G2837
to put to sleep · verb — aorist passive participle, accusative plural masculine
in
διὰdia
G1223
through (in very wide applications · preposition
Jesus
ἸησοῦIēsou
G2424
Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua) · noun — genitive singular masculine, a proper name
will
ἄξειaxei
G71
properly · verb — future active indicative, 3rd person singular
God
θεὸςtheos
G2316
figuratively · noun — nominative singular masculine, a title
bring
ἄγωágō
G71
properly
with
σὺνsun
G4862
with or together (but much closer than G3326 (μετά) or… · preposition
him
αὐτῷ.¶autō
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative singular masculine
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mor…
Philippians 3:20-21 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Isaiah 26:19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of he…
2 Corinthians 4:13-14 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore spea…
1 Thessalonians 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1 Thessalonians 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all…
1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be…
Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 1 Thessalonians 4:13–end
In these words the apostle comforts the Thessalonians who mourned for the death of their relations and friends that died in the Lord. His design is to dissuade them from excessive grief, or inordinate sorrow, on that account. All grief for the death of friends is far from being unlawful; we may weep at least for ourselves if we do not weep for them, weep for own loss, though it may be their fain. Yet we must not be immoderate in our sorrows, because,
I. This looks as if we had no hope, Th1 4:13. It is to act too much like the Gentiles, who had no hope of a better life after this; whereas we Christians, who have a most sure hope, the hope of eternal life after this, which God who cannot lie h…
For if--confirmation of his statement, Th1 4:13, that the removal of ignorance as to the sleeping believers would remove undue grief respecting them. See Th1 4:13, "hope." Hence it appears our hope rests on our faith ("if we believe"). "As surely as we all believe that Christ died and rose again (the very doctrine specified as taught at Thessalonica, Act 17:3), so also will God bring those laid to sleep by Jesus with Him (Jesus)." (So the order and balance of the members of the Greek sentence require us to translate). Believers are laid in sleep by Jesus, and so will be brought back from sleep with Jesus in His train when He comes. The disembodied souls are not here spoken of; the reference…
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again - Ει γαρ· Seeing that we believe; knowing that the resurrection of Christ is as fully authenticated as his death.
Even so them - It necessarily follows that them who sleep - die, in him - in the faith of the Gospel, will God bring with him - he will raise them up as Jesus was raised from the dead, in the same manner, i.e. by his own eternal power and energy; and he will bring them with him - with Christ, for he is the head of the Church, which is his body.
The Church Fathers
And sayest thou, How is it possible for one that is man not to mourn?… Say not then, "He is perished and shall no more be;" for these be the words of unbelievers; but say, "He sleepeth and will rise again," "He is gone a journey and will return with the King." Who sayeth this? He that hath Christ speaking in him. "For," saith he, "if we believe that Jesus died and rose again" and revived, "even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." If then thou seek thy son, there seek him where the King is, where is the army of the Angels; not in the grave; not in the earth; lest whilst he is so highly exalted, thyself remain grovelling on the ground.
"And after that He saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep." It was true what He said. To his sisters he was dead, to the Lord he was asleep. He was dead to men, who could not raise him again; but the Lord aroused him with as great ease from the tomb as one arouseth a sleeper from his bed. Hence it was in reference to His own power that He spoke of him as sleeping: for others also, who are dead, are frequently spoken of in Scripture as sleeping; as when the apostle says, "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others who have no hope." Therefore he also spoke of them as sleeping, because foretelling their resurrection. And so, all the dead are sleeping, both good and bad.
All men shall rise again, but let no one lose heart, and let not the just grieve at the common lot of rising again, since he awaits the chief fruit of his virtue. All indeed shall rise again, but, as says the apostle, "each in his own order." The fruit of the divine mercy is common to all, but the order of merit differs. The day gives light to all, the sun warms all, the rain fertilizes the possessions of all with genial flowers. We are all born, and we shall all rise again. But each shall be in his proper state, whether of living or living again, for grace differs and the condition differs.… Therefore he is aroused that he may live, that he may be like to Paul, that he may be able to say, "For we that are alive shall not precede those that are asleep." He speaks here not of the common manner of life and the breath which we all alike now enjoy but of the future merit of the resurrection.
Dictionary and topics
Immortality — Perpetuity of existence. The doctrine of immortality is taught in the Old Testament. It is plainly implied in the writings of Moses (Gen. 5:22, 24; 25:8; 37:35; 47:9; 49:29, comp. Heb. 11:13-16; Ex.…
Resurrection of the dead — Will be simultaneous both of the just and the unjust (Dan. 12:2; John 5:28, 29; Rom. 2:6-16; 2 Thess. 1:6-10). The qualities of the resurrection body will be different from those of the body laid in…
Thessalonians, First Epistle To The — was written by the apostle Paul at Corinth, a few months after he had founded the church at Thessalonica, at the close of the year A.D. 62 or the beginning of 53. The Epistles to the Thessalonians,…
Affliction, Consolation Under · In prospect of death — In prospect of death
Bereavement · RESIGNATION IN — RESIGNATION IN
Death · General references — General references
Death Of Saints, The · A sleep in Christ — A sleep in Christ
Immortality · 2:11; — 2:11;
Resurrection · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Sleep · A symbol of — A symbol of
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Gill on 1 Thessalonians 4:14
For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again,.... As every Christian does, for both the death and resurrection of Christ are fundamental articles of faith; nothing is more certain or more comfortable, and more firmly to be believed, than that Christ died for the sins of his people, and rose again for their justification; on these depend the present peace, joy, and comfort of the saints, and their everlasting salvation and happiness: and no less certain and comfortable, and as surely to be believed, is what follows,
even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. The saints that are dead are not only represented as asleep, as before, but as "asleep in Jesus"; to distingu…
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
13. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
13. Nolo autem vos ignorare, fratres, de iis qui obdormierunt, ut ne contristemini, sicut et caeteri qui spem non habent.
14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
14. Nam si credimus, quod Iesus mortuus est, et resurrexit, ita et Deus eos, qui dormierunt per Christum, adducet cum eo.
13 But I would not have you ignorant. It is not likely that the hope of a resurrection had been torn up among the Thessalonians by profane men, as had taken place at…
The central Christian creed, that Jesus died and was raised to life again, is the foundation for hope in the face of death, guaranteed by the resurrection of Christ (1 Cor 15). • God will bring back refers to the resurrection of believers (1 Thes 4:16).
