1 Thessalonians 5:16

Rejoice evermore.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
Rejoice	χαίρετε· chairete	G5463	to be "cheer"ful · verb — present active imperative, 2nd person plural
evermore	πάντοτε pantote	G3842	every when · adverb

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 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Matthew 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
2 Corinthians 6:10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
Luke 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

Here we have divers short exhortations, that will not burden our memories, but will be of great use to direct the motions of our hearts and lives; for the duties are of great importance, and we may observe how they are connected together, and have a dependence upon one another. 1. Rejoice evermore, Th1 5:16. This must be understood of spiritual joy; for we must rejoice in our creature-comforts as if we rejoiced not, and must not expect to live many years, and rejoice in them all; but, if we do rejoice in God, we may do that evermore. In him our joy will be full; and it is our fault if we have not a continual feast. If we are sorrowful upon any worldly account, yet still we may always rejoice…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Thessalonians 5:16

In order to "rejoice evermore," we must "pray without ceasing" (Th1 5:17). He who is wont to thank God for all things as happening for the best, will have continuous joy [THEOPHYLACT]. Eph 6:18; Phi 4:4, Phi 4:6, "Rejoice in the Lord . . . by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving"; Rom 14:17, "in the Holy Ghost"; Rom 12:12, "in hope"; Act 5:41, "in being counted worthy to suffer shame for Christ's name"; Jam 1:2, in falling "into divers temptations."

Adam Clarke on 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Rejoice evermore - Be always happy; the religion of Christ was intended to remove misery. He that has God for his portion may constantly exult. Four MSS. of good note add εν τῳ Κυριῳ, in the Lord: Rejoice in the Lord evermore.

John Gill on 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Rejoice evermore. Not in a carnal, but in a spiritual way, with joy in the Holy Ghost; and which arises from a view of pardon by the blood of Christ, of justification by his righteousness, and atonement by his sacrifice; not in themselves, as the wicked man rejoices in his wickedness, and the hypocrite and formalist in his profession of religion, and the reputation he gains by it; and the Pharisee and legalist in his morality, civility, negative holiness, and obedience to the rituals of the law; for such rejoice in their boastings, and all such rejoicing is evil; but in the Lord Jesus Christ, in the greatness, fitness, fulness, and glory of his person, in his blood, righteousness, and sacrif…

The Church Fathers

So, too, "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth," has now grown old, ever since "Let none render evil for evil" grew young.
— Tertullian, On Exhortation to Chastity

"Sing with jubilation to God, all the earth." The prophet was troubled for the faithful people in case they believe they are to serve the Lord with gloomy anxiety, so he began at once with jubilation, for ministering to the Lord with happiness of mind constitutes the perfect devotion of the just man. As Paul warns us, "Always rejoice: pray without ceasing: in all things give thanks."
— Cassiodorus, COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 99.2

Those who, together with labours, possess innocency of soul also, become the discoverers of the kingdom which is in them, and in its blessings they fare luxuriously and revel in continual joy, over which sorrow ruleth not, because at all times they rejoice in the gladness which is born of them, even as Paul also said, "Rejoice at all times," and in another place he also said, "Rejoice in your hope, and endure patiently your tribulations; for from the patient endurance of tribulations the hope concerning the things which are to come increaseth in us."
— Philoxenus of Mabbug, 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Commandments · PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES — PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES
Joy · 2:11;4:7;5:11;9:2,14;13:5;14:7;16:5,6,8,9,11;17:15;19:8;20:5;21:1,6;28:7;30:5,11,12;32:1,2,11;33:21;35:9;36:8;40:16;42:4;43:4;45:15;46:4;51:8,12;53:6;63:5-7,11;64:10;68:3;69:32;70:4;71:23;85:6;89:15,16;97:11,12;100:1,2;104:34;105:3,43;119:1,2,14,16,55,111,162,165;126:5,6;132:16;138:5;149:2,5; — 2:11;4:7;5:11;9:2,14;13:5;14:7;16:5,6,8,9,11;17:15;19:8;20:5;21:1,6;28:7;30:5,11,12;32:1,2,11;33:21;35:9;36:8;40:16;42:4;43:4;45:15;46:4;51:8,12;53:6;63:5-7,11;64:10;68:3;69:32;70:4;71:23;85:6;89:15,16;97:11,12;100:1,2;104:34;105:3,43;119:1,2,14,16,55,111,162,165;126:5,6;132:16;138:5;149:2,5;
Religion · TRUE — TRUE

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).

1 Thessalonians 5:16

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Adam Clarke on 1 Thessalonians 5:16

John Gill on 1 Thessalonians 5:16

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Thessalonians 5:16

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Adam Clarke on 1 Thessalonians 5:16

John Gill on 1 Thessalonians 5:16

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on 1 Thessalonians 5:15-22

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:15