1 Thessalonians 5:22

22 hold aloof from every form of wickedness.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 Meaning and Commentary

1 Thessalonians 5:22

Abstain from all appearance of evil.
] Of doctrinal evil. Not only open error and heresy are to be avoided, but what has any show of it, or looks like it, or carries in it a suspicion of it, or may be an occasion thereof, or lead unto it; wherefore all new words and phrases of this kind should be shunned, and the form of sound words held fast; and so of all practical evil, not only from sin itself, and all sorts of sin, lesser or greater, as the ^F23 Jews have a saying,

``take care of a light as of a heavy commandment,''

that is, take care of committing a lesser, as a greater sin, and from the first motions of sin; but from every occasion of it, and what leads unto it, and has the appearance of it, or may be suspected of others to be sin, and so give offence, and be a matter of scandal. The Jews have a saying very agreeable to this ^F24,

``remove thyself afar off (or abstain) from filthiness, and from everything, (wl hmwdh) , "that is like unto it".''

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 Pirke Abot, c. 2. sect. 1.
F24 Apud Drusium in loc.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 In-Context

20 do not lightly esteem prophecies;

21 but prove all things, hold fast the right;

22 hold aloof from every form of wickedness.

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

24 He [is] faithful who calls you, who will also perform [it].

Footnotes

• [a]. The distinction between the expressions 'the right' and the word translated 'wickedness' (lit. 'evil') without an article is profoundly beautiful. The latter is looked at as a general thing, a genus, and has kinds or species. They were to hold fast 'the right,' the thing in itself. But we cannot speak of evil in itself as an abstract existence. Its most absolute form is Satan (as 'the wicked one,' see Matt. 13.19), though we may practically speak of 'evil,' but I cannot say 'evilness' as I can 'goodness.' I must suppose an existence of what is good to have an idea of evil. But if I say ' wickedness,' I think of an act or of evil will in someone, malice, and this gives the sense here.