1 Thessalonians 5:6
What does 1 Thessalonians 5:6 mean?
A plain-English look at 1 Thessalonians 5:6 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What 1 Thessalonians 5:6 means
Since they are of the day, Paul urges them not to drift into spiritual sleep, as those without hope do. Instead, they are to stay awake—alert to God’s presence and purposes—and be sober, exercising steady self-control. Watchfulness keeps the heart tuned to Christ’s return and the needs of the moment. Sobriety resists the dulled senses and moral carelessness that come with spiritual intoxication. This is not anxious hypervigilance, but a calm readiness that refuses to be numbed by sin or distraction. The call is to live in step with their identity, keeping eyes open to truth, and hands ready for faithful duty until the Lord appears.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949So then, let us not take our rest as the others do, but let us be self-controlled and awake.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862so, then, we may not sleep as also the others, but watch and be sober,
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Therefore, let us not sleep, as others do: but let us watch, and be sober.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890So then do not let us sleep as the rest do, but let us watch and be sober;
Context
The exhortation flows from the identity stated in verses 4–5. The contrast is with “the rest,” the world at large sleeping through spiritual realities. Verses 7–8 will provide a natural analogy—sleep and drunkenness belong to night—and will outline the protective gear needed by daytime people: faith, love, and hope. Thus Paul moves from who believers are to how they should live, strengthening the link between Christian doctrine (the Day of the Lord) and daily discipline (alertness and sobriety).
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Revelation 16:15
(Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.)
- 1 Timothy 3:2
The bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
- Ephesians 6:18
with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,
- Ephesians 5:14
Wherefore he saith, Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine upon thee.
- Revelation 3:2
Be thou watchful, and establish the things that remain, which were ready to die: for I have found no works of thine perfected before my God.
- Mark 13:37
And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
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