1 Thessalonians 5:22 (KJV)

What does 1 Thessalonians 5:22 mean?

1 Thessalonians 5:22 tells its hearers to stay away from evil whenever it appears. The KJV wording draws attention to evil in whatever guise it takes, rather than limiting the warning to one particular kind of wrongdoing.

The instruction follows a call to test things and hold on to what is good. Paul places the warning among brief instructions to the believers in Thessalonica, including instructions about messages understood to come from God.

The Greek behind 1 Thessalonians 5:22

• “appearance” — εἶδος (eidos): This word can mean an outward form or kind. Here, it is often understood as “form,” so the phrase can mean “every form of evil.”
• “Abstain” — ἀπέχω (apechō): This word can carry the sense of keeping away or holding back. It describes a deliberate separation from what Paul calls evil.

Why 1 Thessalonians 5:22 matters

• The verse is sometimes read as a warning to avoid anything that might look wrong to other people. In the setting of testing and keeping what is good in verse 21, the phrase can also be understood as a warning against evil in its various forms.
• The word “all” gives the instruction a broad reach. Paul does not name just one form of evil in verse 22.
• The instruction belongs alongside discernment, not apart from it. The nearby commands to “prove all things” and “hold fast that which is good” put the contrast between good and evil in view.