I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

JUDE 1:5KJV
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Jude 1:5 (KJV)

What does Jude 1:5 mean?

Jude 1:5 reminds the readers that although God once saved the people of Israel from Egypt, He later destroyed those among them who did not believe. The verse uses this historical example to warn that deliverance does not guarantee continued safety if faith is abandoned.

Jude, the writer, is addressing early Christians, urging them to remember what they already know from Israel’s history. He points out that God’s past actions show both His power to save and His seriousness about unbelief. Jude is setting up a warning for his audience by recalling how even those who experienced God’s rescue faced consequences if they turned away in disbelief.

The Greek behind Jude 1:5

  • ἀπολέσας (apolesas, “destroyed”): This word means to ruin or bring to an end, often with a sense of complete loss. Jude uses it to stress the seriousness of the outcome for those who did not believe, even after being saved from Egypt.
  • πιστεύσαντας (pisteusantas, “believed”): The negative form here (οὐ πιστεύσαντας, “not believed”) highlights that the destruction came specifically because of a lack of trust or faith, not just any kind of wrongdoing.
  • κύριος (kyrios, “Lord”): This word can refer to God or Jesus as master or sovereign. Jude’s use of it here ties the Lord’s actions in the Old Testament to the authority he is appealing to in his warning.

Why Jude 1:5 matters

  • Jude 1:5 clarifies that experiencing God’s deliverance in the past does not exempt anyone from judgment if they later reject faith.
  • The verse sets a tone of warning for the rest of Jude’s letter, showing that God’s justice is consistent throughout history.
  • By referencing a well-known event from Israel’s past, Jude connects his message to the larger biblical story, helping his readers see the seriousness of turning away from faith.

Where else these words appear

“put” Greek G5279 · used in 7 verses

  • Luke 22:61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
  • 2 Timothy 2:14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
  • 2 Peter 1:12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

“once” Greek G530 · used in 15 verses

  • 2 Corinthians 11:25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
  • Hebrews 9:7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
  • Hebrews 12:26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

“Egypt” Greek G125 · used in 22 verses

  • Matthew 2:13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
  • Acts 7:11 Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.
  • Acts 7:40 Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

“will” Greek G1014 · used in 34 verses

  • Matthew 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
  • Acts 19:30 And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not.
  • 1 Timothy 5:14 I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.