1 Thessalonians 4:9 (KJV)

Passage

But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

Nearby Context

1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

1 Thessalonians 4:8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

1 Thessalonians 4:10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

1 Thessalonians 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "touching", "brotherly", "love", "need", "write", "yourselves", and "taught". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "touching" and "brotherly", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "He therefore that despiseth despiseth not man..." into verse 10's "And indeed ye do it toward all...", so "touching" and "brotherly" belong inside that flow. In 1 Thessalonians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "touching" and "brotherly" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.