1 Thessalonians 5:12 (ASV)

Passage

But we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

Nearby Context

1 Thessalonians 5:10 who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Wherefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as also ye do.

1 Thessalonians 5:12 But we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

1 Thessalonians 5:13 and to esteem them exceeding highly in love for their work`s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "beseech", "brethren", "labor", "over", "lord", and "admonish". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "beseech" and "brethren", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Wherefore exhort one another and build each..." into verse 13's "and to esteem them exceeding highly in...", so "beseech" and "brethren" 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 "beseech" and "brethren" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.