1 Thessalonians 5:3 (ASV)

Passage

When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape.

Nearby Context

1 Thessalonians 5:1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

1 Thessalonians 5:3 When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape.

1 Thessalonians 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief:

1 Thessalonians 5:5 for ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saying", "peace", "safety", "sudden", "destruction", "cometh", "upon", and "travail". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saying" and "peace", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "For yourselves know perfectly that the day..." into verse 4's "But ye brethren are not in darkness...", so "saying" and "peace" 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 "saying" and "peace" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.