1 Thessalonians 1:4 (DBY)

Passage

knowing, brethren beloved by God, your election.

Nearby Context

1 Thessalonians 1:2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you at our prayers,

1 Thessalonians 1:3 remembering unceasingly your work of faith, and labour of love, and enduring constancy of hope, of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father;

1 Thessalonians 1:4 knowing, brethren beloved by God, your election.

1 Thessalonians 1:5 For our glad tidings were not with you in word only, but also in power, and in [the] Holy Spirit, and in much assurance; even as ye know what we were among you for your sakes:

1 Thessalonians 1:6 and *ye* became our imitators, and of the Lord, having accepted the word in much tribulation with joy of [the] Holy Spirit,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "knowing", "brethren", "beloved", and "election". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "knowing" and "brethren", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "remembering unceasingly your work of faith and..." into verse 5's "For our glad tidings were not with...", so "knowing" 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 "knowing" and "brethren" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.