1 Thessalonians 4:12 (DBY)

Passage

that ye may walk reputably towards those without, and may have need of no one.

Nearby Context

1 Thessalonians 4:10 For also ye do this towards all the brethren in the whole of Macedonia; but we exhort you, brethren, to abound still more,

1 Thessalonians 4:11 and to seek earnestly to be quiet and mind your own affairs, and work with your [own] hands, even as we charged you,

1 Thessalonians 4:12 that ye may walk reputably towards those without, and may have need of no one.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are fallen asleep, to the end that ye be not grieved even as also the rest who have no hope.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus has died and has risen again, so also God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "walk", "reputably", "towards", "without", and "need". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "walk" and "reputably", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "and to seek earnestly to be quiet..." into verse 13's "But we do not wish you to...", so "walk" and "reputably" 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 "walk" and "reputably" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.