1 Thessalonians 5:12 (DBY)

Passage

But we beg you, brethren, to know those who labour among you, and take the lead among you in [the] Lord, and admonish you,

Nearby Context

1 Thessalonians 5:10 who has died for us, that whether we may be watching or sleep, we may live together with him.

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

1 Thessalonians 5:12 But we beg you, brethren, to know those who labour among you, and take the lead among you in [the] Lord, and admonish you,

1 Thessalonians 5:13 and to regard them exceedingly in love on account of their work. Be in peace among yourselves.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 But we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, comfort the faint-hearted, sustain the weak, be patient towards all.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Wherefore encourage one another and build up..." into verse 13's "and to regard them exceedingly in love...", so "brethren" and "labour" 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 "brethren" and "labour" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.