SEV Biblia, Chapter 5:19
No apaguéis el Espíritu.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Thessalonians 5:19
Verse 19. Quench not the Spirit.] The Holy Spirit is represented as a fire, because it is his province to enlighten and quicken the soul; and to purge, purify, and refine it. This Spirit is represented as being quenched when any act is done, word spoken, or temper indulged, contrary to its dictates. It is the Spirit of love, and therefore anger, malice, revenge, or any unkind or unholy temper, will quench it so that it will withdraw its influences; and then the heart is left in a state of hardness and darkness. It has been observed that fire may be quenched as well by heaping earth on it as by throwing water on it; and so the love of the world will as effectually grieve and quench the Spirit as any ordinary act of transgression.
Every genuine Christian is made a partaker of the Spirit of God; and he who has not the spirit of Christ is none of his. It cannot be the miraculous gifts of the Spirit which the apostle means, for these were given to few, and not always; for even apostles could not work miracles when they pleased; but the direction in the text is general, and refers to a gift of which they were generally partakers.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 19. Quench not the spirit .] By which is meant, not the person of the Spirit, but either the graces of the spirit, which may be compared to light, and fire, and heat, to which the allusion is in the text; such as faith, which is a light in the soul, a seeing of the Son, and an evidence of things not seen; and love, which gives a vehement flame, which many waters cannot quench; and zeal, which is the boiling up of love, the fervency of it; and spiritual knowledge, which is also light, and of an increasing nature, and are all graces of the spirit: and though these cannot be totally extinguished, and utterly put out and lost, yet they may be greatly damped; the light of faith may become dim; and the flame of love be abated, and that wax cold; the heat of zeal may pass into lukewarmness, and an indifference of spirit; and the light of knowledge seem to decline instead of increasing; and all through indulging some sin or sins, by keeping ill company, and by neglecting the ordinances of God, prayer, preaching, and other institutions of the Gospel; wherefore such an exhortation is necessary to quicken saints, and stir them up to the use of those means, whereby those graces are cherished and preserved in their lively exercise; though rather the gifts of the Spirit are intended. The extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, bestowed on the apostles at the day of Pentecost, are represented under the symbol of fire, to which perhaps the apostle may here have respect; and the more ordinary gifts of the Spirit are such as are to be stirred up, as coals of fire are stirred up, in order that they may burn, and shine the brighter, and give both light and heat, ( 2 Timothy 1:6) and which may be said to be quenched, when they are neglected, and lie by as useless; when they are wrapped up in a napkin, or hid in the earth; or when men are restrained from the use of them; or when the use of them is not attended to, or is brought into contempt, and the exercise of them rendered useless and unprofitable, as much as in them lies. And even private persons may quench the Spirit of God, his gifts of light and knowledge, when they hold the truth in unrighteousness, imprison it, and conceal it, and do not publicly profess it as they ought.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 16-22 - We are to rejoice in creature-comforts, as if we rejoiced not, and mus not expect to live many years, and rejoice in them all; but if we d rejoice in God, we may do that evermore. A truly religious life is life of constant joy. And we should rejoice more, if we prayed more Prayer will help forward all lawful business, and every good work. I we pray without ceasing, we shall not want matter for thanksgiving in every thing. We shall see cause to give thanks for sparing an preventing, for common and uncommon, past and present, temporal an spiritual mercies. Not only for prosperous and pleasing, but also for afflicting providences, for chastisements and corrections; for God designs all for our good, though we at present see not how they tend to it. Quench not the Spirit. Christians are said to be baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire. He worketh as fire, by enlightening enlivening, and purifying the souls of men. As fire is put out by taking away fuel, and as it is quenched by pouring water, or putting great deal of earth upon it; so we must be careful not to quench the Holy Spirit, by indulging carnal lusts and affections, minding onl earthly things. Believers often hinder their growth in grace, by no giving themselves up to the spiritual affections raised in their heart by the Holy Spirit. By prophesyings, here understand the preaching of the word, the interpreting and applying the Scriptures. We must no despise preaching, though it is plain, and we are told no more tha what we knew before. We must search the Scriptures. And proving all things must be to hold fast that which is good. We should abstain from sin, and whatever looks like sin, leads to it, and borders upon it. He who is not shy of the appearances of sin, who shuns not the occasion of it, and who avoids not the temptations and approaches to it, wil not long keep from doing sin.
Greek Textus Receptus
το 3588 πνευμα 4151 μη 3361 σβεννυτε 4570 5720
Vincent's NT Word Studies
19. Quench not the Spirit. Since he is the inspirer of prayer, and the bestower of all gifts of grace on the Church. Comp. Eph. iv. 30. The operation of the Spirit is set forth under the image of fire in Matt. iii. 11; Luke xii. 49; Acts ii. 3, 4. The reference here is to the work of the Spirit generally, and not specially to his inspiration of prayer or prophecy.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
5:19 {Quench not the spirit} (to pneuma me sbennute). me with the present imperative means to stop doing it or not to have the habit of doing it. It is a bold figure. Some of them were trying to put out the fire of the Holy Spirit, probably the special gifts of the Holy Spirit as verse #20 means. But even so the exercise of these special gifts (#1Co 12-14; 2Co 12:2-4; Ro 12:6-9) was to be decently (euscemonws, #1Th 4:12) and in order (kata taxin, #1Co 14:40) and for edification (pros oikodomen, #1Co 14:26). Today, as qen, there are two extremes about spiritual gifts (cold indifference or wild excess). It is not hard to put out the fire of spiritual fervor and power.
