SEV Biblia, Chapter 5:22
Apartaos de toda apariencia de mal.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Thessalonians 5:22
Verse 22. Abstain from all appearance of evil.] Sin not, and avoid even the appearance of it. Do not drive your morality so near the bounds of evil as to lead even weak persons to believe that ye actually touch, taste, or handle it. Let not the form of it, eidov, appear with or among you, much less the substance. Ye are called to holiness; be ye holy, for God is holy.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 22. Abstain from all appearance of evil .] Of doctrinal evil. Not only open error and heresy are to be avoided, but what has any show of it, or looks like it, or carries in it a suspicion of it, or may be an occasion thereof, or lead unto it; wherefore all new words and phrases of this kind should be shunned, and the form of sound words held fast; and so of all practical evil, not only from sin itself, and all sorts of sin, lesser or greater, as the Jews have a saying, take care of a light as of a heavy commandment, that is, take care of committing a lesser, as a greater sin, and from the first motions of sin; but from every occasion of it, and what leads unto it, and has the appearance of it, or may be suspected of others to be sin, and so give offence, and be a matter of scandal. The Jews have a saying very agreeable to this f42 , remove thyself afar off (or abstain) from filthiness, and from everything, wl hmwdh , that is like unto it.
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
απο 575 παντος 3956 ειδους 1491 πονηρου 4190 απεχεσθε 567 5732
Vincent's NT Word Studies
22. Appearance (eidouv). As commonly explained, abstain from everything that even looks like evil. But the word signifies form or kind. Comp. Luke iii. 22; John v. 37, and see nearly the same phrase in Joseph. Ant. x. 3, 1. It never has the sense of semblance. Moreover, it is impossible to abstain from everything that looks like evil.
Of evil (ponhrou). To be taken as a noun; not as an adjective agreeing with eidouv form (from every evil form). The meaning of ponhrov in N.T. cannot be limited to active evil, mischief, though it often has that sense. The same is true in LXX, where it sometimes means grudying or niggardly. See Sir. xiv. 4, 5; xxxiv. 23.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
5:22 {Abstain from every form of evil} (apo pantos eidous ponerou apecesqe). Present middle (direct) imperative of ap-ecw (contrast with kat-ecw) and preposition apo repeated with ablative as in #1Th 4:3. Note use of ponerou here for evil without the article, common enough idiom. eidos (from eidon) naturally means look or appearance as in #Lu 3:23; 9:29; Joh 5:37; 2Co 5:7. But, if so taken, it is not semblance as opposed to reality (Milligan). The papyri give several examples of eidos in the sense of class or kind and that idea suits best here. Evil had a way of showing itself even in the spiritual gifts including prophecy.
