5:20

Do not treat prophecies with contempt: Here Paul gave a specific example of how people quench the Holy Spirit’s fire, that is, by rejecting prophecies without first evaluating them.

prophecies: Paul was not referring to Old Testament prophecies in this verse. Rather he was referring to prophecies that fellow believers were making. A prophecy could be about what would happen in the future or about present-day matters. For example, the prophecy could be a warning that God would punish those who were sinning unless they repented. Or it could be a promise that God would forgive, comfort, and encourage those who trusted him.

The emphasis in this command is on this word prophecies. See the note on 5:15b above. You should emphasize this in your translation in the way that is natural in your language.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.