Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering with them.
Parallel translations
- WEB Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them; and those who are ill-treated, since you are also in the body.
- KJV Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
- NKJV Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.
- NASB Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are badly treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.
- NLT Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Believers should remember and identify with prisoners and the mistreated as if they shared their suffering. It calls for active, empathetic solidarity with the persecuted.
Overview
The original readers faced persecution, and some fellow Christians were imprisoned for their faith. The author urges them to remember such people not abstractly but with the compassion of those who themselves share a vulnerable body. This love within the body of Christ reflects Jesus, who identifies with His suffering people (Matthew 25:36).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- Matt 25:36I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’
- Heb 10:34You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you yourselves had a better and permanent possession.
- Rom 12:15Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.
- 1 Cor 12:26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
- Col 4:18This greeting is in my own hand—Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
- Gal 6:1–2Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
- 1 Pet 3:8Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble.
- Matt 25:43I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
- Acts 24:23He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard, but to allow him some freedom and permit his friends to minister to his needs.
- Gen 40:23The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot all about him.
- 2 Tim 1:16–18May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he has often refreshed me and was unashamed of my chains.
- Gen 40:14–15But when it goes well for you, please remember me and show me kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh, that he might bring me out of this prison.
- Phil 4:14–19Nevertheless, you have done well to share in my affliction.
- Jer 38:7–13Now Ebed-melech the Cushite, a court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put into the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin,
- Eph 4:1As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received:
- Acts 16:29–34Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
- Neh 1:3–4And they told me, “The remnant who survived the exile are there in the province, in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”
- Acts 27:3The next day we landed at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul with consideration, allowing him to visit his friends and receive their care.
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Original language
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