1 Thessalonians 5:22

Abstain from every form of evil (apo panto eidou ponhrou apecesqe). Present middle (direct) imperative of ap-ecw (contrast with kat-ecw) and preposition apo repeated with ablative as in 1 Thessalonians 4:3 . Note use of ponhrou here for evil without the article, common enough idiom. Eido (from eidon) naturally means look or appearance as in Luke 3:23 ; Luke 9:29 ; John 5:37 ; 2 Corinthians 5:7 . But, if so taken, it is not semblance as opposed to reality (Milligan). The papyri give several examples of eido 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.