Perileipomai describes those alive who are left until the Lord’s coming and then gathered with others.

The attested use identifies living people who remain until the Lord’s coming: they are distinguished from those who have fallen asleep and are then caught up together with them.

1. Living persons remaining until the coming · dominant

   In 1 Thessalonians 4:15, the present passive participle identifies those alive who remain until the coming of the Lord, set alongside those who have fallen asleep. In 1 Thessalonians 4:17, the same form again identifies those alive before the clause about being caught up together with them.

   1 Thessalonians 4:151 Thessalonians 4:17

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB renders the relevant group as “who are alive, who remain” in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 and “who are alive, who remain” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. These words indicate the clause’s presentation rather than a precise token-level rendering.