Bible Commentaries

2Th 3:1-18.

HE ASKS THEIR PRAYERS: HIS CONFIDENCE IN THEM: PRAYER FOR THEM: CHARGES AGAINST DISORDERLY IDLE CONDUCT; HIS OWN EXAMPLE: CONCLUDING PRAYER AND SALUTATION.

1. Finally--literally, "As to what remains."

may have free course--literally, "may run"; spread rapidly without a drag on the wheels of its course. That the new-creating word may "run," as "swiftly" as the creative word at the first

(Ps 147:15).

The opposite is the word of God being "bound"

(2Ti 2:9).

glorified--by sinners accepting it

(Ac 13:48; Ga 1:23, 24).

Contrast "evil spoken of"

(1Pe 4:14).

as it is with you--

(1Th 1:6; 4:10; 5:11).

2. that we . . . be delivered from unreasonable . . . men--literally, men out of place, inept, unseemly: out of the way bad: more than ordinarily bad. An undesigned coincidence with

Ac 18:5-9.

Paul was now at Corinth, where the JEWS "opposed themselves" to his preaching: in answer to his prayers and those of his converts at Thessalonica and elsewhere, "the Lord, in vision," assured him of exemption from "the hurt," and of success in bringing in "much people." On the unreasonable, out-of-the way perversity of the Jews, as known to the Thessalonians, see

1Th 2:15, 16.

have not faith--or as Greek, "the faith" of the Christian: the only antidote to what is "unreasonable and wicked." The Thessalonians, from their ready acceptance of the Gospel

(1Th 1:5, 6),

might think "all" would similarly receive it; but the Jews were far from having such a readiness to believe the truth.

3. faithful--alluding to "faith"

(2Th 3:2):

though many will not believe, the Lord (other very old manuscripts read "God") is still to be believed in as faithful to His promises

(1Th 5:24; 2Ti 2:13).

Faith on the part of man answers to faithfulness on the part of God.

stablish you--as he had prayed

(2Th 2:17).

Though it was on himself that wicked men were making their onset, he turns away from asking the Thessalonians' prayers for HIS deliverance

(2Th 3:2:

so unselfish was he, even in religion), to express his assurance of THEIR establishment in the faith, and preservation from evil. This assurance thus exactly answers to his prayer for them

(2Th 2:17),

"Our Lord . . . stablish you in every good word and work." He has before his mind the Lord's Prayer, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"; where, as here, the translation may be, "from the evil one"; the great hinderer of "every good word and work." Compare

Mt 13:19,

"the wicked one."

4. we have confidence in the Lord--as "faithful"

(2Th 3:3).

Have confidence in no man when left to himself [BENGEL].

that ye both do--Some of the oldest manuscripts insert a clause, "that ye both have done" before, "and are doing, and will do." He means the majority by "ye," not all of them (compare

2Th 3:11; 2Th 1:3; 1Th 3:6).

5. If "the Lord" be here the Holy Ghost

(2Co 3:17),

the three Persons of the Trinity will occur in this verse.

love of God--love to God.

patient waiting for Christ--rather as Greek, "the patience (endurance) of Christ," namely, which Christ showed [ALFORD]

(2Th 2:4; 1Th 1:3).

ESTIUS, however, supports English Version (compare

Re 1:9; 3:10).

At all events, this grace, "patience," or persevering endurance, is connected with the "hope"

(1Th 1:3, 10)

of Christ's coming. In ALFORD'S translation we may compare

Heb 12:1, 2,

"Run with patience (endurance) . . . looking to JESUS . . . who, for the joy that was before Him, endured the cross"; so WE are to endure, as looking for the hope to be realized at His coming

(Heb 10:36, 37).

6. we command you--Hereby he puts to a particular test their obedience in general to his commands, which obedience he had recognized in

2Th 3:4.

withdraw--literally, "to furl the sails"; as we say, to steer clear of (compare

2Th 3:14).

Some had given up labor as though the Lord's day was immediately coming. He had enjoined mild censure of such in

1Th 5:14,

"Warn . . . the unruly"; but now that the mischief had become more confirmed, he enjoins stricter discipline, namely, withdrawal from their company (compare

1Co 5:11; 2Jo 10, 11):

not a formal sentence of excommunication, such as was subsequently passed on more heinous offenders (as in

1Co 5:5; 1Ti 1:20).

He says "brother," that is, professing Christian; for in the case of unprofessing heathen, believers needed not be so strict

(1Co 5:10-13).

disorderly--Paul plainly would not have sanctioned the order of Mendicant Friars, who reduce such a "disorderly" and lazy life to a system. Call it not an order, but a burden to the community (BENGEL, alluding to the Greek,

2Th 3:8,

for "be chargeable," literally, "be a burden").

the tradition--the oral instruction which he had given to them when present

(2Th 3:10),

and subsequently committed to writing

(1Th 4:11, 12).

which he received of us--Some oldest manuscripts read, "ye received"; others, "they received." The English Version reading has no very old authority.

7. how ye ought to follow us--how ye ought to live so as to "imitate (so the Greek for 'follow') us" (compare Notes, see on

1Co 11:1;

1Th 1:6).

8. eat any man's bread--Greek, "eat bread from any man," that is, live at anyone's expense. Contrast

2Th 3:12,

"eat THEIR OWN bread."

wrought--

(Ac 20:34).

In both Epistles they state they maintained themselves by labor; but in this second Epistle they do so in order to offer themselves herein as an example to the idle; whereas, in the first, their object in doing so is to vindicate themselves from all imputation of mercenary motives in preaching the Gospel

(1Th 2:5, 9)

[EDMUNDS]. They preached gratuitously though they might have claimed maintenance from their converts.

labour and travail--"toil and hardship" (see on

1Th 2:9).

night and day--scarcely allowing time for repose.

chargeable--Greek, "a burden," or "burdensome." The Philippians did not regard it as a burden to contribute to his support

(Php 4:15, 16),

sending to him while he was in this very Thessalonica

(Ac 16:15, 34, 40).

Many Thessalonians, doubtless, would have felt it a privilege to contribute, but as he saw some idlers among them who would have made a pretext of his example to justify themselves, he waived his right. His reason for the same course at Corinth was to mark how different were his aims from those of the false teachers who sought their own lucre

(2Co 11:9, 12, 13).

It is at the very time and place of writing these Epistles that Paul is expressly said to have wrought at tent-making with Aquila

(Ac 18:3);

an undesigned coincidence.