2 Thessalonians 1, 2, 3
2Thess 3:1
Τὸ λοιπὸν προσεύχεσθε, ἀδελφοί, περὶ ἡμῶν, ἵνα ὁ λόγος τοῦ κυρίου τρέχῃ καὶ δοξάζηται καθὼς καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς,
The rest, brothers, pray for us in order that the word of the Lord might run and be glorified even as also with you.
Paraphrase: Finally, brothers, don’t forget to mention us in your prayers. We are laboring hard to bring the gospel in Macedonia, and we also have plans to continue into Greece. We feel more and more that our best efforts are utterly futile unless the Spirit of God comes and takes our word and brings it home to the hearts of those who hear us. (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26; Joel 2:28). You remember very well, I’m sure, how the gospel took hold of you and completely transformed your life. (1 Thessalonians 1:5) That’s what we are praying will happen as we continue to preach Christ in Greece.
Comments:
2Thess 3:2
καὶ ἵνα ῥυσθῶμεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀτόπων καὶ πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων, οὐ γὰρ πάντων ἡ πίστις.
and in order that we might be rescued from perverse and evil men, for not all have faith.
Paraphrase: Pray too that God would rescue us from those men who just want to make trouble and disrupt our efforts. Unfortunately, not everyone who hears our message believes it and becomes a disciple of Jesus.
Comments:
ῥυσθῶμεν = aorist passive subjunctive.
2Thess 3:3
πιστὸς δέ ἐστιν ὁ κύριος, ὃς στηρίξει ὑμᾶς καὶ φυλάξει ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ.
but the Lord is faithful who will establish you and guard from evil.
Paraphrase: So please do pray; and in all our praying, we rest confident that God will never leave us or forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:8) He will give us new strength even when we faint and grow weary. (Isaiah 40:30-31) He will be a fiery wall of protection for His own. (Zechariah 2:5)
Comments:
2Thess 3:4
πεποίθαμεν δὲ ἐν κυρίῳ ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς, ὅτι ἃ παραγγέλλομεν καὶ ποιεῖτε καὶ ποιήσετε.
but we are confident in the Lord about you, that what we commanded you also are doing and will do.
Paraphrase: Now we are glad to hear that you are busy putting into practice those very things which we taught you in our first letter, (1 Thessalonians 4:1) and we have every confidence that you will continue to do the same with those matters which we addressed in this letter. (2 Thessalonians 3:6) Watch carefully lest your resolve begins to fade; don’t become complacent.
Comments:
a content ὅτι.
2Thess 3:5
ὁ δὲ κύριος κατευθύναι ὑμῶν τὰς καρδίας εἰς τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ εἰς τὴν ὑπομονὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ.
Now may the Lord guide your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.
Paraphrase: My prayer is that God would lead you, by the shortest and smoothest path, into a fuller understanding of His love for you. This love which began in eternity past and which never ends; indeed, it is from everlasting to everlasting. (Psalm 103:17) But don’t stop there; continue praying that God would also show you how patiently Christ endured all sorts of hostility and persecution from those who hated Him. Such an example of patience under trial will surely give you new strength to bear up under your own trials. (Hebrew 12:3)
Comments:
κατευθύναι is an optative; cf 2 Thessalonians 2:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
2Thess 3:6
Παραγγέλλομεν δὲ ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοί, ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ στέλλεσθαι ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ παντὸς ἀδελφοῦ ἀτάκτως περιπατοῦντος καὶ μὴ κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν ἣν παρελάβοσαν παρ’ ἡμῶν.
Now we command you, brothers, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ to remove yourself from every brother who is walking disorderly and not according to the tradition which they received from us.
Paraphrase: Now in closing, I want to make sure you understand this basic principle. When you have a brother or sister who professes to be a follower of Jesus and this person refuses to accept the teaching which I’ve given you, do not allow this person into your circle of friends. Remember that I received these truths from Christ Himself (Galatians 1:12) and then I passed them on to you. (2 Thessalonians 2:15) They did not originate with me.
Comments:
2Thess 3:7
αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἴδατε πῶς δεῖ μιμεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς, ὅτι οὐκ ἠτακτήσαμεν ἐν ὑμῖν
2Thess 3:8
οὐδὲ δωρεὰν ἄρτον ἐφάγομεν παρά τινος, ἀλλ’ ἐν κόπῳ καὶ μόχθῳ νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας ἐργαζόμενοι πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἐπιβαρῆσαί τινα ὑμῶν·
2Thess 3:9
οὐχ ὅτι οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν, ἀλλ’ ἵνα ἑαυτοὺς τύπον δῶμεν ὑμῖν εἰς τὸ μιμεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς.
2Thess 3:10
καὶ γὰρ ὅτε ἦμεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, τοῦτο παρηγγέλλομεν ὑμῖν, ὅτι εἴ τις οὐ θέλει ἐργάζεσθαι μηδὲ ἐσθιέτω.
2Thess 3:11
ἀκούομεν γάρ τινας περιπατοῦντας ἐν ὑμῖν ἀτάκτως, μηδὲν ἐργαζομένους ἀλλὰ περιεργαζομένους·
For we are hearing certain ones walking among you disorderly, not working but meddlers.
Paraphrase: Now I’ve heard reports that there are some persons in your assembly who are causing trouble. They don’t want to work and provide for their families; instead, they just wander about and meddle in other people’s business. Perhaps there is even a thought in their mind that since Christ is going to return soon, there is no point to working. When Jesus returns, the world is going to be put to the flames anyway. (2 Peter 3:10)
Comments:
Apparently some time between Paul’s first and second letter, someone had sent a forged letter to the Thessalonians. In other words, the letter claimed to be from Paul, but really wasn’t. News of this letter reached Paul while he was in Corinth probably from Timothy or some other traveler between Thessalonica and Corinth. (Acts 18:5) Timothy had already made a trip to and from Thessalonica prior to the writing of the first letter. (1 Thessalonians 3:2) This is why Paul warns the Thessalonians to disregard this forgery (2 Thessalonians 2:2) and also makes clear how they will know when a letter really is from him. (2 Thessalonians 3:17)
See Lillie on why Christ’s coming may have led some to be lazy.
2Thess 3:12
τοῖς δὲ τοιούτοις παραγγέλλομεν καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν ἐν κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ ἵνα μετὰ ἡσυχίας ἐργαζόμενοι τὸν ἑαυτῶν ἄρτον ἐσθίωσιν.
Now to such, we command and admonish in the Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness, working, they eat the bread of themselves.
Paraphrase: To such people, I have only one thing to say, and I say it with the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ. After all, He’s the One for whom we are waiting and looking. (Titus 2:13) Get busy and provide for yourself. Eat that food which you earn by your own labor. (Ephesians 4:28) Don’t meddle in other people’s business, and don’t live off handouts from others.
Comments:
2Thess 3:13
ὑμεῖς δέ, ἀδελφοί, μὴ ἐγκακήσητε καλοποιοῦντες.
But you, brothers, do not weary of well doing.
Paraphrase: But, brothers, in all the good which you are doing from day to day, do not grow weary. Strengthen the hands that are getting weaker and the knees which are growing feeble. (Hebrews 12:12)
Comments:
The participle is nominative and is thus modifying the subject of ἐγκακήσητε which is explicit here in the ὑμεῖς.
2Thess 3:14
Εἰ δέ τις οὐχ ὑπακούει τῷ λόγῳ ἡμῶν διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, τοῦτον σημειοῦσθε, μὴ συναναμίγνυσθαι αὐτῷ, ἵνα ἐντραπῇ·
2Thess 3:15
καὶ μὴ ὡς ἐχθρὸν ἡγεῖσθε, ἀλλὰ νουθετεῖτε ὡς ἀδελφόν.
2Thess 3:16
Αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ κύριος τῆς εἰρήνης δῴη ὑμῖν τὴν εἰρήνην διὰ παντὸς ἐν παντὶ τρόπῳ. ὁ κύριος μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν.
2Thess 3:17
Ὁ ἀσπασμὸς τῇ ἐμῇ χειρὶ Παύλου, ὅ ἐστιν σημεῖον ἐν πάσῃ ἐπιστολῇ· οὕτως γράφω.
2Thess 3:18
ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν.