1 Thessalonians 2:19

Contextual Overview

¹⁷But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. ¹⁷ But, brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned by being separated from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. ¹⁷ But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while—in person, not in spirit—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. ¹⁷But we, brothers, having been taken away from you for a short while—in face but not in heart—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. ¹⁷But, just because we've been separated physically (not spiritually), that doesn't mean we don't hanker to return and ride in glory with y'all again. ¹⁷ But we, my brothers, being away from you for a short time, in body but not in heart, had all the more desire to see your face; ¹⁷ But we, brethren, having been bereaved of you and separated for a little moment in person, not in heart, have used more abundant diligence to see your face with much desire; ¹⁷ But as for us, brothers, after we were forced to leave you for a short time (in person, not in heart), we greatly desired and made every effort to return and see you face to face. ¹⁷ But we, brothers, being bereaved of you for a short season, in presence, not in heart, tried even harder to see your face with great desire, ¹⁷ But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time, in presence, not in heart, laboured with great desire the more abundantly to see your face.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

our hope: 2 Corinthians 1:14, Philippians 2:16, Philippians 4:1

crown: Proverbs 4:9, Proverbs 12:4, Proverbs 16:13, Proverbs 17:6, Isaiah 62:3, 1 Peter 5:4, Revelation 4:10, Revelation 4:11

rejoicing: or, glorying, 1 Thessalonians 2:20, Romans 15:16-19

in: 1 Thessalonians 3:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 1 Corinthians 4:5, 1 Corinthians 15:23, 2 Corinthians 1:14, Philippians 2:16, Philippians 4:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-12, 2 Thessalonians 2:1, 1 Timothy 6:14, 1 Timothy 6:15, 2 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 4:2, Titus 2:13, 1 John 2:28

our Lord: Jude 1:24

at: Revelation 1:7, Revelation 22:12

Reciprocal: Proverbs 11:30 - and Proverbs 23:15 - if Song of Solomon 8:12 - those Daniel 12:3 - shine Luke 15:6 - his John 4:36 - he that reapeth receiveth 1 Corinthians 3:14 - General 1 Corinthians 4:8 - ye did 1 Corinthians 15:31 - your 2 Corinthians 7:4 - great 2 Corinthians 12:14 - for I Philippians 1:4 - with Philippians 2:2 - Fulfil 1 Thessalonians 3:9 - for 2 Thessalonians 1:4 - glory 1 Timothy 4:16 - them 2 Timothy 1:18 - in that Philemon 1:7 - great joy Philemon 1:20 - let me Hebrews 13:17 - with joy James 5:7 - unto 2 John 1:4 - rejoiced 3 John 1:2 - even 3 John 1:3 - I

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that creeps on the earth."

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God sayde vnto them: be fruitefull, & multiplie, and replenishe the earth, & subdue it, and haue dominion of the fisshe of the sea, and foule of the ayre, & of euery lyuing thing that moueth vpon the earth.

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, "Have many children. Fill the earth and take control of it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. Rule over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."

Genesis 1:28
And God blesside hem, and seide, Encreesse ye, and be ye multiplied, and fille ye the erthe, and make ye it suget, and be ye lordis to fischis of the see, and to volatilis of heuene, and to alle lyuynge beestis that ben moued on erthe.

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said vnto them, Be fruitfull, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and haue dominion ouer the fish of the sea, and ouer the foule of the aire, and ouer euery liuing thing that mooueth vpon the earth.

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For what is our hope, or joy,.... The apostle here gives a reason why they were so concerned at parting with the Thessalonians, and were so desirous of seeing them again, and attempted it so often, cause they were their "hope"; not the foundation of it, which was Christ; nor the thing hoped for, which was eternal life; nor the ground of their hope, which was the blood, righteousness, and sacrifice of Christ; but they were persons whom they hoped well of, and of whom their hope was steadfast; as of their election of God, of their redemption by Christ, of their effectual calling, of their perseverance in faith and holiness, notwithstanding all reproach and persecution; and of meeting the Lord, and being together with him for ever: and they were also their "joy"; their conversion was a matter of joy to them, because of the glory of God, Father, Son, and Spirit, displayed therein; because of the abundant grace bestowed on these persons; and because that hereby the kingdom of Satan was weakened, and the kingdom of Christ enlarged and his churches increased and beautified; and their own ministry was blessed and confirmed, and their hearts and hands strengthened, and they encouraged to go on in it: and they continued to be their joy, inasmuch as they stood fast in the Lord, walked on in the truth, and had their conversations as became the Gospel of Christ; and they were persuaded would be their joy hereafter, at the second coming of Christ; when they should give up their account of them with joy, and not with grief: and it is added,

or crown of rejoicing; or of "glorying", or "boasting"; not that they gloried in them, for they gloried not in men, but in the Lord, in his righteousness, riches, wisdom, strength, and grace, in the person, blood, and cross of Christ; but they gloried of them, as trophies of divine grace, as a prey taken out of the hand of the mighty, and as lawful captives delivered from the power of Satan, and of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of Christ. The Alexandrian copy reads, as we render it,

crown of rejoicing: which is but a stronger phrase, to press the joy they had in their conversion and perseverance, in allusion to crowns wore at times of rejoicing, as at marriage feasts, and the like: hence we read i of the crowns of the bridegrooms, and of the brides, which were forbidden the use of in the war of Vespasian; the latter were made of gold, in the form of the city of Jerusalem, and from thence called golden cities k; and the former, some say, were made of salt and sulphur, to put them in mind of the destruction of the Sodomites, for their unnatural lusts l; others of a salt stone as clear as crystal, or of the stone Bdellium, painted in the colour of sulphur m; and some were made of myrtles and roses, but in the war of Vespasian only those made of reeds were used n; these crowns at weddings seem to be the "beautiful crowns" in

Ezekiel 23:42 where the Septuagint use the same phrase as here,

στεφανον καυχησεως, "a crown of rejoicing", or "glorying": the Hebrew phrase עטרת תפארת, may be rendered "a crown of glory", as the phrase here is by the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions; but does not mean the crown of glory, life, righteousness, and immortality, the apostle expected at the hands of Christ another day; nor that his being an instrument of the conversion of these persons was the ground of such an expectation, or was what entitled him to such a crown; since he knew that conversion work was owing to the powerful grace of God, and the crown of eternal life was his free gift; but that it would be an honour to him, and give him abundant joy and pleasure at the coming of Christ, to be encircled with such a number of souls he had been useful to, and who were his spiritual children; just as children's children are the crown of old men, Proverbs 17:6 all this is put by way of question, which strongly affirms,

are not even ye; or "ye also", as well as others, as the Corinthians and Philippians; see 2 Corinthians 1:7.

In the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? to judge the quick and dead, when both they and these should meet him, and stand before him with confidence, being clothed with his righteousness, and clad with robes of immortality and glory.

i Misna Sota. c. 9. sect. 14. k Maimon. in Misna Sota, & in Sabbat, c. 6. sect. 1. l Ez Hechaim M. S. apud Wagenseil in Sota ib. m Bartenora in Misna Sota, c. 9. sect. 14. n T. Bab. Sota, fol. 49. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For what is our hope - That is, “I had a strong desire to see you; to assist you; to enjoy your friendship; for you are my hope and joy, and my absence does not arise from a want of affection.” The meaning, when he says that they were his “hope,” is, that their conversion and salvation was one of the grounds of his hope of future blessedness. It was an evidence that he was a faithful servant of God, and that he would be rewarded in heaven.

Or joy - The source of joy here and in heaven.

Or crown of rejoicing - Margin, as in Greek, “glorying;” that is, boasting, or exulting. The allusion is, probably, to the victors at the Grecian games; and the sense is, that he rejoiced in their conversion as the victor there did in the garland which he had won; notes, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.

Are not even ye - Or, will not you be?

In the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming - “When the Lord Jesus appears at the end of the world, then our highest source of happiness and honor will be your conversion and salvation.” Then their salvation would be a proof of his fidelity. It would fill his soul with the highest happiness, that he had been the means of saving them from ruin.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 19. For what is our hope — I can have no prospects from earth; I have forsaken all for the Gospel; and esteem every thing it can afford as dross and dung, that I may gain Christ. Why then should I continually labour at the risk of my life, preaching the Gospel? Is it not to get your souls saved, that ye may be my crown of rejoicing in the day of Christ? For this I labour; and, having planted the Gospel among you, I wish to take every opportunity of watering it, that it may grow up unto eternal life.