2 Thessalonians 3:11

Contextual Overview

⁶In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. ⁶ In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. ⁶ Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. ⁶Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who walks in an unruly manner and not according to the tradition which they received from us. ⁶We aren't asking, we are telling you to steer clear of every believer who is either lazy or causes problems. If they don't do the job we gave all of you, ride off and don't look back. ⁶ Now we give you orders, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from all those whose behaviour is not well ordered and in harmony with the teaching which they had from us. ⁶ Now we enjoin you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw from every brother walking disorderly and not according to the instruction which he received from us. ⁶ Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother who walks irresponsibly and not according to the tradition received from us. ⁶ Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother who walks in rebellion, and not after the tradition which they received from us. ⁶ Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received of us.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

walk: 2 Thessalonians 3:6

working: 1 Thessalonians 4:11, 1 Timothy 5:13, 1 Peter 4:15

Reciprocal: Exodus 5:17 - General Mark 7:5 - General Mark 8:34 - take Luke 16:3 - I cannot Acts 17:21 - spent Ephesians 4:28 - labour Philippians 3:18 - many 1 Thessalonians 5:14 - unruly

Cross-References

Genesis 4:10
The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.

Genesis 4:10
The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.

Genesis 4:10
And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to Me from the ground.

Genesis 4:10
He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground.

Genesis 4:10
And he sayde: What hast thou done? the voyce of thy brothers blood cryeth vnto me out of the grounde.

Genesis 4:10
Then the Lord said, "What have you done? You killed your brother and the ground opened up to take his blood from your hands. Now his blood is shouting to me from the ground. So you will be cursed from this ground.

Genesis 4:10
And the LORD said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.

Genesis 4:10
And God seide to Cayn, What hast thou do? the vois of the blood of thi brother crieth to me fro erthe.

Genesis 4:10
And he said, What hast thou done? the voyce of thy brothers blood cryeth vnto me, from the ground.

Genesis 4:10
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For we hear that there are some,.... This is the reason of the order or command given in 2 Thessalonians 3:6 for withdrawing from disorderly persons. When the apostle was with them, he observed that there were idle persons among them, and therefore gave orders then, that if they would not work, they should not eat; and in his former epistle, having intelligence that there were still such persons among them, he exhorts them to their duty, and puts the church upon admonishing them; and still information is given him, that there were some such persons yet among them; for as the apostle had the care of all the churches upon him, so he kept a correspondence with them, and by one means or another, by sending messengers to them, or by receiving letters from those he corresponded with, he learned the state of them; and his information was generally good, and what might be depended upon; see 1 Corinthians 1:11 as it was in this case relating to some persons: which walk among you disorderly; and who they were, and which also explains 2 Thessalonians 3:6, are immediately observed: working not at all; at their callings, trades, and businesses in which they were brought up, but lived an idle and lazy life: and this was walking disorderly indeed, even contrary to the order of things before the fall, when man was in a state of innocence; for before sin entered into the world, Adam was put into the garden of Eden to keep and dress it; man was created an active creature, and made for work and business; and to live without, is contrary to the order of creation, as well as to the order of civil societies, and of religious ones, or churches, and even what irrational creatures do not.

But are busy bodies; though they work not at all at their own business, yet are very busy in other men's matters, and have the affairs of kingdoms, and cities, and towns, and neighbourhoods, and churches, and families, upon their hands; which they thrust themselves into, and intermeddle with, though they have no business at all with them: these wander from house to house, and curiously inquire into personal and family affairs, are tattlers, full of prate and talk, and, like the Athenians, spend all their time in telling or hearing new things; and they also speak things which they should not; they carry tales from one to another, and privately whisper things to the disadvantage of their fellow creatures and Christians, and backbite and slander them. These are the pests of nations and neighbourhoods, the plagues of churches, and the scandal of human nature; see 1 Timothy 5:13.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For we hear - It is not known in what way this was made known to Paul, whether by Timothy, or by some other one. He had no doubt of its truth, and he seems to have been prepared to believe it the more readily from what he saw when he was among them.

Which walk disorderly - See the notes, 2 Thessalonians 3:6.

But are busy-bodies - Compare the 1 Timothy 5:13 note; 1 Peter 4:15 note. That is, they meddled with the affairs of others - a thing which they who have nothing of their own to busy themselves about will be very likely to do. The apostle had seen that there was a tendency to his when he was in Thessalonica, and hence he had commanded them to “do their own business;” 1 Thessalonians 4:11. The injunction, it seems, had availed little, for there is no class of persons who will heed good counsel so little as those who have a propensity to intermeddle with the affairs of others. One of the indispensable things to check this is, that each one should have enough to do himself; and one of the most pestiferous of all persons is he who has nothing to do but to look after the affairs of his neighbors. In times of affliction and want, we should be ready to lend our aid. At other times, we should feel that he can manage his own affairs as well as we can do it for him; or if he cannot, it is his business, not ours. The Greek word used occurs only here, and in 1 Timothy 5:13; compare the notes on Philippians 2:4.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 11. For we hear that there are some — It is very likely that St. Paul kept up some sort of correspondence with the Thessalonian Church; for he had heard every thing that concerned their state, and it was from this information that he wrote his second epistle.

Disorderly — ατακτως. Out of their rank-not keeping their own place.

Working not at all — Either lounging at home, or becoming religious gossips; μηδεν εργαζομενους, doing nothing.

Busybodies. — περιεργαζομενους. Doing every thing they should not do-impertinent meddlers with other people's business; prying into other people's circumstances and domestic affairs; magnifying or minifying, mistaking or underrating, every thing; newsmongers and telltales; an abominable race, the curse of every neighbourhood where they live, and a pest to religious society. There is a fine paronomasia in the above words, and evidently intended by the apostle.