2 Thessalonians 1:6

Contextual Overview

⁵ This is proof that God is right in his judgment. He wants you to be worthy of his kingdom. Your suffering is for that kingdom. ⁵ This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be made worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering-- ⁵ which is a token of ye ryghtewes iudgemet of god that ye are counted worthy of the kyngdom of god for which ye also suffre. ⁵ This is an obvious sign of the righteous judgment of God, to the end that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer. ⁵ This is a plain indication of God's righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you indeed are suffering. ⁵ This is proof that God is right in his judgment. He wants you to be counted worthy of his kingdom for which you are suffering. ⁵ [which is] a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God; to the end that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer: ⁵ [Which is] a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: ⁵ This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— ⁵ This is an obvious sign of the righteous judgment of God, to the end that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 32:41-43, Psalms 74:22, Psalms 74:23, Psalms 79:10-12, Psalms 94:20-23, Isaiah 49:26, Zechariah 2:8, Revelation 6:10, Revelation 11:18, Revelation 15:4, Revelation 16:5, Revelation 16:6, Revelation 18:20, Revelation 18:24, Revelation 19:2

Reciprocal: Joshua 7:25 - Why hast Esther 9:5 - smote Job 3:17 - the wicked Job 34:33 - he will Psalms 7:13 - persecutors Psalms 17:2 - Let my Psalms 18:24 - the Lord recompensed me Psalms 34:21 - they Psalms 35:24 - Judge Psalms 71:16 - thy righteousness Psalms 92:15 - and Psalms 119:132 - as thou usest to do unto those Psalms 119:142 - an everlasting Proverbs 12:14 - and Ecclesiastes 3:17 - God Isaiah 34:8 - General Isaiah 66:5 - but Isaiah 66:15 - the Lord Jeremiah 50:34 - that he Jeremiah 51:56 - the Lord Daniel 9:16 - according Joel 3:4 - swiftly Joel 3:7 - and will Joel 3:19 - for Habakkuk 3:16 - that I Matthew 7:2 - General Matthew 10:41 - a righteous man's Matthew 18:6 - offend Mark 9:42 - it Luke 18:7 - avenge Luke 21:36 - accounted Romans 2:9 - Tribulation Romans 3:5 - Is God 2 Corinthians 4:17 - worketh Philippians 1:28 - an 2 Thessalonians 1:5 - manifest 2 Timothy 4:8 - the righteous 2 Timothy 4:14 - reward Hebrews 6:10 - God Revelation 2:9 - tribulation Revelation 14:13 - Yea

Cross-References

Genesis 1:5
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Genesis 1:5
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

Genesis 1:5
God named the light "day" and the darkness "night." Evening passed, and morning came. This was the first day.

Genesis 1:5
God called the light "day" and the darkness "night." There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day.

Genesis 1:5
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night: and the evening and the morning were the first day.

Genesis 1:5
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. There was evening and there was morning, one day.

Genesis 1:5
And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

Genesis 1:5
dai, and the derknessis, nyyt. And the euentid and morwetid was maad, o daie.

Genesis 1:5
and God calleth to the light `Day,' and to the darkness He hath called `Night;' and there is an evening, and there is a morning -- day one.

Genesis 1:5
God called the light "day," and the darkness He called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning-the first day.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Seeing it is a righteous thing with God,.... That which is righteous in itself, is righteous in the sight of God, but it is not always so with men; men may think it a righteous thing that they should be rewarded for persecuting the followers of Christ, supposing they hereby do God good service; but on the contrary, with God, and in his sight and account, it is a righteous thing, or a point of justice,

to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you: persecution is an affliction, or a trouble to the saints; persecutors trouble them in their minds and bodies, in their persons and property; they trouble their minds by casting reflections and reproaches upon them, by severe revilings, and cruel mockings, which all are not alike able to bear; and they trouble and afflict their bodies by imprisonment and bonds, by scourging and beating, and various cruel and torturing deaths; and they disturb them in the possession of their estates, by spoiling their goods, and confiscating them to their own use; and it is but according to "lex talionis", the law of retaliation, to render tribulation to such troublers of God's Israel; and to them it is recompensed, either in this world, or in the world to come: sometimes in this world persecutors are manifest instances of God's judgments and wrath upon them, as Herod, who stretched out his hands to vex certain of the church, killed James the brother of John, and imprisoned Peter, and was smitten by the angel of the Lord, and was eaten of worms; and the Jews, who were now the only and the implacable persecutors of the saints, in a short time had the wrath of God come upon them to the uttermost, even upon their nation, city, and temple, upon their persons and property. And if not in this life, it is a certain thing that hereafter such shall have indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish; they shall be cast into outward darkness, into the lake of fire; and the hottest place in hell will be their portion, even devouring flames, and everlasting burnings; and are what is designed by tribulations here.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you - The sense is: “There will be a future judgment, because it is proper that God should punish those who now persecute you. It is not right that they should go unpunished, and triumph forever. It is not an arbitrary thing, a thing which is indifferent, a thing which may or may not be done; it is a just and proper thing that the wicked should be punished.” The doctrine is, that the future punishment of the wicked is just and proper; and that, being just and proper, it will be inflicted. Many suppose that there would be no justice in the eternal punishment of the wicked; that the threatening of that punishment is wholly arbitrary; that it might easily be dispensed with, and that because it is unjust it will not be inflicted, and need not be dreaded. But that it is just and proper, a very slight degree of reflection must show. Because:

(1) It is inconceivable that God should threaten such punishment unless it were just. How can it be reconciled with his perfections that he can hold up before mankind the assurance that any of them will be punished forever, unless it be right that it should be so? Can we believe that he deliberately threatens what is wrong, or that, in the face of the universe, he publicly declares his intention to do what is wrong?

(2) People themselves believe that it is just that the wicked should be punished. They are constantly making laws, and affixing penalties to them, and executing them, under the belief that it is right. Can they regard it as wrong in God to do the same thing? Can that be wrong in him which is right in themselves?

(3) If it is right to punish wickedness here, it is not wrong to punish it in the future world. There is nothing in the two places which can change the nature of what is done. If it is right for God to visit the sinner here with the tokens of his displeasure, there is nothing which can make it wrong to visit him in like manner in the future world. Why should that be wrong in another world which is right and proper in this?

(4) It will be a righteous thing for God to punish the wicked in a future state, for they are not always punished here as they deserve. No one can seriously maintain that there is an equal distribution of rewards and punishments on the earth. Many a man goes to the grave having received no adequate punishment for his crimes. Many a murderer, pirate, robber, traitor, and plunderer of nations under the name of a conqueror, thus dies. No one can doubt that it would be a just thing to punish them here if they could be arrested. Why should it be any the less “just” to punish them when they enter another world? In like manner, many a man lives a life of profligacy; or is an open scoffer; or aims to cast off the government of God; or is a seducer of innocence; and yet lives in the midst of wealth, and goes down in calmness and peace to the grave; Psalms 73:3-5; Job 21:23-33. Why is it not just that such an one should be punished in the future world? compare Psalms 73:16-20. But, if it is right that God should punish the wicked in the future world, it will be done. Because:

(1) There is nothing to hinder him from doing it. He has all power, and has all necessary means of inflicting punishment, entirely at his disposal.

(2) It would not be right not to do it. It is not right for a magistrate to treat the righteous and the wicked alike, or to show that he has as much regard to the one as to the other.

(3) It cannot be believed that God has uttered a threatening which he never meant to execute, or to appear before the universe as having held up before men the terror of the most awful punishment which could be inflicted, but which he never intended to carry into effect. Who could have confidence in such a Being? Who could know what to believe when he makes the most solemn declaration?

(4) The Judge of all the earth “will do right;” and if it is right to declare that “the wicked shall be turned into hell,” it will not be wrong to inflict the sentence. And if, on the whole, it is right that the sinner should be punished, it will be done.

Them that trouble you. - Those who persecute you; see 1 Thessalonians 2:14.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 6. Seeing it is a righteous thing — Though God neither rewards nor punishes in this life in a general way, yet he often gives proofs of his displeasure, especially against those who persecute his followers. They, therefore, who have given you tribulation, shall have tribulation in recompense.