2 Thessalonians 3:2

Contextual Overview

¹ And now, brothers and sisters, pray for us. Pray that the Lord's teaching will continue to spread quickly. And pray that people will give honor to that teaching, the same as happened with you. ¹ Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph, as it did among you, ¹ Furthermore brethren praye for vs yt the worde of god maye have fre passage and be gloryfied as it is with you: ¹ Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, even as also with you; ¹ Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it was also with you; ¹ And now, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the Lord's teaching will continue to spread quickly and that people will give honor to that teaching, just as happened with you. ¹ Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, even as also [it is] with you; ¹ Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have [free] course, and be glorified, even as [it is] with you; ¹ Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, ¹ Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, even as also with you;

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

delivered: Romans 15:31, 1 Corinthians 15:32, 2 Corinthians 1:8-10, 1 Thessalonians 2:18, 2 Timothy 4:17

unreasonable: Gr. absurd

for: Deuteronomy 32:20, Matthew 17:17, Matthew 23:23, Luke 18:8, John 2:23-25, Acts 13:45, Acts 13:50, Acts 14:2, Acts 17:5, Acts 28:24, Romans 10:16, 2 Corinthians 4:3, 2 Corinthians 4:4

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 26:24 - let him deliver Psalms 97:10 - delivereth Galatians 5:22 - faith Colossians 4:3 - that

Cross-References

Psalms 58:4
They spit venom like deadly snakes; they are like cobras that refuse to listen,

Psalms 58:4
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;

Psalms 58:4
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: [They are] like the deaf cobra that stops her ear,

Psalms 58:4
They are like poisonous snakes, like deaf cobras that stop up their ears

Psalms 58:4
Their venom is like that of a snake, like a deaf serpent that does not hear,

Psalms 58:4
Their poison [is] like the poison of a serpent: [they are] like the deaf adder [that] stoppeth her ear;

Psalms 58:4
Their poison is like the poison of a snake; Like a deaf cobra that stops its ear,

Psalms 58:4
Their poison is like the venom of a serpent; They are like the deaf horned viper that stops up its ear,

Psalms 58:4
They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear,

Psalms 58:4
Woodnesse is to hem, bi the licnesse of a serpent; as of a deef snake, and stoppynge hise eeris.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men,.... Either from the unbelieving Jews, see Romans 15:30 who were the avowed enemies of the Gospel, and did all they could to hinder the spread of it; and who were the implacable and constant adversaries of the apostle; who often lay in wait for him, and opposed him, and gave him trouble in all places, stirring up the people against him: or from the false teachers, and those of their party, who are the false brethren by whom he often was in perils; who were enemies of the cross of Christ, and great hindrances to the spread of the Gospel; being men of absurd principles, and of wicked lives and conversations, whereby they perverted the Gospel of Christ, brought a reproach upon it, stumbled some, and overthrew the faith of others; and from these the apostle desires to be delivered:

for all men have not faith: no man has faith of himself, it is the gift of God, and the operation of his Spirit; and it is only given to the elect of God, who are ordained unto eternal life, and therefore it is called the faith of God's elect; all mankind have it not, none but Christ's sheep; and the reason why others have it not is, because they are not of his sheep. This is a truth; but rather the true sense of the words is, that all that are professors of religion, and members of churches, and even all that are preachers of the word, have not faith. They may have an historical and temporary faith and the faith of miracles, and even all faith but the true faith; they may profess to believe, and yet not believe, as Simon Magus, and his followers seem to be intended here; for this is given as a reason why the apostle desired to be delivered from the above men. The Jews say o, that

"he that studies not in the law, לאו ביה מהימנותא, "there is no faith in him"--and it is forbidden to come near him, or to trade with him, or to walk with him, "because there is no faith in him".''

The apostle seems to allude to this custom.

o Zohar in Lev. fol. 33. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men - That is, from opposition in their endeavors to spread the gospel. Paul encountered such men everywhere, as all do who labor to diffuse the knowledge of the truth, but it is probable that there is particular reference here to the opposition which he encountered when in Corinth. This opposition arose mainly from the Jews; see Acts 18:5-6, Acts 18:12-13. The word “unreasonable” is rendered in the margin as “absurd.” The Greek word (ἀτόπος atopos) means, properly, “out of place;” then “absurd, unusual, strange; then improper, unreasonable, wicked.” It is rendered in Luke 23:41 as “amiss;” in Acts 28:6 as “harm.” It does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament. It refers here to people who acted amiss or improperly; people who were not found in the right place, or who did not have the right views of things; and probably does not refer so much to their being positively wicked or malicious, as “to their putting things out of their proper place.”

They gave an undue prominence to certain things, and less importance to others than they deserved. They had a distorted vision of the value of objects, and in tenacious adherence to their own views, and prosecuting their own objects to the exclusion of all others, they presented a constant obstruction to the true gospel. This word would apply, and probably was designed to be applied, to Jewish teachers (see Acts 18:5-6), who gave an undue prominence to the laws of Moses; but it will apply well to all who entertain distorted views of the relative importance of objects, and who put things out of their place. People often have a hobby. They give more importance to some object than it deserves. They, therefore, undervalue other objects; press their own with improper zeal; denounce others who do not feel the same interest in them which they do; withdraw from those who will not go with them in their views; form separate parties, and thus throw themselves in the way of all who are endeavoring to do good in some other method. It was from people who thus put themselves out of place, that the apostle prayed to be delivered.

And wicked men - Men with bad aims and purposes. It is not always true that those who would come under the appellation of what the apostle here calls “unreasonable,” are wicked. They are sometimes well-meaning, but misguided people. But in this case, it seems, they were men of bad character, who were at heart opposed to what was good, as well as inclined to put things out of their place.

For all men have not faith - Of the truth of this, no one can doubt. The only question is, as to its bearing on the case before us. Some suppose it means, “there are few men whom we can safely trust;” others, that it means that they have not that “upright and candid disposition which would engage men to receive the testimony of the apostles” (Doddridge); others, that “all men do not embrace the Christian faith, but many oppose it” (Benson); and others, that “all men do not believe, but the worthy only” - Bloomfield. The connection seems to require us to understand it as meaning that all people are not prepared to embrace the gospel. Hence, they set themselves against it, and from such people Paul prayed that he might be delivered; compare 2 Timothy 3:8. The state of mind in which the apostle was when he wrote this, seems to have been this: He recollected the readiness with which the Thessalonians had embraced the gospel, and the firmness with which they held it, and seems to suppose that they would imagine the same thing must be found true everywhere. But he says all people have not the same faith; all were not prepared cordially and fully to embrace the gospel. There were unreasonable and wicked people whom he had encountered, from whom he prayed that he might be delivered.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Thessalonians 3:2. Unreasonable and wicked men — The word ατοπων, which we translate unreasonable, signifies rather disorderly, unmanageable; persons out of their place-under no discipline, regardless of law and restraint, and ever acting agreeably to the disorderly and unreasonable impulse of their own minds.

For all men have not faith. — The word πιστις is without doubt, to be taken here for fidelity or trustworthiness, and not for faith; and this is agreeable to the meaning given to it in the very next verse: But the Lord is faithful, πιστος δε εστιν ὁ Κυριος.

There are many, even of those who have received a measure of the Divine light, in whom we cannot confide; they are irregular, disorderly, and cannot be brought under regular discipline: to these we cannot trust either ourselves or any thing that concerns the cause of God. But the Lord is worthy of your whole confidence; doubt him not; he will establish you, and keep you from any evil to which you may be exposed by these or such like persons.