1 Thessalonians 2:14

Contextual Overview

¹³ Also, we always thank God because of the way you accepted his message. You heard it and accepted it as God's message, not our own. And it really is God's message. And it works in you who believe. ¹³ And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. ¹³ For this cause thanke we god with out ceasynge because that when ye receaved of vs the worde wherwith God was preached ye receaved it not as the worde of man: but even as it was in dede the worde of God which worketh in you that beleve. ¹³ For this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when you received from us the word of the message of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also works in you who believe. ¹³ For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of mere men, but as what it really is, the word of God, which also is at work in you who believe. ¹³ Also, we always thank God because when you heard his message from us, you accepted it as the word of God, not the words of humans. And it really is God's message which works in you who believe. ¹³ And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when you received from us the word of the message, [even the word] of God, you accepted [it] not [as] the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also works in you that believe. ¹³ For this cause also we thank God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard from us, ye received [it] not [as] the word of men, but (as it is in truth) the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. ¹³ And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. ¹³ For this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when you received from us the word of the message of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also works in you who believe.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

became: 1 Thessalonians 1:6

the churches: Acts 9:31, Galatians 1:22

are: 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:1

ye also: 1 Thessalonians 3:4, Acts 17:1-8, Acts 17:13, 2 Corinthians 8:1, 2 Corinthians 8:2

even: Acts 8:1, Acts 8:3, Acts 9:1, Acts 9:13, Acts 11:19, Acts 12:1-3, Hebrews 5:7, Hebrews 5:8, Hebrews 10:33, Hebrews 10:34

Reciprocal: Ecclesiastes 1:10 - it hath Haggai 1:12 - Zerubbabel Matthew 22:6 - the remnant Matthew 24:9 - shall they Luke 6:22 - when men Luke 6:23 - for in Luke 22:36 - But Acts 18:6 - they Romans 1:13 - even Romans 16:4 - also 1 Corinthians 11:16 - the churches Galatians 4:29 - even Philippians 1:30 - the same Philippians 4:9 - which 1 Thessalonians 1:3 - your 2 Thessalonians 1:4 - your persecutions 2 Thessalonians 1:5 - for James 5:10 - for 1 John 3:12 - And 3 John 1:2 - even 3 John 1:11 - follow

Cross-References

Genesis 10:11
From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and

Genesis 10:11
Out of that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh, and Rehoboth-ir, and Calah,

Genesis 10:11
From there he went to Assyria, where he built the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, and Calah.

Genesis 10:11
From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah,

Genesis 10:11
Out of that land went forth Ashur, and built Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,

Genesis 10:11
Out of that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah,

Genesis 10:11
From that land Nimrod went to Assyria, and built Nineveh, and Rehoboth-Ir, and Calah,

Genesis 10:11
Assur yede out of that lond, and bildide Nynyue, `and stretis of the citee,

Genesis 10:11
from that land he hath gone out to Asshur, and buildeth Nineveh, even the broad places of the city, and Calah,

Genesis 10:11
From that land he went forth into Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God,.... As of the Lord and of the apostle, 1 Thessalonians 1:6 so of the churches of God that were before them, who were gathered out of the world by the grace of God; and who were united in the fear of God, and assembled together for his worship, to bear a testimony to his truth and ordinances, and for the glory of his name: these they followed in the faith and order of the Gospel, and "became like" them, as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions render the word; or "equal" to them, were upon an equal foot with them, as the Arabic; that is, in suffering reproach and persecution for the Gospel, as the latter part of the verse shows; and their bearing these with patience, courage, and constancy, was a proof that the word of God had a place, and wrought effectually in them; otherwise they would never have endured such things as they did, and as other churches did:

which in Judea are in Christ Jesus; for besides the church at Jerusalem, there were many churches in Judea and Galilee; see Acts 9:31 which shows that the primitive churches were not national, but congregational: and these were in Christ Jesus; "in the faith" of Jesus Christ, as the Arabic version renders it; which distinguishes them from the synagogues, or congregations of the Jews, which did not believe in Christ; Acts 9:31- :.

For ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen; the inhabitants of Thessalonica, the baser sort of them, who were stirred up by the unbelieving Jews of that place, to make an uproar in the city, and assault the house of Jason, in order to seize upon the apostles; see Acts 17:6.

Even as they have of the Jews; in like manner as the churches of Judea suffered by the Jews their countrymen; see Acts 8:1

Hebrews 10:32.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus - Which are united to the Lord Jesus, or which are founded on his truth: that is, which are true churches. Of those churches they became “imitators” - μιμηταὶ mimētai - to wit, in their sufferings. This does not mean that they were founded on the same model; or that they professed to be the followers of those churches, but that they had been treated in the same way, and thus were like them. They had been persecuted in the same manner, and by the same people - the Jews; and they had borne their persecutions with the same spirit. The object of this is to comfort and encourage them, by showing them that others had been treated in the same manner, and that it was to be expected that a true church would be persecuted by the Jews. They ought not, therefore, to consider it as any evidence that they were not a true church that they had been persecuted by those who claimed to be the people of God, and who made extraordinary pretensions to piety.

For ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen - Literally, “of those who are of your fellow-tribe, or fellowclansmen “ - συμφυλέτων sumphuletōn. The Greek word means “one of the same tribe,” and then a fellow-citizen, or fellowcountryman. It is not elsewhere used in the New Testament. The particular reference here seems not to be to the pagan who were the agents or actors in the scenes of tumult and persecutions, but to the Jews by whom they were led on, or who were the prime movers in the persecutions which they had endured. It is necessary to suppose that they were principally Jews who were the cause of the persecution which had been excited against them, in order to make the parallelism between the church there and the churches in Palestine exact. At the same time there was a propriety in saying that, though the parallelism was exact, it was by the “hands of their own countrymen” that it was done; that is, they were the visible agents or actors by whom it was done - the instruments in the hands of others.

In Palestine. the Jews persecuted the churches directly; out of Palestine, they did it by means of others. They were the real authors of it, as they were in Judea, but they usually accomplished it by producing an excitement among the pagan, and by the plea that the apostles were making war on civil institutions. This was the case in Thessalonica. “The Jews which believed not, moved with envy, set all the city on an uproar.” “They drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, ‘Those that have turned the world up side down have come hither also;’” Acts 17:5-6. The same thing occurred a short time after at Berea. “When the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also and stirred up the people;” Acts 17:13; compare Acts 14:2. “The unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil-affected against the brethren.” “The Epistle, therefore, represents the case accurately as the history states it. It was the Jews always who set on foot the persecutions against the apostles and their followers;” Paley, Hor. Paul. in loc. It was, therefore, strictly true, as the apostle here states it:

(1) That they were subjected to the same treatment from the Jews as the churches in Judea were, since they were the authors of the excitement against them; and,

(2) That it was carried on, as the apostle states, “by their own countrymen;” that is, that they were the agents or instruments by which it was done. This kind of undesigned coincidence between the Epistle and the history in the Acts of the Apostles, is one of the arguments from which Paley (Hor. Paul.) infers the genuineness of both.

As they have of the Jews - Directly. In Palestine there were no others but Jews who could be excited against Christians, and they were obliged to appear as the persecutors themselves.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 14. Ye - became followers of the Churches of God — There is not a word here of the Church of Rome being the model after which the other Churches were to be formed; it had no such pre-eminence: this honour belonged to the Churches of Judea; it was according to them, not the Church at Rome, that the Asiatic Churches were modelled. The purest of all the apostolic Churches was that of the Thessalonians, and this was formed after the Christian Churches in Judea.

Had any pre-eminence or authority belonged to the Church of Rome, the apostle would have proposed this as a model to all those which he formed either in Judea, Asia Minor, Greece, or Italy.

Ye also have suffered-of your own countrymen — It is worthy of remark that, in almost every case, the Jews were the leaders of all persecutions against the apostles and the infant Church. And what they could not do themselves, they instigated others to do; and, by gathering together lewd fellows of the baser sort from among the Gentiles, they made frequent uproars, and especially at Thessalonica, where the opposition to the Gospel was very high, and the persecution of the Christians very hot.