2 Thessalonians 3:11

Contextual Overview

⁶ Brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ we tell you to stay away from any believer who refuses to work. People who refuse to work are not following the teaching that we gave them. ⁶ Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. ⁶ We requyre you brethren in the name of oure lorde Iesu Christ yt ye with drawe youre selves from every brother that walketh inordinatly and not after the institucio which ye receaved of vs. ⁶ Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, 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, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother or sister who leads a disorderly life and not one in accordance with the tradition which you received from us. ⁶ Brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ we command you to stay away from any believer who refuses to work and does not follow the teaching we gave you. ⁶ Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother that walks disorderly, and not after the tradition which they received of us. ⁶ Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received from us. ⁶ Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you 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.

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
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 he said, What have you done? the voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the ground.

Genesis 4:10
Then the Lord said, "What have you done? Your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground.

Genesis 4:10
But the Lord said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground!

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

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

Genesis 4:10
The LORD said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's [innocent] blood is crying out to Me from the ground [for justice].

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 saith, `What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood is crying unto Me from the ground;

Genesis 4:10
"What have you done?" replied the LORD. "The voice of your brother's blood cries out to 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.