Robertson Word Pictures - 1 Thessalonians 5:23 - 5:23

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Robertson Word Pictures - 1 Thessalonians 5:23 - 5:23


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

The God of peace (ho theos tēs eirēnēs). The God characterized by peace in his nature, who gladly bestows it also. Common phrase (Milligan) at close of Paul’s Epistles (2Co 13:11; Rom 15:33; Rom 16:20; Phi 4:9) and the Lord of peace in 2Th 3:6.

Sanctify you (hagiasai humās). First aorist active optative in a wish for the future. New verb in lxx and N.T. for the old hagizō, to render or to declare holy (hagios), to consecrate, to separate from things profane.

Wholly (holoteleis). Predicate adjective in plural (holos, whole, telos, end), not adverb holotelōs. Late word in Plutarch, Hexapla, and in inscription a.d. 67 (Moulton and Milligan, Vocabulary). Here alone in N.T. Here it means the whole of each of you, every part of each of you, “through and through” (Luther), qualitatively rather than quantitatively.

Your spirit and soul and body (humōn to pneuma kai hē psuchē kai to sōma). Not necessarily trichotomy as opposed to dichotomy as elsewhere in Paul’s Epistles. Both believers and unbelievers have an inner man (soul psuchē, mind nous, heart kardia, the inward man ho esō anthrōpos) and the outer man (sōma, ho exō anthrōpos). But the believer has the Holy Spirit of God, the renewed spirit of man (1Co 2:11; Rom 8:9-11).

Be preserved entire (holoklēron tērētheiē). First aorist passive optative in wish for the future. Note singular verb and singular adjective (neuter) showing that Paul conceives of the man as “an undivided whole” (Frame), prayer for the consecration of both body and soul (cf. 1 Corinthians 6). The adjective holoklēron is in predicate and is an old form and means complete in all its parts (holos, whole, klēros, lot or part). There is to be no deficiency in any part. Teleios (from telos, end) means final perfection.

Without blame (amemptōs). Old adverb (a privative, memptos, verbal of memphomai, to blame) only in I Thess. in N.T. (1Th 2:10; 1Th 3:13; 1Th 5:23). Milligan notes it in certain sepulchral inscriptions discovered in Thessalonica.

At the coming (en tēi parousiāi). The Second Coming which was a sustaining hope to Paul as it should be to us and mentioned often in this Epistle (see note on 1Th 2:19).