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COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS
I. SUPERSCRIPTION (1:1-2)
1Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the assembly of Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1-2. The superscription differs from that of I 1:1 (q. v.) in adding after πτιthe ἡῶ thus expressing the sense of common fellowship in the Father (cf. I 1:3); and in adding after ερνthe clause with ἀοwhich makes explicit the source of the divine favour and spiritual prosperity, God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The clause with ἀοappears in all Pauline superscriptions except I; Col_1:1, however, omits κὶκρο ἸΧUsually ἡῶ(א et al., omit) is found after πτό(BD, et al., here; א et al., in Gal_1:3), except in Gal_1:3 (BD, et al.) where it is put after κροOn the inscription πὸ θςB (א et al.), see on I 1:1.
II. THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER (1:3-12)
Word has come to Paul, probably by letter, informing him of the increased discouragement of the faint-hearted (1:3-2:17) and the continued troublesomeness of the idlers (3:6-15). Cast down by the persistent persecution, worried by the assertion of some that the day of the Lord is present, and anxious lest they might not be deemed worthy of entrance into the kingdom, the faint-hearted had given utterance to their despair by saying that they were not entitled to the praise of their faith and love, and especially of their endurance which Paul had generously given in his first epistle. To these utterances, reflected in the letter from Thessalonica, Paul replies at once in the Thanksgiving (vv. 3-10) and Prayer (vv. 11-12) by insisting that he ought to thank God for them, as is most proper under the circumstances because their growth in faith and brotherly love is steady (v. 3). In fact, contrary to their expectations, he is boasting everywhere of their endurance and faith in the midst of persecution (v. 4). They need not worry about their future salvation, for their constant endurance springing from faith is positive proof that God the righteous Judge will, in keeping with his purpose, deem them worthy of entrance into the kingdom on behalf of which they as well as Paul are suffering (v. 5). It will not always be well with their persecutors, for God, since he is righteous in judgment, will recompense them with affliction as he will recompense the converts with relief from the same, a relief which Paul also will share (vv. 6-7a). God will do so at the Great Assize (vv. 7b-10) when the wicked, those, namely, who do not reverence God and do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus, will receive as their punishment separation forever from Christ, on the very day when the righteous in general, and, with an eye to the faint-hearted, all who became believers will be the ground of honour and admiration accorded to Christ by the retinue of angels. In order to reach this glorious consummation, however, the converts must be blameless in goodness and love; hence Paul prays as the converts were praying not only that God may deem them worthy of his call, that is, acquit them at the last day, but also, to insure this acquittal, that he may perfect them morally; in order that finally the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified in virtue of what they are, and that they may be glorified in virtue of what the name of our Lord Jesus has accomplished. This glorification is in accordance with the divine favour of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
That the purpose of 1:3-2:17 is the encouragement of the faint-hearted is evident from the emphasis put on the certainty of the readers’ salvation (1:5-12, 2:13-17), and from the express statement, purposely added after the destruction of the Anomos, that the advent of the Anomos is intended not for believers, but for unbelievers who have doomed themselves (2:8-12). That Paul is replying to a letter from Thessalonica is a hypothesis (not excluded by ἀοοε3:11) which admirably accounts for the emphasis on ὀελμ (v. 3, 2:13), κθςἄι (v. 3), ατὺ ἡᾶ(v. 4) and κιin εςὃκι(v. 11), and for the exegetical difficulties in 3:1-5. See Bacon, Introd. 72.
3We ought, brothers, to thank God always for you, as it is proper, because your faith is growing exceedingly and the love for one another of each one of you all is increasing, 4so that we ourselves are boasting of you in the assemblies of God, of your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and afflictions which you bear—5proof positive of the righteous judgment of God that you should be deemed worthy of the kingdom of God for which you too as well as we are suffering;—righteous judgment of God, we say, 6if indeed (as it certainly is) righteous in God’s sight to recompense affliction to those who afflict you; 7and to you who are afflicted, relief with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with his angels of power, 8in fire of flame, rendering vengeance to those who know not God and to those who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: 9who shall be punished with eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his strength, 10when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and admired in all those who became believers (for our testimony to you was believed) in that day. 11To which end we too, as well as you, pray always for you that our God may deem you worthy of the calling and may fulfil every resolve after goodness and work of faith in power; 12in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in it, according to the grace of our God, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. εχρσενὀελμνκλ “We ought, as is manifestly fitting, proper, worth while, in spite of your remonstrances, to thank God always for your growing faith and brotherly love.” To account for the emphasis on ὀελμ, a word only here and 2:13 in Paul’s thanksgivings, and on κθςἄι which resumes it, it may be assumed that Paul is replying to the utterances of the faint-hearted, communicated to him in a letter from Thessalonica, to the effect that they did not consider themselves worthy of the kingdom or entitled to the praise accorded them in the first epistle.
Since κθ in Paul is slightly causal (Bl 78:1), it cannot indicate the degree (Th. Mops.) or the manner (Wohl. who refers to 1Co_8:2) of εχρσενbut must resume and explain ὀελμ (Born Dob.). If ὀελμ stood alone, it might be interpreted as a general expression of personal obligation (Rom_15:1) in view of the progress of the readers, or as a liturgical formula (1 Clem. 38:4; Barn. 5:3 ὀελμν(ὑε) εχρσε). Similarly if we had had εχρσομ and κθςἄινἐτνthe latter clause might have expressed what was proper in view of the growth of the converts or have been purely liturgical (cf. 1 Mac. 12:11 ὡ δο ἐτνκὶπέο The resumption, however, of ὀελμνι κθςκλreveals not liturgical tautology (Jowett) but an emphasis due to special circumstances.—That Paul is no slave of epistolary form is evident from the present thanksgiving. Here as in 1Co_1:4, Col_1:3, the πνωof the common πνοεπρ πνω ὑῶ(I 1:2) is omitted; the prayer which is usually associated with the thanksgiving (I 1:2) is omitted here as in 1Co_1:4; here as in Rom_1:8 he passes directly from εχρ τ ὅ, while the prayer comes in Rom_1:10 and here in v. 11. In Php_1:3, Col_1:3, the thanksgiving and prayer are closely united as in I 1:2, but a further ποεχσαis added in Php_1:9, Col_1:9 as in v. 11 below. The address ἀεφιusually comes later (I 1:4, Gal_1:11, etc.: it does not appear at all in Col. Eph.); its place here at the start betrays at once Paul’s affection for his converts.—ἄι is rare in Paul, but common elsewhere in Gk. Bib.; on ἄι cf. 1Co_16:4, 1Co_16:4 Mac. 17:8. Th. Mops. takes it as = δκι (Php_1:7); its presence here prepares the way for κτξωῆα(v. 5) and ἀισ (v. 11).
ὅιὑεαξνικλ With causal ὅ dependent on εχρσε (I 1:1, 2:13), he gives the reason for the thanksgiving, namely, the very abundant growth (ὑεαξν) of the tree of religious life (πσι and the abundance (πενζ) of the fruit of the same (cf. Php_4:17, Col_1:6, Col_1:10) in their ethical life as manifested in the brotherhood (ἡἀά (sc. ηand cf. I 3:12) εςἀλλυ or φλδλί
This thanksgiving differs from that in I where “work of faith,” “labour of love,” and “endurance of hope” are mentioned, and also from I 3:6 where faith and love (not φλδλί are referred to. In thus singling out brotherly love, Paul expresses his appreciation of the fact that love to brothers (I 4:9) is abounding as he exhorted (I 4:10) and prayed (I 3:12) in his first letter. But in order to make plain that he includes in his praise each and every one of them, even the idlers who are troublesome (3:6-15), he adds to ἡἀάηεςἀλλυnot only the individualising ἑὸ ἑάτυὑῶ(I 2:11) but also πνω which precludes any exception.
ὑεαξνι only here in Gk. Bib., is classic. Paul is fond of compounds with ὑέ(see I 3:10); if he does not find them he coins them. On the simple αξνι(with πσι see 2Co_10:15; on πενζι here as usual intransitive, see I 3:12; on ἡπσι ὑῶ see I 1:8, 3:2 ff. αξνιand πενζι only here in Gk. Bib., are in synonymous parallelism; cf. πενζιand πρσεε in I 3:12 cf. 2Co_4:15). Olshausen (apud Lü takes ὑεαξν as indicating that the converts were guilty of extravagance in their religious zeal, thus introducing a thought like that of Ps. Sol. 5:19 (cf. 5:6) ἐνὑεπενσ ἐαατν Schrader and Pelt suggest that I 3:12 is in mind, and that the omission of κὶεςπναshows that the converts do not love the Gentiles. Schmiedel and Holtzmann, on the assumption that II is a forgery, find here a literary reminiscence of I 2:11 (ἑὸ ἑάτ) and 3:12. Wrede (85) is less certain, but thinks that πνωmight easily come from I 1:2 (so Schmiedel).—The emphasis on the progress of faith (ὑεαξν, not αξν, as Chrys. notes) is evidence that II is written after, not before (Grot. Ewald), I.
4. ὥτ ατὺ ἡᾶ κλThe consequence (ὥτ of their progress in faith and brotherly love is that Paul and his associates (ἡᾶ can and do boast of them everywhere. We have, however, not ἡᾶalone but ατὺ ἡᾶ a contrast is intended. In I 4:9, ατὶὑε finds its antithesis in ἡᾶsupplied from the subject of γάε; here no antithesis to ατὺ ἡᾶis distinctly stated, though ἐ ὑῖ the emphatically placed object of κυᾶθ, suggests the Thessalonians. Precisely what prompts the expression is uncertain; probably Paul has in mind the utterances of the faint-hearted to the effect that their faith and love, and especially their endurance (which, as ὑέ κλshows, is the main theme of Paul’s exultation) were not worthy of the praise bestowed by the Apostle in I. To these remonstrances he replies: “So that we ourselves, contrary to your expectations, are boasting.”
Had Paul written not ατὺ ἡᾶbut κὶἡᾶ the point would have been that the converts as well as Paul found the Thess. an object of boasting; or that Paul as well as others in general or in particular the ατιof I 1:9 found the Thess. an object of boasting. But ατὺ ἡᾶindicates not a reciprocal relation but a contrast. Bacon (Introd. 74) interprets differently: “The Thess. had written that they boasted of the apostles against the slanderers; cf. 2Co_1:14.” In this “significant and inimitable ὥτ ατὺ ἡᾶ κλ(Bacon), Wrede (cf. Schmiedel) finds an assertion of apostolic dignity (“if we boast of any one, that means more than if others do it”), and also a literary reminiscence of I 1:8-9 ὥτ…ἡᾶ…ατιIn ατὺ ἡᾶ(Bא et al.; cf. ατςἐωRom_7:25, Rom_7:9:3, Rom_7:15:14, 2Co_10:1, 2Co_12:13), ατύgets the emphasis; in ἡᾶ ατύ(ADGFKL, et al.; cf. 1Co_5:13, 1Co_7:35, 1Co_11:13, Rom_16:2) ἡᾶ
ἐ ὑῖ. ἐκυᾶθικλThe two clauses with ἐspecify respectively the object and the place of boasting. By putting the contrasted persons ἡᾶand ἐ ύῖside by side, and by choosing ἐκυᾶθ instead of κυᾶθ, he intensifies the point (cf. ὑεαξν). The place is described, as in 1Co_11:16, without geographical limitations, as “the churches of God” (I 2:14). To insist that every church founded up to this time has heard Paul boast, orally or in writing, of the Thessalonians, or to restrict the reference to the churches of God in Corinth and its vicinity (or more exactly to the church of God in Corinth and the brethren round about), is to forget the enthusiasm of Paul and the compliment which he is paying to his readers (cf. ἐπνὶτπ I 1:8).
On this interpretation, see Dob. For ἐκυᾶθ (Bא ἐκυᾶθ P), DEKL, et al., have κυᾶθ, and GF κυήαθ The compound is rare in Gk. Bib. (Psa_51:3, 73:4, 96:7, 105:47; cf. Psa_100:1 Clem. 21:5); it is always construed with ἐof the object. Of the mainly Pauline words κυᾶθι κτκυᾶθι κύη and κύηι(I 2:19), κυᾶθ is in Gk. Bib. usually construed with ἐ rarely with ἐι(Psa_5:12, Psa_48:7, Sir. 30:2, Pro_25:14); cf. Rom_5:2 with 5:3. Here, as in Gal_6:13, the clause with ἐprecedes the verb. Polycarp 11:3 has our verse in mind when he writes de vobis etenim gloriatur in omnibus ecclesiis; cf. 11:4 et non sicut inimzicos tales existimetis with 3:15 of our letter.
ὑὲ τςὑοοῆ κλThe clause with ὑέresumes ἐ ὑῖ and specifies the qualities about which he boasted, namely, their endurance and faith manifested in persecutions. Though faith and persecution are inseparable, as the omission of the article before πσε reveals, the ethical (ὑοοη takes precedence of the religious (πσι from which it springs and of which it is the fruit and evidence (Calvin). The selection not of faith and brotherly love (v. 3) but of faith and endurance, and the position of ὑοοηbefore πσι(cf. Phm_1:5) are probably due to the utterances of the faint-hearted who had remonstrated against Paul’s praise of their endurance and faith (I 1:3) in his first epistle.
Here ὑέ(contrast 2Co_7:14, 2Co_9:2, 2Co_12:15) is equivalent to πρ (2Co_10:8; see below 2:1 and cf. I 5:10). In view of the context and of the usage elsewhere in I, II, πσιis “faith” not “faithfulness” (Bengel, Lü Born; cf. Gal_5:22). Unnecessary is the assumption of a hendiadys whether fidei vestrae firmitatem (Th. Mops.) or ὑοοὴἐ πσε(Grot.).
ἐ πσντῖ δωμῖ κλThe fourth prepositional phrase in this verse (cf. I 3:7-8 for a similar heaping up of prepositions), namely, ἐ πσ …ἀέεθ states the circumstances in which (I 3:3) their endurance and faith were manifested: “in all your persecutions and afflictions that you are bearing.” The ὑῶbinds together the virtually synonymous δωμῖand θίει(cf. I 2:9 τνκπνἡῶ κὶτνμχο and the α (attraction for ὧ which refers to both nouns, agrees in ender with the nearer. The πσ intimates that the persecutions have been repeated (“not in one but in all,” Ephr.); and the ἀέεθ(cf. Gal_2:4 τνἐεθρα ἡῶ ἣ ἕοε that they are still going on; while the emphasis on both πσ and ἀέεθserves to convey rare praise for the unexceptional constancy of their endurance and faith.
The construction assumed above is on the whole the simplest. Some commentators (e. g. Lü forgetting that the presence of τῖ(which DGFP omit) does not prevent ὑῶfrom uniting the synonymous words (cf. I 2:9 where there is an article before μχο attach πσ to δωμῖalone (cf. 2Co_8:7), making αςἀέεθparallel to ὑῶ(cf. Phm_1:5, and Col_1:4 τνπσι ὑῶ κὶτνἀάη ἤ ἔε, where faith and love are not synonymous): “in all the persecutions you have and the afflictions which you are bearing.” On the other hand, Dob., who takes ἕδιμas a predicate noun after αςἁέεθ breaks the rhythm by putting a comma after θίει and is also led to understand ἀέεθof the necessity of enduring: “which you have to endure as a proof,” etc. In the Gk. Bib., δωμ means usually not “pursuit” (2 Mac. 12:23) but “persecution” (Lam_3:19, Mar_4:17, Mat_13:21, Rom_8:35, 2Co_12:10). On the meaning of θίι see I 1:6. The persecutions which marked the beginnings of Christianity in Thessalonica (I 1:6, 2:14) and which were going on when Paul wrote I (3:3; cf. 2:14 ff.) still continue, as the presents ἀέεθand πσε show.—Since ἀέεθ in Gk. Bib., when not used absolutely, is construed not with dat. but either with gen. (Gen_45:1, Isa_46:4, 63:15, Isa_46:2 Mac. 9:12 and N. T.) or with accus. (Job_6:26 (where A has gen.) Isa_1:13, Isa_1:3 Mac. 1:22, Mal_1:4 Mac. 13:27), α is probably not directly governed by ἀέεθ(Fritzsche, who notes Eurip. Androm. 981, Lft., Mill.) but is an attraction for ὦ or less likely for ἄCod. B gets rid of the difficulty of the unusual attraction by reading ἐέεθ a rare word in Gk. Bib. (with dat. Gal_5:1, Gal_5:3 Mac. 6:10; with ἐand dat. Eze_14:4, Eze_14:7). But not even Weiss (35) accepts the reading of B. On the change of ἀ and ἐ, see Gal_5:1 where D and a few minuscules read ἀέεθWith our passage, compare 1Co_4:12 δωόεο ἀεόε The ἐwhich K reads before α comes from the preceding—σ (Zim).
5. ἔδιμ κλThe faint-hearted need not worry about their future salvation, for the fact of their unexceptional endurance and faith in all their persecutions is itself a “token,” “guarantee,” “positive evidence” of the righteous judgment of God (Rom_2:5), already in purpose and soon to be declared, that they be deemed worthy of the kingdom of God, for which they, and Paul too, are continually suffering. The εςτ κτξωῆαexpresses the purpose of δκίςκίε
Since the object of boasting specified in v. 4 is not suffering, but the constancy of their endurance and faith in the midst of persecution, ἕδιμis to be taken not with the idea of suffering alone, whether with ἀέεθor with ἐ πσ …ἀέεθ(Calv. et al.), but with the idea of endurance and faith in spite of persecutions, that is, with ὑὲ…ἀέεθ(De W., Lü Lillie, Ell., Lft., Mill., and others). ἔδιμis probably an accus. in direct apposition with the preceding (cf. Rom_8:3, Rom_12:1); but it may be a nominative, in which case ὅἑτ is to be supplied on the analogy of Php_1:28. Ephr. and some minuscules read ἐδίμτ Theophylact and Codex 442 have εςἔδιμ(cf. Rom_3:25); so similarly g, Vulg Ambst Syr. Arm have in exemplum. The distinction between the passive ἕδιμ(only here in Gk. Bib., but classic; cf. Plato, Critias, 110 C) and the active ἔδιι(in Gk. Bib. confined to Paul; Rom_3:25 f. 2Co_8:24, Php_1:28) is negligible; the meaning is demonstrationem (Th. Mops.), ostentamen (Tert. apud Swete). That εςτ κλis to be connected not with ἀέεθ(Bengel) leaving ἔδιμ…θο as a parenthesis, or with ἔδιμ…θο (Schott), or with ἔδιμ(Wohl.), but with δκίςκίε is usually admitted (De W., Lü Lft., Vincent, Dob., et al.). But εςτ, since the telic sense is not always evident in Paul (see I 2:12), might denote either the content of the judgment (Theophylact ὅε ἐτνκτξωῆα or the “object to which it tended” (Ell.; Lillie), or the result conceived or actual (Lü In Paul, εςτ is most frequently of purpose (BMT 409); and this is the probable meaning here (so among others De W. Alford, Ewald, Dob.). κτξό only here in Paul (but frequent in Ignatius), means either “beseech” (2 Mac. 13:12) or, as elsewhere in Gk. Bib., “deem worthy” (Luk_20:35, Act_5:41, Act_5:4 Mac. 18:3). It intensifies the simple άι (a word used by Paul only in v. 11, but found elsewhere in the N. T. and frequently in Lxx). In the N. T. κτξόand ἀι (except. Act_15:38, Act_28:22 where the meaning is “beseech,” “command,” as regularly in the Lxx) are to be rendered not “make worthy,” but “deem worthy” (cf. SH 30 ff.). Dalman (Worte Jesu, I, 97) observes that “to be worthy of the future æ” is a common rabbinical expression. On βσλί see I 2:12.
ὑὲ ἦ κὶπσε. “For which you too (as well as we, that is, the writers) are suffering.” The present tense (πσε; cf. v. 4 ἀέεε) designates the sufferings as going on; ὑὲ ἦmakes plain that the motive or goal of suffering is none other than the future kingdom of God; κιimplies a fellowship in present sufferings of readers (at home) and writers (in Corinth), and prepares the way for the significant ἄει μθ ὑῶ(v. 7).
It is probable that κιhere and μθ ἡῶ(v. 7) are due to Paul’s experiences in Corinth (cf. 3:2); on κι cf. I 2:13, 3:5, 5:25, 2Co_1:6. Most commentators, however, interpret κι(which F omits) as implying a correspondence not between Paul and his readers in reference to suffering, but between present suffering and future glory; so, for example, Lft., who compares 2Ti_2:12, and Ell. who notes Rom_8:17, Act_14:22 and says: “κιwith a species of consecutive force supplies a renewed hint of the connection between suffering and the κτξωῆα κλ (cf. also Wohl., Dob. and others). In the phrase πσενὑέ(Php_1:29, 1Pe_2:21, Act_9:16), ὑέmay indicate advantage (Lft.), “object for which” (Ell.), the motive or goal (“to gain which”; Lü Schmiedel, Dob.); but it is probably equivalent to πρ (cf. v. 4, 2:1; also πσενπρ 1Pe_3:18 B and 2:21 A). On the thought of v. 5, cf. especially Php_1:28-30.
6-7a. επρδκινκλ The “righteous judgment of God” (v. 5) is not only positive, the salvation of the readers (v. 5), but also (δκινπρ θῷresuming τςδκίςκίεςτῦθο) positive and negative, in keeping with the principle of recompense sharply stated as the ius talionis, namely, θίιfor your persecutors and ἄειfor you who are persecuted (cf. Luk_16:25). The principle is put conditionally (επ), “not indeed as if there were the least doubt respecting the righteousness of any part of the divine procedure in judging the world. On the contrary, it is the very certainty of that truth, as something altogether beyond cavil, that emboldens the writer, by a sort of logical meiosis, to argue from it conditionally” (Lillie; cf. Pelagius: hic “si tamen” confirmantis sermo est, non dubitantis).
ἄει μθ ὑῶ As there is a present fellowship of readers and writers in suffering (κὶπσε v. 5), so also will there be a future fellowship in “rest” or “relief” from suffering,—a genuinely Pauline touch (cf. 1Co_4:8, 2Co_1:6 ff. Php_1:30).
On the positive side, ἄειis entrance into the kingdom (v. 5) and eternal fellowship with the Lord (v. 10 as contrasted with v. 9; cf. I 4:17 πνοεσνκρῳ θίιis, according to v. 9, eternal separation from Christ, the precise opposite of I 4:17. The moral ground of ἅει not expressed at this point, is faith leading to endurance as v. 4 shows, the ὑῖwho are persecuted being those who have exhibited an unusual endurance inspired by faith. The same stress on faith is seen in v. 10, “all who became believers,” and in the explanatory clause with ὅ The moral ground of θίι not stated in our verse, is, in the light of v. 8, which describes “those who do not reverence God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus,” the lack of faith and its moral expression. Though the ius talionis is here exhibited in its clearest form (Ell.), the persecutors of the readers are not the only ones who are to receive θίι as is evident from Rom_2:8 ff. where the disobedient receive ὀγ κὶθμς θίι κὶσεοωί(cf. also I 4:6, Rom_12:19, 2Co_5:10, Col_3:24 ff., etc.). In Rom_8:18 ff., the believers are to get δξfor their πθμτ in 2Co_4:17, δξfor θίιOn the Mosaic lex talionis, see the notes of Charles on Jub. 4:31, 48:14 and Montefiore on Mat_5:38 ff.—επ is found in Gk. Bib., apart from Paul, only Judith 6:9 Sus. (Th.) 54, 4 Mac. 11:7. The condition is of itself colourless, the truth or error of the assumption being found, if at all, in the context; here and elsewhere (unless 1Co_8:5 is excepted), the context implies the truth of the condition with επ (Rom_3:30, Rom_3:8:9, Rom_3:17, 1Co_15:15, 2Co_5:3). Chrys. makes επ = ἐεπ—πρ θῷ(1Co_7:24) or πρ τ θῷ(so A here; cf. Rom_2:11, Rom_2:13, Gal_3:11, 1Co_3:19) = “in the eyes of,” indice Deo; the day of judgment may here be in mind.—On δκι, cf. Php_1:7; on θίε, I 3:4; on ἀτπδδν (I 3:9) as the expression of judicial recompense, cf. Rom_12:19 = Deu_32:35; also Isa_35:4, 59:18, 63:7, 66:4, Isa_35:6, Jer_28:6, 24, 56 f. Sir. 32:11, etc.—ἄει(2Co_2:12, 2Co_2:7:5, 2Co_2:8:13; Act_24:23; Lxx) denotes a let up from restraint; hence “liberty,” “license,” or, as here and 2Co_7:5, 2Co_7:8:13, “relief” as opposed to θίι cf. ἀάυιAct_3:19. ἡῶrefers here not to all Christians (De W.), not to the saints in Israel (Bengel, Ewald), but, in view of the specific ὑᾶand ὑῖand of κὶπσε, which balances μθ ἡῶ to Paul and his two associates (Lü Ell., Lft., Born, Mill., Dob.). In μθ ἡῶas in ατὺ ἡᾶ(v. 4), Schmiedel inclines to see the hand of a forger putting Paul in a position of apostolic eminence. On the other hand, Dob. remarks on μθ ἡῶ “these two little words belong to the genuine Pauline touches for the sake of which no one, with any feeling for the way in which the mind of Paul works, can give up the authenticity of this brief epistle.”
7b-10. The description of the advent unto judgment begins with a temporal phrase, ἐ τ ἀοαύε κλ which is to be attached to ἀτπδδνικλ(v. 6). First, with three prepositional adjuncts (cf. I 4:16), the external features of the revelation are described; then the function of the person revealed is indicated, the punishment (δδνο ἐδκσ) of those who deserve it; then (v. 9), with οτν resuming τῖ μ εδσνκλand with δκντσυιresuming δδνο ἐδκσ, the character of the punishment is exhibited, eternal separation from Christ; and finally, with ὅα ἔθ (v. 10), which is grammatically connected with τσυι the beginning of the eternal fellowship of the saints and all believers with their Lord is suggested, in that, because of what they are, honour and admiration are asscribed to Christ. In writing πσντῖ πσεσσ to balance τῖ ἁίι ατυ instead of τῖ πσεοσ, Paul passes purposely from the general to the specific, having in mind the faint-hearted, as the parenthetical clause with ὅ which refers distinctly to the welcome accorded to the gospel demonstrates. The ἐ τ ἡέᾳwhich belongs with the infinitives is suspended temporarily by the parenthesis, only to take its place at the end with a solemn effectiveness. As in I 4:16-17 so here it is Paul himself who is responsible for the rhythmical description in which only such features are mentioned as serve both to bring out the value of the judgment and to inspire hope and assurance in the hearts of the faint-hearted. Though the description abounds in reminiscences from the Lxx, there is but one approximately exact citation. ἀὸποώο…ἰχο ατυ(Isa_2:10; cf. ὄα ἕθ 2:10 and ἐ τ ἡέᾳἐεν 2:11).
The passage abounds in allusions to or reminiscences of the Lxx, but the only exact quotation is in v. 9, taken from the refrain of Isa_2:10 which is repeated in 2:19, 21: ἀὸποώο τῦφβυκρο κὶἀὸτςδξςτςἰχο ατῦ ὅα ἀατ θασιτνγ; cf. ἐ τ ἡέᾳἐεν 2:11, 17. Though the citation is evident, τῦφβ is omitted. Furthermore in v. 8 there is an apparent allusion to Isa_66:15: ἰο γρκρο ὡ πρἣε κὶὡ κτιὶ τ ἄμτ ατῦἀοονιἐ θμ ἐδκσνατῦκὶἀοκρκσὸ ατῦἐ φοὶπρ Paul, however, is composing not copying, as the unique parallelism τῖ μ εδσνθὸ κὶτῖ μ ὑαοοσνκλsuggests. At the same time, such passages as Jer_10:25 (cf. Psa_78:6): ἔχο τνθμνσυἐὶἓν τ μ εδτ σ κὶἐὶγνὰ α τ ὄοάσυἐεαέατand Isa_66:4: ὅιἐάεαατὺ κὶοχὑήοσνμυ ἐάηακὶοκἤοσ (cf. Isa_65:12) may have been running in his mind. In v. 10, where ἐδξσῆαand θυαθν are in parallelism (cf. the description of God in Exo_15:11), there seems to be a reminiscence of Psa_88:8: ὁθὸ ἐδξζμνςἐ βυῇἁίν μγςκὶφβρςἐὶπνα τὺ πρκκῳατυ and of Ps. 67:35 (א θυατςὁθὸ ἐ τῖ ἁίι ατυ cf. also Isa_49:3 and 66:5: επτ, ἀεφὶἡῶ, τῖ μσῦι ὑᾶ κὶβευσμνι, ἵατ ὄοακρο δξσῇ(cf. v. 12 of our chapter) κὶὀθ ἐ τ εφούηατν κὶἐενιασυθσναOther words and phrases suggest the influence of non-canonical Jewish literature; e. g. ἀοάυι(cf. Apoc. Bar. 29:3 with the note of Charles), ἀγλνδνμω ατυ(cf. Test. xii, Jud_1:3:10 and Eth. En. 61:10 “the angels of power”), ὅερςαώι (4 Mac. 10:15 (A); cf. Eth. En. 84:5 Ps. Sol. 2:35 (cf. 3:13) ἀώεααώι or (Gebhardt) αῶο On the other hand, τνι δκ, a classic expression, is not found elsewhere in Gk. Bib. (Lxx uses with δκ either ἀοιόαor ἀτπδδαor ἐδκῖ so also the construction δδνιἐδκσντν(Lxx has, however, ἀοιόαor ἀτπδδν; cf. Num_31:3, Sir. 12:6, 32:23). The aorist πσεσσ (v. 10) instead of the present is due to the situation. It happens that “the gospel of our Lord Jesus” like “the gospel of his Son” in Rom_1:9 is unique in Paul.
While McGiffert (EB 5054) throws out the hint that vv. 6-10 are a possible interpolation, Born (cf. Find. lvii and Moff. Introd. 80) suggests that in vv. 6-10a or vv. 7b-10c Paul is citing or alluding to a Christian hymn. It has also been conjectured (cf. Encyc. Brit.11 XXVI, 841) that in vv. 7b-10 Paul is adapting to his own purposes a fragment of a Jewish apocalypse or a psalm like one of the Psalms of Solomon. The adaptation would consist in the insertion of Ἰσυ(vv. 7, 8) and of the parenthesis ὅ …ἐʼὑᾶ(v. 10); and in the substitution of εαγλῳ(v. 8) for, say, λγ (cf. 2Ch_11:4 A), and of πσ and πσεσσ (v. 10) for, say, πσεοσ (Isa_28:16 B). The insertion of Ἰσυwould occur to any Christian; but the change from λγ to εαγλῳbetrays the hand of Paul, for ὑαοεντ εαγλῳis found elsewhere in N. T. only Rom_10:16 (First Peter would have used not ὑαοε but ἀεθῖ and the change from πσεοσ to πσνπσεσσ is, as the inserted clause with ὅ demonstrates, due to one of the two main purposes of the epistle, the encouragement of the faint-hearted. Attractive as the hypothesis is and accounting as it does excellently for the position of ἐ τ ἡέᾳἐεν, it is unnecessary (cf. Clemen, Paulus, I, 119). For Paul himself, it must be remembered, is quite competent in the Spirit to produce a rhythmical psalm, apocalypse, or prophecy. The description is fragmentary; expected details such as the burning fire, the angels of punishment, the torture of the wicked in the fire of hell in the presence of the righteous are conspicuously absent. The external features of the revelation are few in number and are selected with a view to enhancing the dignity of the Judge. The reason why he executes judgment is clearly stated; the sentence is pronounced simply as eternal separation from Christ, with no details as to the manner of executing the sentence or the nature of the separation. The reward of the righteous, the character of the future felicity is not dwelt upon; in fact, the reward is only intimated—in virtue of what the believers are, Christ receives glory and admiration. The concentration upon the essential and the sole interest in values which signalise the description point rather to the free composition of Paul, influenced by O. T. and later Jewish literature, as is also the case in I 4:16-17.
7b. ἐ τ ἀοαύε κλ With this clause, the time of the ἀτπδῦα(v. 6) is indicated, “at the revelation of the Lord Jesus” = “when the Lord Jesus is revealed” (cf. v. 10 ὅα ἔθ). “The advent is here conceived of not as a Parousia (cf. I 2:19, 3:13, 5:23 ἐ τ πρυί), but as a revelation (so 1Co_1:7; cf. Luk_17:30) of the Messiah, just as in the first epistle of Peter” (Briggs, Messiah of the Apostles, 90 ff.; cf. 1Pe_1:7, 1Pe_1:13).
Of the twenty-two instances of ἀοάυιin the Gk. Bib., thirteen are in Paul. In the Lxx the word is used literally of uncovering (1 Reg. 20:30) and metaphorically of disclosing works or secrets (Sir. 11:27, 22:22, 42:1). In Paul, it denotes regularly a prophetic revelation in the Spirit; here, however, and in 1Co_1:7, it is equivalent to πρυίUnderlying this use of ἀοάυῖmay be the idea that the Son of Man is hidden before God and that the elect, though they know him in the Spirit, do not behold him visibly until he comes to function as Messiah (cf. Eth. En. 48:6, 62:7; also revelabitur of the Messiah in 4 Ezra 13:32 Apoc. Bar. 39:7, etc.; see J. Weiss in Meyer on 1Co_1:7). Mill., however, who discusses carefully (141-151) ἀοάυιin connection with ἐιἀε (2:8) and πρυίconcludes that ἐιάε or manifestation is also a “revelation of the divine plan and purpose which has run through all the ages, to find its consummation at length in the ‘one far-off divine event’ to which the whole creation is slowly moving.” On ὁκρο Ἰσῦ see I 2:15; L reads τῦκρο ἡῶ Ἰ Χ
ἀʼορνῦκλ With three prepositional phrases (cf. I 4:16), the revelation is described in reference to the place “from heaven,” to the attendant retinue “with his angels of power,” and to the manner “in a fire of flame.” (1) The ἀʼορνυseems to imply that the Messiah is hidden in heaven, concealed from the sight of men, though he operates in the souls of believers; hence he must be revealed “from heaven” (cf. Rom_1:18), namely, by coming down from heaven (I 4:16) either toward the earth and within the range of human vision, or to the earth. (2) The ἄγλιδνμω ατυsuggests the ἄγλςδνμω(Test. xii, Jud_1:3:10) and “all the angels of power and all the angels of principalities” (Eth. En. 61:10); and invites the translation “his angels of power” (cf. ατυin Rev_13:3, Heb_1:3, Col_1:13). (3) The manner in which the revelation is pictured, ἐ πρ φοί is in keeping with the descriptions of theophanies in the O. T., for example, Exo_3:2 where the ἄγλςκροappears ἐ πρ φοὸ ἐ τῦβτ and Isa_66:15 κρο ὡ πρἥε(cf. Psa_49:3, etc.).
Usually ατυis taken solely with δνμωand the gen. is explained as possessive: “which serves to mark that to which the ἄγλ appertained and of which they were the ministers; exponents and instruments of his power” (Ell.). Dob. regards “his power” as a periphrasis for “his.” Calv. observes: angelos potentiae vocal in quibus sham potestatem exseret (cf. Bengel and Schmiedel). Some Gk. fathers (e. g. Theophylact and Œ and some moderns (e. g. Piscator, Flatt, Jowett) interpret with A. V. &ldquo