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1Th_5:15. Prohibition of revenge. This is easily and fitly added to the command of μακροθυμία .
ὁρᾶτε ] take care, take heed. The apostle speaks thus, because man is only too ready to gratify his natural inclination to revenge. Watchfulness, struggle, and self-conquest are necessary to offer resistance to it.
μή τις ] sc. ὑμῶν . Erroneously Fromond.: “subditorum vestrorum.” Also incorrectly de Wette: “Since revenge is entirely unworthy of the Christian, so all are not warned against it, but the better disposed are exhorted to watch that no outbreaks of it should occur (among others).” For (1) the prohibition of revenge is peculiarly Christian, corresponding neither to the spirit of heathenism (see Hermann, ad Sophocl. Philoct. 679; Jacobs, ad Delect. Epigr. p. 144) nor to that of Judaism (comp. Mat_5:38; Mat_5:43). But de Wette’s reason makes the prohibition appear as if it were something long known, something evident of itself. (2) Also the better disposed are not free from momentary thoughts of revenge; accordingly also upon them was that prohibition to be pressed. (3) The fulfilling of that command appertains to the individual life of every one; whereas to guard against the outbreaks of revenge among others is only rarely possible.
κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ τινι ἀποδοῦναι ] to render to any one evil for evil, comp. Rom_12:17; 1Pe_3:9; Mat_5:44.
τὸ ἀγαθόν ] denotes not the useful or agreeable (Koppe, Flatt, Schott, Olshausen, and others), or “what is good to one” (Hofmann, Möller), nor does it contain an exhortation to benevolence (Piscator, Beza, Calixt, Pelt, Baumgarten-Crusius, and others), but denotes the moral good; see Meyer on Gal_6:10.
διώκειν τι ] to pursue something, to seek to reach it in the race (Php_3:12; Php_3:14), then generally a figurative expression for striving after a thing, comp. Rom_9:30-31; Rom_12:13; Rom_14:19; 1Co_14:1.