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2Th_1:5. Judgment of the apostle concerning the conduct of his readers described in 2Th_1:4. Their stedfastness in the sufferings of the present is a guarantee of future glory. 2Th_1:5 is a sentence in apposition, which is united to the preceding in the nominative, not in the accusative, to which Buttmann, Gramm. des neutest. Sprachgebr. p. 134 [E. T. 153], is inclined. See Winer, p. 472 [E. T. 669]. But ἔνδειγμα refers not to the subject of ἀνέχεσθε , that is, to the Thessalonians, as if αἷς ἀνέχεσθε , ὄντες ἔνδειγμα were written (comp. Erasmus, Annot., Camerarius, Estius); for however simple and easy such a connection might be grammatically, yet logically it is objectionable. Besides, Paul would hardly have put καταξιωθῆναι ὑμᾶς instead of the simple infinitive, if he thought on no difference of subject in ἔνδειγμα and καταξιωθῆναι . But also ἔνδειγμα is not to be referred to πᾶσιν τοῖς διωγμοῖς … ἀνέχεσθε (Ambrosiaster, Zwingli, Calvin, Bullinger, Aretius, Wolf, Koppe, Pelt, Schrader, Ewald, Bisping, and others), but to the whole preceding principal and collective idea, ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑπομονῆς … ἀνέχεσθε . Accordingly it is to be analyzed as follows: ὅ (that is to say, καὶ τοῦτο , ὅτι ἐν ὑπομονῇ καὶ πίστει πάντων τῶν διωγμῶν ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν θλίψεων ἀνέχεσθε ) ἐστιν ἔνδειγμα τῆς δικαίας κρίσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ .
ἔνδειγμα ] is found here only in the N. T. It denotes a sign, guarantee, proof (comp. the active ἔνδειξις , Php_1:28); here, according to the context, a prognostic.
τῆς δικαίας κρίσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ ] cannot, with Olshausen and Riggenbach, be understood of the present judgments executed on the earth, and which befall believers in order to perfect them and to make them worthy of the kingdom of God. Not only the article τῆς , pointing to the judgment κατʼ ἐξοχήν , but also the explanation in 2Th_1:6 ff., decides against this view. The future judgment is meant which God will execute by Christ at the advent.
εἰς τὸ καταξιωθῆναι ὑμᾶς κ . τ . λ .] whose result will be that ye will be esteemed worthy of the kingdom of God, depends not on αἷς ἀνέχεσθε , so that ἔνδειγμα τῆς δικαίας κρίσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ would become a parenthetic exclamation (Bengel, Zachariae, Bisping, Hofmann, and others), nor does it also belong to the whole sentence ἔνδειγμα … Θεοῦ : in reference to which ye, etc., but only to τῆς δικαίας κρίσεως . Accordingly εἰς τὸ καταξιωθ . κ . τ . λ . is not a statement of purpose (thus Alford and Ewald), but an epexegetical statement of result. εἰς τό , with the infinitive, also stands for the result in 2Co_8:6, etc. Comp. Winer, p. 294 [E. T. 414].
The infinitive aorist καταξιωθῆναι expresses the verbal idea simply, without any regard to time. See Kühner, II. p. 80.
ὑπὲρ ἧς καὶ πάσχετε ] for striving to obtain which ye suffer, an additional statement of the cause whose corresponding result will be καταξιωθῆναι . The Thessalonians, by their enduring stedfastness, the motive of which was striving after the kingdom of God, made themselves worthy of participation in this kingdom, for they thereby showed how precious and dear Christ is to them; it is thus certain that the judgment of God to be expected at the return of Christ will recognise this worthiness, and will exalt the Thessalonians to be fellow-citizens of His kingdom. Comp. Php_1:28; Rom_8:17; 2Ti_2:12.