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2Th_1:7. Θλιβομένοις is passive. Bengel erroneously considers it as middle.
ἄνεσις ] from ἀνίημι , denotes the relaxing which follows exertion, the ἐπίτασις (Plat. Rep. i. p. 349 E: ἐν τῇ ἐπιτάσει καὶ ἀνέσει τῶν χορδῶν . Plutarch, Lyc. 29: οὐκ ἄνεσις ἦν ἀλλʼ ἐπίτασις τῆς πολιτείας ) passing over to the idea comfort, refreshment, rest. Comp. 2Co_2:13; 2Co_7:5; 2Co_8:13, and the analogous expression ἀνάψυξις , Act_3:19. Here ἄνεσις characterizes the glory of the kingdom of God according to its negative side as freedom from earthly affliction and trouble.
μεθʼ ἡμῶν ] along with us. From this it follows that the apostle and his companions belonged to the θλιβόμενοι . μεθʼ ἡμῶν accordingly contains a confirmation of the notice contained in 2Th_3:2. Others (as Turretin, comp. also de Wette) understand μεθʼ ἡμῶν entirely generally: with us Christians in general. But the ἄνεσις which will likewise be imparted to the ἡμεῖς presupposes a preceding θλίψις , that is, according to the context, persecution by those who are not Christians. But such persecutions do not befall Christians everywhere. Strangely, Bengel (and also Macknight), μεθʼ ἡμῶν denotes: “nobiscum i. e. cum sanctis Israelitis.” Ewald: “with us, i.e. with the apostles and other converted genuine Jews of the Holy Land, so that they shall have no preference.”
ἐν τῇ ἀποκαλύψει τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ ] a statement of the time when ἀνταποδοῦναι will take place, equivalent to ὅταν ἀποκαλυφθῇ ὁ κύριος Ἰησοῦς . ἀποκάλυψις (1Co_1:7) is a more definite expression for παρουσία . The return of Christ is the period at which He, so long hitherto concealed, will as Ruler and Judge be manifested, will publicly appear.[37]
ἈΠʼ ΟὐΡΑΝΟῦ ΜΕΤʼ ἈΓΓΈΛΩΝ ΔΥΝΆΜΕΩς ΑὐΤΟῦ ] a specification of the mode of the ἈΠΟΚΑΛΎΨΕΙ .
ἈΠʼ ΟὐΡΑΝΟῦ ] see on 1Th_4:16.
ΜΕΤʼ ἈΓΓΈΛΩΝ ΔΥΝΆΜΕΩς ΑὐΤΟῦ ] with the angels of His power, i.e. through whom His power manifests itself, inasmuch as the angels are the executors of His commands, by their instrumentality e.g. the resurrection-call to the dead is issued (1Th_4:16). Calvin: Angelos potentiae vocat, in quibus suam potentiam exseret. Angelos enim secum adducet ad illustrandam regni sui gloriam. Oecumenius, Theophylact, Piscator, Benson, Flatt, and others erroneously explain it: “with His mighty angels;” still more erroneously Drusius, Michaelis, Krause, Hofmann, and others: “with His angelic host.” For this the Hebrew öÈáÈí is appealed to. But ΔΎΝΑΜΙς never occurs in this sense in the N. T.; the proofs to the contrary, which Hofmann finds in Luk_10:19, Mat_24:29, Mar_13:35, Luk_21:26, are entirely inappropriate. It would then require to have been written ΜΕΤᾺ ΔΥΝΆΜΕΩς ἈΓΓΈΛΩΝ ΑὐΤΟῦ . It is a wanton error, proceeding from a want of philological tact, when Hofmann separates ΑὐΤΟῦ from the words ΜΕΤʼ ἈΓΓΈΛΩΝ ΔΥΝΆΜΕΩς , refers this pronoun to God, and joins it with ΔΙΔΌΝΤΟς ἘΚΔΊΚΗΣΙΝ into a participial clause, of which ἘΝ Τῇ ἈΠΟΚΑΛΎΨΕΙ Κ . Τ . Λ . forms the commencement. Granted that ΜΕΤʼ ἈΓΓΈΛΩΝ ΔΥΝΆΜΕΩς , without the additional ΑὐΤΟῦ , might denote with an angelic host, yet Paul, in order to express the thought assigned to him by Hofmann, if he would be at all understood, would at least have entirely omitted αὐτοῦ , and would have put the dative διδόντι instead of the genitive διδόντος .
[37] That also we are not here to think, with Hammond, on the destruction of Jerusalem is evident.