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This some understand to be another part of sanctification, mentioned before, 1Th_4:3, taking the word sanctification in a more general sense. And as before he spake of chastity, so here of commutative justice in commerce and traffic; and the rather because Thessalonica was a city of great trade and merchandise, and it is true that sanctification doth comprehend this righteousness in it, and will restrain men from that which is opposite to it, which, as the apostle speaks, is going beyond and defrauding his brother. To
go beyond, is that which we call overreaching; when in buying or selling we keep not a just measure, when we observe not a due proportion between the price and the commodity, considering it either in its natural worth, or in such circumstances as make it more or less valuable: or, to take advantage of another’s ignorance or necessities, to take unreasonable profit: or, to break covenant with another, answering to the Hebrew word Gnabhar, used in this sense, Deu_17:2: the original word signifies to transgress, or go above the due bounds. And to defraud is, when, out of a covetous mind, we exact upon another beyond what is meet. Some refer the former word to injustice by force, and the latter by fraud, 2Co_7:2. And the evil is the greater because done to a brother. There is a brother by a common relation, and so all men that partake of human nature are brethren; or by special relation, which is either natural, civil, or spiritual. We may understand the word in all these senses, especially the last, that those that are brethren in Christ and in the faith, should not defraud one another. And when the apostle adds, in any matter, the word any not being in the Greek, we may better read it, in dealing, or doing; the word is general, and is to be restrained by the subject matter spoken of. There is another sense of the words, agreeable to the former verses, and the verse that follows, and so some understand the apostle as still speaking of chastity; and so here he forbids the invading another’s bed, transgressing the bounds of marriage, whereby men go beyond or defraud their brother, usurping the use of another man’s wife, whom he hath no right to. And then in any matter we must read, in that matter which he had been speaking of before, or it is a modest expression of the act of adultery. The Hebrew Bo is often used in the Old Testament for carnal copulation, and thence the Greek bainw and uqerbainw, here used; and the other word, qleonektein, denotes excessiveness in it, Eph_4:19. And the reason he adds is: because the Lord is the avenger of all such. Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord, Deu_32:35 Rom_12:19. Whether we understand it of fraud, or overreaching in dealings, when man cannot right and relieve himself, the righteous God will avenge the unrighteousness of men; or of the fraud of the marriage bed, which is done in secret, and man cannot avenge himself, Heb_13:4.
As we also have forewarned you and testified: and this the apostle saith he had forewarned them of, and testified. Though the light of nature told the heathen that God was an avenger of wickedness, Act_28:4, and the heathen could say, ’ Ecei yeov ekdikon omma. God hath a revengeful eye; yet the apostle had in his preaching assured it. He had told them of Christ’s coming to judge the world, when he would execute vengeance, Jud_1:15; and this they were before ignorant of: and though God sometimes takes vengeance in this world, yet he seems to refer to this last vengeance, because he speaks of it as that which he had forewarned them of, and testified in his ministry, and whereof they had not so clear a testimony in natural conscience.