2 Thessalonians 3

2 Thessalonians 3:1-18 . HE ASKS THEIR PRAYERS: HIS CONFIDENCE IN THEM: PRAYER FOR THEM: CHARGES AGAINST DISORDERLY IDLE CONDUCT; HIS OWN EXAMPLE: CONCLUDING PRAYER AND SALUTATION.

1. Finally--literally, "As to what remains."
may have free course--literally, "may run"; spread rapidly without a drag on the wheels of its course. That the new-creating word may "run," as "swiftly" as the creative word at the first ( Psalms 147:15 ). The opposite is the word of God being "bound" ( 2 Timothy 2:9 ).
glorified--by sinners accepting it ( Acts 13:48 , Galatians 1:23 Galatians 1:24 ). Contrast "evil spoken of" ( 1 Peter 4:14 ).
as it is with you--( 1 Thessalonians 1:6 , 4:10 , 5:11 ).

2. that we . . . be delivered from unreasonable . . . men--literally, men out of place, inept, unseemly: out of the way bad: more than ordinarily bad. An undesigned coincidence with Acts 18:5-9 . Paul was now at Corinth, where the JEWS "opposed themselves" to his preaching: in answer to his prayers and those of his converts at Thessalonica and elsewhere, "the Lord, in vision," assured him of exemption from "the hurt," and of success in bringing in "much people." On the unreasonable, out-of-the way perversity of the Jews, as known to the Thessalonians, see 1 Thessalonians 2:15 1 Thessalonians 2:16 .
have not faith--or as Greek, "the faith" of the Christian: the only antidote to what is "unreasonable and wicked." The Thessalonians, from their ready acceptance of the Gospel ( 1 Thessalonians 1:5 1 Thessalonians 1:6 ), might think "all" would similarly receive it; but the Jews were far from having such a readiness to believe the truth.

3. faithful--alluding to "faith" ( 2 Thessalonians 3:2 ):though many will not believe, the Lord (other very old manuscripts read "God") is still to be believed in as faithful to His promises ( 1 Thessalonians 5:24 , 2 Timothy 2:13 ). Faith on the part of man answers to faithfulness on the part of God.
stablish you--as he had prayed ( 2 Thessalonians 2:17 ). Though it was on himself that wicked men were making their onset, he turns away from asking the Thessalonians' prayers for HIS deliverance ( 2 Thessalonians 3:2 :so unselfish was he, even in religion), to express his assurance of THEIR establishment in the faith, and preservation from evil. This assurance thus exactly answers to his prayer for them ( 2 Thessalonians 2:17 ), "Our Lord . . . stablish you in every good word and work." He has before his mind the Lord's Prayer, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"; where, as here, the translation may be, "from the evil one"; the great hinderer of "every good word and work." Compare Matthew 13:19 , "the wicked one."

4. we have confidence in the Lord--as "faithful" ( 2 Thessalonians 3:3 ). Have confidence in no man when left to himself [BENGEL].
that ye both do--Some of the oldest manuscripts insert a clause, "that ye both have done" before, "and are doing, and will do." He means the majority by "ye," not all of them (compare 2 Thessalonians 3:11 , 1:3 , 1 Thessalonians 3:6 ).