1 Thessalonians 2:16

Forbidding us (kwluontwn hma). Explanatory participle of the idea in enantiwn. They show their hostility to Paul at every turn. Right here in Corinth, where Paul is when he writes, they had already shown venomous hostility toward Paul as Luke makes plain ( Acts 18:6 ). They not simply oppose his work among the Jews, but also to the Gentiles (eqnesi, nations outside of the Abrahamic covenant as they understood it). That they may be saved (ina swqwsin). Final use of ina with first aorist passive subjunctive of swzw old verb to save. It was the only hope of the Gentiles, Christ alone and not the mystery-religions offered any real hope. To fill up their sins alway (ei to anaplhrwsai autwn ta amartia pantote). Another example of ei to and the infinitive as in verse Acts 12 . It may either be God's conceived plan to allow the Jews to go on and fill up (anaplhrwsai, note ana, fill up full, old verb) or it may be the natural result from the continual (pantote) sins of the Jews. Is come (epqasen). First aorist (timeless aorist) active indicative of pqanw which no longer means to come before as in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 where alone in the N.T. it retains the old idea of coming before. Some MSS. have the perfect active epqaken, prophetic perfect of realization already. Frame translates it: "But the wrath has come upon them at last." This is the most likely meaning of ei telo. Paul vividly foresees and foretells the final outcome of this attitude of hate on the part of the Jews. Tristis exitus, Bengel calls it. Paul speaks out of a sad experience.