The Meaning of 2 Thessalonians 3:2 Explained

2 Thessalonians 3:2

KJV: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

YLT: and that we may be delivered from the unreasonable and evil men, for the faith is not of all;

Darby: and that we may be delivered from bad and evil men, for faith is not the portion of all.

ASV: and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men; for all have not faith.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  that  we may be delivered  from  unreasonable  and  wicked  men:  for  all  [men] have not  faith. 

What does 2 Thessalonians 3:2 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Also Paul desired that God would grant him and his colleagues deliverance from unreasonable and harmful unbelievers who sought to limit the spread of the gospel. This is the negative side of the former positive request. To oppose the spread of the gospel is unreasonable behavior since the gospel brings spiritual life to those who are dead in sin. These men were probably unbelieving Jews who were opposing Paul in Corinth (cf. Acts 18:5-6; Acts 18:12-13).
"There is something deeply moving in the thought of this giant among men asking for the prayers of the Thessalonians who so well recognized their own weakness. Nowhere is Paul"s humility more clear to see. And the fact that Hebrews , as it were, threw himself on their hearts, must have done much to bind even his opponents to him, because it is very difficult to dislike a man who asks you to pray for him." [1]

Context Summary

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 - Held Firm And Guarded From Evil
This closing section is full of comfort and inspiration. Believers in Christ are the beloved of God; their salvation dates from His eternal love and choice, and His purpose for us is being wrought out in our characters by the Holy Spirit, who ministers to us through the truth. Our comfort is eternal and our hope is unfailing.
Paul was now preaching at Corinth, and he asks that the gospel may run, 2 Thessalonians 3:1, r.v. Oh, for a divine impatience that we may be content with nothing short of this! When unreasonable and wicked men try you, turn to the Lord, who is faithful to His promises and to His saints. The stronger the gales of opposition and hatred, the deeper should we become established and rooted in the truth. The word direct in 2 Thessalonians 2:5 may be rendered, make a thoroughfare through; that is, we desire that our hearts should be a highway down which the love of God and the patience of our Lord may pass to a world of sin and fret. Let us ever connect the patience and kingdom of our Lord, as in Revelation 1:9. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Thessalonians 3

1  Paul craves their prayers for himself;
3  testifies what confidence he has in them;
5  makes request to God in their behalf;
6  gives them various precepts, especially to shun idleness, and ill company;
16  and then concludes with prayer and salutation

Greek Commentary for 2 Thessalonians 3:2

And that we may be delivered [και ινα ρυστωμεν]
A second and more personal petition (Milligan). First aorist passive subjunctive of ρυομαι — ruomai old verb to rescue. Note change in tense from present to aorist (effective aorist). [source]
From unreasonable and evil men [απο των ατοπων και πονηρων αντρωπων]
Ablative case with απο — apo Originally in the old Greek ατοπος — atopos Copula εστιν — estin not expressed. Παντων — Pantōn is predicate possessive genitive, faith (article with abstract substantive) does not belong to all. Hence their evil conduct. [source]
For all have not faith [ου γαρ παντων η πιστις]
Copula εστιν — estin not expressed. Παντων — Pantōn is predicate possessive genitive, faith (article with abstract substantive) does not belong to all. Hence their evil conduct. [source]
Unreasonable [ἀτόπων]
See on Luke 23:41, and comp. Acts 25:5; Acts 28:6. In lxx in a moral sense, iniquitous, Job 4:8; Job 11:11; Job 34:12. The word originally means out of place. [source]
All men have not faith []
See on Acts 6:7; see on Galatians 1:23. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for 2 Thessalonians 3:2

Luke 23:41 Amiss [ἄτοπον]
Lit., out of place, and so strange, eccentric, perverse; as in 2 Thessalonians 3:2, where it is rendered unreasonable. The expression here answers nearly to our familiar phrase, “has done nothing out of the way. ” Compare Acts 28:6; no harm. [source]
Luke 23:41 Nothing amiss [ουδεν ατοπον]
Nothing out of place Old word, three times in the N.T. (Luke 23:44; Acts 28:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:2). This can only mean that this robber accepts the claims of Jesus to be true. He is dying for claiming to be Messiah, as he is. [source]
Acts 28:6 No harm [μηδὲν ἄτοπον]
Lit., nothing out of place. The word ἄτοπος occurs three times in Luke, and only once elsewhere in the New Testament (2 Thessalonians 3:2). Used by physicians to denote something unusual in the symptoms of disease, and also somethingfatal or deadly as here. Rev., nothing amiss. Compare Luke 23:41; and Acts 25:5, where the best texts insert the word. [source]
Acts 18:9 Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace [Μη ποβου αλλα λαλει και μη σιωπησηις]
Literally, “stop being afraid (ποβεω — mē with present middle imperative of λαλεω — phobeō), but go on speaking (present active imperative of μη — laleō) and do not become silent (σιωπαω — mē and first aorist active of siōpaō ingressive aorist).” Evidently there were signs of a gathering storm before this vision and message from the Lord Jesus came to Paul one night. Paul knew only too well what Jewish hatred could do as he had learned it at Damascus, Jerusalem, Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, Thessalonica, Beroea. He had clearly moments of doubt whether he had not better move on or become silent for a while in Corinth. Every pastor knows what it is to have such moods and moments. In 2 Thessalonians 3:2 (written at this time) we catch Paul‘s dejection of spirits. He was like Elijah (1 Kings 19:4) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 15:15.). [source]
Acts 25:5 Go down with me [συνκαταβαντες]
Double compound Condition of the first class, assuming that there is (to be courteous to them), but not committing himself on the merits of the case. κατηγορειτωσαν — Atopon is an old word, specially common in Plato, meaning “out of place.” In N.T. only here and Luke 23:41 which see; Acts 28:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:2. Note present tense active voice of κατηγορεω — katēgoreitōsan (imperative) of katēgoreō repeat their accusations. [source]
Acts 25:5 If there is anything amiss in the man [Ατοπον]
Condition of the first class, assuming that there is (to be courteous to them), but not committing himself on the merits of the case. κατηγορειτωσαν — Atopon is an old word, specially common in Plato, meaning “out of place.” In N.T. only here and Luke 23:41 which see; Acts 28:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:2. Note present tense active voice of κατηγορεω — katēgoreitōsan (imperative) of katēgoreō repeat their accusations. [source]
Galatians 1:23 The faith []
See on Acts 6:7, and comp. 2 Thessalonians 3:2. The subjective conception of faith as trustful and assured acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior, tends to become objective, so that the subjective principle is sometimes regarded objectively. This is very striking in the Pastoral Epistles. [source]
1 Thessalonians 2:2 Having been shamefully entreated [ὑβρισθέντες]
Comp. Luke href="/desk/?q=lu+18:32&sr=1">Luke 18:32; Acts 14:5. This may have been added because προπαθόντες alone might denote the experience of something good; but it is more probably intended as an expansion and illustration of that word. Paul's sensitiveness to personal indignity appears in the narrative in 1Thessalonians href="/desk/?q=1th+1:5&sr=1">1 Thessalonians 1:5, 1 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 2:1, 1 Thessalonians 2:5, 1 Thessalonians 2:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:11; 1 Thessalonians 3:3, 1 Thessalonians 3:4, 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 4:6, 1 Thessalonians 4:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; 2 Thessalonians 3:1, 2 Thessalonians 3:2. [source]
2 Thessalonians 3:3 But faithful is the Lord [correct rendition)]
(correct rendition), with a play (paronomasia) on πιστις — pistis by πιστος — pistos as in Romans 3:3 we have a word-play on απιστεω — apisteō and απιστια — apistia The Lord can be counted on, however perverse men may be. From the evil one (απο του πονηρου — apo tou ponērou). Apparently a reminiscence of the Lord‘s Prayer in Matthew 6:13 ρυσαι ημας απο του πονηρου — rusai hēmas apo tou ponērou But here as there it is not certain whether του πονηρου — tou ponērou is neuter (evil) like to πονηρον — ponēron in Romans 12:9 or masculine (the evil one). But we have ο πονηρος — ho ponēros (the evil one) in 1 John 5:18 and του πονηρου — tou ponērou is clearly masculine in Ephesians 6:16. If masculine here, as is probable, is it “the Evil One” (Ellicott) or merely the evil man like those mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 3:2 ? Perhaps Paul has in mind the representative of Satan, the man of sin, pictured in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, by the phrase here without trying to be too definite. [source]
2 Thessalonians 3:3 From the evil one [απο του πονηρου]
Apparently a reminiscence of the Lord‘s Prayer in Matthew 6:13 ρυσαι ημας απο του πονηρου — rusai hēmas apo tou ponērou But here as there it is not certain whether του πονηρου — tou ponērou is neuter (evil) like to πονηρον — ponēron in Romans 12:9 or masculine (the evil one). But we have ο πονηρος — ho ponēros (the evil one) in 1 John 5:18 and του πονηρου — tou ponērou is clearly masculine in Ephesians 6:16. If masculine here, as is probable, is it “the Evil One” (Ellicott) or merely the evil man like those mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 3:2 ? Perhaps Paul has in mind the representative of Satan, the man of sin, pictured in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, by the phrase here without trying to be too definite. [source]

What do the individual words in 2 Thessalonians 3:2 mean?

and that we may be delivered from - perverse evil men not for all [are] of the faith
καὶ ἵνα ῥυσθῶμεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀτόπων πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐ γὰρ πάντων πίστις

ἵνα  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ἵνα  
Sense: that, in order that, so that.
ῥυσθῶμεν  we  may  be  delivered 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Passive, 1st Person Plural
Root: ῥύομαι  
Sense: to draw to one’s self, to rescue, to deliver.
τῶν  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἀτόπων  perverse 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: ἄτοπος  
Sense: out of place, not befitting, unbecoming.
πονηρῶν  evil 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: πονηρός  
Sense: full of labours, annoyances, hardships.
ἀνθρώπων  men 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: ἄνθρωπος  
Sense: a human being, whether male or female.
πάντων  all  [are] 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: πᾶς  
Sense: individually.
  of  the 
Parse: Article, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
πίστις  faith 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: πίστις  
Sense: conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it.