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1 Thessalonians 2

KJV · Chapter 2/5

1For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain:

2But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.

3For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile:

4But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

5For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:

6Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.

7But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:

8So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

9For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.

10Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:

11As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,

12That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.

13For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

14For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:

15Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:

16Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

17But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.

18Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.

19For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

20For ye are our glory and joy.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Paul recalls how he preached among the Thessalonians with sincerity, without seeking personal advantage, working hard so as not to be a burden to anyone. He describes his care for them as that of a father for his children.

Explanation

In that era, it was common for traveling philosophers to charge for their teaching or to seek prestige and support at their listeners' expense. Paul is careful to set himself apart: he worked with his own hands so as not to burden anyone, and his motivation was genuine care, compared to the tenderness of a mother nursing her children and the devotion of a father guiding his own. This validates his preaching as authentic and free of self-interest. The lesson for today is that the integrity of those who teach the faith is shown through selfless attitudes, not personal gain.

Fun facts

  • Paul was a tentmaker by trade (Acts 18:3), which allowed him to support himself while preaching without depending financially on the churches.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Thessalonians 2:1Paul recalls that his and the team’s arrival in Thessalonica was not a failure or a waste of time, despite the hardships they had just faced right before that, in Philippi.
  2. 1 Thessalonians 2:2Before arriving in Thessalonica, Paul and Silas had just been arrested and beaten in the neighboring city of Philippi — an episode well documented in the book of Acts. He recalls this recent suffering to show he wasn’t preaching in Thessalonica for easy gain, since he kept going even after being beaten.
  3. 1 Thessalonians 2:3Paul defends the integrity of his own preaching: it did not come from deceit, impure motives, or bad faith, unlike what other traveling preachers of the time often did for money.
  4. 1 Thessalonians 2:4Paul explains the real motivation behind his preaching: he speaks to please God, who examines the heart, not to please people, since he was approved by God for this task.
  5. 1 Thessalonians 2:5Paul denies ever using flattery or a cover for greed, calling on God Himself as a witness to the sincerity of his preaching in Thessalonica.
  6. 1 Thessalonians 2:6Paul states that he never sought human recognition, not from the Thessalonians or anyone else, even though he had the authority as an apostle to demand support from them.
  7. 1 Thessalonians 2:7‘Nurse’ here is the woman who breastfeeds and cares for a baby, an image of intimate, patient care. Paul chooses this image to describe the tone he used with the new converts, the opposite of a preacher who uses authority to impose himself.
  8. 1 Thessalonians 2:8Paul describes the affection he felt for the Thessalonians: he wanted to share not only the gospel but his very life, because they had already become very dear to him.
  9. 1 Thessalonians 2:9Paul had a manual trade — probably tentmaking — and made a point of supporting himself with his own labor while he preached, instead of living off the new church. He cites this as proof he wasn’t after money or personal gain.
  10. 1 Thessalonians 2:10Paul calls both God and the Thessalonians themselves as witnesses that he behaved with integrity, justice, and blamelessly during the time he was with them.
  11. 1 Thessalonians 2:11Paul compares his attitude to that of a father with his children: encouraging, comforting, and guiding each one personally, a personal care, not a generic one.
  12. 1 Thessalonians 2:12Paul explains the purpose of this fatherly care: to help the Thessalonians live in a way worthy of God, who calls them into His own kingdom and glory.
  13. 1 Thessalonians 2:13Paul gives thanks because the Thessalonians received his preaching not as an ordinary human word, but recognized in it the word of God, which really works in those who believe.
  14. 1 Thessalonians 2:14Paul compares the suffering of the Thessalonians to that of the churches in Judea: both faced persecution from their own countrymen, Jews in one case, Gentiles in the other.
  15. 1 Thessalonians 2:15This is one of the harshest and most debated passages in the letter: Paul compares the persecution the Thessalonians suffered from their own Gentile countrymen to the persecution he and other Jewish Christians had suffered from other Jews in Judea. Scholars debate the tone and scope of this verse at length, and there’s no single way to read it — we won’t take a side here.
  16. 1 Thessalonians 2:16Paul describes, in a harsh tone, the opposition of those who tried to stop the preaching to the Gentiles, interpreting this as part of a judgment that was already being carried out on that group.
  17. 1 Thessalonians 2:17Paul explains that even though he was physically separated from the Thessalonians for a short time, his heart remained with them, which is why he longed so much to see them again.
  18. 1 Thessalonians 2:18Paul wanted very much to visit the Thessalonians again, but he says something stopped him — he attributes this practical obstacle, whatever it was, to the work of Satan. The letter doesn’t explain exactly what happened, only that it kept him from making the trip he had planned.
  19. 1 Thessalonians 2:19Paul describes the Thessalonians as his own hope, joy, and “crown of rejoicing” in the presence of Jesus when He returns, an image of genuine pride and affection.
  20. 1 Thessalonians 2:20Paul sums up the feeling of the whole chapter in one short sentence: the Thessalonians are, literally, his glory and joy.

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