The Meaning of 2 Thessalonians 3:4 Explained

2 Thessalonians 3:4

KJV: And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.

YLT: and we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that the things that we command you ye both do and will do;

Darby: But we trust in the Lord as to you, that the things which we enjoin, ye both do and will do.

ASV: And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  we have confidence  in  the Lord  touching  you,  that  ye both  do  and  will do  the things which  we command  you. 

What does 2 Thessalonians 3:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

He was also confident that his readers, strengthened by the Lord, would continue to follow apostolic instruction as they had in the past. Paul had confidence in these Christians. Note the chiastic structure of Paul"s thought in 2 Thessalonians 3:1-4.

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 3:4

And we have confidence [πεποιτομεν]
Second perfect indicative of πειτω — peithō to persuade, intransitive in this tense, we are in a state of trust. [source]
In the Lord touching you [εν κυριωι επ υμας]
Note the two prepositions, εν — en in the sphere of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:1) as the ground of Paul‘s confident trust, επ — Ephesians' Ye both do and will do (και ποιειτε και ποιησετε — ̣kaǐ poieite kai poiēsete). Compliment and also appeal, present and future tenses of ποιεω — poieō The things which we command Note of apostolic authority here, not advice or urging, but command. [source]
Ye both do and will do [και ποιειτε και ποιησετε]
Compliment and also appeal, present and future tenses of ποιεω — poieō [source]
The things which we command [α παραγγελλομεν]
Note of apostolic authority here, not advice or urging, but command. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for 2 Thessalonians 3:4

Acts 17:2 For three Sabbaths [επι σαββατα τρια]
Probably the reference is to the first three Sabbaths when Paul had a free hand in the synagogue as at first in Antioch in Pisidia. Luke does not say that Paul was in Thessalonica only three weeks. He may have spoken there also during the week, though the Sabbath was the great day. Paul makes it plain, as Furneaux shows, that he was in Thessalonica a much longer period than three weeks. The rest of the time he spoke, of course, outside of the synagogue. Paul implies an extended stay by his language in 1 Thessalonians 1:8. The church consisted mainly of Gentile converts (2 Thessalonians 3:4, 2 Thessalonians 3:7, 2 Thessalonians 3:8) and seems to have been well organized (1 Thessalonians 5:12). He received help while there several times from Philippi (Philemon 4:16) and even so worked night and day to support himself (1 Thessalonians 2:9). His preaching was misunderstood there in spite of careful instruction concerning the second coming of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:5; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). Reasoned (διελεχατο — dielexato). First aorist middle indicative of διαλεγομαι — dialegomai old verb in the active to select, distinguish, then to revolve in the mind, to converse (interchange of ideas), then to teach in the Socratic (“dialectic”) method of question and answer (cf. διελεγετο — dielegeto in Acts 16:17), then simply to discourse, but always with the idea of intellectual stimulus. With these Jews and God-fearers Paul appealed to the Scriptures as text and basis (απο — apo) of his ideas. [source]
Philippians 1:14 Brethren in the Lord []
In the Lord should be rather connected with being confident. The expression brethren in the Lord does not occur in the New Testament; while to have confidence in one in the Lord is found Galatians 5:10; 2 Thessalonians 3:4; compare Phlippians 2:24. In the Lord is thus emphatic. It may be correlative with in Christ, Phlippians 1:13; but this is not certain. In the Lord trusting my bonds, signifies that the bonds awaken confidence as being the practical testimony to the power of the Gospel for which Paul is imprisoned, and therefore an encouragement to their faith. [source]
2 Thessalonians 3:6 Now we command you [παραγγελλομεν δε υμιν]
Paul puts into practice the confidence expressed on their obedience to his commands in 2 Thessalonians 3:4. [source]
1 Timothy 1:3 To tarry [προσμειναι]
First aorist active infinitive of προσμενω — prosmenō old verb, attributed by Luke to Paul in Acts 13:43. That thou mightest charge (ινα παραγγειληις — hina paraggeilēis). Subfinal clause with ινα — hina and the first aorist active subjunctive of παραγγελλω — paraggellō old verb, to transmit a message along (παρα — para) from one to another. See 2 Thessalonians 3:4, 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 2 Thessalonians 3:10. Lock considers this idiom here an elliptical imperative like Ephesians 4:29; Ephesians 5:33. Certain men Dative case. Expressly vague (no names as in 1 Timothy 1:20), though Paul doubtless has certain persons in Ephesus in mind. Not to teach a different doctrine (μη ετεροδιδασκαλειν — mē heterodidaskalein). Earliest known use of this compound like κακοδιδασκαλειν — kakodidaskalein of Clement of Rome. Only other N.T. example in 1 Timothy 6:3. Eusebius has ετεροδιδασκαλος — heterodidaskalos Same idea in Galatians 1:6; 2 Corinthians 11:4; Romans 16:17. Perhaps coined by Paul. [source]
1 Timothy 1:3 That thou mightest charge [ινα παραγγειληις]
Subfinal clause with ινα — hina and the first aorist active subjunctive of παραγγελλω — paraggellō old verb, to transmit a message along (παρα — para) from one to another. See 2 Thessalonians 3:4, 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 2 Thessalonians 3:10. Lock considers this idiom here an elliptical imperative like Ephesians 4:29; Ephesians 5:33. [source]

What do the individual words in 2 Thessalonians 3:4 mean?

We are persuaded now in [the] Lord as to you that the things that we command both you are doing and you will do
πεποίθαμεν δὲ ἐν Κυρίῳ ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς ὅτι παραγγέλλομεν καὶ ποιεῖτε καὶ ποιήσετε

πεποίθαμεν  We  are  persuaded 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Active, 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐπισείω 
Sense: persuade.
δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
Κυρίῳ  [the]  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
ἐφ’  as  to 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐπί  
Sense: upon, on, at, by, before.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
  the  things  that 
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: ὅς 
Sense: who, which, what, that.
παραγγέλλομεν  we  command 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Plural
Root: παραγγέλλω  
Sense: to transmit a message along from one to another, to declare, announce.
καὶ  both 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
ποιεῖτε  you  are  doing 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ποιέω  
Sense: to make.
ποιήσετε  you  will  do 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ποιέω  
Sense: to make.