1 Thessalonians 3:12
in 1 Thessalonians 3And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone else, just as our love for you overflows,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we also do toward you;
KJV
And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
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This verse in 1 Thessalonians 3
Commentary
11 notes on this verseAnd the Lord make you to increase,.... That is, the Lord the Spirit; so that the object of prayer, addressed by the apostle, is Father, Son, and Spirit, as in Rev 1:4. The Alexandrian copy reads "God". The Spirit is God, equally with the Father and the Son, and so a fit object of prayer with them, which otherwise he would not be.
This site's exposition
may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love
The prayer asks that the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love, the grace still growing. The words just as our love for you overflows set the missionaries' conduct as the measure, the pattern of imitation traced in chapter 1.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Suppose we first loved him so as to merit his love in return. Then wouldn't we first choose him so as to merit our being chosen by him? But he who is Truth itself says otherwise and openly contradicts such human vanity by declaring, "You have not chosen me." Consequently, if it is not you who have chosen, then it is certainly not you who have loved; for how could they choose him whom they did not love? "But it is I," he says, "who have chosen you." And how could they possibly fail to choose him afterward or fail to prefer him to all the goods of this world? It was because they were chosen that they chose him. They were not chosen because they had chosen him. There would be no merit in men's choosing him unless the action of God's grace in choosing them had gone before. That is why in imparting his blessing to the Thessalonians the apostle Paul declares, "And may the Lord make you to increase and abound in charity toward one another and toward all men." He who gave this blessing to love one another is the same who gave us the love to love one another.
"Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ direct our way unto you: and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we also do toward you." This is a proof of excessive love, that he not only prays for them by himself, but even in his Epistles inserts his prayer. This argues a fervent soul, and one truly not to be restrained. This is a proof of the prayers made there also, and at the same time also an excuse, as showing that it was not voluntarily, nor from indolence, that they did not go to them. As if he had said, May God Himself cut short the temptations that everywhere distract us, so that we may come directly to you. "And the Lord make you to increase and abound." Do you see the unrestrainable madness of love that is shown by his words? "Make you to increase and abound," instead of cause you to grow. As if one should say, that with a kind of superabundance he desires to be loved by them. "Even as we do also toward you," he says. Our part is already done, we pray that yours may be done. Do you see how he wishes love to be extended, not only toward one another, but everywhere? For this truly is the nature of godly love, that it embraces all. If you love indeed such an one, but do not love such an one, it is human love. But such is not ours. "Even as we do also toward you."
The Medieval Church3 voices
Do you see the irresistible impulse of love in the fact that he prays for them, that the Lord would fill and overfill them with love? And not only toward one another, but toward all. For the love of God is revealed precisely in the …
From our side, he says, it already exists; we ask that in the future it may be from your side as well. Have us as the measure and model of love.
The other is for their welfare, so Paul asks: and may the Lord make you increase, that is, in faith: "May the Lord add to his people a hundred times as many as they are" (1 Chr. 21:3). And Paul prays also that their merits …
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Timothy brought good tidings of their faith, yet something was lacking therein; and of their charity, yet the apostle prays that this might increase and abound. Note, We have reason to desire to grow in every grace, and have need of the Spirit's influence in order to growth in grace; and the way to obtain this is by prayer.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The "you" in the Greek is emphatically put first; "But" (so the Greek for "and") what concerns "YOU," whether we come or not, "may the Lord make you to increase and abound in love," &c.
Make you to increase and abound in love - They had already love to each other, so as to unite them in one Christian body; and he prays that they may have an increase and an abundance of it; that they might feel the same love to each other which he felt for them all.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love - compare notes, 2Co 9:8. The word “Lord” here probably refers to the Lord Jesus, as this is the name by which he is commonly designated in the New Testament; see the notes on Act 1:24. If this be so, then this is a petition to the Lord Jesus as the fountain of all grace and goodness.
The words behind it
19 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὑμᾶς | humas | You | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| δὲ | de | now | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| κύριος | kurios | Lord | G2962 → | 711 times |
| πλεονάσαι | pleonasai | would make to increase | G4121 → | |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| περισσεύσαι | perisseusai | He would abound | G4052 → | 39 times |
| τῇ | tea | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀγάπῃ | agape | in love | G26 → | 114 times |
| εἰς | eis | toward | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| ἀλλήλους | allelous | one another | G240 → | 100 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| εἰς | eis | toward | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| πάντας | pantas | all | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| καθάπερ | kathaper | just as | G2509 → | 13 times |
| καὶ | kai | also | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἡμεῖς | hemeis | we ourselves | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| εἰς | eis | toward | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| ὑμᾶς | humas | you | G4771 → | 2973 times |
ὑμᾶςYou
humasG4771 →2973 times
δὲnow
deG1161 →2765 times
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
κύριοςLord
kuriosG2962 →711 times
πλεονάσαιwould make to increase
pleonasaiG4121 →
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
περισσεύσαιHe would abound
perisseusaiG4052 →39 times
τῇ<the>
teaG3588 →19766 times
ἀγάπῃin love
agapeG26 →114 times
εἰςtoward
eisG1519 →1755 times
ἀλλήλουςone another
allelousG240 →100 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
εἰςtoward
eisG1519 →1755 times
πάνταςall
pantasG3956 →1235 times
καθάπερjust as
kathaperG2509 →13 times
καὶalso
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἡμεῖςwe ourselves
hemeisG3165 →1936 times
εἰςtoward
eisG1519 →1755 times
ὑμᾶςyou
humasG4771 →2973 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Romans 13:8Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
it leads to
- Galatians 5:14
The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Romans 13:10
Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
- Matthew 22:39–40
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
- Galatians 5:14
Through
Matthew 22:39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
it leads to
- Mark 12:31
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
- Luke 10:27–37
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
- Leviticus 19:18
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
- Romans 13:9–10
The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
- Mark 12:31
Through
Philippians 1:9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
it leads to
- Colossians 1:9
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and…
- Colossians 1:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 1 Thessalonians
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, GRACE AND FREE WILL 38; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on 1 Thessalonians 4; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 1 Thessalonians and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 1 Thessalonians.