2 Thessalonians 3:12 BSB

2 Thessalonians 3:12

We command and urge such people by our Lord Jesus Christ to begin working quietly to earn their own living.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

Now them that are such we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

KJV

Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

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Commentary

3 voices

Basil of Caesarea

THE LONG RULES, Q.42.R (379)

This we must also keep in mind—that he who labors ought to perform his task not for the purpose of ministering to his own needs but that he may accomplish the Lord's command, "I was hungry and you gave me to eat," and so on. To be concerned for oneself is strictly forbidden by the Lord in the words, "Be not concerned for your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on," and he adds, "for the heathens seek after all these things."

The record, by era

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

With quietness they work - Μετα ἡσυχιας· With silence; leaving their tale-bearing and officious intermeddling. Less noise and more work! That - they work, and eat their own bread - Their own bread, because earned by their own honest industry. What a degrading thing to live on the bounty or mercy of another, while a man is able to acquire his own livelihood! He who can submit to this has lost the spirit of independence; and has in him a beggar’s heart, and is capable of nothing but base and beggarly actions.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

"We exhort you thus, as ministers IN Christ, exhorting our people IN Christ." with quietness--quiet industry; laying aside restless, bustling, intermeddling officiousness (2Th 3:11). their own--bread earned by themselves, not another's bread (2Th 3:8).

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

18 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
Τοῖς	Tois	<the>	G3588 →
δὲ	de	Now	G1161 →
τοιούτοις	toioutois	to such	G5108 →
παραγγέλλομεν	parangellomen	we warn	G3853 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
παρακαλοῦμεν	parakaloumen	we exhort	G3870 →
ἐν	en	by	G1722 →
κυρίῳ	kuriō	Lord	G2962 →
Ἰησοῦ	Iēsou	Jesus	G2424 →
Χριστῷ	Christō	Christ	G5547 →
ἵνα	ina	so that	G2443 →
μετὰ	meta	with	G3326 →
ἡσυχίας	hēsuchias	quietness	G2271 →
ἐργαζόμενοι	ergazomenoi	working	G2038 →
τὸν	ton	<the>	G3588 →
ἑαυτῶν	he'autōn	their own	G1438 →
ἄρτον	arton	bread	G740 →
ἐσθίωσιν.	esthiōsin	they may eat.	G2068 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
1 Thessalonians 4:11
and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.
leads to
- Ephesians 4:28
  He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Ecclesiastes 4:6
  Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind.
- 1 Peter 3:4
  but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight.
- Titus 3:14
  And our people must also learn to devote themselves to good works in order to meet the pressing needs of others, so that they will not be unfruitful.
Through
2 Thessalonians 3:8
nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you.
leads to
- Matthew 6:11
  Give us this day our daily bread.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
Through
Proverbs 17:1
Better a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting with strife.
leads to
- Proverbs 15:17
  Better a dish of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred.
- Psalms 37:16
  Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many who are wicked.
- Proverbs 21:19
  Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife.

About 2 Thessalonians

The Ascension — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

2 Thessalonians: the study guide →Read chapter 3 →The featured study →

Continue: 2 Thessalonians 3 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

06About 2 Thessalonians

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

About 2 Thessalonians