1 Thessalonians 2:17

But we brethren being taken from you for a short time in presence not in heart endeavoured the more But 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. BUT WE - resumed from 1 Thessalonians 2:13: in contrast to the Jews, 1 Thessalonians 2:15. TAKEN, [ aporfanisthentes (G642)] - 'orphanized (Acts 17:7) from you,' as parents torn from their children. So "I will not leave you comfortless:" Greek, 'orphanized' ...

17_But we, brethren, bereaved of you_. This excuse has been appropriately added, lest the Thessalonians should think that Paul had deserted them while so great an emergency demanded his presence. He has spoken of the persecutions which they endured from their own people: he, in the mean time, whose duty it was above all others to assist them, was absent. He has formerly called himself a _father; _now, it is not the part of a _father _to desert his children in the midst of such distresses. He, accordingly, obviates all suspicion of contempt and negligence, by saying, that it was from no want of inclination, but because he had not opportunity. Nor does he say simply, “I was desirous to come to you, but my way was obstructed;” but by the peculiar terms that he employs he expresses the intensity of his affection: “When,” says he, “I was _bereaved _of you.” (550) By the word _bereaved_, he de...

17-20 This world is not a place where we are to be always, or long together. In heaven holy souls shall meet, and never part more. And though the apostle could not come to them yet, and thought he might never be able to come, yet our Lord Jesus Christ will come; nothing shall hinder that. May God give faithful ministers to all who serve him with their spirit in the gospel of his Son, and send them to all who are in darkness...

Verse 17. _BEING TAKEN FROM YOU FOR A SHORT TIME_] Through the persecution raised by the Jews, see Acts xvii., he was obliged to leave Thessalonica, and yield to a storm that it would have been useless for him to have withstood. _BEING TAKEN FROM YOU - IN PRESENCE, NOT IN HEART_] The apostle had compared himself to a _parent_ or _nurse_, 1 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 Thessalonians 2:11; and the people he considered as his most beloved children; here he represents himself as feeling what an affectionate father must feel when _torn from his children_; for this is the import of the word απορφανισθεντες, _bereft of children_, which we tamely translate _being taken from you_. Endeavoured the more abundantly

BUT WE, BRETHREN, BEING TAKEN FROM YOU - There is more implied in the Greek word here rendered, “being taken from you “ - ἀπορφανισθέντες aporphanisthentes - than appears from our translation. It properly has relation to the condition of an orphan (compare notes on John 14:18), or one who is bereaved of parents, or one who is bereaved of parents}. Then it is used in a more general sense, denoting to be bereaved of; and in this place it does not mean merely that he was “taken from them,” but there is included the idea that it was like a painful bereavement. It was such a state as that of one who had lost a parent. No word, perhaps, could have expressed stranger attachment for them. FOR A SHORT TIME - Greek, “For the time of an hour;” that is, for a brief period. The m

EXPOSITION CONTENTS.—Paul turns from the reports of others to the experience of the readers. They themselves knew that his entrance was not powerless; although maltreated in Philippi, he was emboldened to preach the gospel at Thessalonica. His preaching did not proceed either from delusion on his part or from a desire to delude others. He felt approved by God, and was actuated by no improper motives: he sought neither their praise nor their money; so far from insisting on his apostolic rights, he was gentle among them, and conducted himself with the tenderness of a nursing mother toward her children; and so far from his ministry being a pretext for covetousness, he had labored for his own support; and thus he could confidently appeal to the Thessalonians as witnesses of the blamelessness of his conduct And as his entrance among them was not powerless, so he thanked God that it resulted i...

BUT WE, BRETHREN, BEING TAKEN FROM YOU,.... Here more properly should begin the third chapter, in which the apostle having before observed the manner of his entrance among these people, the nature of his ministry, the reception the word of God met with among them, and the powerful effect it had upon them, insomuch that they patiently and cheerfully bore persecution for the sake of it; he excuses his not having been with them again as yet, which he knew was proper and necessary, as he was their apostle and spiritual father; and expresses an affectionate concern at his parting with them in the manner he did, which was not his own choice and voluntary act, but was obliged to it, being hurried away at once, at an unawares in the night, by reason of the uproar made in the city by the baser sort of people, instigated by the unbelieving Jews; so that he and his fellow ministers had not the oppo...

II. TRUE SERVICE, AS MANIFESTED IN APOSTOLIC MINISTRY CHAPTER 2 _ 1. Apostolic conduct and service 1 Thessalonians 2:1)_ 2. Thanksgiving for the reception of the message and the opposition 1 Thessalonians 2:13) 3. Looking forward to His coming 1 Thessalonians 2:17) 1 Thessalonians 2:1 The apostle now enlarges upon the brief statement in the previous chapter “Ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sakes.” His conduct and character, as well as that of his fellow laborers, corresponded fully with the holy character

PAUL AND THE THESSALONIAN CHURCH. The next two paragraphs describe (_a)_ the effect of Paul's preaching at Thessalonica, (_b)_ his anxiety with regard to the fate of the Church under stress of persecution. 1 THESSALONIANS 2:14. JUDÆ A: _ i.e._ Palestine. We have no details regarding the persecution of the Palestinian Churches apart from the account of the recurring attacks made upon the Church at Jerusalem. 1 Thessalonians 2:16. the wrath is come upon them: this seems to have been a stock phrase, and was probably borrowed by Paul from The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (Levi 6:11). We need not assume, as some scholars do, a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem....

PAUL ON HIS DEFENSE (1 Thessalonians 2:1-12)...