1 Thessalonians 3:10

νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ δεόμενοι εἰς τὸ ἰδεῖν ὑμῶν τὸ πρόσωπον, by night and day making supplication in exceeding abundant measure, to the end that we may see your face. On the temporal expression, see note to 1 Thessalonians 2:9; it repeats more graphically the ἀδιαλείπτως of 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (or 2), 1 Thessalonians 2:13 : “night and day” the Apostles are “working” and “praying” at once; they could pray while occupied with manual labour. For the union of thanksgiving and prayer, cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17 f. Ὑπερ-εκ-περισσοῦ (cf. 1 Thessalonians 3:13, -ως; Ephesians 3:20) is an almost extravagant intensive, plusquam abunde, found outside St Paul (who affects ὑπερ- compounds) only in Daniel 3:22 (Theodotion), and in Clemens Rom. ad Corinth. xx. 11; it surpasses περισσοτέρως (1 Thessalonians 2:17): cf. 2 Corinthians 1:8 b; Ephesians 3:8; 1 Corinthians 4:13; 1 Corinthians 15:8, for like ardours of hyperbole. Δέομαι is to beg, as for some personal boon, something that one “wants for oneself”; cf. Romans 1:10; Luke 9:38; Luke 22:32, &c. Εἰς τὸ ἰδεῖν κ.τ.λ. expresses the ulterior aim of these importunate supplications (cf. Philippians 1:23, τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχων εἰς τὸ�); the writer’s prayers touched on intervening objects—the removal of hindrances (1 Thessalonians 2:18), the progress of the work in hand (2 Thessalonians 3:1 f.)—but this longing always animated them: cf. for εἰς τό with infin. 1 Thessalonians 2:12, and note. For ἰδεῖν τὸ πρόσωπον ὑμῶν, see 1 Thessalonians 2:17.

The aim of the above δεῖσθαι is twofold: “to see the face” of their beloved Thessalonians would be an extreme gratification to the writers; and this satisfaction is identified, by the vinculum of a single article, with the blessing thus brought to their readers,—εἰς τὸ … καὶ καταρτίσαι τὰ ὑστερήματα τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν, in order to (see your face) and make good the deficiencies of your faith: “ut suppleamus” (not “compleamus,” as in Vulg.) “quæ vestræ fidei desunt” (Calvin), “ut sarciamus, &c.” (Beza). Ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν, just as in 1 Thessalonians 3:2; 1 Thessalonians 3:5 (see notes), stands for the whole Christianity of the Thessalonians. Τὰ ὑστερήματα points to what was lacking not in but to “the faith” of the readers. Strong and steadfast in itself (see 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 3:6-8; 2 Thessalonians 1:3), that faith required more knowledge (see e.g. 1 Thessalonians 4:13), more moral discipline and sanctity of life (1 Thessalonians 4:1-12) and practice in the ways of piety (1 Thessalonians 5:12-22), more sobriety of temper, more steadiness and self-possession (1 Thessalonians 5:1-8; 2 Thessalonians 2:1 ff.). For the objective genitive to ὑστέρημα, cf. Colossians 1:24; 2 Corinthians 8:13 f.; also Mark 10:21, ἕν σε ὑστερεῖ. Καταρτίζω means to set right, correct—not to complete something defective in itself, but to make good and fit out that which lacks the resources or conditions necessary to its proper action or destination: cf. Romans 9:22; Hebrews 13:21; Matthew 4:21,—“repairing their nets”; and see Lightfoot’s note ad loc.

1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 breathe out the prayer which the writers, as they have just said, are continually making, 1 Thessalonians 3:11 corresponding to εἰς τὸ ἰδεῖν κ.τ.λ., and 1 Thessalonians 3:12 f. to the καταρτίσαι τὰ ὑστερήματα of 1 Thessalonians 3:10.