to the end he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. [The "you" of verse 12 is emphatic, and stands in contrast with "our" of verse 11, as though Paul said "the Lord direct our way to you, but whether he does so or not, may he prosper you, causing your love to grow and abound, even as we grow in love toward you, that by love (though ye may lack somewhat of instruction) ye may be so established that no one can lay anything to your charge when the Lord Jesus comes." The Epistles to the Thessalonians have many such brief prayers (1 Thessalonians 3:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 1:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; 2 Thessalonians 3:5-16). In verse 11, and also at 2 Thess 2:16-17; while we have God and Jesus for nominatives, yet the accompanying verb is in the singular, thus showing the oneness or unity of God. The love which Paul here asks for is Christian love. "This," says Theophylact, "is the character of divine love to comprehend all; whereas human love hath respect to one man, and not to another." Since the word "saints" (literally, holy ones) is used in the Old Testament to include angels, it is likely that they are included here, for Paul's words are, no doubt, an indirect quotation of Ezekiel 14:5]

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Old Testament