2 Thessalonians 3:10

2 Thessalonians 3:10. If any would not work, neither should he eat. This seems to have been a proverbial expression among the Jews, and the idea was inculcated by the Rabbis, sometimes in the very words used by Paul. It was the fundamental law of labour, early impressed on the Jewish mind by the necessity of daily gathering the manna. And it is the law which condemns gambling and every mode of acquiring a livelihood without producing or doing anything for the good of the community. There is perhaps a touch of irony in the expression, insinuating that if a man claims exemption from ordinary worldly conditions, he should be consistent and thorough in doing so; if he is so new a creature, so heavenly and spiritual as to be above earthly labour, he should also be superior to all need of earthly nourishment.