For neither were we at any time found using words of flattery, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness (God is witness),
Parallel Translations
-
For neither were we at any time found using words of flattery, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness (God is witness),
-
Nether was oure conversacion at eny tyme with flatterynge wordes as ye well knowe nether in cloked coveteousnes God is recorde:
-
Neither yet did we euer vse flattering wordes, as ye knowe, nor coloured couetousnes, God is recorde.
Cross-references (33)
Passages linked to 1 Thessalonians 2:5 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Romans 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the Good News of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers,
- 2 Corinthians 12:17 Did I take advantage of you by anyone of those whom I have sent to you?
- Acts 20:33 I coveted no one’s silver, gold, or clothing.
- Galatians 1:20 Now about the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I’m not lying.
- 2 Peter 2:3 In covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words: whose sentence now from of old doesn’t linger, and their destruction will not slumber.
- 2 Corinthians 7:2 Open your hearts to us. We wronged no one. We corrupted no one. We took advantage of no one.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:10 You are witnesses with God how holy, righteously, and blamelessly we behaved ourselves toward you who believe.
- Titus 1:7 For the overseer must be blameless, as God’s steward, not self-pleasing, not easily angered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain;
- 1 Peter 5:2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not for dishonest gain, but willingly;
- 2 Peter 2:14-15 having eyes full of adultery, and who can’t cease from sin; enticing unsettled souls; having a heart trained in greed; children of cursing; forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of wrongdoing;
- Revelation 18:12-13 merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, all expensive wood, every vessel of ivory, every vessel made of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble; and cinnamon, incense, perfume, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, sheep, horses, chariots, and people’s bodies and souls.
- Job 17:5 He who denounces his friends for plunder, Even the eyes of his children will fail.
- Psalms 12:2-3 Everyone lies to his neighbor. They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart. May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that boasts,
- Proverbs 20:19 He who goes about as a tale-bearer reveals secrets; therefore don’t keep company with him who opens wide his lips.
- Proverbs 28:23 One who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than one who flatters with the tongue.
- Isaiah 30:10 who tell the seers, “Don’t see!” and the prophets, “Don’t prophesy to us right things. Tell us pleasant things. Prophesy deceits.
- Isaiah 56:11 Yes, the dogs are greedy. They can never have enough. They are shepherds who can’t understand. They have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain, from every quarter.
- Jeremiah 6:13 “For from their least even to their greatest, everyone is given to covetousness. From the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely.
- Jeremiah 8:10 Therefore I will give their wives to others and their fields to those who will possess them. For everyone from the least even to the greatest is given to covetousness; from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely.
- Micah 3:5 Yahweh says concerning the prophets who lead my people astray; for those who feed their teeth, they proclaim, “Peace!” and whoever doesn’t provide for their mouths, they prepare war against him:
- Malachi 1:10 “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you,” says Yahweh of Armies, “neither will I accept an offering at your hand.
- Matthew 22:16 They sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and teach the way of God in truth, no matter whom you teach, for you aren’t partial to anyone.
- Matthew 23:13 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
- Romans 9:1 I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit
- Romans 16:18 For those who are such don’t serve our Lord, Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by their smooth and flattering speech, they deceive the hearts of the innocent.
- 2 Corinthians 2:17 For we are not as so many, peddling the word of God. But as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 4:2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
- 1 Timothy 3:3 not a drinker, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;
- 1 Timothy 3:8 Servants, in the same way, must be reverent, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for money,
- 2 Peter 2:18 For, uttering great swelling words of emptiness, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by licentiousness, those who are indeed escaping from those who live in error;
- Job 32:21-22 Please don’t let me respect any man’s person, neither will I give flattering titles to any man. For I don’t know how to give flattering titles, or else my Maker would soon take me away.
- Proverbs 26:28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts; and a flattering mouth works ruin.
- Jude 1:11 Woe to them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in Korah’s rebellion.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (18 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 5 For neither have we ever. It is not…
5 For neither have we ever. It is not without good reason that he repeats it so frequently, that the Thessalonians knew that what he states is true. For there is not a surer attestation, than the experience of those with whom we speak. And this was of the greatest importance to them, because Paul relates with what integrity he had conducted himself, with no other intention, than that his doctrine may have the greater respect, for the building up of their faith. It is, however, a confirmation of the foregoing statement, for he that is desirous to please men, must of necessity stoop shamefully to flattery, while he that is intent upon duty with an earnest and upright disposition, will keep at a distance from all appearance of flattery.
When he adds, nor for an occasion of covetousness, he means that he had not, in teaching among them, been in quest of anything in the way of personal gain. Πρόφασις is employed by the Greeks to mean both occasion and pretext, but the former signification suits better with the passage, so as to be, as it were, a trap. “I have not abused the gospel so as to make it an occasion of catching at gain.” As, however, the malice of men has so many winding retreats, that avarice and ambition frequently lie concealed, he on this account calls God to witness. Now, he makes mention here of two vices, from which he declares himself to be exempt, and, in doing so, teaches that the servants of Christ should stand aloof from them. Thus, if we would distinguish the genuine servants of Christ from those that are pretended and spurious, they must be tried according to this rule, and every one that would serve Christ aright must also conform his aims and his actions to the same rule. For where avarice and ambition reign, innumerable corruptions follow, and the whole man passes away into vanity, for these are the two sources from which the corruption of the whole ministry takes its rise.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 5 For neither at any time used we flattering…
5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:
Ver. 5. For neither at any time] Sinisterity of ends is here opposed to sincerity in God’s works. And flattery, covetousness, ambition declared to be the fountains of insincerity.
Read full note →
Nor a cloak of covetousness] This sin goes usually cloaked with the name and pretence of good husbandry. The ordinary language of the world is, "He is a man somewhat with the hardest, a little with the nearest, a little too much for the world, but yet a marvellously honest, a wondrously good man." Covetousness is seldom without feigned words, 2Pe 2:3, to hide it from others without, or subtle thoughts and evasions to blind fold the conscience within. Alcibiades embroidered a curtain with lions and eagles to cover his pictures of owls and apes; so all sin hath its vizard; neither is there any wool so coarse but will take some colour.
God is witness] That he flattered not; he reports himself to them, that he coveted not; he appeals to God, who is not mocked with masks or specious pretences, but will pull off the vizard, wash off the covetous man’s varnish with rivers of brimstone. Religion, as it is the best armour, so it is the worst cloak: and will serve self-seekers, as the disguise Ahab put on and perished, 1Ki 22:30. The covetousness of the court of Rome was anciently muttered forth in that saying, Curia Romana non petit ovem siue lana; and again, In parabola ovis, capras suas quaerunt. This the poor people were ever sensible of; but dare say little. There is a story of Walter Mapes (sometime archdeacon of Oxford), who relating the gross simony {a} of the pope for confirming the election of Reinold, bastard son to Jocelin, bishop of Sarum, into the see of Bath, concludeth his narration thus, Sit Domina tamen materque nostra Roma baculus in aqua fractus; et absit credere quae vidimus, i.e. Nevertheless let our lady and mother of Rome be as a staff in the water, that seems only to be broken; and far be it from us to believe our own eyes. They dared not see, or at least say what they saw; but now all is laid open, and shall be much more at the last day, when (as at a great fair) all fardels {b} shall be uncorded, and all packs opened.
{a} The act or practice of buying or selling ecclesiastical preferments, benefices, or emoluments; traffic in sacred things. ŒD
{b} A bundle, a little pack; a parcel. ŒD
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain In the former verses the apostle had asserted his…
In the former verses the apostle had asserted his integrity more generally; here, and in the next verse, he instanceth in particulars. He vindicates his ministry from the guilt of three vices which too often attend it; flattery, covetousness, and vain-glory.
For neither at any time used we flattering words: first, flattery, εν λογω κολακειας; or, we were not, i.e. conversant, in a word of flattery, as in the Greek; our word was not a word of flattery, as if we sought to please men. When we ascribe to men good things that they have not, or above what they have, or when we applaud or extenuate the evil that is in them, we flatter them. This is reproved often in the false prophets of the Old Testament, Isa 30:10; Eze 13:10,18; and in the false teachers in the New. The flattery of ministers is, their preaching of smooth things, rather to please than profit; when they avoid just reproofs, and searching truths, and close applications, that they may not displease; and affect wisdom of words, and rhetorical discourses, that they may please: when they either conceal some part of truth, or pervert it, that people may think their doings better than they are, or their state better than it is.
Read full note →
As ye know: their words in preaching being an overt act, they themselves could judge of, and therefore the apostle doth appeal to their own knowledge in that.
Nor a cloak of covetousness, God is witness: in what they could not know, which was their inward aims and designs, he appeals to God, which is a form of swearing; and in all oaths men solemnly do concern God therein; the same in effect that is called protesting, 1Co 15:31. And that wherein he thus appeals is, that he had no covetous design in his ministry, which he calls a cloak of covetousness; which lies either in undue withholding what we have, or inordinate desire of more. The latter is here meant, as the Greek word imports. And the word cloak is a metaphor as the word is translated here, and Joh 15:22; as that covers the inner garments, so when bad designs are covered with specious pretexts, this we call a cloak. The word in the text, εν προθασει πλεονεζιας, is often used, Mat 23:14; Mar 12:40; Luk 20:47, and sometimes rendered occasion, but for the most part pretence, and so to be understood here; and in heathen authors sometimes used for accusation. And this is contrary to what is said of false prophets, 2Pe 2:3; Through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain Still our apostle sees fit to proceed in avouching…
Still our apostle sees fit to proceed in avouching his own sincerity in preaching the gospel, and disowning all flattery, covetousness, and vain-glory, to have any influence upon him in the discharge of his ministerial trust.
First, he used not flattering words, that is, speeches fitted to gratify the lusts and humours of men, or for gaining their favour, or courting their good opinion. Flattery in any is odious, in a minister it is monstrous; both because spiritual men ought to be most plain-hearted, and also because flattery about spiritual things is most fatal and pernicious, both to the giver and receiver.
Read full note →
Secondly, he used not a cloak of covetousness, that is, he had no covetous design in his ministry; his great end, in that administration, was not worldly or outward advantage to himself; and because a covetous design is secret, and man cannot judge of it, he appeals solemnly to God, that searcheth the heart, as a witness of his freedom from that design; I used no flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness:
God is witness: as if he had said, "Had I used flattering words, you might witness it: but I could have worn a cloak of covetousness so closely, that you could not have seen it, but God could; he can judge through the darkest cloud, and see him, whether I have put on such a cloak, or no." An oath then is lawful to a Christian; he may solemnly appeal to God, and call him to witness the truth of what he speaks, in and upon a just and great occasion; thus St. Paul here by oath, purges himself from covetousness of spirit.
Thirdly, he purges himself from all ostentation and vain-glory; he tells them plainly, he did not hunt after applause from others, nor sought so much as due respect in a fitting maintenance from themselves, though herein he assures them he did remit of his right; seeing, as an apostle of Christ, he might have been burdensome, that is, chargeable to them, by exacting maintenance from them.
Learn, 1. Though every man may (much more a minister) have a due respect to his own honour and just reputation, yet to hunt after respect and esteem, and to seek it with the full bent of our desires, doth savour of vanity and vain-glory.
Learn, 2. Though the ministers of the gospel have an undoubted right to an honourable maintenance, yet it may be a pious prudence in them, at a particular time, to remit their right: and when they do so, with an eye at the glory of God and the advantage of the gospel, God will recompense it to them.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain For neither at any time used we flattering words,....…
For neither at any time used we flattering words,.... To introduce them into the affections, and gain the esteem and good will of men; they did not in their ministry deliver such things as flattered men with a good opinion of themselves: they did not preach up the purity of human nature, but on the contrary the doctrine of original sin, the imputation of Adam's transgression to his posterity, and the corruption of all human nature; they asserted the universal pollution of it, of all men, and of all the powers and faculties of their souls, that they are all under the power and dominion of sin, are involved in the guilt of it, and are all guilty before God, and liable to everlasting wrath and punishment; and that unless they repented of their sins and believed in Christ, they would perish eternally; thus they dealt roundly and freely with men's consciences, and plainly, openly, and faithfully told them their case as it was: nor did they cry up the power of man's free will, which would have been grateful to Jews and Gentiles; but they declared the reverse, they asserted the weakness and impotency of man, to anything that is spiritually good; and represented him as a weak and strengthless creature, and unable to do anything, even to think a good thought of himself; and ascribed all that a man is, or has, or does, that is good, to the grace and power of God, who works in him both to will and to do: nor did they plead for the sufficiency of man's righteousness to justify him before God, a doctrine very pleasing to human nature; but, on the contrary, they gave out that there was none righteous, no, not one of the sons of Adam, in and of themselves, or by virtue of any righteousness of their own; so far from it that they were full of all unrighteousness, and were not capable of working out a righteousness, or of attaining to the righteousness of the law; that what they did pretend to was not a justifying righteousness, and would give no right and title to eternal glory; and that the righteousness of Christ was the only righteousness, by which a man could be justified from all things, and in which he could be found safe. They did not blend and mix their doctrine to suit with the tastes of different men, but with all sincerity and plainness preached the truth, as it is in Jesus; they did not connive at the sins of men, cry Peace, Peace, when there was none, or sow pillows under their armholes, or promise them life, though they should not return from their wicked way; but they with great freedom inveighed against the sins of men, and exhorted them to repentance and reformation, as well as to faith in Christ for pardon and righteousness; nor did they wink at the sins of professors, or of one another, the Apostle Paul withstood Peter to the face because he was to be blamed; and when they praised men for their gifts and graces, and the exercise of them, they took care to ascribe them to the grace of God, and give him the glory, and prevent men from boasting in themselves; in short, they acted the reverse of the false teachers, who had men's persons in admiration because of advantage, and by good words and fair speeches deceived the hearts of the simple; but so did not the apostles of Christ, no, never, not "at any time": when they first came to Thessalonica during their stay there, either in public or in private: and though this was true of any other time and place, yet here must be confined to this, since the apostle appeals to this church for the truth of what he said,
as ye know; for flattering words may be discerned; a flatterer is known by his words; though in general such is the weakness of human nature, that men love to be flattered, though they know they are:
Read full note →
nor a cloak of covetousness; or "an occasion of" it, they did not take the opportunity or advantage by the ministry of the word, to indulge a covetous disposition, or to amass wealth and riches to themselves; or an "excuse" for covetousness, which covetous men are never at a loss to make, always pretending one thing or another to hide and cover their evil; but the apostles made no excuses, nor used any cloak, nor needed any to cover their covetousness, because they had not the thing; they did not pretend one thing and mean another; they did not, as the false apostles did, pretend to serve Christ, preach his Gospel, seek the glory of God and the good of souls, and mean themselves, and design their own worldly advantage; they did not make these a "pretence" for covetousness, they sincerely served Christ, faithfully preached his Gospel, truly sought the glory of God, and were heartily concerned for the good of souls without any mercenary and selfish views; for the truth of which they could appeal to the heart searching and rein-trying God, as the apostle here does, saying,
God is witness; which is properly an oath, a solemn appeal to God; for since covetousness is an internal and secret sin, and may be so coloured and disguised as not easily to be discerned, as flattering words may, the apostle therefore calls God to witness the truth of what he had said.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Flattering words - This ye know. Nor a cloak…
Flattering words - This ye know. Nor a cloak of covetousness - Of this God is witness. He calls men to witness an open fact; God, the secret intentions of the heart. In a point of a mixed nature, ver. 10, he appeals both to God and man.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 5. Flattering words] Though we proclaimed the Gospel…
Verse 5. Flattering words] Though we proclaimed the Gospel or glad tidings, yet we showed that without holiness none should see the Lord.
Ye know] That while we preached the whole Gospel we never gave any countenance to sin.
Read full note →
For a cloak of covetousness] We did not seek temporal emolument; nor did we preach the Gospel for a cloak to our covetousness: God is witness that we did not; we sought you, not yours. Hear this, ye that preach the Gospel! Can ye call God to witness that in preaching it ye have no end in view by your ministry but his glory in the salvation of souls? Or do ye enter into the priesthood for a morsel of bread, or for what is ominously and impiously called a living, a benefice? In better days your place and office were called a cure of souls; what care have you for the souls of them by whose labours you are in general more than sufficiently supported? Is it your study, your earnest labour, to bring sinners to God; to preach among your heathen parishioners the unsearchable riches of Christ?
But I should speak to the thousands who have no parishes, but who have their chapels, their congregations, pew and seat rents, c., c. Is it for the sake of these that ye have entered or continue in the Gospel ministry? Is God witness that, in all these things, ye have no cloak of covetousness? Happy is the man who can say so, whether he has the provision which the law of the land allows him, or whether he lives on the free-will offerings of the people.
The faithful labourer is worthy of his hire for the ox that treads out the corn should not be muzzled and they that preach the Gospel should live, not riot, by the Gospel. But wo to that man who enters into the labour for the sake of the hire! he knows not Christ; and how can he preach him?
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain For neither at any time used we flattering words…
For neither at any time used we flattering words - see the Job 31:21-22 notes; and on 2Co 2:17 note. The word here rendered “flattering” - κολακείας kolakeias - occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. The meaning is, that the apostle did not deal in the language of adulation; he did not praise them for their beauty, wealth, talent, or accomplishments, and conceal from them the painful truths about their guilt and danger. He stated simple truth - not refusing to commend people if truth would admit of it, and never hesitating to declare his honest convictions about their guilt and danger. One of the principal arts of the deceiver on all subjects is flattery; and Paul says, that when preaching to the Thessalonians he had carefully avoided it. He now appeals to that fact as a proof of his own integrity. They knew that he had been faithful to their souls.
Nor a cloke of covetousness - The word rendered “cloke” here - πρόφασει prophasei - means, properly, “what is shown or appears before any one;” i. e., “show, pretence, pretext,” put forth in order to cover one’s real intent; Mat 22:14; Mar 12:40; Luk 20:47. The meaning here is, that he did not put on a pretence or appearance of piety for the sake of promoting the schemes of covetousness. The evidence of that was not only what they observed of the general spirit of the apostle, but also the fact that when with them he had actually labored with his own hands for a support; 1Th 2:9. It is obvious that there were those there, as sometimes there are now, who, under the pretence of great zeal for religion, were really seeking wealth, and it is possible that it may have been alleged against Paul and his fellow-laborers that they were such persons.
Read full note →
God is witness - This is a solemn appeal to God for the truth of what he had said. He refers not only to their own observation, but he calls God himself to witness his sincerity. God knew the truth in the case. There could have been no imposing on him; and the appeal, therefore, is to one who was intimately acquainted with the truth. Learn hence:
(1) That it is right, on important occasions, to appeal to God for the truth of what we say.
(2) We should always so live that we can properly make such an appeal to him.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Nor taken an occasion of covetousness. Not so as…
Nor taken an occasion of covetousness. Not so as to make the gospel a cloak for gain-sake. (Witham)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain used we flattering words--literally, "become (that is, have we…
used we flattering words--literally, "become (that is, have we been found) in (the use of) language of flattery"; the resource of those who try to "please men."
as ye know--"Ye know" as to whether I flattered you; as to "covetousness," GOD, the Judge of the heart, alone can be "my witness."
Read full note →
cloak of--that is, any specious guise under which I might cloak "covetousness."
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 5. Flattering words—This solemn responsibility to God alone is…
5. Flattering words—This solemn responsibility to God alone is attested by our words. Cloak, or pretext, covering a real covetousness, or purpose to make money by you.
God is witness—And the sincerity of this appeal to God you know as well as we.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 5. For neither at any time used we flattering…
5. For neither at any time used we flattering words] were we found using words of flattery (R. V.: same verb as in 1Th_2:1, “found vain”); or, did we fall into the use of flattering speech. “Found” might suggest detection, which is not in the Apostle’s mind. Lit., word of flattery, referring to the tenor and general style of the apostles’ speech. He adds a third time (see note on 1Th_2:1) “as ye know.” St Paul, as his friends well knew, was not one to
“crook the pregnant hinges of the knee,
Read full note →
Where thrift may follow fawning.”
In repudiating the cloak of covetousness he appeals to “God” as “witness” (comp. Rom_1:9, “God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son;” also Rom_2:15, Rom_9:1),—“God, Who proveth our hearts” (1Th_2:4). The “cloak” signifies the pretext of an affected self-devotion, such as might be used to conceal the “covetousness” of a selfish heart. “God is witness,” he says, “that no secret avarice was hidden behind our zeal for your salvation.”
The Greek word for “covetousness” denotes greed of any kind,—oftenest, but not always or necessarily, for money; it is the spirit of self-aggrandisement, selfishness as a ruling passion. (Comp. the note on “defraud,” ch. 1Th_4:6.) Such a motive in the servant of God would constitute the “uncleanness” denied in 1Th_2:3.
This verse gives double evidence of the pure zeal for God professed in 1Th_2:3-4—the one outward and of the lips, the other inward and known only to God in the heart. Contrast the opposite description of Psa_12:2 : “A flattering lip, and a double heart.”
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (5) At any time.—Not only during the stay at…
(5) At any time.—Not only during the stay at Thessalonica, but neither at Thessalonica nor elsewhere, as the next verse shows. But as the Thessalonians can only be appealed to as evidence for their own experience, the writers therefore call God Himself to witness. At the same time, the absence of flattering words was a thing of which human witnesses could judge; the freedom from covetous designs was known to God alone.
Cloke of covetousness—i.e., some specious pretext, under cover of which we might gain a worldly advantage; so (though the Greek word is different) 1Pe_2:16, “a cloke of maliciousness.”
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain For; confirming the statement that the preachers of the…
For; confirming the statement that the preachers of the gospel did not seek to please men, but God. Neither at any time used we flattering words; endeavoring to gain you by flattery and praise; we did not pander to your feelings; we did not soften the demands of the gospel. As ye know, nor a cloak or pretextof covetousness. We did not use the gospel as a pretext to mask our real motive, which was covetousness, pretending to seek your spiritual good, whereas in reality we sought our own advantage. Paul could with perfect confidence appeal to his converts, and say, "I have coveted no man"s silver, or gold, or apparel". (Act_20:33) He was free from all sinister motives. "He did not use words such as flattery uses, or pretexts such as covetousness" (Jowett). God is witness. Paul appeals to the Thessalonians themselves that he had not used flattering words; so now he appeals to God that the motive of his conduct was not covetousness. Men can judge the external conduct, they can hear the flattering words; but God only can know the motive of action he only can discern the covetousness.
HOMILETICS.
Read full note →
Vers. 5, 6.
Motives of action,
Man judges us by our outward conduct; God by our internal disposition. The apostle appeals to God as a witness of the purity of his motives. He asserts that he was free from all desire of personal fame or interest. Can we make the same appeal and the same assertion?
1. Are we influenced by unworthy motives? Is covetousness, the desire of fame, or the love of power, the mainspring of our life?
2. Or are we influenced by worthy motives? Do we seek to please, not man, but God? Is the glory of God in Christ Jesus the chief end of our life and actions?
Vers. 5-8.
The spirit and method of apostolic labor.
The apostle sets it forth under two aspects.
I NEGATIVELY. "For neither at any time were we found using words of flattery, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness, God is witness; nor seeking glory of men.
1. The apostle and his colleagues did not attempt to win their way by flattery, either by setting forth high views of human nature, or by holding men"s persons in admiration for the sake of advantage; for their gospel tended rather to humble man and subdue his pride. Flattery is a gross dishonor both to God and man, for it implies untruthfulness, and may become fatal in its results to easily deluded sinners. The apostle appealed to the Thessalonians in confirmation of his statement.
2. They did not use their position as a cloak of covetousness, as God could testify, who knows the heart. The apostle might say now, as he afterwards said to the elders of Ephesus, "I coveted no man"s silver, nor gold, nor apparel." The false teachers were chargeable with cove tousness, for "through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of 2Pe_2:1, 2Pe_2:3. How emphatically the apostle insists upon ministers of the gospel being free from this vice! "Not greed, of filthy lucre.
3. They were not fond of vain-glory. "Nor seeking glory of men, neither from you, nor from others, when we might have been burdensome as apostles of Christ," or might have stood on their dignity as apostles of Christ. There is no allusion here to his claim to ministerial support, but rather to the position of magisterial dignity he might have assumed, with all its pomp and peremptoriness and sternness. His spirit at Thessalonica was not that of lordship over God"s heritage.
II POSITIVELY. "But we were gentle in the midst of you, as when a nurse cherisheth her own children.
1. They were gentle in their intercourse with their converts; unassuming and mild, with no haughty or imperious airs, challenging honor and homage. They acted in the very spirit of the good Shepherd. Long afterwards the apostle could remind one of his present colleagues that "the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle to all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves". (2Ti_2:24-26) This gentleness, which is at once a fruit of the Spirit (Gal_5:22) and a characteristic of the "wisdom from above", (Jam_3:17) becomes all the more impressive when it is linked with the highest strength of character.
2. They were most affectionate in their intercourse with their converts. "Even so, being affectionately desirous of you, we were well pleased to impart to you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were become very dear to us.
(1) Their yearning love was manifest:
(a) In their imparting the gospel to them. As their spiritual parents they travailed in birth till Christ was formed in them, and then they fed them thereafter with the sincere milk of the Word.
(b) In their readiness to risk their lives for the sake of their children in the faith. They verily carried their lives in their hands.
(2) This apostolic solicitude on their behalf sprung out of their deep love for the Thessalonians, as being at once the trophies of their ministry, and as being pre-eminently docile in their attitude toward the gospel and its preachers. There is hardly any stronger tie in this world than that which links together a spiritual father and his converts. T.C.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 5–8. Flattering words. He would have used these if…
5–8. Flattering words. He would have used these if he had sought to please men, but he told them plainly of their sins. Nor a cloke of covetousness. Nor did he have a covetous motive and conceal it by fair pretences.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain For neither at any time were we found using…
For neither at any time were we found using words of flattery, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness, God is witness [As to his outward conduct (that it was without flattery) he calls the Thessalonians to witness, and as to his inward desires (that they were without covetousness) he calls God to witness. Self-seeking and flattery were the besetting sins of false teachers ( Rom_16:18 ). Paul had spoken plainly of the sins of his hearers, and had demanded immediate and thorough repentance];
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
Paul tells the Thessalonian believers that his conduct was not based in flattery, greed, or self glory.
Read full note →
we never used words of flattery
"we never spoke to you with false praise"
nor as an excuse to cover up greed
The words "we use words" are understood from the previous phrase. Here "cover up" is a metaphor for keeping people from knowing something. AT: "nor did we use words to cover up greed" or "and we did not use words to hide an evil desire for your money" (See: Ellipsis and Metaphor)
could have claimed privileges
"could have insisted you give us money"
translationWords
God
testimony
glory
apostle
Christ
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 2:5 Flattery was a common means of getting financial…
2:5 Flattery was a common means of getting financial gain from others. Paul denies that he flattered the Thessalonians in order to be given money. He again calls both the Thessalonians and God as witnesses (cp. 2:10; Deut 19:15; 2 Cor 13:1; 1 Tim 5:19).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.