Now those who are that way, we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they work with quietness and eat their own bread.
Parallel Translations
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Now those who are that way, we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they work with quietness and eat their own bread.
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Them that are soche we commaunde and exhorte by oure lorde Iesu Christ that they worke with quyetnes and eate their awne breed.
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Therefore them that are such, we warne and exhort by our Lord Iesus Christ, that they worke with quietnes, and eate their owne bread.
Cross-references (9)
Passages linked to 2 Thessalonians 3:12 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Ephesians 4:28 Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, producing with his hands something that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:11 and that you make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, even as we instructed you;
- 2 Thessalonians 3:8 neither did we eat bread from anyone’s hand without paying for it, but in labor and travail worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you,
- Proverbs 17:1 Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.
- Ecclesiastes 4:6 Better is a handful, with quietness, than two handfuls with labor and chasing after wind.
- Luke 11:3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
- Genesis 49:14-15 “Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the saddlebags. He saw a resting place, that it was good, the land, that it was pleasant. He bows his shoulder to the burden, and becomes a servant doing forced labor.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Finally then, brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, that you abound more and more.
- 1 Timothy 2:2 for kings and all who are in high places, that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and reverence.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (17 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 12 Now we command such. He corrects both of…
12 Now we command such. He corrects both of the faults of which he had made mention — a blustering restlessness, and retirement from useful employment. He accordingly exhorts them, in the first place, to cultivate repose — that is, to keep themselves quietly within the limits of their calling, or, as we commonly say, “sans faire bruit,” (without making a noise.) For the truth is this: those are the most peaceable of all, that exercise themselves in lawful employments; while those that have nothing to do give trouble both to themselves and to others. Further, he subjoins another precept — that they should labor, that is, that they should be intent upon their calling, and devote themselves to lawful and honorable employments, without which the life of man is of a wandering nature. Hence, also, there follows this third injunction — that they should eat their own bread; by which he means, that they should be satisfied with what belongs to them, that they may not be oppressive or unreasonable to others.
Drink water, says Solomon, from thine own fountains, and let the streams flow down to neighbors. (Proverbs 5:15.)
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This is the first law of equity, that no one make use of what belongs to another, but only use what he can properly call his own. The second is, that no one swallow up, like some abyss, what belongs to him, but that he be beneficent to neighbors, and that he may relieve their indigence by his abundance. In the same manner, the Apostle exhorts those who had been formerly idle to labor, not merely that they may gain for themselves a livelihood, but that they may also be helpful to the necessities of their brethren, as he also teaches elsewhere. (Ephesians 4:28.)
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.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain The Lord commandeth, and the Apostles pray in the…
The Lord commandeth, and the Apostles pray in the name of Christ, first that no men be idle, and next, that every man do quietly and carefully see to do his duty in that office and calling wherein the Lord hath placed him.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 12 Now them that are such we command and…
12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
Ver. 12. That with quietness] Being no meddler in other men’s matters, but minding his own. Res tuas age. The pragmatic person is an odious person, and the place where he lives longs for a vomit to spew him out. {See Trapp on "1Th 4:11"}
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 Now them that are such we command and exhort…
Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ: he had before given command to the church to withdraw from them, 2Th 3:6; and now he lays the commandment upon themselves, and that in the name of Christ.
That with quietness they work: working is set opposite to their idleness, and quietness to their busy meddling where they ought not, whereby they might occasion strife. The apostle here, and in many other places, requires Christians to live peaceably, as 2Co 13:11; Col 3:15; 1Th 5:13; Heb 12:14.
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And eat their own bread; not to live as drones, upon another’s labours; yet he forbids not dealing their bread to the hungry, nor requires this of the poor that are necessitated to live upon alms. And by eating their own bread the apostle means, maintaining themselves and families, for bread is taken in Scripture for all things that maintain the natural life: and the apostle here insinuates a blessing upon honest labour, that thereby men shall have bread of their own; and doth assert property against that community which some have pleaded for, the civil right that men have to what they honestly get and possess; but hereby condemns oppressors, pirates, robbers, cheaters, usurpers, yea, and tyrannical princes, who maintain themselves upon the spoil of others, and take their bread out of others’ mouths; and why not also such as are not quiet and contented with their own portion, but either envy others, or murmur against providence?
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Now them that are such,.... For this was not…
Now them that are such,.... For this was not the case and character of them all. Did such practices generally obtain, no community, civil or religious, could subsist. And the apostle wisely distinguishes them from others, that the innocent might not be involved in the charge.
We command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ; using both authority and entreaty; taking every way to reclaim them, commanding in the name of Christ and beseeching for the sake of Christ
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that with quietness they work: with their own hands, at their proper callings, and so support themselves, provide for their families, and have something to give to them that are in need; by which means they will live peaceable and quiet lives, in godliness and honesty, and not disturb the peace of neighbourhoods, churches, and families:
and eat their own bread; got by their own labour, and bought with their money, and not the bread of others, or that of idleness.
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 Work quietly - Letting the concerns of other people…
Work quietly - Letting the concerns of other people alone.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 12. With quietness they work] μετα ησυχιας. With…
Verse 12. With quietness they work] μετα ησυχιας. With silence; leaving their tale-bearing and officious intermeddling. Less noise and more work!
That - they work, and eat their own bread.] Their own bread, because earned by their own honest industry. What a degrading thing to live on the bounty or mercy of another, while a man is able to acquire his own livelihood! He who can submit to this has lost the spirit of independence; and has in him a beggar's heart, and is capable of nothing but base and beggarly actions. Witness the great mass of the people of England, who by their dependence on the poor rates are, from being laborious, independent, and respect able, become idle, profligate, and knavish; the propagators and perpetrators of crime; a discredit to the nation, and a curse to society. The apostle's command is a cure for such; and the Church of God should discountenance such, and disown them.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Now them that are such we command and exhort…
Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus ... - A more solemn command and appeal to do what he had before enjoined on all of them; 1Th 4:11; see the notes on that verse.
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 Eat their own bread, which they work for, and…
Eat their own bread, which they work for, and deserve, not that of others. (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 by--The oldest manuscripts read, "IN the Lord Jesus." So…
by--The oldest manuscripts read, "IN the Lord Jesus." So the Greek, Th1 4:1, implying the sphere wherein such conduct is appropriate and consistent. "We exhort you thus, as ministers IN Christ, exhorting our people IN Christ."
with quietness--quiet industry; laying aside restless, bustling, intermeddling officiousness (Th2 3:11).
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their own--bread earned by themselves, not another's bread (Th2 3:8).
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 12. Direct appeal to the idlers.
12. Direct appeal to the idlers.
Command—A command on which a penalty depends.
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Exhort—A tenderer word, appealing to their own sense of Christian duty.
Quietness—The opposite of a restless, busybody impertinence.
Own bread—Instead of playing the parasite and eating the bread of others.
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 12. Now them that are such we command and…
12. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ] The “exhort” of the first Epistle (1Th_4:10) is now charge and exhort, put with a new tone of sternness.
Not by but in the Lord Jesus Christ (R.V.); on this phrase—both as to the preposition, and the triple name—see notes to 2Th_3:4-5 above, also 1Th_4:1; 1Th_1:1 (p. 47). The appeal assumes a character of the most grave urgency.
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These idle meddlers, a burden and scandal to the Church, the Apostle “charges, and appeals” to them, on the ground of their relationship to Christ and with all the weight of Christ’s authority committed to him, that working with quietness, they eat their own bread—not the bread of their honest and laborious brethren. See notes to 2Th_3:8, and 1Th_4:11.
In the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (ch. 1), probably the oldest Post-Apostolic writing extant, there is a remarkable warning addressed both to givers and receivers of alms, which illustrates this passage: “Blessed is he that giveth according to the commandment, for he is guiltless. Woe to him that takes! For if indeed one takes out of necessity, he will be guiltless; but he who takes without need shall give account why he took, and for what purpose; and thrown into prison he will be examined respecting his conduct, and will not come out thence until he has paid the uttermost farthing. Moreover, concerning this matter it has been said: Let thine alms sweat into thy hands, until thou knowest to whom thou shouldst give.”
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 (12) We command.—The fourth time the severe word is…
(12) We command.—The fourth time the severe word is used in this very chapter. Perhaps “we order” might convey the meaning still more sharply. But immediately, lest severity provoke rebellion, he adds, “and we beseech,” alleging also the grounds on which he rests his appeal: “in our Lord”—i.e., “on the strength of our union in the Body of Christ.” (Comp. 1Th_4:1.)
That with quietness they work.—The opposites of bustling, and of idleness.
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Eat their own bread.—Not other people’s. This passage tempts us to take the marginal version in 1Th_4:12 : “have need of no man.” The phrase is not fatal to the idea of there being a communism established. The bread would still be “their own”—i.e., they would have a right to it, supposing it had been earned for the community by hard work: otherwise, communism or no communism, the bread was stolen. The commentators aptly compare a rabbinical saying:” When a man eats his own bread he is composed and tranquil in mind; but if he be eating the bread of his parents or children, much more that of strangers, his mind is less tranquil.”
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 Now them that are such we command and exhort…
Now them that are such we command and exhort by (or, as the best manuscripts read, in) our Lord Jesus Christ; in him, as the source of authority; "In his Name." That with quietness. In contrast to being busybodies, with calmness of spirit, freedom from excitement. They work, and eat their own bread; not the bread of others, but their own, for which they have laboured and which they have earned. They would thus be independent of the liberality and generosity of others. (For similar exhortations, see (1Th_4:11; Eph_4:28)
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 12. Now … such we command. Such are solemnly…
12. Now … such we command. Such are solemnly commanded in the name of Christ to go to work, to live quiet lives, and to support themselves. The idlers were restless and meddlesome.
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 Now them that are such we command and exhort…
Now them that are such we command and exhort [mixing entreaty with authority] in the Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own [this word is emphatic] bread .
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.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 3:12 Paul underscores the strength of the command by…
3:12 Paul underscores the strength of the command by appealing to the authority of the Lord Jesus (as in 3:6; 1 Thes 4:1-2). • settle down: i.e., lead a quiet life instead of being involved in meddlesome activities (see 1 Thes 4:11).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.