1 Thessalonians 5:23

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And - `But' [ de (G1161)].

The very God - rather, 'may the God of peace Himself' do for you by His own power what I cannot do by all my monitions, nor you by all your efforts (Romans 16:20; Hebrews 13:20).

Sanctify you - for holiness is the condition of "peace" (Philippians 4:6). As peace is His attribute, so it is His special gift (John 14:27); for which end may He give you holiness.

Wholly, [ holoteleis (G3651)] - (so that you should be) 'perfect in every respect.'

And - i:e., 'and so (omit I pray God: not in the Greek) may your ... spirit and soul and body be preserved whole:' a different word from "wholly:" [ holokleeron (G3648)] 'entire;' with none of the integral parts wanting. [ Teleios (G5046) is what has reached its end, in respect to quality; holokleeros (G3648), 'complete in all its parts,' in respect to quantity, James 1:4.] It refers to man in his normal integrity: all ideal which shall be attained by the glorified believer. All three-spirit, soul, and body-each in its place, constitute man 'entire.' The "spirit" links man with higher intelligences, and is that highest part receptive of the quickening Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:47). The soul [ psuchee (G5590)] is intermediate between body and spirit: it is the sphere of the will and affections. In the unspiritual, the spirit is so sunk under the animal soul (which it ought to keep under), that such are 'animal' ('sensual,' having merely the body of organized matter, and the soul the immaterial animating essence), "having not the Spirit" (Jude 1:19: cf. 1 Corinthians 2:14: notes, 15:44,46-48; 3:6). The unbeliever shall rise with an animal (soul-animated) body, but not, like the believer, with a spiritual (spirit-endued) body like Christ's (Romans 8:11).

Blameless unto, [ amemptoos (G274)] - 'blamelessly (so as to be in a blameless state) at Christ's coming.' In Hebrew [ shalowm (H7965)], "peace" and "wholly" [ holoteleis (G3651)] are kindred terms; so the prayer explains "God of peace." Bengel takes "wholly" as collectively-all the Thessalonians-so that no one should fail; and "whole" individually-each one entire-with "spirit and soul and body." The mention of the body accords with 1 Thessalonians 4:16, end. Trench, better, "wholly" - i:e., 'having perfectly attained the moral end;' namely, to be full-grown in Christ. "Whole," complete, with no grace [also part] which ought to be in a Christian wanting.