2 Thessalonians 1:10

τοις πιστευσασιν in all uncials. The Received πιστευουσιν rests on the testimony of a handful of minuscules.

For επιστευθη, two minn.—31 and 112, of no special value—furnish, whether through accident or design, the reading επιστωθη desiderated by Hort. The rendering of Ambrst, fidem habuit, may have been based on επιστωθη. See Expository Note.

10. ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐνδοξασθῆναι ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ καὶ θαυμασθῆναι ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς πιστεύσασιν, when He comes to be glorified in His saints and wondered at in all those who believed. Ενδοξασθῆναι, bare infin. of purpose, common after verbs of coming and the like (Winer-Moulton, pp. 399 f.). Ἐνδοξάζω, to make ἔν-δοξος, a compound only found besides in LXX. Isaiah 49:3, or Ezekiel 28:22, is running in the writer’s mind; perhaps along with Isaiah 4:2 f., which combines δοξάζω (relating to God) and ἅγιοι in one context; cf. also Psalms 88:8 (a Messianic Psalm, of which other traces might be noted in the context), ὁ θεὸς ἐνδοξαζόμενος ἐν βουλῇ ἁγίων. Ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις … θαυμασθῆναι, with its context, reflects the magnificent close of Psalms 67 (LXX), Psalms 67:35 f.: δότε δόξαν τῷ θεῷ· ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἡ μεγαλοπρέπεια αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ δύναμις αὐτοῦ ἐν ταῖς νεφέλαις· θαυμαστὸς ὁ θεὸς ἐν τοῖς ὁσίοις αὐτοῦ. To this δόξα of the Lord Jesus (see John 17:10) 2 Thessalonians 1:12 reverts (cf. note also on 2 Thessalonians 2:14). For ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ, see note on 1 Thessalonians 3:13.

With the latter phrase ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς πιστεύσασιν is synonymous; they run in Hebraistic parallels, like the double ἀπό clauses of 2 Thessalonians 1:9, and like the double dative and articular clauses of 2 Thessalonians 1:8 (cf. note on τοῖς μὴ εἰδόσιν κ.τ.λ.). “In all that believed,” not “believe” (as in 1 Thessalonians 2:10, &c.), for we anticipate in imagination “that day”; the beholder, as he views the glory won by the Lord Jesus in His saints, traces it back to the faith which was its source; he wonders at the mighty growth from so small a seed, and gives the praise to Christ (cf. Matthew 13:31 f.; John 5:24; John 7:38, &c.). If the “glory of His strength” is terrible to the persecutors (2 Thessalonians 1:9); in His saints “the glory of His grace” is seen (2 Thessalonians 1:12 : cf. Ephesians 1:3-14; also Romans 8:28-30, marking the steps of its progress). Their character as “saints” redounds to the Redeemer’s honour: see 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:23 f.; and cf. Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:22; Colossians 1:28 f.; Ephesians 5:27 (ἵνα παραστήσῃ … ἔνδοξον τὴν ἐκκλησίαν); Revelation 1:5 f., Revelation 7:14; Hebrews 2:10; 2 Corinthians 8:23; Titus 2:10, &c. The θαυμάζοντες St Paul would find in the ἀρχαὶ κ. ἐξουσίαι ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις, who are represented in Ephesians 3:10 as learning “now through the Church” lessons of “the manifold wisdom of God,”—lessons which will “on that day” be finished; cf. also 1 Peter 1:12.

The last clause of the verse, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, belongs to ἐνδοξασθῆναι καὶ θαυμασθῆναι: for the phrase itself, identically recurring in 2 Timothy 1:18; 2 Timothy 4:8, see note on 1 Thessalonians 5:4; and for its emphatic detachment, cf. Romans 2:16. The intervening sentence, ὅτι ἐπιστεύθη κ.τ.λ., is difficult. Some critics would strike it out as a marginal gloss; but there is nothing to allege against it on textual grounds. It can only be read as a parenthesis,—an interjectional outburst of the author occurring as he dictates to his secretary, or possibly a note inserted on re-reading the Letter by way of comment on τοῖς πιστεύσασιν, and thrown in without strict regard to grammatical connexion. The conspicuous success of the Gospel at Thessalonica had, for various reasons (see Introd. pp. xxxiii., lxii.), given extreme satisfaction to St Paul; as he imagines the glory accruing to his Lord “in that day” from the multitude of sanctified believers, the joyous thought rises in his breast, that “our testimony addressed to you” (Thessalonian heathen) contributed to bring about this result! The parenthesis is an echo of 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 2:19 f.,—τίς ἡμῶν … στέφανος καυχήσεως … ἢ οὐχὶ καὶ ὑμεῖς; Very similarly in Philippians 2:16 St Paul identifies his personal καύχημα with the ἡμέρα and δόξα Χριστοῦ; cf. 1 Peter 5:4, for this association of ideas. We must remember that the whole passage is a thanksgiving, swelled at the outset by a glorying (2 Thessalonians 1:4) on the writers’ part. It is as though they said: “Admired in all that believed: yes, for the testimony we brought to you won your faith; and in your faith, bearing fruit in holiness, we see the pledge of Christ’s glorification.” In 1 Thessalonians 1:8, it is “the faith” of the Thessalonians that has “gone abroad,” and vindicates the Apostles’ mission; such faith inspires the confidence respecting the final outcome, which is explicitly stated in Philippians 1:6, and is tacitly implied here.

τὸ μαρτύριον ἡμῶν ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς presents a unique construction: πρός, of address, is usual in such connexion (cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:2), or the dative (as in Matthew 8:4; Matthew 24:14, &c.). In Luke 9:5 μαρτύρ. ἐπί is “a witness against,” coming “upon” its hearers by way of accusation (cf. Acts 14:15 ff.): here it signifies a “testimony accosting (assailing, challenging) you”; cf. 1 Timothy 1:18; Ephesians 2:7; Revelation 14:6, where the use of ἐπί is more or less parallel to this; also 1 Thessalonians 2:2, where ἐπαρρησιασάμεθα … ἐν πολλῷ� describes the effort and struggle hinted at in μαρτύριον ἐπί. For the non-repetition of the article, see note on πίστεως ἐν, 2 Thessalonians 1:4, and cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:16. Μαρτύριον ἡμῶν, in respect of its medium; but μαρτύριον τοῦ χριστοῦ, 1 Corinthians 1:6, in respect of its contents; μαρτύριον τοῦ θεοῦ, 1 Corinthians 2:1, in respect of its authorship: the synonymous εὐαγγέλιον shows the same variety of usage (1 Thessalonians 1:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:8 above).

Hort (in Westcott-Hort’s N.T. in Greek, Appendix, p. 128) finds ἐπιστεύθη in this passage (to which he needlessly attaches ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς) so impracticable, that he proposes the conjectural emendation ἐπιστώθη (see Textual Note above), was confirmed (made good, verified) toward you (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). This verb is synonymous with ἐβεβαιώθη of 1 Corinthians 1:6; and it is found with τὰ μαρτύρια for subject, and a similar context, in Psalms 92:4 f. (LXX); also with ἐπί as complement in 1 Paral. 17:23, 2 Paral. 2 Thessalonians 1:9; but nowhere in N.T. This smooths out the sentence, but loosens its connexion with the foregoing πιστεύσασιν, and makes it a tame observation. Bengel renders ἐπί locally, “ad vos usque, in occidente” (cf. 2 Corinthians 10:14), a construction that strains the preposition and gives an irrelevant sense.