1 Thessalonians 3:2

and sent Timotheus Timothy: see note on this name, ch. 1 Thessalonians 1:1.

The Acts of the Apostles traces St Paul's footsteps from Thessalonica to Berœa, and on from Berœa to Athens: read Acts 17:10-16; and consult the mapin regard to the route. But its account of the movements of his companions appears at first sight inconsistent with what we read here. For in Acts 17:14-16 we find Silas and Timothy both left behind at Berœa, while Paul goes on to Athens, instructing them to follow and rejoin him there as soon as possible. "Paul waited for them at Athens;" but they do not seem to have arrived. The two comrades of the Apostle are not mentioned by St Luke again until he tells us of their return together from Macedonia, when they find him at Corinth(Acts 18:1-5). St Paul interpolates between the time of his leaving the two at Berœa and of their return in company from Macedonia reported by Luke a distinct mission of Timothy by himself to Thessalonica. There is, after all, no conflict between the Apostle and his historian and friend. He relates an incident which St Luke in his general and cursory narrative passed over, either as unimportant for his purpose, or because he was unaware of it. Since we have good reason to believe in the accuracy of both, we must adjust their statements to each other. This may be done In two ways: It is possible that Paul on arriving at Athens and finding that he could not return to Thessalonica from that city, sent directions to Timothy to go back in his place to the Macedonian capital, instead of coming on to Athens, while Silas still remained in Macedonia; and that, after Timothy had made this visit, they both rejoined their leader at Corinth. Or it may be and this agrees better with the words "left behind" that Timothy did come to Athens from Berœa, and was immediately despatched again to Thessalonica, so that the Apostle was practically alone from the time he left Berœa until Silas and Timothy rejoined him at Corinth.

The "we" of 1 Thessalonians 3:1; 1 Thessalonians 3:6appears to refer to the Apostle himself; comp. 2 Corinthians 10:13 for the interchange of "I" and "we" in St Paul's manner of referring to himself. He may write werepresentatively, where others are joined with him in sympathy, though not in act. If Silas was now with Paul at Athens, he also must shortly have returned to Macedonia (see Acts 18:5); but the words "left alone" would seem in that case to be pointless. It was a trial to St Paul at this time to be "left alone." But his anxiety about the Thessalonians compels him, notwithstanding, to send his young helper to them.

our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ This description of Timothy is given in varying forms by the ancient MSS. The Revisers prefer to read, our brother and God's minister, &c.; but they say in the margin, "Some ancient authorities read fellow-worker with God." Possibly this is what the Apostle wrote: our brother and a fellow-worker with God. The other variations can best be explained by it; and copyists would scarcely have substituted by this bold expression the easy phrase "minister of God," which occurs in other Epistles, had the latter been the original reading. "God's fellow-worker" expresses a thoroughly Pauline idea (see 1 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 6:1), and would serve to exalt Timothy in the eyes of the Church. It agrees with what the Apostle says of him in 1 Corinthians 16:10: "Timothy worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do; let no one therefore despise him." The Received Text, as in many other instances, results from the combination of two earlier and briefer readings of the passage. Codex B, the best of the Greek MSS, reads simply, our brother and fellow-worker in the gospel of Christ.

to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith Establishis stablish in 1 Thessalonians 3:13 and elsewhere; the same word is rendered "strengthenthy brethren" in Luke 22:32, also Revelation 3:2; it signifies to make stable, fix firmly.

For comfort exhort or encourage is a preferable rendering. St Paul employed another and quite different verb for "comfort," in express distinction from that here used, in ch. 1 Thessalonians 2:11 (see note). The Greek verb has a wide range of meaning; but all its uses in these two Epp. may be brought, with that of the cognate noun, under the ideas of appeal(ch. 1 Thessalonians 2:3; 1 Thessalonians 2:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 4:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:12), or encouragement(ch. 1 Thessalonians 3:2; 1 Thessalonians 3:7; 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). This latter was indeed an older sense of comfortin English (Latin confortare).

The Apostle sends Timothy to do what he wished to do himself, and continues to do by this letter what, above all, he prays God to do for them; see 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17: "May He encourage your hearts, and stablish you." (Comp. Introd. p. 35.) They were afflicted, and needed "encouragement;" they were new to the Christian life, and needed "establishment."

Concerningis, more strictly, on behalf of (in furtherance of) your faith. In ch. 1 Thessalonians 1:3 faith, love, and hope; in 1 Thessalonians 3:6 faithand love; here faithalone stands for the whole religion of a Christian.