to hold oneself opposite to · verb — present middle or passive deponent imperative, 2nd person plural
weak
ἀσθενῶν,asthenōn
G772
strengthless (in various applications · adjective — genitive plural masculine
patient
μακροθυμεῖτεmakrothumeite
G3114
to be long-spirited · verb — present active imperative, 2nd person plural
toward
πρὸςpros
G4314
a preposition of direction · preposition
all
πάντας.pantas
G3956
all · adjective — accusative plural masculine
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Romans 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
Acts 20:35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said,…
2 Thessalonians 3:6-7 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly,…
Isaiah 35:3-4 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
Romans 15:1-3 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Galatians 6:1-2 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 1 Thessalonians 5:11-15
In these words the apostle exhorts the Thessalonians to several duties.
I. Towards those who were nearly related one to another. Such should comfort themselves, or exhort one another, and edify one another, Th1 5:11. 1. They must comfort or exhort themselves and one another; for the original word may be rendered both these ways. And we may observe, As those are most able and likely to comfort others who can comfort themselves, so the way to have comfort ourselves, or to administer comfort to others, is by compliance with the exhortation of the word. Note, We should not only be careful about our own comfort and welfare, but to promote the comfort and welfare of others also. He was a Cain that…
brethren--This exhortation to "warm (Greek, 'admonish,' as in Th1 5:12) the unruly (those 'disorderly' persons, Th2 3:6, Th2 3:11, who would not work, and yet expected to be maintained, literally, said of soldiers who will not remain in their ranks, compare Th1 4:11; also those insubordinate as to Church discipline, in relation to those 'over' the Church, Th1 5:12), comfort the feeble-minded (the faint-hearted, who are ready to sink 'without hope' in afflictions, Th1 4:13, and temptations)," applies to all clergy and laity alike, though primarily the duty of the clergy (who are meant in Th1 5:12)."
support--literally, "lay fast hold on so as to support."
the weak--spiritually. Paul pract…
Warn them that are unruly - The whole phraseology of this verse is military; I shall consider the import of each term. Ατακτους· Those who are out of their ranks, and are neither in a disposition nor situation to perform the work and duty of a soldier; those who will not do the work prescribed, and who will meddle with what is not commanded. There are many such in every Church that is of considerable magnitude.
Comfort the feeble-minded - Τους ολιγοψυχους· Those of little souls; the faint-hearted; those who, on the eve of a battle, are dispirited, because of the number of the enemy, and their own feeble and unprovided state. Let them know that the battle is not theirs, but the Lord's; and th…
The Church Fathers
Where, then, do you show that they renewed the command to flee from city to city? In fact, it was utterly impossible that they should have laid down anything so utterly opposed to their own examples as a command to flee, while it was just from bonds, or the islands in which, for confessing, not fleeing from the Christian name, they were confined, they wrote their letters to the Churches. Paul bids us support the weak, but most certainly it is not when they flee.
But if we are to hate ungodly and lawless men, we shall go on to hate also sinners; and thus in regular process thou wilt be broken off from the most even of thy brethren, or rather from all: for there is not one, no, not one, without sin. For if it be our duty to hate the enemies of God, one must not hate the ungodly only, but also sinners: and thus we shall be worse than wild beasts, shunning all, and puffed up with pride; even as that Pharisee. But not thus did Paul command us, but how? "Admonish the disorderly, encourage the faint-hearted, support the weak, be long suffering toward all."
It was to the laity and to women and not only the clergy that the apostle said, "Reprove the irregular, comfort the fainthearted, support the weak." Provided that you are willing to rebuke one another in case of sin, the Enemy will be able to take you by surprise only with difficulty or not at all. If he does take you by surprise, the evil which was done is easily amended and corrected. Then is fulfilled in you what was written, "A brother who helps his brother will be exalted," and again, "he who helps a sinner to be brought back from the misguided way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins."
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Affliction, Consolation Under · Saints should administer to each other — Saints should administer to each other
Commandments · PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES — PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES
Communion · 3:3; — 3:3;
Conduct, Christian · Sympathising with others — Sympathising with others
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Now we exhort you, brethren,.... This is said either to the ministers of the word that laboured among them, presided over them, and admonished them; and the rather, because some of these things here directed to are pressed upon the members of the church in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 and which otherwise must make a repetition here; or to the members in conjunction with their pastors:
warn them that are unruly; or disorderly, idle persons, working not at all, busying themselves with other men's matters, and living upon the church's stock, reprove them for their sloth, exhort them to work with their own hands, to do their own business, and with quietness eat their own bread; or such who keep not the…
1 Thessalonians 5:11-14
11. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
11. Quare exhortamini (vel, consolamini) vos invicem, et aedificate singuli singulos, sicut et facitis.
12. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
12. Rogamus autem vos, fratres, ut agnoscatis eos, qui laborant in vobis, et praesunt vobis in Domino, et admonent vos:
13. And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
13. Ut eos habeatis in summo pretio cum caritate propter opus ipsorum: pacem habete cum ipsis, (vel, inter vos.)
14. Now we exhort you, bret…
The responsibility for the moral progress of the congregation does not rest solely with the leaders (4:18; 5:11). Paul urged the church to warn those who are lazy, that is, those who were “disorderly,” and who did not live by the apostles’ instructions (see 2 Thes 3:6-15). • Take tender care of those who are weak, or those who have no economic or social power. Greek society denigrated the weak. • Instead of being irritable, believers should be patient in their relationships (Gal 5:23; Eph 4:2).
