2 Thessalonians 3:6–9
Paul and his companions worked night and day so as not to burden anyone
Study it word by word6Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, that you keep away from every brother who walks in a disorderly way and not according to the tradition that they received from us.
7For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not disorderly among you,
8nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but with labor and toil we worked night and day so as not to burden any of you;
9not because we do not have the right, but so that we might give ourselves to you as an example so that you might imitate us.
In its context
4And we are confident in the Lord about you, that what we command, you both do and will do.
5And may the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of the Messiah.
…
10For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone is not willing to work, neither let him eat.
11For we hear that some are walking among you in a disorderly way, doing no work but being busybodies.
Its words in the original
- ΠαραγγέλλομενParangellomen· command, instruct
Give orders, instruct.
- ἀδελφοίadelphoi· brother
Brother. Also a close relative, a fellow countryman and, among believers, a brother in the faith.
- ὀνόματιonomati· name
Name. In the Bible, a name stands for the person himself.
- κυρίουkyriou· Lord, lord
Lord, master, owner. Said of God, the Lord; in Old Testament quotations it stands for the name YHWH.
- ἸησοῦIēsou· Jesus
Jesus, the Greek form of the Hebrew Yehoshua (Joshua), which means "YHWH saves". It is the name the angel told Joseph to give him (Matthew 1:21).
- ΧριστοῦChristou· Messiah
Messiah: literally "anointed", the king or envoy God consecrates with oil. It is a title, not a surname; in Hebrew, mashiach.
- στέλλεσθαιstellesthai· avoid, keep away
Avoid, take care to keep away from something.
- ἀτάκτωςataktōs· in a disorderly way
In a disorderly way, not keeping to one's duty.
- περιπατοῦντοςperipatountos· walk
Walk; also live in a certain way.
- παράδοσινparadosin· tradition
Tradition: what is handed down from one generation to the next, such as the rules of the Jewish teachers.
- παρελάβοσανparelabosan· take, receive
Receive, take along; take a wife into one's home.
- οἴδατεoidate· know
Know, understand; also see.
- δεῖdei· bind, tie
Bind, tie.
- μιμεῖσθαιmimeisthai· imitate
To imitate, to follow someone's example.
- ἠτακτήσαμενētaktēsamen· be idle, be disorderly
Be out of line: leave one's post, fail to do one's duty.
- δωρεὰνdōrean· without cause, freely
Freely, as a gift; for no reason.
- ἄρτονarton· bread
Bread; also food in general.
- ἐφάγομενephagomen· eat
Eat.
- κόπῳkopōi· labor, toil
Hard work, labor; also trouble.
- μόχθῳmochthōi· hardship, toil
Hardship, hard and wearying work.
- νυκτὸςnyktos· night
Night. "By night".
- ἡμέραςhēmeras· day
Day. "In the days of" someone: in their time.
- ἐργαζόμενοιergazomenoi· work
Work, do, carry out.
- ἐπιβαρῆσαίepibarēsai· burden, overstate
Put a burden on, be a burden; also overstate, put it too heavily.
- ἔχομενechomen· have
Have, possess, hold.
- ἐξουσίανexousian· authority
Authority, the power to act or command.
- τύπονtypon· mark, pattern
The mark left by a blow; also pattern, figure, example.
- δῶμενdōmen· give
Give.