“Night and day praying exceedingly, etc.]” This good news, not only comforted their hearts, and revived their spirits, and filled them with joy and thankfulness, but also sent them to the throne of grace to pray without ceasing, continually, night and day, and as often as they went thither, and that with great fervency and earnestness, in a multitude of petitions; or, as the Arabic version renders it, “with prayers exceeding a multitude”; with innumerable requests: “that we might see your face:” Once more, and converse face to face: “and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?” In the grace of faith; for though they remembered their work of faith with pleasure, and had had good tidings of it very lately, and were…

“For what thanks can we render to God again for you, etc.]” They had given thanks to God for them before, for their faith, love, and patience; (see 1 Thessalonians 1:2,3) and now having received a further account of them, they looked upon themselves bound to give fresh thanks to God for them, for the increase of their faith and love, and for their perseverance, as they did; (see 2 Thessalonians 1:3 2:13) since these are gifts of God's grace; but they knew not where to begin, what to render, and when to end: the phrase is much like that in (Psalm 116:12) “what shall I render unto the Lord”, etc. “for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God:” The…

“For now we live, etc.]” Before they were dead men, lifeless, disconsolate, dispirited, carrying about with them the dying of the Lord Jesus, and death working in them, and they, as it were, under the sentence of that, being killed all the day long for Christ's sake; but now, upon this news, in the midst of all their sore trials and troubles, their spirits revived, and they became alive and cheerful; (see Psalm 22:26; Isaiah 55:3), it was like life from the dead unto them: “if ye stand fast in the Lord” Or “our Lord”, as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions read; that is, “in the faith of the Lord”, as the Arabic version renders it: they were in the Lord secretly by electing grace,…

“Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you, etc.]” Or “in you”, as the Vulgate Latin version; or “from you”, as the Arabic; or “by you”, as the Syriac; or “for you”, as the Ethiopic; that is, on account of them, either by what they had heard was in them, or had heard from them. This gave abundant consolation “in all our affliction and distress:” Which they met with at Corinth, where the apostle laboured with his own hands, and ministered to his own, and the necessities of others, and was greatly opposed, reproached, and persecuted; (see Acts 18:3,6,9,10,12), but the news of the good estate and condition the Thessalonians were in, was a great relief and comfort to him, particularly their faith: “by your faith:”…

“But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, etc.]” At Corinth, as appears from (Acts 18:5) which shows that this epistle was not written from Athens, as the subscription to it asserts, but from Corinth; for as soon as ever Timothy came from Thessalonica, to the apostle at Corinth, and made the report to him, he immediately sent them this epistle which is here suggested: “but, now”, etc. just now; “lately”, as the Syriac version renders it, a very little while ago, Timothy was just come: “and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity;” Of their faith, the grace of faith, that it was of the right kind; as far as could be judged, it was the faith of God's elect, like…

“For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, etc.]” Or “bear” the above vehement desire of seeing them, or of hearing from them. Here the apostle speaks in the singular number, and seems to intimate, as if what was said before of the like kind is to be understood singly of him; for these words are a repetition and summary of the foregoing, with some diversity: “I sent to know your faith; how it stood, whether it was staggering” Through these afflictions, or firm; whether it was weak or strong, what was wanting in it; and whether it grew and increased. The Arabic version adds, “and charity”; for of this, as well as of faith, Timothy brought an account, as appears from the following…