For the rest, brethren, pray for us that the word of God may run and may be glorified, even as among you:
το λοιπον προσευχεσθε αδελφοι περι ημων ινα ο λογος του κυριου τρεχη και δοξαζηται καθως και προς υμας
12 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Thus, previously he prayed for them, that they might be established in the faith. Now he turns to them with a request, urging them to pray for him. He does not ask that he may avoid dangers, for he had devoted himself to these. He asks "that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, as also among you." The request is joined with praise: "as," he says, "also among you."
He himself first prayed for them, that they might be established in the faith. Now he asks them to pray for him. He does not ask that he may avoid dangers, for he had devoted himself to these. He asks that the word of the Lord may spread and be glorified. Here the request is joined with praise: "as also among you," he says, so that all may likewise submit to it as you have. Thus the Apostle asks nothing properly for himself, but everything for God.
The Apostle also says to the Thessalonians: “Therefore pray for us, brethren, that the word of the Lord may spread and be glorified, as it was with you, and that we may be delivered from disorderly and wicked men; for not all have faith” (2 Thess 3:1-2). How would the word of God spread and be glorified, if not through the conversion to faith of those to whom it was preached? For he is speaking to those who already believe, and so says, “as it was with you.”
He certainly knows that this is accomplished by Him whom he wishes them to ask to do it, and also to deliver him from disorderly and wicked men. These, of course, were not disposed to believe, although the believers prayed. That is why he adds, “for not all have faith.” It is as though he were saying: even though you pray, the word of God will not be glorified among all. For those disposed to believe were precisely those appointed to eternal life (Acts 13:48), predestined for adoption through Jesus Christ, and chosen in Him before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4).
Yet through the prayers of believers, God causes unbelievers to believe, in order to show that He Himself accomplishes this. For no one is so ignorant, carnal, and dull-minded as not to understand that God accomplishes what He commands us to ask Him to perform.
In Augustine, the simple form of the verb ordinati, “appointed,” appears, whereas in the Vulgate, as in the Synodal translation, the form is praeordinati, “foreappointed.” Compare Eph 1:5.
Remember us in your prayer, brethren, that the word of God may spread among those who receive it, and may be glorified through the works of its hearers in every place, as also among you.
“Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, as it was among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men.” There seem to be two petitions here, but they form one. For when evil men have been defeated, then the word of preaching will run unhindered.
“For not all have faith.” The Apostle said this also in another place: “This persuasion is not from Him who called you” (Gal 5:8). For to call is God’s work, and to obey is ours. Thus the Lord also said in the Holy Gospel: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (Jn 7:37). And again: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Lk 9:23). For He does not compel by necessity, but seeks a good will.
Working with these millstones, that is, with the New and Old Testaments, the holy Church labors with unceasing care. Having sifted away the coarseness of sins, she offers from hidden thoughts the better part of the heart’s fine flour. From what is hidden she brings forth spiritual food, washed by heavenly commandments.
Concerning this food the Apostle Paul affirms, “I fed you with milk, not solid food” (1 Cor 3:2). And again: “Solid food belongs to the perfect, who by practice have their senses trained” (Heb 5:14), and so forth. Likewise, purifying our spirit from everything human, the soul seeks, as it were, to bring God the finest flour. Saint David also affirms: “A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit” (Ps 50:18).
The good tidings are proclaimed with such speed that only the wise understand their course. Blessed Paul, understanding this, says concerning it: “that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified among us.” Yet to the eyes of the foolish, the good tidings seem motionless, because they do not see. They think the good tidings stand without movement, I say, when His commandments are despised, and when they do not believe that what is written will be fulfilled.
As it is useful for you that we strive to implore the merciful God for your salvation, so it is also fitting for you to offer prayers to the Lord for us. Let us not consider improper what we know the Apostle did. He so greatly desired to obtain God’s mercy through prayers that he entreated the whole people, saying, “Pray for us.”
Therefore, we must say something that will encourage us and edify you. As we must think with great fear and diligence about how to discharge the episcopal office blamelessly, so you must take care to fulfill with humble obedience everything commanded you. Let us all pray, most beloved, that my episcopate may be profitable both to me and to you.
"That the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, as also among you." In these words a great praise of the Thessalonians is revealed. Yet the Apostle did not state it directly, lest he give them occasion to regard themselves as the model of Christian faith and life.
In the concluding chapter of his epistle, the Apostle Paul first asks the Thessalonians for prayers for himself and for the success of his preaching. This is against the plots of disorderly and wicked men surrounding the Apostle in Corinth and everywhere (2 Thess. 3:1-4). He also prays for the Thessalonians on his part (2 Thess. 3:5), that the Lord may direct their hearts into the love of God, that is, toward God, and into the patience of Christ, that is, for Christ. Then he sends them the following exhortation:
The Apostle asks them to pray for him not personally, but as a representative of the Church and her evangelist. Therefore, he asks them to pray that the Christian faith may spread and be glorified by holy people, and that there may be no disorderly people who are Christians only in appearance. At the same time, he praises the Thessalonians, while also mentioning that among Christians there are some insufficiently believing.
St. John Chrysostom says: “Since the Apostle intends afterward to proceed to rebuke, he first softens their hearts. He does this by saying, ‘I am confident in your obedience,’ by asking their prayers for himself, and again by praying himself that countless blessings be sent down upon them.”
“Remembering how quickly and easily the faith was established among them, and how, by contrast, it encountered many contradictors in Corinth, the Apostle joyfully dwells on the former and desires deliverance from the latter. He speaks as if saying: ‘You are better than the Corinthians. May God grant that the Corinthians, those around them, and all everywhere may be like you. You are glorious. Do not allow any disorderly persons among you to dishonor the whole community by their unruly conduct.’ By the wicked and evil men of whom Saint Paul speaks, one may understand unbelievers, or those of corrupt and false faith, or those who merely bear the name of believers. The first kind may include fanatical Jews, who everywhere rose up against the Gospel themselves and often incited pagans to do the same. The second kind may include Jews who could not abandon the Old Testament law. In general, however, it is safer to hold to the thought of St. John Chrysostom and other ancient interpreters. Here the Apostle means the contradictors and opponents he encountered in Thessalonica, and those who openly rose against him in Corinth (Acts 18:12)” (Bishop Theophan).
Before his exhortations concerning the disorders that existed in the Thessalonian Church, the Apostle places a request. He asks that the Thessalonians pray for the free spread of the Gospel, and for its glorification through its wondrous action upon human hearts. On the other hand, the Thessalonians must also pray for the preachers of the Gospel, that they may be delivered from restless men (άτοπων) and outright wicked men (πονηρών). For, the Apostle notes, there are such men who, by their disposition, are incapable of believing in the truth.
He asks them to pray for him. "He asks, as it were, for an equal repayment" (John of Damascus). "Earlier he prayed for them, that they might be established in the faith.
"Now he turns to them with a request, asking them to pray for him" (Chrysostom). "At the same time he encourages and inspires them, considering them sufficient to pray for their teacher" (Oecumenius).
Or, as Theophylact says, he presents them as having such boldness before God that their prayer can aid the success of the preaching of their own teacher.
He asks them to pray for him, but not for anything temporal. He asks for the success of the word, whose preaching he considered the task of his life and a work dearer than life itself.
The Apostle's love for the Gospel and zeal for its spread reached the point of self-forgetfulness. For this he first gave himself over to death, and regarded himself as one appointed to death (1 Cor 4:9).
Therefore there was no need to be concerned for anything necessary for life, or even for life itself, provided only that the word should have success.
"He asks nothing properly for himself, but everything for God" (Theophylact). He asks "not that he may avoid dangers, for he had devoted himself to this. He lies under this, as was said in the first epistle (1 Thess 3:3), but that the word of God may run" (Chrysostom).
He asks "that the preaching of the Gospel may run and be received by all with faith" (Oecumenius).
The word of the Lord is the word of God (1 Thess 2:13). It is what the Lord Himself handed down to the Apostles, commanding them to teach it to all nations. It is the same as the Gospel.
You are under the wrath of God because of the ancestral transgression and your own sins. Behold, we preach good tidings of joy to you: the Son of God died for us and turned away God's wrath on our behalf.
Believe, and you will be received into God's mercy and His grace, so as to please Him.
"May it run," that is, may it spread unhindered and swiftly, meeting no obstacles and being constrained or stopped by nothing (2 Tim 2:9). As some majestic river flows, spreading broadly, so may the Gospel preaching flow through the mouths of the Apostles and water the whole earth.
"And be glorified," that is, may it show its glorious and beneficial actions upon minds, hearts, and morals. May it be honored for this as something great, wondrous, and divine, first among you, and then through you among all.
No earthly glory accompanied the word of God everywhere, while the Lord worked with it and confirmed the word by the signs that followed (Mk 16:20). But this was external glory. More glorious was this: when those who believed the word received grace and were renewed.
Since this is the goal of the word, and the path to it is faith, the Apostle, in asking prayers for the glory of the word, asks them to pray that the hearts of all may open to receive the word by faith.
Through this they would draw wondrous overshadowings of grace. This is properly the glory of the word, not so dazzling, but powerful in action.
Those counted worthy of this themselves marveled and said: see what the word has done in me. Others too marveled and said: look what the word has made them.
"Just as also among you." Oecumenius says: "just as among you it ran and was believed." Theophylact says: "that all may submit to it just as you did."
This is Saint Paul's own testimony that among the Thessalonians his preaching quickly spread, attracted many, and produced glorious effects. Both the Thessalonians themselves and outsiders who saw their faith glorified it.
Here is praise of the Thessalonians, says Chrysostom, for their swift conversion and attachment to the faith. It is great praise.
Remembering how quickly and easily faith had been established among them, and how many objectors it was meeting in Corinth, he rests with joy on the first and desires deliverance from the latter.
He speaks as though saying: you are better than the Corinthians. May God grant that the Corinthians and those around them, and all everywhere, may be the same as you.
Anyone can see how fitting this praise is here for the Apostle's purpose of disposing the disorderly to correction. The thought is clear: you are so glorious. Do not allow there to be among you disorderly people who disgrace the whole community by their undisciplined conduct.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 18 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS