1 Thessalonians 2:3

1 Thessalonians 2:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile:
• New International Version (NIV)For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,
• New King James Version (NKJV)For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit.

Context of 1 Thessalonians 2:3

1Our Christian friends, you yourselves know that our visit to you had good results. 2You know what happened to us before we came to you. The people at Philippi had done bad things to us. They had caused us to have trouble. When we came to you, our God helped us to be brave. We were not afraid to tell you his good news. Many people tried to stop us, but we told you God's message. When we tell people to obey God's message, we are not saying anything that is not true. We do not have a wrong purpose. We are not trying to deceive anyone. 4Instead, we say what God wants us to say. He has chosen us to tell his good news to people. So we do not do it to make people happy. We do it to make God happy. He is the one who knows what we are really like. 5When we came to you, we spoke what was true. We did not just say nice things to make you feel good. You yourselves know that. We did not try to make you give things to us. We never had a secret purpose like that. God knows that this is true.

1 Thessalonians 2:3 word by word

ἡ γὰρ παράκλησις ἡμῶν οὐκ ἐκ πλάνης οὐδὲ ἐξ ἀκαθαρσίας οὐδὲ ἐν δόλῳ·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• ourἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• exhortationπαράκλησιςparaklēsis · encouragementG3874
• notοὐou · noG3756
• ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• deceitπλάνηplanē · errorG4106
• norοὐδέoude · norG3761
• uncleannessἀκαθαρσίαakatharsia · impurityG167
• norοὔτεoute · neitherG3777
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• guileδόλοςdolos · deceitG1388

Cross-references for 1 Thessalonians 2:3

• 1 Thessalonians 2:5When we came to you, we spoke what was true. We did not just say nice things to make you feel good. You yourselves know that. We did not try to make you give things to us. We never had a secret purpose like that. God knows that this is true.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:1Christian friends, there are a few more things that we need to say. We have already taught you how to live in a way that pleases God. And we know that you are living in that way. Now we ask you to continue to live like that even more. On behalf of the Lord Jesus, we seriously ask you to do this.
• Numbers 16:15Moses was angry. He said to the Lord, ‘Do not accept what these men offer to you. I did not take anything from them, not even one donkey! I did not do a wrong thing to any of them.’
• 1 Samuel 12:3Look at me. I stand here where the Lord and his chosen king can see me. Speak now if I have done any wrong thing against you. Have I taken anyone's cow or anyone's donkey? Have I cheated anyone? Have I been cruel to anyone? Have I received bribes from anyone to say that they are not guilty? If I have done any of those things, tell me! Then I will pay back my debt.’
• Acts 20:33When I stayed among you, I did not ask you to give me money or clothes.
• 2 Corinthians 2:17Some people even tell God's message because they want to get a lot of money for themselves. But we are not like them. No, God himself has sent us to do this work. And he sees what we are doing. So we are honest and we speak God's message clearly, as Christ's servants should do.
• 2 Corinthians 4:2We refuse to do anything secretly that we might be ashamed of. We do not tell lies. We do not change God's message to deceive people. No. We tell God's true message clearly. God himself sees that we teach people in an honest way. Everyone should understand that we only do what is right.
• 2 Corinthians 7:2Be friends with us. We have done nothing wrong to any of you. We have not hurt anyone. We have not cheated anyone.
• 2 Corinthians 11:13Those people are false apostles. They do not work in an honest way. They try to make people think that Christ has sent them as his apostles.
• 2 Corinthians 12:16I did not give you trouble. You surely know that. But some of you say that I deceived you. You think that I was clever and I got money from you.
• 2 Peter 1:16We told you that our Lord Jesus Christ is powerful. We also told you that he will return to earth again. We were not telling you false stories that came from people's clever ideas. Instead, we were telling you what we ourselves had seen. We ourselves saw that the Lord Jesus is very great.

Commentaries on 1 Thessalonians 2:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Our exhortation - The word has a very extensive meaning; it signifies not only exhortation and teaching in general, but also encouragement, consolation, and the like. When the apostles exhorted or admonished men, it was that they should turn from evil to good, from misery to happiness, from Satan to God, and from hell to heaven. Their exhortations having this object, every word was consolatory; and as the truth which they delivered was unquestionable…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3For our exhortation - That is, the exhortation to embrace the gospel. The word seems to be used here so as to include preaching in general. The sense is, that the means which they used to induce them to become Christians were not such as to delude them. Was not of deceit - Was not founded on sophistry. The apostle means to say, that the Thessalonians knew that his manner of preaching was not such as was adopted by the advocates of error. Nor of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-20The letter begins by discussing the character of Paul and his associates, as well as how the Thessalonians accepted the good news (2:1–12; 13–16). It emphasizes Paul’s genuine care for the church, mentioning: his efforts to visit them again (2:17–20), and his choice to send Timothy when he could not go himself (3:1–5). It concludes with the apostle Paul’s happiness about Timothy’s positive report and his prayers to return to the church (3:6–9; 10–13)…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. For--The ground of his "boldness" (1Th 2:2), his freedom from all "deceit, uncleanness, and guile"; guile, before God, deceit (Greek, "imposture"), towards men (compare 2Co 1:12; 2:17; Ep 4:14); uncleanness, in relation to one's self (impure motives of carnal self-gratification in gain, 1Th 2:5), or lust; such as actuated false teachers of the Gentiles (Php 1:16; 2Pe 2:10, 14; Jude 8; Re 2:14, 15). So Simon Magus and Cerinthus taught [Estius]…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Thessalonians 2:3

• Deceit
• Minister, Christian
• Preaching
• Sincerity
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Affectionately
• Bold
• Chargeable
• Cherish
• Desire
• Joy
• Deceit
• Err; Error
• Exhortation
• Guile

Commentaries on 1 Thessalonians 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings