1 Thessalonians 2:6

1 Thessalonians 2:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.
• New International Version (NIV)We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ.

Context of 1 Thessalonians 2:6

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. We did not want anyone to say that we are great people. We did not want you to do that, or anyone else. 7We could have used our authority over you, because we are Christ's apostles. But instead, we chose to be kind to you and to help you. We took care of you, like a mother takes care of her little children. 8We loved you very much, so we wanted to tell you God's good news. We wanted to share our lives with you too.

1 Thessalonians 2:6 word by word

οὔτε ζητοῦντες ἐξ ἀνθρώπων δόξαν οὔτε ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν οὔτε ἀπ᾽ ἄλλων,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Norοὔτεoute · neitherG3777
• ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• menἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• sought weζητέωzēteō · to seekG2212
• gloryδόξαdoxa · gloryG1391
• ofἀπόapo · away fromG575
• youσύsu · youG4771
• othersἄλλοςallos · anotherG243
• when we mightδύναμαιdunamai · be ableG1410
• have beenεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• burdensomeἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• burdensomeβάροςbaros · burdenG922
• asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• the apostlesἀπόστολοςapostolos · apostleG652
• of ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547

Cross-references for 1 Thessalonians 2:6

• Esther 1:4The feast continued for 180 days. King Xerxes wanted to show everyone how rich and powerful he was. He wanted to show that he was a great king.
• Esther 5:11Haman told them how rich he was, and how many sons he had. He told them of all the things that the king had done to give him great honour. He told them that he was now more important than all the king's other rulers and officers.
• Proverbs 25:27It is bad for you to eat too much honey. If you always want people to praise you, it is also bad for you.
• Daniel 4:30The king said, ‘Look how great Babylon is! It is the city that I have built to be my home as king. It shows that I am a great and powerful king!’
• John 5:41I do not think that it is important for people to praise me.
• John 7:18A person who teaches his own ideas wants people to think that he himself is great. But I want to show that the one who sent me is great. A person like that is honest and there is nothing false in him.
• John 12:43The Pharisees wanted other people to praise them, more than they wanted God to praise them.
• Galatians 1:10When I say these things, I am not trying to please people. No, it is God that I want to please. If I only wanted to make people happy, then I would not be a servant of Christ.
• Galatians 5:26We must not become proud. We must not be jealous of each other, so that we cause trouble to one another.
• Galatians 6:13Even those men that someone has circumcised do not obey all the Jewish rules. They want to circumcise you only to make themselves seem important. They want to show that they have authority over your bodies.
• 1 Timothy 5:17Everyone should respect leaders of the believers who lead the church well. The church should also pay them properly for their work. That is certainly true for leaders who teach God's people and speak God's message to them.
• 1 Thessalonians 2:9Our Christian friends, remember how we worked so hard to help you. We worked during the day and even during the night. We did not want to cause any problems for you. So we taught you God's good news and we did not ask you to give us anything in return.
• 1 Corinthians 9:4As apostles, Barnabas and I should receive food and drink from the people that we help.
• 2 Corinthians 10:1I, Paul, need to ask you something. Perhaps you think that I am only humble when I am present there with you. You think that I only speak strongly to you when I am far away! Now I am away from you. But I am still humble and kind, like Christ is.
• 2 Corinthians 13:10That is why I am writing these things to you now, while I am away from you. Then, when I arrive, I will not need to be angry with you. I will not have to use my authority to punish you. The Lord gave that authority to me to help you to become stronger as believers. He did not give it to me so that I could destroy you.
• Philemon 1:8I want to ask you to do something. I am sure that Christ has given me authority. So I could tell you strongly what you should do.

Commentaries on 1 Thessalonians 2:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Nor of men sought we glory - As we preached not for worldly gain, so we preached not for popular applause; we had what we sought for-the approbation of God, and the testimony of a good conscience. When we might have been burdensome - They had a right to their maintenance while they devoted themselves wholly to the work of the Gospel for the sake of the people's souls. Others understand the words , to be honorable; we sought no glory of you nor of others…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Nor of men sought we glory - Or praise. The love of applause was not that which influenced them; see the notes on Colossians 1:10. Neither of you, nor yet of others - Nowhere has this been our object The love of fame is not that which has influenced us. The particular idea in this verse seems to be that though they had uncommon advantages, as the apostles of Christ, for setting up a dominion or securing an ascendancy over others, yet they had not availed…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. 66. Literally, "Nor of men (have we been found, 1Th 2:5) seeking glory." The "of" here represents a different Greek word from "of" in the clause "of you ... of others." Alford makes the former (Greek, "ex") express the abstract ground of the glory; the latter (apo) the concrete object from which it was to come. The former means "originating from"; the latter means "on the part of." Many teach heretical novelties, though not for fain, yet for "glory." Paul…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Thessalonians 2:6

• Flattery
• Glory
• Minister, Christian
• Preaching
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Christ, Messiah
• Affectionately
• Bold
• Chargeable
• Cherish
• Desire
• Joy
• Paul, the Apostle
• Praise

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