1 Thessalonians 3:12

1 Thessalonians 3:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
• English Standard Version (ESV)and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,
• New King James Version (NKJV)And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,
• New Living Translation (NLT)And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.

Context of 1 Thessalonians 3:12

10Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. 11Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 word by word

ὑμᾶς δὲ ὁ κύριος πλεονάσαι καὶ περισσεύσαι τῇ ἀγάπῃ εἰς ἀλλήλους καὶ εἰς πάντας καθάπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς ὑμᾶςRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andδέde · thenG1161
• the Lordὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• makeπλεονάζωpleonazō · to increaseG4121
• youσύsu · youG4771
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• aboundπερισσεύωperisseuō · to exceedG4052
• in loveἀγάπηagapē · loveG26
• oneἀλλήλωνallēlōn · one anotherG240
• towardεἰςeis · towardG1519
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956
• asκαθάπερkathaper · just asG2509
• weἐγώegō · I/weG1473

Cross-references for 1 Thessalonians 3:12

• 1 Thessalonians 4:10And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more,
• Psalms 115:4But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands.
• Luke 17:5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
• 2 Corinthians 9:10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
• James 1:17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
• 2 Peter 3:18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:9Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.
• Philippians 1:9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
• 2 Thessalonians 1:3We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:15Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
• Matthew 7:12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
• Matthew 22:39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
• Romans 13:8Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.
• 1 Corinthians 13:1If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
• Galatians 5:6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
• 2 Peter 1:7and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

Commentaries on 1 Thessalonians 3:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Make you to increase and abound in love - They had already love to each other, so as to unite them in one Christian body; and he prays that they may have an increase and an abundance of it; that they might feel the same love to each other which he felt for them all.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love - compare notes, 2 Corinthians 9:8. The word “Lord” here probably refers to the Lord Jesus, as this is the name by which he is commonly designated in the New Testament; see the notes on Acts 1:24. If this be so, then this is a petition to the Lord Jesus as the fountain of all grace and goodness.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-13Verses 11-13 Prayer is religious worship, and all religious worship is due unto God only. Prayer is to be offered to God as our Father. Prayer is not only to be offered in the name of Christ, but offered up to Christ himself, as our Lord and our Saviour. Let us acknowledge God in all our ways, and he will direct our paths. Mutual love is required of all Christians. And love is of God, and is fulfilling the gospel as well as the law. We need the Spirit's…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12This church was known for their love for each other as members of God's family (4:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:3–4). Paul prays that their love will increase and reach those outside the Christian community even when they suffer persecution (see 1 Thessalonians 5:15; Galatians 6:10; 2 Timothy 2:24; Titus 3:2).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. The "you" in the Greek is emphatically put first; "But" (so the Greek for "and") what concerns "YOU," whether we come or not, "may the Lord make you to increase and abound in love," &c. The Greek for "increase" has a more positive force; that for "abound" a more comparative force, "make you full (supplying 'that which is lacking,' 1Th 3:10) and even abound." "The Lord" may here be the Holy Spirit; so the Three Persons of the Trinity will be appealed…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Thessalonians 3:12

• Commandments
• Grace of God
• Intercession
• Love
• Righteous

In the dictionaries

• Increase
• Live
• Sanctification
• Thessalonians, the First Epistle of Paul to the
• blameless

Commentaries on 1 Thessalonians 3

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings