Daily Bible Nugget #795, 2 Thessalonians 3:3

The Nugget:

2Th 3:3  But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. (KJV)

2Th 3:3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. (ESV)

2Th 3:3 But the Lord is true, who will give you strength and keep you safe from evil. (BBE, Bible in Basic English)

2Th 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. (NET Bible)

2Th 3:3 But the Lord is to be trusted, and He will give you strength and guard you from the evil one. (Williams NT)

2Th 3:3  But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and keep you safe from the Evil One. (GNB, Good News Bible)

2Th 3:3  But the Lord is faithful and will strengthen you and protect you against the evil one. (GW, God’s Word translation)

2Th 3:3 But the Lord can be trusted to make you strong and protect you from harm. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

Cross Reference Bible Study:

From The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge:

2 Thessalonians 3:3
the Lord: 1Co 1:9, 1Co 10:13; 1Th 5:24
stablish: 2Th 2:17
and: Gen 48:16; 1Ch 4:10; Psa 19:13, Psa 121:7; Mat 6:13; Luk 11:4; Joh 17:15; 2Ti 4:18; 2Pe 2:9; Jud 1:24

From The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge:

2 Thessalonians 3:3

the Lord. See on 1Co 1:9; ✓1Co 10:13; 1Th 5:24; *1Jn 1:9
stablish. See on 2Th 2:17; +*1Pe 5:10; +*2Pe 1:10
and keep. Gen 20:6; Gen 48:16; 1Ch 4:10; Psa 19:13; Psa 121:7; +*Mat 6:13; +*Luk 11:4 n. *Joh 17:15; *1Co 10:13; 2Ti 4:18; *2Pe 2:9; *1Jn 5:18; ✓Jud 1:24
from evil. 2Th 2:17; +Mat 13:19

From The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

2 Thessalonians 3:3
the Lord is faithful. Deut 7:9, See on +1Co 1:9; **1Co 10:13, 1Th 5:24, 2Ti 2:13, Heb 10:23, *1Jn 1:9.

stablish. See on 2Th 2:17, Deut 28:9, *Job 36:7, Psa 90:17, Pro 4:26, Rom 1:11; Rom 16:25, 2Co 1:21, *+1Pe 5:10, +*2Pe 1:10.

and keep. or, guard. Gr. phulassō (S# G5442, Mat 19:20). +*Gen 20:6; Gen 48:16, 1Ch 4:10, Psa 19:13; Psa 121:7, +*Mat 6:13, +*Luk 11:4 note. *Joh 17:12 g, Joh 17:15, 1Co 1:8; *1Co 10:13, +*2Co 13:7, 1Th 5:23, 2Ti 4:18, *2Pe 2:5 g, 2Pe 2:9, *1Jn 5:18, **Jud 1:24.

from evil. or, the wicked one. 2Th 2:17, Mat 5:37; +*Mat 6:13; +Mat 13:19, Luk 11:4, Joh 17:15, Eph 6:16, 1Th 2:18; 1Th 3:5, 1Jn 2:13, 14; 1Jn 3:12; 1Jn 5:18.

Here is the Luke 11:4 note:

lead us not. FS111, +Gen 18:27. Luk 8:13; Luk 22:40; Luk 22:46, +*Jer 29:11, Mat 6:13; *Mat 26:41, Mar 14:38, **1Co 10:13, 2Co 12:7, 8, **Jas 1:2; **Jas 1:13, 14, 15, 16, 17, Rev 2:10; +*Rev 3:10.

There is no suggestion intended here that God might “lead us into temptation.” The balanced sentence employs a contrast, where the first member (“lead us not into temptation”) is employed solely to emphasize the last member (“but deliver us from evil”). For other instances of this construction, see Joh 20:27, Rom 12:21, 1Co 10:24, 2Co 3:6, Eph 5:17, 18, Php 2:4, Col 3:2. Compare +**Mat 24:35 note and 2Ti 1:8 note.

Here is the Matthew 24:35 note:

shall pass away, but. FS111, Gen 18:27. This is most assuredly the Figure Meiosis, also known as Litotes (Luke 11:4 note), involving a Balanced Sentence where the first statement is contrary to fact or reality, and is used in a contrast to most strongly emphasize what is affirmed in the last statement.

In this form of statement the last statement is frequently introduced by the word but, which helps to mark this figure (see Isa 51:6; Isa 54:10, +Luk 11:4).

Scholars can wrangle with my assertion all they please; their contrary opinion only demonstrates they have not studied the Scriptures carefully enough. I have.

Jesus does not, and absolutely could not, affirm that heaven and earth will pass away. The expressions used here are frequently reflected elsewhere in Scripture (see the preceding Parallel Passages).

Surely our Lord Jesus Christ and His Jewish hearers, intimately acquainted with the Hebrew Scriptures (T1122, +**Joh 6:14), were aware of the context, for example, of **Psa 102:26 note as seen in Psa 102:28, something apparently missed by some modern scholars.

God’s Covenant Promises are absolutely guaranteed as being more sure than the promise that the earth abides forever and shall never perish, so sure are the sure mercies of David, mercies above and greater than the heavens (Psa 108:4); note carefully in the context of Psa 102:26 the statement of Psa 102:28 that the generations of “thy servants shall continue” (+**Psa 72:5) and be “established before thee”—surely the Bible writers who cite or allude to Psa 102:26 were most aware of its context and the assurance of Psa 102:28, so when Jesus states “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away,” His words are the guaranteed words of the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants, which are more sure than the heavens and will certainly come to pass.

God Himself appeals to the promised eternal constancy of the universe (Jer 31:35, 36, 37) to affirm the absolute certainty of the “Sure mercies of David” (+**Isa 55:3).

To suggest the heavens or the earth shall literally pass away would violate the provisions of the Abrahamic Covenant (+**Gen 12:2 note) and the Davidic Covenant (+**2Sa 7:10 note), which would contradict the very character of God Himself (+*Mal 3:6), which is utterly impossible (+**Gen 18:25 note. +*Titus 1:2).

If our Lord Jesus Christ is to rule eternally here upon this earth in Jerusalem on the Throne of David forever over the whole earth (+**Isa 24:23, Dan 7:13, 14, +*Zec 14:9, +*Mat 5:5, **Luk 1:32; **Luk 1:33, Rev 11:15), then the earth as we know it will stand forever (**1Ch 16:30, **Psa 148:5; **Psa 148:6). Psa 58:8; +**Psa 108:4, +**Luk 1:32; +**Luk 1:33.

From A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures, on 2 Thessalonians 3:3,

2 Thessalonians 3:3

But the Lord is faithful (pistos de estin ho kurios).
But faithful is the Lord (correct rendition), with a play (paronomasia) on pistis by pistos as in Rom 3:3 we have a word-play on apisteō and apistia. The Lord can be counted on, however perverse men may be.
From the evil one (apo tou ponērou). Apparently a reminiscence of the Lord’s Prayer in Mat 6:13 rusai hēmas apo tou ponērou. But here as there it is not certain whether tou ponērou is neuter (evil) like to ponēron in Rom 12:9 or masculine (the evil one). But we have ho ponēros (the evil one) in 1Jo 5:18 and tou ponērou is clearly masculine in Eph 6:16. If masculine here, as is probable, is it “the Evil One” (Ellicott) or merely the evil man like those mentioned in 2Th 3:2? Perhaps Paul has in mind the representative of Satan, the man of sin, pictured in 2Th 2:1-12, by the phrase here without trying to be too definite.