“not to be quickly shaken in your mind, and not be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as if from us, saying that the day of Christ has already come.”
— WEB
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Translations sourced from the public-domain WEB, KJV, and ASV. See all sources.
“not to be quickly shaken in your mind, and not be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as if from us, saying that the day of Christ has already come.”
— WEB
“That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.”
— KJV
“to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand;”
— ASV
soon--on trifling grounds, without due consideration. shaken--literally, "tossed" as ships tossed by an agitated sea. Compare for the same image, Eph 4:14. in mind--rather as the Greek, "from your mind," that is, from your mental steadfastness on the subject. troubled--This verb applies to emotional agitation; as "shaken" to intellectual. by spirit--by a person professing to have the spirit of prophecy (Co1 12:8-10; Jo1 4:1-3). The Thessalonians had been warned (Th1 5:20-21) to "prove" such professed prophesyings, and to "hold fast (only) that which is good." by word--of mouth (compare Th2 2:5, Th2 2:15); some word or saying alleged to be that of Paul, orally communicated. If oral tradition was liable to such perversion in the apostolic age (compare a similar instance, Joh 21:23), how much more in our age! by letter as from us--purporting to be from us, whereas it is a forgery. Hence he gives a test by which to know his genuine letters (Th2 3:17). day of Christ--The oldest manuscripts read, "day of the Lord." is at hand--rather, "is immediately imminent," literally, "is present"; "is instantly coming." Christ and His apostles always taught that the day of the Lord's coming is at hand; and it is not likely that Paul would imply anything contrary here; what he denies is, that it is so immediately imminent, instant, or present, as to justify the neglect of everyday worldly duties. CHRYSOSTOM, and after him ALFORD, translates, "is (already) present" (compare Ti2 2:18), a kindred error.
— Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary (public domain)
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