2 Thessalonians 3:10 (KJV)

Passage

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Nearby Context

2 Thessalonians 3:8 Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:

2 Thessalonians 3:9 Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

2 Thessalonians 3:11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.

2 Thessalonians 3:12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "even", "commanded", "neither", and "should". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "even" and "commanded", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "Not because we have not power but..." into verse 11's "For we hear that there are some...", so "even" and "commanded" belong inside that flow. In 2 Thessalonians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "even" and "commanded" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.