2 Thessalonians 3:12 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

2 Thessalonians 3:13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.

2 Thessalonians 3:14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "such", "command", "exhort", "lord", "jesus", "christ", "quietness", and "bread". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "such" and "command", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "For we hear that there are some..." into verse 13's "But ye brethren be not weary in...", so "such" and "command" 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 "such" and "command" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.