2 Thessalonians 3:8 (KJV)

Passage

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:

Nearby Context

2 Thessalonians 3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

2 Thessalonians 3:7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;

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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "neither", "bread", "nought", "wrought", "labour", "travail", "night", and "might". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "neither" and "bread", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "For yourselves know how ye ought to..." into verse 9's "Not because we have not power but...", so "neither" and "bread" 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 "neither" and "bread" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.