I Thessalonians 2:16
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hindering us from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved. As a result, they continue to heap up their sins to full capacity; the utmost wrath has come upon them.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
Forbidding--Greek, "Hindering us from speaking," &c. to fill up their sins alway--Tending thus "to the filling up (the full measure of, Gen 15:16; Dan 8:23; Mat 23:32) their sins at all times," that is, now as at all former times. Their hindrance of the Gospel preaching to the Gentiles was the last measure added to their continually accumulating iniquity, which made them fully ripe for vengeance. for--Greek, "but." "But," they shall proceed no further, for (Ti2 3:8) "the" divine "wrath has (so the Greek) come upon (overtaken unexpectedly; the past tense expressing the speedy certainty of the divinely destined stroke) them to the uttermost"; not merely partial wrath, but wrath to its full extent, "even to the finishing stroke" [EDMUNDS]. The past tense implies that the fullest visitation of wrath was already begun. Already in A.D. 48, a tumult had occurred at the Passover in Jerusalem, when about thirty thousand (according to some) were slain; a foretaste of the whole vengeance which speedily followed (Luk 19:43-44; Luk 21:24).
Open source ↗In this chapter the apostle puts the Thessalonians in mind of the manner of his preaching among them (Th1 2:1-6). Then of the manner of his conversation among them (Th1 2:7-12). Afterwards of the success of his ministry, with the effects both on himself and on them (Th1 2:13-16), and then apologizes for his absence (Th1 2:17-20).
Open source ↗2:16 The mission to the Gentiles was one of the most important issues in the early church (Acts 11:18; 13:46-49; 28:28; Rom 1:16). • Judgment comes when sins pile up to their complete measure (Gen 15:16; Dan 8:23; cp. Matt 23:31-36).
Open source ↗Cross-references
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But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that Paul was also proclaiming the word of God in Berea, they went there themselves to incite and agitate the crowds.
Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, presuming he was dead.
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers.
But when the Gentiles and Jews, together with their rulers, set out to mistreat and stone them,
and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.
The Jews, however, incited the religious women of prominence and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district.
Now, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.
But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously contradicted what Paul was saying.