SEV Biblia, Chapter 5:3
que cuando dirn: Paz y seguridad, entonces vendr sobre ellos destruccin de repente, como los dolores a la mujer encinta; y no escaparn.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Thessalonians 5:3
Verse 3. For when they shall say, Peace and safety] This points out, very particularly, the state of the Jewish people when the Romans came against them; and so fully persuaded were they that God would not deliver the city and temple to their enemies, that they refused every overture that was made to them. Sudden destruction] In the storming of their city and the burning of their temple, and the massacre of several hundreds of thousands of themselves; the rest being sold for slaves, and the whole of them dispersed over the face of the earth.
As travail upon a woman] This figure is perfectly consistent with what the apostle had said before, viz.: that the times and seasons were not known: though the thing itself was expected, our Lord having predicted it in the most positive manner. So, a woman with child knows that, if she be spared, she will have a bearing time; but the week, the day, the hour, she cannot tell. In a great majority of cases the time is accelerated or retarded much before or beyond the time that the woman expected; so, with respect to the Jews, neither the day, week, month, nor year was known. All that was specifically known was this: their destruction was coming, and it should be sudden, and they should not escape.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 3. For when they shall say , etc.] Or men shall say, that is, wicked and ungodly men, persons in a state of unregeneracy: peace and safety ; when they shall sing a requiem, to themselves, promise themselves much ease and peace for years to come, and imagine their persons and property to be very secure from enemies and oppressors, and shall flatter themselves with much and long temporal happiness: then sudden destruction cometh upon them ; as on the men of the old world in the times of Noah, and on the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah in the days of Lot; for as these, will be the days of the Son of man, as at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, so at the last day; (see Luke 17:26-30) and as was the destruction of literal Babylon, so of Babylon in a mystical sense, or antichrist and his followers: and which will be as travail upon a woman with child ; whose anguish and pains are very sharp, the cause of which is within herself, and which come suddenly upon her, and are unavoidable; and so the metaphor expresses the sharpness and severity of the destruction of the wicked, thus the calamities on the Jewish nation are expressed by a word which signifies the sorrows, pangs, and birth throes of a woman in travail, ( Matthew 24:8), and likewise that the cause of it is from themselves, their own sins and transgressions; and also the suddenness of it, which will come upon them in the midst of all their mirth, jollity, and security; and moreover, the inevitableness of it, it will certainly come at the full and appointed time, though that is not known: and they shall not escape ; the righteous judgment of God, the wrath of the Lamb, or falling into his hands; to escape is impossible, rocks, hills, and mountains will not cover and hide them; before the judgment seat of Christ they must stand, and into everlasting punishment must they go.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-5 - It is needless or useless to ask about the particular time of Christ' coming. Christ did not reveal this to the apostles. There are times an seasons for us to work in, and these are our duty and interest to know and observe; but as to the time when we must give up our account, we know it not, nor is it needful that we should. The coming of Chris will be a great surprise to men. Our Lord himself said so. As the hou of death is the same to each person that the judgment will be to mankind in general, so the same remarks answer for both. Christ' coming will be terrible to the ungodly. Their destruction will overtak them while they dream of happiness, and please themselves with vai amusements. There will be no means to escape the terror or the punishment of that day. This day will be a happy day to the righteous They are not in darkness; they are the children of the light. It is the happy condition of all true Christians. But how many are speaking peac and safety to themselves, over whose heads utter destruction i hovering! Let us endeavour to awaken ourselves and each other, an guard against our spiritual enemies.
Greek Textus Receptus
οταν 3752 γαρ 1063 λεγωσιν 3004 5725 ειρηνη 1515 και 2532 ασφαλεια 803 τοτε 5119 αιφνιδιος 160 αυτοις 846 εφισταται 2186 5731 ολεθρος 3639 ωσπερ 5618 η 3588 ωδιν 5604 τη 3588 εν 1722 γαστρι 1064 εχουση 2192 5723 και 2532 ου 3756 μη 3361 εκφυγωσιν 1628 5632
Vincent's NT Word Studies
3. When they shall say. The prediction is thrown into dramatic form. Cometh upon (epistatai). See Luke xxi. 34, 36. Often in N.T. of a person coming suddenly upon another; as Luke ii. 9; xxiv. 4; Acts iv. 1; xii. 7. Travail (wdin). Birth-throe. Only here in its literal sense. Elsewhere as a strong figure of sorrow or pain. See Matt. xxiv. 8; Mark xiii. 8; Acts ii. 24. For the figure in O.T. see Isa. xiii. 6-8; xxxvii. 3; Micah iv. 9; Hos. xiii. 3; Jer. xiii. 21.
Shall not escape (ou mh ekfugwsin). A.V. misses the force of the double negative. They shall in no wise escape.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
5:3 {When they are saying} (hotan legwsin). Present active subjunctive picturing these false prophets of {peace and safety} like #Eze 13:10 (Peace, and there is no peace). asfaleia only in N.T. in #Lu 1:4 (which see); #Ac 5:23 and here. {Sudden destruction} (aifnidios oleqros). oleqros old word from ollumi, to destroy. See also #2Th 1:9. aifnidios, old adjective akin to afnw and in N.T. only here and #Lu 21:34 where Westcott and Hort spell it efnidios. {Cometh upon them} (autois epistatai). Unaspirated form instead of the usual efistatai (present middle indicative) from efistemi perhaps due to confusion with epistamai. {As travail upon a woman with child} (hwsper he wdin tei en gastri ecousei). Earlier form wdis for birth-pang used also by Jesus (#Mr 13:8; Mt 24:8). Technical phrase for pregnancy, {to the one who has it in belly} (cf. #Mt 1:18 of Mary). {They shall in no wise escape} (ou me ekfugwsin). Strong negative like that in #4:15 ou me (double negative) and the second aorist active subjunctive.
