SEV Biblia, Chapter 1:8
con llama de fuego, para dar el pago a los que no conocieron a Dios, ni obedecen al Evangelio del Seor nuestro, Jess, el Cristo;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 2 Thessalonians 1:8
Verse 8. In flaming fire] en flogi purov? In thunder and lightning, taking vengeance - inflicting just punishment on them that know not God - the heathen who do not worship the true God, and will not acknowledge him, but worship idols; and on them that obey not the Gospel - the Jews, particularly who have rejected the Gospel, and persecuted Christ and his messengers; and all nominal Christians who, though they believe the Gospel as a revelation from God, yet do not obey it as a rule of life.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 8. In flaming fire , &c.] Which may either refer to Christ, who will be revealed from heaven in such a manner; and whose coming will be as the lightning, not only sudden, but glorious, illustrious, and visible; he will be seen and easily discerned; there will be such a light and flaming fire about him, which, as it will serve to make him visible, will greatly add to the majesty of his appearance, and strike terror to his enemies, and burn them up round about; (see Daniel 7:7,9,10 Psalm 97:3,4) or else it may refer to the angels, who shall descend in fiery forms, which is agreeably to their nature, ( <19A404> Psalm 104:4) and so they appeared in the forms of horses of fire, and chariots of fire, when Elijah was carried up to heaven. And it is a tradition of the Jews f2 , that the angel Gabriel descended aad abwhlb , in a flame of fire, to burn Moses, as he was in the inn, when upon his journey from Midian to Egypt: or this clause may be read in construction with the following, as it is in the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions, in flaming fire taking vengeance; and so expresses the manner in which vengeance will be taken on the wicked by Christ, the Judge of all, to whom it belongs: and the punishment of ungodly men is often signified by fire, and flames of fire, by the fire of hell, and a lake which burns with fire and brimstone, by a furnace of fire, everlasting fire, and fire that cannot be quenched, to set forth the endless torture and inconceivable misery of the damned; and it may be, some regard is had to the general conflagration, which will be at the coming of Christ, when the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth, and all that is in it, shall be burnt up, when the bodies of the wicked, then living, will be consumed in flames of fire, and their souls feel the wrath of the Almighty. The persons who will then be punished, and on whom vengeance will be taken, are described as follows, on them that know not God ; which is a periphrasis, or common character of the Gentiles, ( 1 Thessalonians 4:5) who know not the one, true, and living God; or know him not so as to glorify him as God, and be thankful to him for the mercies they receive from him, and still less know him in Christ Jesus; which ignorance of theirs is not without sin, nor will it excuse from punishment; for though vengeance will not be taken on them, because they have not a spiritual saving knowledge of God, in the Mediator Jesus Christ, who never was revealed to them; yet forasmuch as they had the light and law of nature, by which the being of God, and the invisible perfections of his nature might be seen and understood, and much of his will, with respect to moral good and evil, be known, against both which they have rebelled, and having sinned, will perish without law: though it may also include all such persons, who having been favoured with an external revelation, have professed to know God, and yet in works have denied him: and that obey not the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ ; of which Christ is the author, was the preacher, and is the sum and substance; which is good news and glad tidings of the grace of, God, of peace, pardon, righteousness, life, and salvation by Christ; which may be said to be obeyed, when it is received and embraced by faith, with and from the heart, and confession is made of it with the mouth, and the ordinances of it are submitted to; and which is called the obedience of faith, because faith without obedience is not right, and obedience without faith is of no avail: but all that hear the Gospel do not obey it; there are some that disbelieve and reject the doctrines and ordinances of it, and others that, do profess it, and do not yield a cordial and cheerful obedience to it; both may be reckoned among the disobeyers of it: and though the unbelieving Jews may be chiefly designed here, yet deists of every age and place, where the Gospel revelation has come, and carnal professors, and profane despisers everywhere, may be included; whose condemnation will be aggravated by the external light which has shone around them, and they have hated; the severest punishment will be inflicted on them; it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, Sodom and Gomorrah, than for such persons; (see Peter 4:17).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 5-10 - Religion, if worth anything, is worth every thing; and those have n religion, or none worth having, or know not how to value it, cannot find their hearts to suffer for it. We cannot by all our sufferings any more than by our services, merit heaven; but by our patience unde sufferings, we are prepared for the promised joy. Nothing more strongl marks a man for eternal ruin, than a spirit of persecution and enmit to the name and people of God. God will trouble those that trouble his people. And there is a rest for the people of God; a rest from sin an sorrow. The certainty of future recompence is proved by the righteousness of God. The thoughts of this should be terrible to wicke men, and support the righteous. Faith, looking to the great day, i enabled partly to understand the book of providence, which appear confused to unbelievers. The Lord Jesus will in that day appear from heaven. He will come in the glory and power of the upper world. Hi light will be piercing, and his power consuming, to all who in that da shall be found as chaff. This appearance will be terrible to those tha know not God, especially to those who rebel against revelation, an obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the great crim of multitudes, the gospel is revealed, and they will not believe it; of if they pretend to believe, they will not obey it. Believing the truth of the gospel, is in order to our obeying the precepts of the gospel Though sinners may be long spared, they will be punished at last. The did sin's work, and must receive sin's wages. Here God punishes sinner by creatures as instruments; but then, it will be destruction from the Almighty; and who knows the power of his anger? It will be a joyful da to some, to the saints, to those who believe and obey the gospel. I that bright and blessed day, Christ Jesus will be glorified and admire by his saints. And Christ will be glorified and admired in them. Hi grace and power will be shown, when it shall appear what he ha purchased for, and wrought in, and bestowed upon those who believe in him. Lord, if the glory put upon thy saints shall be thus admired, ho much more shalt thou be admired, as the Bestower of that glory! The glory of thy justice in the damnation of the wicked will be admired but not as the glory of thy mercy in the salvation of believers. Ho will this strike the adoring angels with holy admiration, and transpor thy admiring saints with eternal rapture! The meanest believer shal enjoy more than the most enlarged heart can imagine while we are here Christ will be admired in all those that believe, the meanest believe not excepted.
Greek Textus Receptus
εν 1722 πυρι 4442 φλογος 5395 διδοντος 1325 5723 εκδικησιν 1557 τοις 3588 μη 3361 ειδοσιν 1492 5761 θεον 2316 και 2532 τοις 3588 μη 3361 υπακουουσιν 5219 5723 τω 3588 ευαγγελιω 2098 του 3588 κυριου 2962 ημων 2257 ιησου 2424 χριστου 5547
Vincent's NT Word Studies
8. In flaming fire (en puri flogov). Lit. in a fire of flame. Comp. 1 Corinthians i. 13; 2 Pet. iii. 7.
Taking vengeance (didontov ekdikhsin). Lit. giving or rendering. Vengeance is an unfortunate rendering, as implying, in popular usage, personal vindictiveness. See on 2 Cor. vii. 11. It is the full awarding of justice to all parties.
On them that know not God - obey not the gospel (toiv mh eidosi qeon - toiv mh upakouousin tw euggeliw). To know God is to know him as the one, true God as distinguished from false gods; to know his will, his holiness, his hatred of sin, and his saving intent toward mankind. Two words are used of such knowledge, eijdenai and ginwskein. Both are applied to the heathen and to Christians, and both are used of the Jews' knowledge of God. Eidenai, of heathen, Gal. iv. 8; 1 Thessalonians iv. 5; 2 Thess. i. 8. Ginwskein of heathen, Romans i. 21; 1 Cor. i. 21. Eidenai, of Christ and Christians, John vii. 29, viii. 19, 55; xiv. 7. Ginwskein of Christ and Christians, Gal. iv. 9; 1 John ii. 13, 14; iv. 6, 7, 8; John x. 15; xvii. 3. In John, ginwskein of Jews who do not know the Father, John xvi. 3; viii. 55: eijdenai, John vii. 28; viii. 19; xv. 21. The two are combined, John i. 26; vii. 27; viii. 55; 2 Cor. v. 16. A distinction is asserted between ginwskein as knowledge grounded in personal experience, apprehension of external impressions - and eijdemai purely mental perception in contrast with conjecture or knowledge derived from others. There are doubtless passages which bear out this distinction (see on John ii. 24), but it is impossible to carry it rigidly through the N.T. In the two classes, - those who know not God and those who obey not the gospel, - it is not probable that Paul has in mind a distinction between Jews and Gentiles. The Jews were not ignorant of God, yet they are described by John as not knowing him. The Gentiles are described by Paul as knowing God, but as refusing to glorify him as God (Rom. i. 21). Paul rather describes here the subjects of God's judgment as one class, but under different aspects.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
1:8 {Rendering} (didontos). Genitive of present active participle of didwmi, to give, agreeing with iesou. {Vengeance} (ekdikesin). Late word from ekdikew, to vindicate, in Polybius and LXX. {To them that know not God} (tois me eidosin qeon). Dative plural of perfect active participle eidws. Apparently chiefly Gentiles in mind (#1Th 4:3; Ga 4:8; Ro 1:28; Eph 2:12), though Jews are also guilty of wilful ignorance of God (#Ro 2:14). {And to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus} (kai tois me hupakouousin twi euaggeliwi tou kuriou hemwn iesou). Repetition of the article looks like another class and so Jews (#Ro 10:16). Both Jews as instigators and Gentiles as officials (politarcs) were involved in the persecution in Thessalonica (#Ac 17:5-9; 2Th 1:6). Note the use of "gospel" here as in #Mr 1:15 "believe in the gospel."
