SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:8
ni comimos el pan de balde de ninguno; sino obrando con trabajo y fatiga de noche y de día, para no ser gravosos a ninguno de vosotros;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 2 Thessalonians 3:8
Verse 8. Neither did we eat any man's bread for naught] We paid for what we bought, and worked with our hands that we might have money to buy what was necessary. Labour and travail night and day] We were incessantly employed, either in preaching the Gospel, visiting from house to house, or working at our calling. As it is very evident that the Church at Thessalonica was very pious, and most affectionately attached to the apostle, they must have been very poor, seeing he was obliged to work hard to gain himself the necessaries of life. Had they been able to support him he would not have worked with labour and travail night and day, that he might not be burdensome to them; and, as we may presume that they were very poor, he could not have got his support among them without adding to their burdens. To this his generous mind could not submit; it is no wonder, therefore, that he is so severe against those who would not labour, but were a burden to the poor followers of God.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 8. Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought &c.] Or freely, at free cost, without paying for it; he signifies, that what they ate, they bought with their own money, and lived on no man, without giving him a valuable consideration for what they had; though if they had not paid in money for their food, they would not have ate it for nought, since they laboured among them in preaching the Gospel to them; and such labourers are worthy of their maintenance, ( Luke 10:7) though the former sense is the apostle's here: but wrought with labour and travail night and day : not only laboriously preaching the Gospel to them, as often as they could have opportunity, but working very hard and incessantly with their hands, at the occupations and trades they had been brought up to; and that of the Apostle Paul's was a tentmaker, at which he sometimes wrought, thereby ministering to his own, and the necessities of others, ( Acts 18:3 20:34), nor was this inconsistent with his learning and liberal education. It was usual with the Jewish doctors to learn a trade, or follow some business and calling of life; (see Gill on Mark 6:3). The apostle's end in this was, that we might not be chargeable to any of you ; or burdensome to them, they being for the most part poor; and the apostles being able partly by their own hand labour, and partly by what they received from Philippi, ( Philippians 4:16) to support themselves, chose to that they might not lie heavy upon them, and any ways hinder the spread of the Gospel among them, at its first coming to them. And so Maimonides says the ancient Jewish doctors behaved, and with a like view: wherefore, says he f15 , if a man is a wise man, and an honourable man, and poor, let him employ himself in some handicraft business, even though a mean one, and not distress men (or be burdensome to them); it is better to strip the skins of beasts that have been torn, than to say to the people, I am a considerable wise (or learned) man, I am a priest, take care of me, and maintain me; and so the wise men have ordered: and some of the greatest doctors have been hewers of wood, and carriers of timber, and drawers of water for the gardens, and have wrought in iron and coals, and have not required anything of the congregation; nor would they take anything of them, when they would have given to them.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 6-15 - Those who have received the gospel, are to live according to the gospel. Such as could work, and would not, were not to be maintained i idleness. Christianity is not to countenance slothfulness, which woul consume what is meant to encourage the industrious, and to support the sick and afflicted. Industry in our callings as men, is a duty require by our calling as Christians. But some expected to be maintained i idleness, and indulged a curious and conceited temper. They meddle with the concerns of others, and did much harm. It is a great error an abuse of religion, to make it a cloak for idleness or any other sin The servant who waits for the coming of his Lord aright, must be working as his Lord has commanded. If we are idle, the devil and corrupt heart will soon find us somewhat to do. The mind of man is busy thing; if it is not employed in doing good, it will be doing evil It is an excellent, but rare union, to be active in our own business yet quiet as to other people's. If any refused to labour with quietness, they were to note him with censure, and to separate from his company, yet they were to seek his good by loving admonitions. The Lords is with you while you are with him. Hold on your way, and hold of to the end. We must never give over, or tire in our work. It will be time enough to rest when we come to heaven.
Greek Textus Receptus
ουδε 3761 δωρεαν 1432 αρτον 740 εφαγομεν 5315 5627 παρα 3844 τινος 5100 αλλ 235 εν 1722 κοπω 2873 και 2532 μοχθω 3449 νυκτα 3571 και 2532 ημεραν 2250 εργαζομενοι 2038 5740 προς 4314 το 3588 μη 3361 επιβαρησαι 1912 5658 τινα 5100 υμων 5216
Vincent's NT Word Studies
8. Any man's bread (arton para tinov). Lit. bread from any one, or at any man's hand.For nought (dwrean). The word is a noun, meaning a gift. See John iv. 10; Acts ii. 38; Rom. v. 15. The accusative often adverbially as here; as a gift, gratis. Comp. Matt. x. 8; Rom. iii. 24; Apoc. xxi. 6. Labor and travail. See on 1 Thess. i. 3.
Be chargeable (epibarhsai). P o . Better, burden. By depending upon them for pecuniary support. Comp. 1 Cor. ix. 3-18, and see on 1 Thessalonians ii. 6.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
3:8 {For nought} (dwrean). Adverbial accusative, as a gift, gift-wise (dwrea, gift, from didwmi). Same claim made to the Corinthians (#2Co 11:7), old word, in LXX, and papyri. He lodged with Jason, but did not receive his meals _gratis_, for he paid for them. Apparently he received no invitations to meals. Paul had to make his financial independence clear to avoid false charges which were made in spite of all his efforts. To eat bread is merely a Hebraism for eat (verse #10). See #1Th 2:9 for labor and travail, and night and day (nuktos kai hemeras, genitive of time, by night and by day). See #1Th 2:9 for rest of the verse in precisely the same words.
