4:6a

no one should ever violate or exploit his brother: The implied information in this part of the verse is “by having sexual intercourse with his brother’s wife.”

violate…his brother: That is, “sin against his brother.”

exploit his brother: If a man has intercourse with the wife of another man, he is doing wrong, and he is also cheating that man by taking something that belongs to him.

his brother: Paul was focusing here on sinning against fellow Christians. See the note on 1:4.

in this regard: This is literally “in the matter.” Commentators do not agree about what Paul was referring to here. There are two possibilities:

(1) It refers to what Paul had already been discussing, that is, sexual immorality.

(2) It refers to a new subject, that of business dealings.

Nearly all English versions follow the first option (as is shown by translations like “in this regard,” which in English clearly refer to what Paul had just been discussing). Therefore it is recommended that you also follow the first option (1).

4:6b

because the Lord will avenge all such acts: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because indicates that what Paul was about to say was a reason for obeying what he commanded in 4:3b–6a.

the Lord: This refers to the Lord Jesus.

as we have already told you and solemnly warned you: Paul was referring once more to what he and his companions had taught the Thessalonians while he was in Thessalonica.

© 2002 by SIL International®

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.