Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
The God of peace (o qeov thv eirhnhv). The God characterized by peace in his nature, who gladly bestows it also. Common phrase (Milligan) at close of Paul's Epistles (II Corinthians 13:11; Romans 15:33; Romans 16:20; Philippians 4:9) and
the Lord of peace in II Thessalonians 3:6.
Sanctify you (agiasai umav). First aorist active optative in a wish for the future. New verb in LXX and N.T. for the old agizw, to render or to declare holy (agiov), to consecrate, to separate from things profane.
Wholly (oloteleiv). Predicate adjective in plural (olov, whole, telov, end), not adverb olotelwv. Late word in Plutarch, Hexapla, and in inscription AD 67 (Moulton and Milligan, Vocabulary). Here alone in N.T. Here it means the whole of each of you, every part of each of you, "through and through" (Luther), qualitatively rather than quantitatively.
Your spirit and soul and body (umwn to pneuma kai h yuxh kai to swma). Not necessarily trichotomy as opposed to dichotomy as elsewhere in Paul's Epistles. Both believers and unbelievers have an inner man (soul yuxh, mind nouv, heart kardia, the inward man o esw anqrwpov) and the outer man (swma, o ecw anqrwpov). But the believer has the Holy Spirit of God, the renewed spirit of man (I Corinthians 2:11; Romans 8:9-11).
Be preserved entire (oloklhron thrhqeih). First aorist passive optative in wish for the future. Note singular verb and singular adjective (neuter) showing that Paul conceives of the man as "an undivided whole" (Frame), prayer for the consecration of both body and soul (cf. 1Co. 6). The adjective oloklhron is in predicate and is an old form and means complete in all its parts (olov, whole, klhrov, lot or part). There is to be no deficiency in any part. Teleiov (from telov, end) means final perfection.
Without blame (amemptwv). Old adverb (a privative, memptov, verbal of memfomai, to blame) only in I Thess. in N.T. (I Thessalonians 2:10; I Thessalonians 3:13; I Thessalonians 5:23). Milligan notes it in certain sepulchral inscriptions discovered in Thessalonica.
At the coming (en th parousiai). The Second Coming which was a sustaining hope to Paul as it should be to us and mentioned often in this Epistle (see on I Thessalonians 2:19).
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing 1 Thessalonians 5:23:
John 17:17
Acts 3:16
Romans 15:33
1 Corinthians 1:8
1 Corinthians 15:23
1 Thessalonians 2:19
1 Thessalonians 3:11
1 Thessalonians 5:23
2 Thessalonians 1:7
2 Thessalonians 3:5
2 Thessalonians 3:16
Hebrews 4:12
Hebrews 13:20
1 Peter 5:10
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