Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
eat any man's bread—Greek, "eat bread from any man," that is, live at anyone's expense. Contrast II Thessalonians 3:12, "eat THEIR OWN bread."
wrought— (Acts 20:34). In both Epistles they state they maintained themselves by labor; but in this second Epistle they do so in order to offer themselves herein as an example to the idle; whereas, in the first, their object in doing so is to vindicate themselves from all imputation of mercenary motives in preaching the Gospel (I Thessalonians 2:5, I Thessalonians 2:9) [EDMUNDS]. They preached gratuitously though they might have claimed maintenance from their converts.
labour and travail—"toil and hardship" (see on I Thessalonians 2:9).
night and day—scarcely allowing time for repose.
chargeable—Greek, "a burden," or "burdensome." The Philippians did not regard it as a burden to contribute to his support (Philippians 4:15-16), sending to him while he was in this very Thessalonica (Acts 16:15, Acts 16:34, Acts 16:40). Many Thessalonians, doubtless, would have felt it a privilege to contribute, but as he saw some idlers among them who would have made a pretext of his example to justify themselves, he waived his right. His reason for the same course at Corinth was to mark how different were his aims from those of the false teachers who sought their own lucre (II Corinthians 11:9, II Corinthians 11:12-13). It is at the very time and place of writing these Epistles that Paul is expressly said to have wrought at tent-making with Aquila (Acts 18:3); an undesigned coincidence.
Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing 2 Thessalonians 3:8:
Acts 17:4
1 Corinthians 9:6
Ephesians 4:28
1 Thessalonians 2:6
1 Thessalonians 4:11
2 Thessalonians 3:6
2 Thessalonians 3:12
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