2 Thessalonians 3:3
But the Lord is faithful (pistov de estin o kuriov).
But faithful is the Lord (correct rendition), with a play (paronomasia) on pistiv by pistov as in Romans 3:3 we have a word-play on apistew and apistia. The Lord can be counted on, however perverse men may be.
From the evil one (apo tou ponhrou). Apparently a reminiscence of the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:13 rusai hmav apo tou ponhrou. But here as there it is not certain whether tou ponhrou is neuter (evil) like to ponhron in Romans 12:9 or masculine (the evil one). But we have o ponhrov (the evil one) in I John 5:18 and tou ponhrou is clearly masculine in Ephesians 6:16. If masculine here, as is probable, is it "the Evil One" (Ellicott) or merely the evil man like those mentioned in verse II Thessalonians 3:2? Perhaps Paul has in mind the representative of Satan, the man of sin, pictured in II Thessalonians 2:1-12, by the phrase here without trying to be too definite.
