2 Thessalonians 3:16
“Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul prays that the Lord of peace would Himself grant them peace at all times and in every way, and that the Lord would be with them all.
What Does 2 Thessalonians 3:16 Mean?
As the letter nears its end, Paul prays a benediction of peace. He calls the Lord "the Lord of peace himself," for true peace is not merely a feeling but a gift that flows from the very person of the Lord. After a letter touching on persecution, end-times confusion, and tensions over the idle, peace is exactly what this church needs.
Paul piles up the words to make the prayer as wide as possible: peace "always," peace "by all means," in every circumstance and every way. He leaves no situation outside the reach of this peace. And he adds, "The Lord be with you all," including everyone, even those who had to be corrected. The presence of the Lord is the ground of all peace; where He is, peace follows. It is a generous, embracing blessing, asking that the God who is peace would fill every corner of their life together.
In the Original Language
eirene (εἰρήνη), "peace" — wholeness and well-being, the settled flourishing that comes from being made right with God.