Biblion Bible Commentary
Read the introduction to 2 Thessalonians · About this commentary
The Sign in Every Letter
2 Thessalonians 3:16-18
16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all. · WEB
The letter that opened by answering a forged message closes with a signature, and between them stands a prayer for peace at all times in all ways.
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The title is chosen for a congregation that had none, and the two phrases close every gap the letter has opened — at all times covers the delay that had frightened them, in all ways covers persecution, deception, and the trouble inside the church.
Then the pen changes hands. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, which is the sign in every letter. This is how I write. The signature exists because of 2 Thessalonians 2:2: a message had reached them as if from us, and it had done real damage. The remedy is deliberately physical — a handwriting they could recognize, offered as the mark that authenticates the rest.
The last line is the same grace the letter opened with, now with a small addition — with you all. The word all is the letter's final gesture toward the men of verse 14, who are still inside it.
settled What this mark means