8– 10. Further confirmation of what has just been stated in v. 7. ‘ We say this of your ensample, for indeed our experience has been that from you as a centre the word of the Lord has sounded out like a clear and ringing trumpet-blast in the districts just mentioned, and not only so, but your faith in the one true God has gone forth everywhere. Common report indeed speaks so fully of this that it is unnecessary that we ourselves should add anything. All are prepared to testify that as the result of our mission amongst you, you have turned from many false idols to the service of one God who is both living and true, and are confidently waiting for the return of His Son out of the heavens. We mean of course Jesus, whom God raised from the dead, and to whom we all have learned to look as our Rescuer from the Wrath that is even now coming.’ 8. ἀφʼ ὑμῶν] ‘ from you as a centre’ (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:36), rather than ‘ by your instrumentality’ as missionaries, which would naturally, though not necessarily (Blass p. 125), have been ὑφʼ ὑμῶν. ἐξήχηται] Ἐξηχέω, ἅπ. λεγ. N.T., is found in the LXX. Joel 3. (4.) 14, 3Ma 3:2 V, Sir 40:13 ὡςβροντὴμεγάληἐνὑετῷἐξηχήσει, cf. Philo in Flacc. § 6 (2. p. 522 M.) ἐκπεριεστῶτοςἐνκύκλῳπλήθουςἐξήχειβοήτιςἄτοπος. The Engl. verss. from Tindale agree in the rendering ‘ sounded out’ (Beza personunit, Erasm. exsonuit, sive ebuccinatus est), pointing to the clear, ringing nature of the report as of a trumpet (Chrys. ὥσπερσάλπιγγοςλαμπρὸνἠχούσης. Lft. finds the underlying metaphor rather in the sound of thunder (cf. Sir 40:13 quoted above and Pollux 1:118 ἐξήχησενβροντή), and recalls Jerome’ s description of St Paul’ s own words, ‘ non verba sed tonitrua’ (Ep. 48). ὁλόγοςτοῦκυρίου] a familiar O.T. phrase for a prophetic utterance, used here with direct reference to the Gospel-message (‘ a word having the Lord for its origin, its centre, and its end’ Eadie) which had been received by the Thessalonians, and which they had been the means of diffusing to others. The exact phrase, though frequent in Ac., is used elsewhere by St Paul only 2 Thessalonians 3:1. Afterwards he prefers ὁλόγοςτ. θεοῦ, and once, in Colossians 3:16, ὁλόγοςτ. χριστοῦ (mg. κυρίου). οὐμόνονἐντῇΜακεδονίᾳκτλ.] If we follow the usual punctuation, the construction of the rest of the sentence is irregular, as instead of ἐνπ. τόπῳ standing in opposition to ἐντ. Μακ. κ. Ἀχ. we find a new subject introduced. It has accordingly been proposed to place a colon after τ. κυρίου, dividing v. 8 into two parts. The first part ἀφʼ ὑμῶν ... κυρίου then gives the reason of v. 7, and the second part takes up the preceding ἐξήχηται, and works it out according to locality. This yields good sense, but it is simpler to find here another ex. of St Paul’ s impetuous style. He had meant to stop at τόπῳ, but in his desire to make a forcible climax he lengthens out the sentence. As regards the fact, the situation of Thessalonica made it an excellent centre for missionary enterprise (Intr. p. 22), while it is possible as further explaining the hyperbole ἐνπαντὶτόπῳ (cf. Romans 1:8; Romans 16:19, 2 Corinthians 2:14, Colossians 1:6; Colossians 1:23) that St Paul had just heard from Aquila and Priscilla, who had recently arrived in Corinth from Rome, that the faith of the Thessalonians was already known there (so Wieseler Chronol. p. 42). The preposition ἐν following a verb of motion may have a certain significance as indicating the permanence of the report in the regions indicated (WM. p. 514), a fact that is also implied in the use of the perf. ἐξελήλυθεν, but the point cannot be pressed in view of the frequent occurrence of ἐν for εἰς in late Gk.: see the exx. in Hatzidakis p. 210, e.g. Acta Joh. (Zahn) 36 ἤλθομενἐντῷτόπῳ, to which Moulton (Prolegg. p. 234) adds the early P. Par. 10, 2 f. (2./b.c.) παῖςἀνακεχώρηκενἐνἈλεξανδείᾳ. For the corresponding εἰς for ἐν cf. B.G.U. 385, 5 f. (2.– 3./a.d.) ἡθυγά[τ]ηρμουἰςἈλεξανδρείανἔσσι. Ἐξέρχομαι is used in a similar connexion in Romans 10:18 (LXX.), 1 Corinthians 14:36, and, like the preceding ἐξηχέω, conveys the idea of rapid, striking progress. Chrys.: ὥσπεργὰρπερὶἐμψύχουτινὸςδιαλεγόμενος, οὕτωςεἶπεν, ‘ἐξελήλυθεν’ · οὕτωςἦνσφοδρὰκαὶἐνεργής. ἡπίστιςὑμ. ἡπρὸςτ. θεόν] The connecting art. ἡ is here inserted before the defining clause to prevent ambiguity (Blass p. 160), while the definite τὸνθεόν emphasizes ‘ the God’ towards whom the Thessalonians’ faith is directed in contrast with their previous attitude towards τὰεἴδωλα (v. 9). ὥστεμὴχρείανκτλ.] On ὥστε with inf. see v. 7 note, and for χρείανἔχειν followed by the simple inf. cf. 4:9, 5:1, Matthew 3:14; Matthew 14:16, also Hebrews 5:12. Λαλεῖν can hardly be distinguished here from λέγειν, but in accordance with its original reference to personal, friendly intercourse, it perhaps draws attention to the free and open nature of the communication thought of. The verb is especially characteristic of the Fourth Gospel, where it is assigned to Christ thirty-three times in the first person, cf. especially for the sense John 18:20 ἐγὼπαρρησίᾳλελάληκατῷκόσμῳ ... καὶἐνκρυπτῷἐλάλησαοὐδέν, and see Abbott Joh. Grammar p. 203.