Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 Thessalonians 4:11

"and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you;" — 1 Thessalonians 4:11 (ASV)

That restlessness may have been a problem for the Thessalonians is implied by Paul’s exhortation—“make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.” His exhortation to “mind your own business” implies that the meddlesome spirit that often goes with restlessness was troubling them. Busybodies were active (2 Thessalonians 3:11) and needed a reprimand. But Paul means more than telling them to stay out of other people’s affairs; he also wants them to keep their own affairs in order. A third exhortation, “work with your hands,” suggests that idleness was likely a problem among the Thessalonians. In a Greek culture that degraded manual labor, Christianity joined with Judaism in viewing work as an honorable pursuit. Most of the Thessalonian believers earned their living with their hands. Paul tells them to continue supporting themselves and thus avoid the pitfalls of idleness.