1 Thessalonians 5:23

“And the very God of peace, etc.] Or “the God of peace himself”. The apostle follows his exhortations with prayer to God, knowing the weakness and impotency of the saints to receive them, and act according to them, and his own insufficiency to impress their minds with them; and that unless the Lord opened their ears to discipline, and sealed instruction to them, they would be useless and in vain: wherefore he applies to the throne of grace, and addresses God as “the God of peace”; so called, because of the concern he has in peace and reconciliation made by the blood of Christ, and because he is the giver of peace of conscience, and the author of peace, concord, and unity among the saints, and…”

“the very God--rather as the Greek, "the God of peace Himself"; who can do for you by His own power what I cannot do by all my monitions, nor you by all your efforts (Rom 16:20; Heb 13:20), namely, keep you from all evil, and give you all that is good. sanctify you--for holiness is the necessary condition of "peace" (Phi 4:6-9). wholly--Greek, "(so that you should be) perfect in every respect" [TITTMANN]. and--that is, "and so (omit 'I pray God'; not in the Greek) may your . . . spirit and soul and body be preserved," &c. whole--A different Greek word from "wholly." Translate, "entire"; with none of the integral parts wanting [TITTMANN]. It refers to man in his normal integrity, as originally…”

“And the very God of peace - The God who gives peace or happiness; compare notes, Romans 1:7. Sanctify you - See the notes at John 17:17. Wholly - ὁλοτελεῖς holoteleis. In every part; completely. It is always proper to pray that God would make his people entirely holy. A prayer for perfect sanctification, however, should not be adduced as a proof that it is in fact attained in the present life. Your whole spirit and soul and body - There is an allusion here, doubtless, to the popular opinion in regard to what constitutes man. We have a body; we have animal life and instincts in common with the inferior creation; and we have also a rational and immortal soul. This distinction is one that…”

“And may the God of peace sanctify you - By the peace he works in you, which is a great means of sanctification. Wholly - The word signifies wholly and perfectly; every part and all that concerns you; all that is of or about you. And may the whole of you, the spirit and the soul and the body - Just before he said you; now he denominates them from their spiritual state. The spirit - Gal 6:8; wishing that it may be preserved whole and entire: then from their natural state, the soul and the body; (for these two make up the whole nature of man, Mat 10:28;) wishing it may be preserved blameless till the coming of Christ. To explain this a little further: of the three here mentioned, only the two…”

“5:23-28 Greek and Roman letters ended with a wish for the good health of the recipient. Jewish letters concluded with a peace blessing. Paul closes with a Christian variation on these practices. 5:23 God enables Christians to live a holy life (3:11-13). His sanctifying work extends to the spirit and soul and body, the totality of human life (cp. Matt 10:28; Mark 12:30; 1 Cor 7:34).”

“God: Rom 15:5, Rom 15:13, Rom 15:33, Rom 16:20; Co1 14:33; Co2 5:19; Phi 4:9; Th2 3:16; Heb 13:20; Pe1 5:10 sanctify: Th1 3:13, Th1 4:3; Lev 20:8, Lev 20:26; Eze 37:28; Joh 17:19; Act 20:32, Act 26:18; Co1 1:2; Heb 2:11; Pe1 1:2; Jde 1:1 your: Heb 4:12 preserved: Th1 3:13; Co1 1:8, Co1 1:9; Eph 5:26, Eph 5:27; Phi 1:6, Phi 1:10, Phi 2:15, Phi 2:16; Col 1:22; Jde 1:24 1 Thessalonians 5:24”