“If Anyone Will Not Work, Neither Shall He Eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10, KJV) — Does This Mean No Social Welfare Programs?
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When we see someone like this man, some of us think or even say, “Get a job!” Others of us may be moved by pity or compassion. Still others may consider the many factors that have caused his situation.
We may have similar varied responses to the brief biblical saying, “Anyone unwilling to work should not eat” (NRSV).
An Oft-Cited Verse
This quip from 2 Thessalonians often emerges in public policy debates about public assistance. Politicians from widely divergent points of view have quoted it.
Russian Communist leader V. I. Lenin, for example, quoted this verse as a socialist principle without mentioning its biblical origins. It was popularized in Soviet propaganda as a dictum against classes of people who profited from others’ physical labor.
In the same era in the United States, populists included the saying in their platform, and capitalists also cited it. Sociologist Max Weber placed this saying at the heart of the Protestant work ethic that he associated with the rise of American capitalism.
More recently politicians in the United States have used this scriptural quip to argue for restrictions and work requirements for public assistance programs. In one example, a US Representative used this verse to respond to another use of a biblical citation in a congressional hearing on a benefits program. The reporting on the exchange became contentious. (See the links in the additional resources listed below.)
This short saying has had a wide impact on views of work and sharing food. The societal influence of this verse extends well beyond religious communities that recognize the Bible.
What does this brief quip mean in its biblical context, however?
The Verse in Greek
The Greek indicates willingness to work: “If anyone does not want to work,” or “If anyone is not willing to work.” Most translations indicate this aspect of choice by people who are able to work.
The verse does not say, however, “If anyone does not work.” The verse contains no reference to those unable to work.
A key word in the passage where the quip is found is often translated as “idleness.” The Greek word (ataktos), however, indicates disorderly or insubordinate behavior, in its military context, “out of battle order.” The implication that this problematic disorderly behavior is a refusal to work is drawn from the rest of the context.
The Verse in Context in the Letter (2 Thessalonians 3:6–13)
Some members of the community have chosen to go against what Paul is reported to have taught. The letter quotes the saying as a reminder of what Paul taught and his example when he was with the Thessalonian community in person. The adage was not unique to Paul but expressed a sentiment found in both Jewish and Greek literature.
The passage describes Paul as having set an example and working “night and day” for his own living when he was with them. The reminder emphasizes that he paid for his own food.
Working for one’s own food is very much in view. The letter addresses the challenging behavior of those who are choosing not to work to support themselves.
Why might some in the community make such a choice?
The Verse in Its Community and Cultural Context
The cultural assumptions about work at that time were not the same as today’s commonly assumed work ethic. The dominant culture disdained physical labor. Work was for enslaved people and the lower orders of society. Respectable people did not labor with their hands. At least that was the viewpoint of the elites and those who wanted to be like them.
The letter presents a view of work at odds with the prevailing views of work as something shameful. It advocates a work ethic, but who are the idle people in view?
Who Are the Idlers?
The idlers are not people who are unable to work but those who choose not to disgrace themselves with labor. They are people who see work as beneath them. They are thus people accustomed to being able to live without working.
Critical scholars suggest several possible explanations for this group. They may have been expecting that the end of the present age was coming so quickly that work was not needed. They may have been people who expected to take advantage of the community’s generosity. They may also have been people who assumed leadership and teaching roles in the community and expected to be supported by others who did physical labor. Another possibility is that they were clients of wealthy Roman patrons and refused to break those ties. All of these factors may have been at work.
The letter advocates a work ethic in opposition to a prevailing view among the more privileged and their hangers-on who disparaged labor. Instead the letter indirectly affirms the honor and dignity of the enslaved people and the lower orders of society who worked with their hands. The adage is addressed to people who see themselves as too respectable to work with their hands.
Does the saying in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 justify limiting public food assistance programs today?
While this saying expresses a strong work ethic, it was never directed at people who are unable to work. It was directed at a different cultural situation. If it were comparably applied today, it would probably be directed at wealthy people who have never had to do any physical work and live on their inherited wealth.
The use of texts from one religious tradition is, of course, problematic in the forging of public policy. Yet the work ethic expressed is pervasive in modern culture and widespread beyond particular religious traditions. If this biblical verse is used in discussions of public assistance, however, the identity of the idlers in the original context should not be ignored.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & EXPLANATORY NOTES:
Many critical scholars do not consider 2 Thessalonians to be one of Paul’s own letters. It was probably written in his name and intended to remind the community of his teachings. See this link for an explanation about which letters are Paul’s own. Watch for a future post for more explanation about why letters were written in Paul’s name.
Resources consulted:
Gillman, Florence Morgan and Mary Ann Beavis. 1–2 Thessalonians. Wisdom Commentary Volume 52. Collegeville Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2016. Pp.163–184.
McGinn, Sheila E. and Megan T. Wilson-Reitz. “2 Thessalonians Vs. The Ataktoi: A Pauline Critique of ‘White-Collar Welfare.’” In By Bread Alone: The Bible through the Eyes of the Hungry, edited by Sheila E. McGinn, Lai L. E. Ngan, and Ahida C. Pilarski, 185–208. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014.
Bible Translations:
KJV – King James Version
NRSV – New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Links on a recent use of 2 Thess 3:10 in a US Congressional hearing:
Note that all of these reports show exaggeration and bias. Some also indicate unfortunate biblical illiteracy.
