What is the meaning of 2 Thessalonians 1:6?

After all,

• Paul has just reminded the Thessalonian believers of their “perseverance and faith in all the persecutions” they are enduring (2 Thessalonians 1:4–5).

• “After all” draws a direct line from their present suffering to God’s future action, assuring them nothing they face is random or forgotten.

• Scripture consistently links current trials to coming vindication; compare James 1:12 and 1 Peter 1:6–7, where endurance now is tied to honor later.

---

it is only right

• God’s righteousness means He always acts in perfect justice (Deuteronomy 32:4; Genesis 18:25).

• Paul underscores that divine payback isn’t arbitrary; it flows from the very character of God.

• Hebrews 6:10 comforts believers with the same truth: “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work.”

---

for God to repay

• Vindication belongs to the Lord, not to us (Romans 12:19; Psalm 94:1).

• This repayment is certain because God Himself undertakes it; believers are freed from bitterness or revenge (Proverbs 20:22).

• Revelation 6:10 pictures martyrs pleading, “How long… until You avenge our blood?”—a prayer answered by the same promise Paul gives here.

---

with affliction those who afflict you,

• The very tool persecutors use—affliction—becomes the means of their judgment (Galatians 6:7; Proverbs 22:22-23).

• Paul elaborates in 2 Thessalonians 1:7–9 that this affliction arrives “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven… inflicting vengeance.”

• God’s retributive justice protects His people and upholds His holiness, echoing Exodus 14:24-25 where Egypt’s oppression is answered in kind.

---

summary

God’s justice guarantees that every hardship faced for Christ is noticed and will be answered. Because it is “right,” the Lord Himself will “repay” in perfect measure, turning present persecution into future vindication and reminding believers they can rest in His righteous timing.