Dictionaries :: Disorderly

International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia

Disorderly:

dis-or'-der-li (ataktos): The word is found four times in the Epistles to the Thess (1Th 5:14; 2Th 3:6,7,11), "Withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly."; "We behaved not ourselves disorderly."; "We hear of some that walk among you disorderly." The word is a military term and has reference to the soldier who does not keep the ranks (inordinatus, Liv). Then it refers to people who refuse to obey the civil laws, and thus it gets its meaning, "disorderly." It points to members in the early church, who, by their lives, became a reproach to the gospel of Christ (compare 1Th 4:11,12).

Written by Henry E. Dosker

Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

Disorderly:

signifies "not keeping order" (a, negative, tasso, "to put in order, arrange"); it was especially a military term, denoting "not keeping rank, insubordinate;" it is used in 1Th 5:14, describing certain church members who manifested an insubordinate spirit, whether by excitability or officiousness or idleness.
See UNRULY.

Disorderly:

signifies "disorderly, with slackness" (like soldiers not keeping rank), 2Th 3:6; in ver. 11 it is said of those in the church who refused to work, and became busy-bodies (cp. 1Ti 5:13).

Disorderly:

signifies "to be out of rank, out of one's place, undisciplined, to behave disorderly:" in the military sense, "to break rank;" negatively in 2Th 3:7, of the example set by the Apostle and his fellow missionaries, in working for their bread while they were at Thessalonica so as not to burden the saints.
See BEHAVE.