But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire. Being taken from you for a short time - Through the persecution raised by the Jews, see Acts 17, he was obliged to leave Thessalonica, and yield to a storm that it would have been useless for him to have withstood.
Being taken from you - in presence, not in heart - The apostle had compared himself to a parent or nurse, 1 Thessalonians 2:7, 1 Thessalonians 2:11; and the people he considered as his most beloved children; here he represents himself as feeling what an affectionate father must feel when torn from his children; for this is the import of the word απορφανισθεντες, bereft of children, which we tamely translate being taken from you.
Endeavoured the more abundantly - His separation from them did not destroy his parental feelings, and the manner in which he was obliged to leave them increased his desire to visit them as soon as possible.