I solemnly charge you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the holy brothers.
that this epistle be read unto all: This charge may have led to the adoption of a practice long established in the Jewish synagogues of publicly reading the scriptures. Indeed, the word "read" literally means read aloud. Other passages (1 Timothy 4:13; Revelation 1:3) show this to have been a common practice among the churches. The public reading of this letter would plant the notion in the minds of the auditors that it is just as authoritative as the Old Testament scripture they were accustomed to hearing read.