1 Tesalonika 1:2--3:13

Thanksgiving for Response to the Gospel

1:2 We thank God always for all of you as we mention you constantly ¹  in our prayers, 1:3 because we recall ²  in the presence of our God and Father ³  your work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope ⁴  in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1:4 We know, ⁵  brothers and sisters ⁶  loved by God, that he has chosen you, ⁷  1:5 in that ⁸  our gospel did not come to you merely in words, ⁹  but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction (surely you recall the character we displayed when we came among you to help you). ¹⁰ 

1:6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, when you received ¹¹  the message with joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, despite great affliction. 1:7 As a result you became an example ¹²  to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 1:8 For from you the message of the Lord ¹³  has echoed forth not just in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place reports of your faith in God have spread, ¹⁴  so that we do not need to say anything. 1:9 For people everywhere ¹⁵  report how you welcomed us ¹⁶  and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God 1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath. ¹⁷ 

Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica

2:1 For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, ¹⁸  about our coming to you – it has not proven to be purposeless. ¹⁹  2:2 But although we suffered earlier and were mistreated in Philippi, ²⁰  as you know, we had the courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God ²¹  in spite of much opposition. 2:3 For the appeal we make ²²  does not come ²³  from error or impurity or with deceit, 2:4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we declare it, not to please people but God, who examines our hearts. 2:5 For we never appeared ²⁴  with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed – God is our witness – 2:6 nor to seek glory from people, either from you or from others, 2:7 ²⁵  although we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we became ²⁶  little children ²⁷  among you. Like a nursing mother caring for her own children, 2:8 with such affection for you ²⁸  we were happy ²⁹  to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. 2:9 For you recall, brothers and sisters, ³⁰  our toil and drudgery: By working night and day so as not to impose a burden on any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God. 2:10 You are witnesses, and so is God, as to how holy and righteous and blameless our conduct was toward you who believe. 2:11 As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his own children, 2:12 exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you live in a way worthy of God who calls you to his own kingdom and his glory. 2:13 And so ³¹  we too constantly thank God that when you received God’s message that you heard from us, ³²  you accepted it not as a human message, ³³  but as it truly is, God’s message, which is at work among you who believe. 2:14 For you became imitators, brothers and sisters, ³⁴  of God’s churches in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, because you too suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they in fact did from the Jews, 2:15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets ³⁵  and persecuted us severely. ³⁶  They are displeasing to God and are opposed to all people, 2:16 because they hinder us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. Thus they constantly fill up their measure of sins, ³⁷  but wrath ³⁸  has come upon them completely. ³⁹ 

Forced Absence from Thessalonica

2:17 But when we were separated from you, brothers and sisters, ⁴⁰  for a short time (in presence, not in affection) ⁴¹  we became all the more fervent in our great desire ⁴²  to see you in person. ⁴³  2:18 For we wanted to come to you (I, Paul, in fact tried again and again) ⁴⁴  but Satan thwarted us. 2:19 For who is our hope or joy or crown to boast of ⁴⁵  before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not of course you? 2:20 For you are our glory and joy!

3:1 So when we could bear it no longer, we decided to stay on in Athens ⁴⁶  alone. 3:2 We ⁴⁷  sent Timothy, our brother and fellow worker for God ⁴⁸  in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen you and encourage you about your faith, 3:3 so that no one would be shaken by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. 3:4 For in fact when we were with you, we were telling you in advance that we would suffer affliction, and so it has happened, as you well know. ⁴⁹  3:5 So ⁵⁰  when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter somehow tempted you and our toil had proven useless.

3:6 But now Timothy has come ⁵¹  to us from you and given us the good news of your faith and love and that you always think of us with affection ⁵²  and long to see us just as we also long to see you! ⁵³  3:7 So ⁵⁴  in all our distress and affliction, we were reassured about you, brothers and sisters, ⁵⁵  through your faith. 3:8 For now we are alive again, ⁵⁶  if you stand firm in the Lord. 3:9 For how can we thank God enough for you, ⁵⁷  for all the joy we feel ⁵⁸  because of you before our God? 3:10 We pray earnestly night and day to see you in person ⁵⁹  and make up what may be lacking in your faith.

3:11 Now may God our Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. 3:12 And may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we do for you, 3:13 so that your hearts are strengthened in holiness to be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. ⁶⁰ 

[1:2]  ¹ tn Or “mention you in our prayers, because we recall constantly…”

[1:3]  ² tn Grk “making mention…recalling.” The participle ποιούμενοι (poioumenoi) in v. 2 has been translated as temporal, and μνημονεύοντες (mnhmoneuonte") in v. 3 has been translated as causal.

[1:3]  ³ tn Or the phrase may connect at the end of the verse: “hope…in the presence of our God and Father.”

[1:3]  ⁴ tn These phrases denote Christian virtues in action: the work produced by faith, labor motivated by love, and endurance that stems from hope in Christ.

[1:4]  ⁵ tn Grk “knowing.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle εἰδότες (eidotes) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence started here in the translation.

[1:4]  ⁶ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:4]  ⁷ tn Grk “your election.”

[1:5]  ⁸ tn Or “because.”

[1:5]  ⁹ tn Or “speech,” or “an act of speaking.”

[1:5]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “just as you know what sort of people we were among you for your sakes.” Verse 5 reflects on the experience of Paul and his fellow preachers; v. 6 begins to describe the Thessalonians’ response.

[1:6]  ¹¹ tn Or “after you received.”

[1:7]  ¹² tc Most mss (א A C D² F G Ψ 0278 Ï) have the plural τύπους (tupou", “examples”) here, while a few important witnesses have the singular τύπον (tupon, “example”; B D*^,c 6 33 81 104 1739 1881 pc lat). With ὑμᾶς (Jumas, “you”) immediately preceding, the plural form looks motivated: Scribes would be expected to change the singular to the plural here. Although the external evidence for the singular reading is not overwhelming, the internal evidence for it is compelling.

[1:8]  ¹³ tn Or “the word of the Lord.”

[1:8]  sn “The word of the Lord” is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said. Here the phrase has been translated “the message of the Lord” because of the focus upon the spread of the gospel evident in the passage.

[1:8]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “your faith in God has gone out.”

[1:9]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “they themselves,” referring to people in the places just mentioned.

[1:9]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “what sort of entrance we had to you” (an idiom for how someone is received).

[1:10]  ¹⁷ sn The coming wrath. This wrath is an important theme in 1 Thess 5.

[2:1]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

[2:1]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “has not become empty.” Paul is defending himself against the charge that he lacked earnestness and personal concern for them, but appeared in their city out of greed or egotism. In his defense he appeals to what they recall of his ministry and what has become of it since he left, all of which demonstrates his God-given earnestness and effectiveness.

[2:2]  ²⁰ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[2:2]  ²¹ tn The genitive in the phrase τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ (to euangelion tou qeou, “the gospel of God”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“the gospel which God brings”) or an objective genitive (“the gospel about God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which God brings is in fact the gospel about himself. This same phrase occurs in vv. 8 and 9 as well.

[2:3]  ²² tn Grk “For our exhortation.” Paul here uses παράκλησις (paraklhsis) to speak in broad terms about his preaching of the gospel, in which he urges or appeals to people to respond to God’s salvation (cf. the verb form παρακαλοῦντος [parakalounto"] in 2 Cor 5:20).

[2:3]  ²³ tn Grk “[is] not” (the verb “to be” is implied in the Greek construction).

[2:5]  ²⁴ tn Or “came on the scene,” “came.”

[2:7]  ²⁵ tn Punctuating vv. 6 and 7 is difficult. One must consider the difficult textual problem of v. 7 (see tc note on the word “children” in that verse) as well as the grammar of the verse. In the translation above, “little children” is understood to be a predicate nominative connected to the verb “became.” This allows a full stop to be placed at the end of v. 6 and before the phrase “like a nursing mother” in v. 7. This separates the two metaphors which impact the textual problem and allows for greater clarity in the way the sentence is read.

[2:7]  ²⁶ tn Or “were,” “proved to be.”

[2:7]  ²⁷ tc The variant ἤπιοι (hpioi, “gentle”) has fair support (א² A C² D² Ψ^c 0278 33 1739 1881 Ï), but νήπιοι (nhpioi, “little children”) has significantly stronger backing (Ì⁶⁵ א* B C* D* F G I Ψ* pc it bo). It is not insignificant that the earliest Alexandrian and Western witnesses in support of ἤπιοι are actually not Alexandrian or Western; they are the second correctors of Alexandrian and Western mss. Such correctors generally follow a Byzantine Vorlage. The reading νήπιοι is thus superior externally. Further, νήπιοι is much harder in this context, for Paul mixes his metaphors (“we became little children in your midst…Like a nursing mother…”). Thus, the scribes would naturally alter this reading to the softer ἤπιοι (“we became gentle…”). Paul is not known for his consistency of figures, however (cf., e.g., Gal 4:19); hence, the intrinsic evidence points to νήπιοι as original. On the other hand, it is possible that νήπιοι was caused by dittography with the preceding -μεν (-men). It is even possible that νήπιοι was caused by an error of hearing right from the beginning: The amanuensis could have heard the apostle incorrectly. But such a supposition cuts both ways; further, Paul would no doubt have corrected the reading in the ms before it was sent out. If so, one would surely have expected both earlier witnesses on the side of ἤπιοι and perhaps a few first correctors to have this reading. The reading “little children” thus stands as most probably original. (For an extended discussion of this problem, see J. A. D. Weima, “‘But We Became Infants Among You’: The Case for NHPIOI in 1 Thess 2.7,” NTS 46 [2000]: 547-64; T. B. Sailors, “Wedding Textual and Rhetorical Criticism to Understand the Text of 1 Thessalonians 2.7,” JSNT 80 [2000]: 81-98.)

[2:8]  ²⁸ tn Grk “longing for you in this way.”

[2:8]  ²⁹ tn Or “we are happy.” This verb may be past or present tense, but the context favors the past.

[2:9]  ³⁰ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

[2:13]  ³¹ tn Grk “for this reason,” which seems to look back to Paul’s behavior just described. But it may look forward to v. 13b and mean: “and here is another reason that we constantly thank God: that…”

[2:13]  ³² tn Grk “God’s word of hearing from us.”

[2:13]  ³³ tn Paul’s focus is their attitude toward the message he preached: They received it not as a human message but a message from God.

[2:14]  ³⁴ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

[2:15]  ³⁵ tc ἰδίους (idious, “their own prophets”) is found in D¹ Ψ Ï sy Mcion^T. This is obviously a secondary reading. Marcion’s influence may stand behind part of the tradition, but the Byzantine text probably added the adjective in light of its mention in v. 14 and as a clarification or interpretation of which prophets were in view.

[2:15]  ³⁶ tn Or “and drove us out” (cf. Acts 17:5-10).

[2:16]  ³⁷ tn Grk “to fill up their sins always.”

[2:16]  ³⁸ tc The Western text (D F G latt) adds τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou) to ὀργή (orgh) to read “the wrath of God,” in emulation of the normal Pauline idiom (cf., e.g., Rom 1:18; Eph 5:6; Col 3:6) and, most likely, to clarify which wrath is in view (since ὀργή is articular).

[2:16]  tn Or “the wrath,” possibly referring back to the mention of wrath in 1:10.

[2:16]  ³⁹ tn Or “at last.”

[2:17]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

[2:17]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “in face, not in heart.”

[2:17]  ⁴² tn Grk “with great desire.”

[2:17]  ⁴³ tn Grk “to see your face.”

[2:18]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “several times”; Grk, “both once and twice.” The literal expression “once and twice” is frequently used as a Greek idiom referring to an indefinite low number, but more than once (“several times”); see L&N 60.70.

[2:19]  ⁴⁵ sn Crown to boast of (Grk “crown of boasting”). Paul uses boasting or exultation to describe the Christian’s delight in being commended for faithful service by the Lord at his return (1 Cor 9:15-16; 2 Cor 1:12-14; 10:13-18; Phil 2:16; and 1 Cor 3:14; 4:5).

[3:1]  ⁴⁶ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[3:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[3:2]  ⁴⁸ tc A variety of readings occurs in this verse. Instead of “and fellow worker for God” (καὶ συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, kai sunergon tou qeou), B has “and fellow worker” (καὶ συνεργόν); א A P Ψ 0278 6 81 629* 1241 1739 1881 2464 lat co read “and servant of God” (καὶ διάκονον τοῦ θεοῦ, kai diakonon tou qeou); D² Ï and a few versional witnesses read “and a servant of God and our fellow worker” (καὶ διάκονον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ συνεργὸν ἡμῶν); and F G have “servant and fellow worker for God” (διάκονον καὶ συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ). The reading of the text (καὶ συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ) is found in D* 33 b {d m o} Ambst {Pel}. It may be argued that all readings that do not collocate συνεργόν with θεοῦ are secondary, as this is certainly the harder reading. Indeed, in only one other place in the NT are human beings said to be συνεργοὶ θεοῦ (sunergoi qeou; 1 Cor 3:9), and the simplest (though by no means the only) interpretation is that the genitive should be taken associatively (“a fellow worker in association with God”). It is difficult to account for συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ here unless it is authentic because of the theological difficulty that would be easily seen in this wording. A genealogy of the readings suggests that various scribes may have deleted τοῦ θεοῦ or swapped διάκονον for συνεργόν to remove the offense. The readings of the Byzantine text and two Western mss (F G) appear to be conflations of earlier readings, but the reading of F G nevertheless indirectly supports καὶ συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ since it does not remove the offense. Although the witnesses for καὶ συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ are minimal, the internal evidence is quite strong in favor of this reading. With hesitation, it is adopted as authentic.

[3:2]  tn Although 1 Thess 3:2 is frequently understood to mean that Timothy is “God’s fellow worker,” such a view assumes that the genitive θεοῦ (qeou) is associative for it is related to συνεργόν (sunergon). However, a genitive of association is not required by the syntax (cf. ExSyn 130).

[3:4]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “just as it also occurred and you know.”

[3:5]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “for this reason.”

[3:6]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “but now Timothy having come,” a subordinate clause leading to the main clause of v. 7.

[3:6]  ⁵² tn Grk “you have a good remembrance of us always.”

[3:6]  ⁵³ tn Grk “just as also we you.”

[3:7]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “for this reason.”

[3:7]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

[3:8]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “because now we live,” in comparison with his feelings of dread in not knowing how they were doing (cf. 2:17-3:5).

[3:9]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “what thanks can we render to God about you.”

[3:9]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “all the joy with which we rejoice.”

[3:10]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “to see your face.”

[3:13]  ⁶⁰ tc ‡ Important and early witnesses (א* A D* 81 629 lat) have ἀμήν (amhn, “amen”) at the end of this benediction, while the majority of mss, including several excellent witnesses (א² B D² F G Ψ 0278 1739 1881 Ï it sy sa), lack the particle. A decision is difficult, but in light of Paul’s habit of adding the ἀμήν to his notes of praise, even in the middle of his letters (cf. Rom 9:5; 11:36; 15:33; Gal 1:5), one might expect scribes to emulate this practice. Although a decision is difficult, it is probably best to follow the shorter reading. NA²⁷ has the particle in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.