1:9a

For: This gives the reason why Paul and his companions did not need to tell people about the Thessalonians’ faith (1:8d): It was because people already knew about that wherever he went.

they themselves: This refers to the people of Macedonia, Achaia, and the “every place” of 1:8c.

report: The Greek verb apaggellō, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as report, here means “to tell.” These people told everyone they met. Therefore, Paul and his companions did not need to say anything (1:8d).

what kind of welcome you gave us: The Greek word eisodos, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as welcome, literally means “entrance.” The commentators do not agree how this word should be understood here. There are two possibilities:

(1) It should be understood literally. This focuses on Paul and his companions and what they did in Thessalonica. For example:

our visit to you (Revised English Bible)
-or-
how we started the work among you” (New Jerusalem Bible)

(Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) It should be understood figuratively. It means “welcome.” This focuses on the way that the Thessalonians welcomed Paul and his companions and accepted their message.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

Although most English versions prefer the second option, it is recommended that you follow the first option (1). Most commentators support this option. The whole passage focuses on the successful nature of Paul’s ministry. This makes the first option more likely. In addition, 2:1 uses the same Greek word with this meaning.

1:9b

and how you turned to God from idols: This refers to how the Thessalonians stopped worshiping their traditional gods and idols and began worshiping God. At this time in history, the expression “to turn to God from idols” usually described people who had stopped worshiping idols and had become Jews. But here Paul was referring to people that had become Christians not Jews. The words in 1:10 make this clear. So it seems that Paul was saying that the majority of the Thessalonian Christians had changed directly from their traditional religion to Christianity. They did not first convert to the Jewish religion, as some of those in Acts 17:4 did.

idols: When Paul talked about idols, he was referring both to the spirit and the object or image that represents it. Therefore, you can translate idols by the word or phrase that your language uses to refer to traditional fetishes, gods, or spirits. However, if possible, use a general word that refers to any idol, not the name of a specific one.

to serve: The Greek word douleuō used here means “to serve a master.” However, Paul did not mean working for God. He meant becoming wholeheartedly committed to God, acknowledging him as Lord and worshiping him.

the living and true God: The expression the living…God is frequently found in the Old Testament, for example, Psalm 42:2. It means “the only God who is alive.” The expression “the true God…the living God” is found in Jeremiah 10:10. It emphasizes that there is only one God, a living one, and all other so-called gods are false. Paul used that meaning here. Paul was praising the Thessalonians because they had stopped worshiping their dead, false idols and now worshiped the God who is alive and is the only real God.

© 2002 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.