1:7a
and to grant relief to you who are oppressed: The second way God will show that he is just is by bringing relief to those who are suffering. In this context it means that God will cause the persecution to cease. The verb translated as oppressed is the same verb that was used in 1:6b.
and to us as well: Paul and his companions had also often suffered persecution because they followed Christ, so they too needed relief from persecution.
1:7b
This will take place when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven: When the Lord Jesus returns, he will suddenly become visible coming from heaven. The Greek text literally says “at the revelation of the Lord Jesus,” but the Berean Standard Bible has used the passive verb is revealed here. If you need to use an active verb here, you can supply the implied subject and say something such as:
God reveals the Lord Jesus
You can also use a different verb, for example:
the Lord Jesus appears suddenly
with His mighty angels: The Greek literally says “with angels of power of him.” This can be translated in two ways:
• “his powerful/mighty angels.” In this case, the expression “of him” modifies the whole phrase “angels of power.” A minority of commentators take this view, but it is supported by nearly all the English versions.
(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation, King James Version, Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, NET Bible, New American Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), SSA)
• “the angels of his power.” In this case, the expression “of him” only modifies the noun “power.” This means “the angels to whom Jesus has given his power.” Most commentators take this view.
(New Jerusalem Bible)
It is recommended that you follow the first option (1).
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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.