We wanted implies, not longing over a period of time (cf. Phillips), but specific action. Good News Translation is therefore right, when the subject changes abruptly to the singular, I myself, to supply a verb tried (cf. Best “we resolved”).

This is one of the few passages in this letter in which Paul expressly distinguishes himself from Silas and Timothy. The reason is clearly that Timothy has returned to Thessalonica, and Paul has not. More than once rightly translates the idiom “once and twice,” since Paul is not really specifying the number of occasions on which he tried to get back to Thessalonica. Nor do we know what, in human terms, prevented him from doing so. Like most biblical writers, Paul sees beyond purely human reasons and attributes his failure to Satan.

Again it may be necessary to translate return to you as “to visit you again,” since Paul does not imply he wishes to go back to be with the Thessalonians permanently.

The Greek text has “I, Paul” as the subject of tried to go back. In some languages it would be awkward to say “I, Paul”—especially if the introduction to the letter makes it clear that Paul is the principal writer and Silas and Timothy are simply associated with him. For this reason Good News Translation translates I myself.

More than once may be rendered as “repeatedly” or “again and again.” Since the number of times is indefinite, the translation should employ an indefinite term, but not one that would indicate a large number of times. The word order in Good News Translation is slightly ambiguous; “tried more than once to go back” would be clearer.

In translating Satan would not let us, it is important to avoid giving the impression that Paul and his colleagues required permission from Satan to do anything. It may be better to translate “but Satan prevented us from doing so,” “Satan made it impossible for us,” or “Satan stopped us.”

Verses 17 and 18 are linked by a conjunction meaning “because” or “for.” Here, however, it does not express a relation of reason and result, and Translator’s New Testament‘s “for that reason alone we wanted to come to you” is much too strong. The function of the conjunction is to indicate a transition from verse 17, in which Paul speaks of his longing, to verse 18, which unfolds the meaning of verse 17 by speaking of the efforts by which the desire was expressed.

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .