The phrase because of our love for you must be rendered in some languages as a clause, “because we love you so much.” The term used for love should include all the activities which express friendship and fellowship.

To share … the Good News is often rendered as “to let you also know about the Good News.”

It is difficult in some languages to speak of “sharing our own lives with you.” Some interpret it as “willingness to die for you,” and others as “doing everything that we possibly could to help you.”

You were so dear to us may be equivalent to “we loved you very much indeed” or “we loved you so much.”

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 .

God did not call us makes it clear, as Revised Standard Version‘s “has not called us” does not, that Paul is referring to a specific event, not to a state or a process. “Us” clearly includes both the Thessalonians and the evangelists.

Call must not be understood in the sense of “shouting to,” but in that of “inviting,” that is, “inviting us to be Christians” (cf. 1.4). In many languages it is necessary to change the location of the negative, for example, “for God called us, but not for us to live in immorality; rather, he called us to be holy.”

To live in immorality, but in holiness is literally “for immorality, but in holiness.” The preposition “for” suggests “this was not the purpose God had in mind when he called us,” and “in” suggests “to live in a state of holiness.” Good News Translation combines the ideas of purpose and state, and applies them to both immorality and holiness.

To live in immorality may be rendered as “to live immorally,” or “to have sexual relations with a person to whom one is not married.”

Holiness should refer to the condition of a person who lives as one who belongs to God. Hence it is rendered in some languages as “God called us to live as those who belong to him.”

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 .

A brotherly kiss is literally “a holy kiss.” This verse and verse 27 presuppose that Paul’s letter will be read about when all the members of the church come together for worship. This is brought out by New English Bible‘s translation “the kiss of peace” (cf. Bijbel in Gewone Taal), but this suggests to the modern reader a feature of certain forms of worship, such as the Roman Catholic mass or the liturgy of the Church of South India. In the earliest Christian communities, the “holy kiss” was more like a spontaneous greeting between friends. It does not seem to have had any precedent in synagogue worship.

Phillips‘ “Give a handshake all around the brotherhood” represents a brave attempt to find an equivalent custom in a western culture, but Good News Translation‘s solution of a difficult problem (cf. Bible en français courant Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) is to be preferred.

In areas of the Middle East where the kiss of greeting is widely used, there is no difficulty in rendering the translation of this verse more or less literally, for example, “greet all the brothers with the kind of kiss one would bestow upon a brother.” But in many parts of the world kissing is regarded as exclusively an expression of amorous or erotic interest. Under such circumstances one cannot use a literal expression for “kiss.” One equivalent may be “greet fellow believers in the same way you greet members of your family,” or “greet fellow believers affectionately.”

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 .

The translation of the transition after all may be difficult, since a rendering implying a cause or reason might refer back immediately to Satan’s preventing Paul from visiting the Thessalonians. The real connection is not with Satan’s activity but with Paul’s desire. It may be necessary to repeat this fact at the beginning of verse 19, for example, “I wanted to visit you because you are the ones who are….”

Verse 19 consists of a rhetorical question within a rhetorical question, literally: “For who is our hope and joy and crown of boasting (is it not also you?) before our Lord Jesus at his coming?” Paul is dictating, and his feelings are running high. Underneath the questions, he is giving the reason for his desire to see the Thessalonian Christians again. Our hope, as the parallel with our joy shows, means “a reason for hope” or “a source of hope,” not “an object of hope” or “something for which we hope.” The “crown” Paul mentions is not a sign of kingship, but of victory, as in an athletic competition. In removing the metaphor, Good News Translation makes this clear by using the words of our victory (cf. Bible en français courant and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). The word translated reason for boasting means the basis for being justly proud (cf. Romans 4.2; Good News Translation “something to boast about”; Translator’s New Testament “evidence of proud achievement”), as distinct from the act of speaking boastfully (cf. Romans 3.27).

In rendering our hope and our joy, it is important to indicate clearly the implied causative relation. The Thessalonians were the ones who caused Paul and his colleagues to hope and to have joy. In some languages an equivalent translation may be “you are the ones who caused us to have hope, and you are the ones who caused us to be joyful.” Similarly, our reason for boasting is a causative relation, for example, “you are the ones who have caused us to boast.” But “boast” must be carefully translated, since it can easily imply a wrong kind of verbal self-praise. An appropriate equivalent in some languages may be “you were the ones who caused us to speak so confidently about our victory.”

The translation of our victory is often difficult, since any term which seems to suggest victory implies fighting and war. This is obviously not what Paul means. It may be even more difficult to suggest victory in some kind of competition or game, since this might introduce unacceptable connotations such as of gambling. It may be necessary to shift this figure of speech to the concept of success, for example, “you are the ones who caused us to speak so confidently about our success,” or “… about what we have accomplished.”

The second rhetorical question, like the first, became an emphatic statement in the third edition of Good News Translation: you, no less than others! This was a great improvement on the earlier editions, which had “you, and no one else!”—a statement which was not only emphatic, but also apparently exclusive. Paul’s “also,” omitted by most modern as well as traditional translations, is given its full value in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch‘s “you certainly belong to those who are our hope and our joy.” The church at Thessalonica was not the only one of which Paul was proud.

In rendering no less than others, one might be tempted to introduce a negative comparison, for example, “you do not surpass others in this,” but that would produce the wrong emphasis. The focus here is upon the Thessalonians’ being fully equal to all others in causing Paul’s hope and joy. Therefore an equivalent may be an emphatic statement such as “you are completely equal to others in this,” or “no one surpasses you in this.” This statement may very well be placed at the end of verse 19 so as to refer to all the various aspects of what the Thessalonians contributed to Paul’s hope, joy, and confidence. Such an arrangement would also provide a good transition to verse 20.

When he comes represents a noun which is a key word in Paul’s vocabulary. In nonbiblical texts, it can mean either (a) “presence” (cf. Translator’s New Testament) or (b) “coming,” “arrival” (not “return”). It can be used to speak of the presence of a (pagan) god in a temple or a sacred meal, or to his appearance in a vision. It is also used to refer to the ceremonial arrival of a king. Here, as usual in Paul’s writings, the word means the appearing or coming of Jesus at the end of time. The eager waiting for this coming is a recurring theme in both 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Though English may use a present tense in a clause such as when he comes, even though it refers to an indefinite future, many languages require a specific future tense, for example, “when he will come.”

Though the focus of meaning in the Greek term is upon “presence” or “coming,” in some receptor languages it is necessary to employ a term which means “return.” Otherwise the implication would be that Jesus had not been on earth before.

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 .

This concluding sentence recalls verse 13, where Paul first stated his desire to meet his readers’ anxieties. Encourage is the word which is translated “help” in 3.2, and “encourage” in 2.12 and in the exact parallel 5.11. The word can also mean “comfort” or “console.” However it is translated, it should relate to be sad (literally “be pained”) of verse 13. That is, now that the Thessalonians have been given a new understanding of one aspect of the Christian faith, they need no longer grieve over the final outcome of those who have died. What Paul tells them and assures them can change their sadness into confident hope; they can be comforted and encouraged by this teaching of the Lord’s, and they are to comfort, encourage, and give hope to one another.

In choosing a translation for encourage, it is important to select a term which will be in contrast with sad in verse 13. In some cases one may wish simply to translate “remove the sadness from one another with these words,” or “with these words cause your hearts no longer to tremble.”

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 .

This verse and 9 describe in more detail how the Thessalonians’ example has influenced Christians in other areas.

The word translated go out is uncommon. It combines the metaphor of a gong, trumpet, or similar instruments with the idea of moving outwards: “a sound is made and it is used spreading out from a center over an area” (Best). New English Bible has “rang out”; Barclay “has sounded out”; Knox “has echoed out.”

The phrase “the word of the Lord” (Jerusalem Bible New English Bible and most older translations) does not make it clear that in this context Paul is not thinking of a word which came from the Lord, but rather of a word or message about the Lord Jesus Christ. The message about the Lord indicates this fact more clearly. The sense is thus quite different from that of places in the Old Testament where “the word of the Lord” is used to introduce prophetic oracles.

From you in Greek comes at the beginning of the verse and is thus emphatic.

In some languages it is difficult (perhaps even impossible) to speak about a message “going out from” a person, because messages do not literally move. But a report about a message may be heard by more, and yet more, persons. Therefore the first clause of this verse may be recast as “more and more people, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, heard the message about the Lord because of what you have done,” “… because of what you are doing,” or “… because of how you live.” As in the previous verses, the emphasis here is upon the behavior of the Thessalonians, and therefore the extent to which the message about the Good News spread as the result of their example.

But the news about your faith in God may be treated in a similar manner. One may need to indicate, not only the places, but the persons who heard the news about the faith of the Thessalonians, for example, “but people everywhere have been hearing the news about how you have trusted in God.”

Everywhere (literally, “in every place”) is, of course, an exaggeration. “Everywhere we have been since we visited you” is surely implied though it should not be specified in translation. In this passage Paul is approaching a climax in which, as in poetry, the emotive meaning is as important as the information he gives. This is not to say that the referential meaning is unimportant; indeed, some commentators see in verse 9b-10 a summary of the first Christian preaching.

There is nothing, then, that we need to say. Many translations (including Barclay Bible de Jérusalem Bible en français courant Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Phillips La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale) add “about it” (that is, “about your faith”), and Best adds “about you” in brackets. This meaning is quite possible, and it is strongly suggested by the corresponding positive statement in verse 9. It would certainly be reading too much into the verse to emphasize a more general reference such as “there is nothing left for us to preach about.” However, the word translated “say” normally refers to the act of speaking, rather than to the content of what is said. Good News Translation‘s translations is therefore preferable, unless the receptor language requires that the content of to say be specified. One way of rendering this sentence is “We do not have to say anything, for people have already heard.” In this way the content of what would be said is linked closely with what has already been indicated, namely, the message about the Lord which has already gone out because of the outstanding example of the Thessalonians. Note also how this closing sentence of verse 8 is closely linked with the beginning of verse 9.

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 .

Paul moves naturally from thanksgiving to speak of his prayers of petition. Most translations end the rhetorical question with verse 9, and begin a new, affirmative sentence. On day and night, see the notes on 2.9. This letter contains frequent, partly rhetorical expressions indicating continual action; for example, “unceasingly” 1.2; 2.13; 5.17; “always” 1.2; 3.6; 4.17; 5.15, 16.

With all our heart translates a rare but characteristic Pauline compound adverb, comparative in form, but in meaning conveying the greatest possible emphasis. It is simply an emphatic expression of desire, and it may be combined with ask as “we asked him very much indeed.” In some languages the expression is rendered idiomatically as “we asked him with our hearts exposed,” or “we asked him with a pain in our insides.”

See you personally may be rendered either as “visit you” or “be with you.” This is not merely physical sight, but association and fellowship.

Paul’s anxiety about the Thessalonians has been removed, but this longing to see them personally (the Hebrew idiom “to see your face,” which we have met in 2.17) is greater than ever. This is because neither the faith of the Thessalonians Christians, nor the evangelists’ work among them, is yet complete.

What is needed in your faith means that their faith still lacks something which it is the task of Paul and his companions to supply. On faith, see the notes on 1.8. It is useless to speculate in detail on what Paul thinks the Thessalonians’ faith still lacks, but the teaching of chapters 4 and 5 may be taken as a sample of the kind of instruction he would have wanted to given them in person. The Thessalonians have responded positively to the Christian message, but their faith needs to mature in particular acts of obedience. In translation, it is better to avoid any expression which suggests that Paul is blaming the Thessalonians for having a faith which is less than fully mature. Jerusalem Bible‘s “shortcomings,” Moffatt‘s “what is defective,” and Best’s “deficiencies” are unfortunate in this respect. Like the widow in Luke 21.4, with respect to whom the same word is used, the Thessalonians do not have everything they need (cf. Colossians 1.24). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “For we would like to help you, so that nothing more is lacking to your faith.” Similarly, Good News Translation‘s supply is more appropriate here than Barclay‘s “repair” (“any deficiencies”). The word Paul uses can indeed mean “repair” (as in Mark 1.19), but here it is less a question of repairing damage than of supplying a lack.

Supply what is needed may be rendered in some languages as “give you what still you do not have” or “give you what you should have,” while in your faith may often be rendered as “for your faith.” When a verb is required for “faith,” one may translate as “give you what you still need if you are really to trust Christ as you should.”

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 .

So refers back directly to verses 9-10, but also more generally to all the encouragement Paul has been giving his readers throughout the chapter, just as so then in 4.18 refers back to the entire section 4.13-17.

One another … one another. No doubt for stylistic reasons, Paul uses two different expressions in Greek, but they have the same meaning, and therefore need not be distinguished in translation. Help is a literal equivalent for Paul’s metaphorical “build one another up” (cf. Jerusalem Bible “keep on strengthening one another”). Both verbs, encourage and help, suggest continued action over a period of time, and this is made explicit by the following words, just as you are now doing (cf. 4.10). This clause may be rendered as “that is, of course, just what you are now doing,” or “you are, of course, doing just that.”

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 .