Paul’s question “For what thanksgiving can we render to God for you…?” (Revised Standard Version), is rhetorical, not only in the sense that it expresses frustration at there being no possible answer. The meaning is that no act of thanksgiving can possibly be enough to equal the joy which Paul has received from God in hearing about the Thessalonians’ faith. Most translations keep this verse (but not verse 10 which in Greek is part of the same sentence) in the form of a question. Three translations (Good News Translation Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée) change the form of the sentence. They adopt three different solutions. Good News Translation turns the question into a statement, perhaps losing both some emotive impact, and also the idea that, although Paul and his companions do give thanks to God, their thanks will never bear any proportion to the joy they have received. La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée makes the sentence an exclamation: “What thanks we can give God for you…!” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch makes the verse a negative statement, and this is perhaps the most attractive solution: “We cannot thank our God enough for you.” Several translations which keep the rhetorical question add “enough” or some equivalent after “thank God,” and this is almost required by the context: Paul does thank God, but, he believes, not “adequately” (Barclay). Give includes the meaning of giving in return for something one has received. It is often very difficult to translate “we cannot thank … enough.” Rather than a negative expression, most languages seem to prefer one that is emphatic and positive, for example, “we do thank God very much.” Another arrangement of the elements in this sentence may give a rendering which parallels Good News Bible, for example, “the joy which we have when we pray to our God.” For a language which uses inclusive and exclusive first person plural, “we” should be exclusive but “our” should be inclusive, since the latter reference must include the Thessalonians.

In translating we can give thanks to our God for you, it is important to understand for as indicating cause. It is not on behalf of the Thessalonians that Paul gives thanks; the Thessalonians are the ones who caused Paul to give thanks to God. Therefore, one can translate “now because of you we can give thanks to our God.”

The Greek introduces the question with a conjunction which, in questions, is roughly equivalent to the English interjection “why!” (as in Matthew 27.23 : “Why, what harm has he done?” New English Bible). Most translations omit this word here without appreciable loss of meaning.

The joy is literally “all the joy,” like “all our trouble and suffering” in verse 7. In both verses, “all” intensifies the following noun(s), and does not mean “all” as opposed to a part. “All the joy” is therefore translated by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch as “the great joy.”

King James Version‘s “all the joy wherewith the joy” reflects a repetition in the text which goes back to a Hebrew idiom (e.g. Isaiah 35.2) which is strange in most other languages. It occurs also in John 3.29, where even King James Version chose the idiomatic translation “rejoiceth greatly” instead of the literal “rejoices with joy.” The combined effect of “all the joy with which we rejoice” is to intensify the expression of Paul’s happiness.

For the joy is an expression of cause for thankfulness (compare for you in the previous sentence). Note, however, that in this instance the Thessalonians are the cause for the joy, and joy is the cause of thankfulness. In some languages this relation may be expressed as “because of you we have joy, and therefore we thank him.”

In his presence translates the phrase “before our God.” “Before” is often used in speaking about a relationship, especially of prayer. This can be brought out in translation, either as Good News Translation does, with “presence” implying a relationship of prayer, or for example, as Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates the whole verse: “We cannot thank God enough for you and for the great joy which he causes us to have in you.”

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 .

To say that Christ died for us is an apparently simple statement, but it raises great problems of theological interpretation, and some (fortunately smaller) problems for the translator, centering on the meaning of the word for. Greek uses two main prepositions in similar contexts, and it is dangerous to press too hard the distinction between them. The one used here (huper) tends to have a fairly general meaning: “on behalf of” or “for the sake of,” rather than “instead of” or “in place of.” The implication here is that Christ died in order that those who believe in him might benefit in some way. Paul goes on immediately to say in what way: the purpose of Christ’s dying is that all believers might live together with him forever (cf. 4.17). Might is required in English after in order that.

The phrase for us (in the clause who died for us) expresses a benefactive relation; that is, we are the beneficiaries of the fact of Christ’s dying. Some languages even have a benefactive case, and that would be the appropriate form to use in this context.

Whether we are alive or dead is literally “whether we are awake or asleep.” “Sleep,” both here and in 4.13 and 15, is a metaphor for death, and this determines the meaning of “to be awake.” This verb does not have the specific meaning here that it has in verse 6, that of being alert for the coming of Christ, but it has the wider meaning of remaining alive (that is, until the time of his coming). Here Paul cleverly uses two terms which he had been using to speak of alertness but which at this point he transposes to mean “alive/dead.” In this way he brings us back to 4.13. When he comes (cf. Bible en français courant) is implicit in the text.

Whether we are alive or dead is rendered in some languages as “it makes no difference whether we are alive or dead,” or “whether we are alive or dead, it is all the same.” When he comes must be closely related to “being alive or dead.” Therefore one may translate the entire expression as “whether we are alive or dead when he comes, that will not make any difference.”

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 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 .