Translation commentary on 1 Thessalonians 4:3

Verses 3-6 form a single sentence in Greek. This passage is such a closely knit unit that it will be necessary to discuss verses 3-6a together.

God wants translates the phrase which in Greek is literally “this is God’s will.” “This” refers directly to “God’s will,” which is then specified in four ways: (1) to be holy, (2) to be … completely free from sexual immorality, (3) to know how to live with one’s wife in a holy and honorable way, and (4) not to do wrong to one’s fellow Christian. These and similar infinitives often have the force of imperatives, and may be translated as such (“be holy,” etc.) if this is natural. Zürcher Bibel marks the transition from the general (“God’s will”) to the specific (to be holy) by inserting “namely” (quite legitimately, though in unnecessary square brackets). Cf. Phillips “God’s plan is to make you holy, and that means a clean cut with sexual immorality.” To be … completely free from sexual immorality is more specific than to be holy, but not a different point as Good News Translation‘s and suggests. A comma, or even “that is,” is preferable.

Instead of translating the first words literally, “this is God’s will,” in some languages one may wish to translate “the following is what God wants,” or “the things I will mention are what God wants.”

“God’s will” should not be understood as a remote set of general rules (though it does indicate the content of what God wills, rather than the act of willing). Paul regularly (e.g. 1 Corinthians 1.1) uses this expression in speaking of his personal calling to be an apostle.

There is a tendency for some translators to think that “will” in the phrase “God’s will” must reflect some kind of philosophical concept of “inexorable plans” or “predetermined set of circumstances.” In this context the emphasis is upon “what God wants” or “what God desires,” and so one may translate “God wants you to be holy….”

What are the relations between these four specific aspects of God’s will for the Thessalonians? This important question cannot be answered until we are clear about the meaning of the individual items. (1) and (2) present no serious problems, but (3) has been and still is understood in radically different ways, and (4) is also open to different interpretations.

1. The word translated to be holy (literally “sanctification,” Revised Standard Version) implies a process which depends on God. On the meaning of holy, see the notes on 3.13. Common language translators have to face the problem of whether holy and related words are part of common language. Good News Translation and Bible en français courant think they are. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “God wants your whole life to belong to him,” and Bijbel in Gewone Taal “God wants you to lead a life which is devoted to him.” It may be difficult to speak of “a life which belongs to God” or even “a life devoted to God.” A person, however, may be regarded as belonging to God, and therefore one can translate “to lead such a life as one would who belongs to God,” or “to live in such a way as to show that you are devoted to God.”

2. God wants you to be … completely free from sexual immorality. The word translated sexual immorality is sometimes translated simply “immorality” (cf. Revised Standard Version 1st edition and Bible en français courant), but it means more specifically any kind of sexual immorality. It is therefore narrower in meaning than most dictionary definitions of the English word “immoral” (Concise Oxford Dictionary: “Opposed to morality; morally evil; vicious, dissolute”), but in current English there is a strong tendency for sexual overtones to become dominant, while the more precise high-level synonym “fornication” (King James Version New English Bible Knox Jerusalem Bible) is becoming archaic and/or ecclesiastical. Phillips, as Good News Translation, makes the sexual element explicit: “a clean cut with sexual immorality,” cf. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “that no one should have sexual relations outside marriage”; cf. also Moffatt, Revised Standard Version 2nd edition “unchastity,” Translator’s New Testament. In some languages it may be necessary to be explicit in translating free from sexual immorality, for example, “so that no one will have sexual intercourse with anyone except his or her own spouse.” In some instances, however, it is better to employ a term for immorality, and then to state the avoidance of such, for example, “to never live like a dog,” “to never go around with other women,” or “to never loosen someone else’s girdle.”

3. Commentators have been divided for many centuries over the meaning, in this context, of the word which Good News Translation translates wife (cf. 1 Peter 3.7). King James Version, like the Vulgate, adopts the literal translation “vessel,” possibly in the sense of a receptacle for the soul. Revised Standard Version and Moffatt (cf. Zürcher Bibel Luther 1984 Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Bible en français courant Traduction œcuménique de la Bible Biblia Dios Habla Hoy Bijbel in Gewone Taal) agree with Good News Bible in translating wife. New English Bible Knox Phillips Jerusalem Bible Barclay Translator’s New Testament (cf. La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale Bible de Jérusalem) translate “body,” which is the main alternative. Jerusalem Bible (cf. Bible de Jérusalem) regrettably and awkwardly tries to have the best of both worlds by translating “the body that belongs to him.” Many translations give the alternative rendering in a note.

The word translated live with implies actually an act of taking possession of or acquiring, and not merely the state of having or possessing. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (“to live together with his wife”) and Good News Translation may therefore be too weak, unless the phrase is intended as a euphemism for (b) below. “To get a wife” would therefore mean either (a) “to win a girl to become one’s wife” (as in Ecclesiasticus 36.24: “the man who wins a wife has the beginnings of a fortune” New English Bible), or (b) “to have sexual relations with one’s wife,” which, together with the following in a holy and honorable way, would make a good contrast with verses 3b and 5. Meaning (a) is the normal meaning of the English expression “to get a wife”; (b) is perhaps the slightly more probable meaning of the Greek in this context, if the translation wife is chosen. If, on the other hand, one translates “body,” the entire phrase would mean something like New English Bible‘s “each one of you must learn to gain mastery over his body.”

Part of the problem is that nowhere else in New Testament is “vessel” used metaphorically by itself: it is always used in some such defining phrase as “vessel of wrath” or “vessel of the Holy Spirit.” Those who prefer the translation “body,” however, argue that the “common clay pots” of 2 Corinthians 4.7 (cf. 2 Timothy 2.21) are almost certainly bodies, in the normal biblical sense of human beings in their weakness.

Those who choose the translation “wife” argue that it is more natural to speak emphatically of one’s “own wife” (in contrast to the relations outside marriage implied in verse 3) than of one’s “own body.” However, the word translated “own” is not always emphatic in New Testament Greek (see notes on 2.7). On the other hand, it is argued that the context contains a general appeal, not only to married men, but to the whole Christian community in Thessalonica, and that the translation “body” avoids an abrupt transition.

One solution would be to understand “vessel” as a euphemistic metaphor for the penis (cf. New American Bible “guarding his member”). This is the most likely translation of the equivalent Hebrew word in 1 Samuel 21.5 (another difficult verse) and parallels in secular Greek are also quoted. There is no parallel in the New Testament, but in view of the subject matter the argument from silence is not strong. The most powerful argument in favor of this meaning is that it would explain the obscurity of the expression, and thus the conflicting interpretations to which it has given rise. Receptor languages differ in the degree of euphemism they employ, in a text of this kind, in speaking of genital organs. If one favors the second of the two solutions, it may be best to choose the translation “body,” while recognizing the likelihood that the original reference was narrower. It is interesting to note that in 1 Corinthians 12.23-24 Paul uses the same word for honor as in the present passage (“give greater honor to those parts of the body that lack it”).

4. The main difficulty here is in deciding the meaning of the word translated matter (v. 6). This is general term which can also, in certain contexts, have the specific meaning of “business.” Knox (following the Vulgate), Barclay Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée choose this meaning here, but most translators agree with Good News Translation in choosing a more general word. There are two strong arguments in favor of this: (a) there is no parallel to the use of this word in the singular to mean “business” (compare this sense of the English word “affair[s]”); and (b) the translation “business” would involve an abrupt transition from sexual ethics to a discussion of honesty. The two verbs with which matter is associated, do wrong and take advantage, though comparatively rare, may also have general meanings: the first “break a law” or “sin,” and the second “defraud, cheat.”

Almost all translations which use a general word like matter put the word this before it, in order to make clear the relation to the previous verses. If we adopt this interpretation, we find at this point an implied reference to marriage and the social consequences of sexual immorality. Jews commonly thought of adultery as primarily a sin against the husband of the woman with whom adultery was committed, and this view goes back to the Tenth Commandment (“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife,” Exodus 20.17 New English Bible).

We can now return to the previous question: what are the relations between these four aspects of God’s will for the Thessalonians? If our understanding of the individual aspects is correct, there is a clear progression in Paul’s thought from the general to the specific, with each item related to the one before, and developing part of its meaning. We have noted this kind of movement in several previous passages. (1) God wants to make the Thessalonians completely holy, people whose lives show that they belong to him. (2) In particular, they must avoid sexual immorality. (3) Christians should shine by contrast with pagans in the way in which they control their sexual impulses. (4) If they do this, they will avoid damaging other people’s marriages. In other words, Paul warns his readers successively against sin in general, against sexual immorality, against lack of sexual self-discipline, and against adultery.

Paul appeals to the authority of Christ at the beginning and end of this passage (vv. 2, 6b), but in between he stands on common ground with Jews against non-Jews (contrast 2.14-16). This is significant for the translator at two points. First, a negative word like heathen or “pagan” is quite in place in verse 5, as it would not be in 2.16. Second, it would be wrong to translate fellow Christian (literally “brother”) in verse 6 in such a way as to overemphasize the distinction between members of the Christian family and others. Paul is speaking to Christians, and by “brother” he does indeed mean fellow Christian, but there is no suggestion that the Thessalonians should behave any differently in this respect towards non-Christians than they would towards other members of the church.

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Thessalonians 5:19 – 5:22

A good part of the meaning of these five imperatives is lost if we do not first understand the relations between them. The first clear distinction is between the two negative commands of verses 19-20 and the positive commands of verses 21-22. In Greek the two groups are separated by an adversative “but” (omitted in many manuscripts, probably accidentally incorporated into the next word). Within each group, Paul moves from the generic to the specific; despising inspired messages is a special case of restraining the Holy Spirit. Keeping what is good and avoiding every kind of evil are the two consequences of putting all things to the test.

The question then arises: Does the second group of commands, like the first, refer to “inspired” activities, or does it have a wider meaning? When Paul says put all things to the test, does he mean “everything which claims to be an inspired message,” or is he advising his readers in general terms not to take anything at its face value? New English Bible makes the first possibility explicit in its text: “Do not despise prophetic utterances, but put them all to the test and then keep what is good in them and avoid the bad of whatever kind,” and the second possibility in a footnote: “… Put everything to the test: keep hold of what is good and avoid every kind of evil.” The first alternative makes stronger sense of the context, though New English Bible‘s text is perhaps too emphatic.

Do not restrain the Holy Spirit. Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch make explicit the word “Holy” in this context. The word is implicit in the original Greek, but for the reader of a common language translation it is better to make it explicit.

Restrain is a nonmetaphorical translation of a text which contains the metaphor of putting out a fire (cf. Revised Standard Version “do not quench the Spirit”). The Holy Spirit was sometimes described as a flame or fire (see Acts 2.3). Translators deal with this metaphor in four different ways. (1) King James Version Revised Standard Version Luther 1984 Zürcher Bibel La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale Bible de Jérusalem Traduction œcuménique de la Bible keep the metaphor as it stands, leaving the image of the comparison implicit. (2) Others make the image of comparison explicit; “never damp the fire of the Spirit” Phillips (cf. Moffatt Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). (3) New English Bible Knox Translator’s New Testament Bible en français courant replace the original metaphor by a different one: “stifle” or “put an obstacle in the way of.” (4) Good News Translation Bible de Jérusalem Barclay Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch replace the metaphor by a literal expression or, in the case of Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, by a dead metaphor. The first choice is the least likely to be clear, outside the original setting of the primitive church. The choice between the three other possibilities depends on the resources of the receptor language. Generally speaking, a nonmetaphorical translation should be chosen only if (2) and (3) prove to be difficult or misleading.

Something of the metaphorical significance of the phrase “do not quench the Spirit” may be reflected in other types of metaphors, for example, “do not hold back the Spirit,” “do not tie the Spirit down,” “do no make the Spirit shut up,” or “do not tell the Spirit, That is enough.”

Inspired messages are literally “prophecies,” but Good News Translation avoids this term, since it has narrowed its meaning to that of “prediction,” foretelling the future. Good News Bible restores the full meaning of the original, which meant an inspired and intelligible message, as distinct from speaking with tongues, which for Paul is inspired but not normally intelligible. Despise includes the ideas of treating something as of no account and of rejecting it with contempt.

There are some difficulties involved in translating inspired messages. If one calls them “messages that come from God,” then obviously there is no special point of putting them to the test and keeping what is good while rejecting the rest. The same would be true if one called them “messages which come from the Holy Spirit,” for such a phrase would indicate that all such message are valid. The only way in which these problems may be avoided in some languages is to say “messages given by those who claim to speak on behalf of God.” Such an expression defines the role of “the prophet,” in its New Testament sense, and provides at least a basis for the warning in verse 21.

Put … to the test is quite a common word in both New Testament and secular Greek. It is used, for example, in speaking of a moneychanger testing the genuineness of a coin. Inspired messages are to be tested in a similar way, to see whether their inspiration comes from the Holy Spirit or from the powers of evil (cf. 1 Corinthians 14 and especially 1 Corinthians 12.3). All things probably means “all inspired messages” (cf. the general notes on vv. 19-22). On what is good, see the notes on verse 16.

Put all things to the test must often be translated in this type of context as “try out all of these messages,” or “test all of these messages to see if they are right.” No particular way is indicated as to how the messages can be tested, and therefore perhaps a general expression must be used, for example, “decide whether these messages are true,” or “decide whether these messages really do come from God.”

Keep what is good should not be understood in the sense of “keeping hold of” and “treasuring up.” The implication is rather that the believers should obey the good admonitions or instructions. Accordingly, a rendering such as “do that which is good,” “follow that which is good,” or “put into practice that which is good” may be appropriate.

Avoid must not be understood as “getting out the way of,” but rather as “refusing to do” or “having nothing to do with.”

Every kind of evil is the way in which almost all translations understand the text which King James Version renders “all appearance of evil.” In Greek the word evil may be either masculine or neuter, and so in some contexts it may also mean “an evil man,” but the contrast with good in verse 21 excludes that possibility here. The meaning every kind is found only here in the New Testament. In Luke 3.22 and 9.29 it means “appearance,” and this is the meaning given to it by an early 2nd century writing, the Didache (3.1), which expands this text into “flee from all evil and from all that is like it.” If King James Version‘s interpretation is chosen (and it is not impossible), the translator should guard against the misunderstanding that Paul is warning only against apparent, and not against real, evil. “Keep away from even the appearance of evil, in any form” would avoid this danger. However, Good News Translation gives the simplest and the most probable meaning.

It is often difficult to speak of every kind of evil, because some languages have classifications of objects, but not classifications of qualities such as may be implied by the term “evil.” In this context, however, evil refers, not so much to an abstract quality as to evil action or behavior; therefore one may render this admonition as “refuse to do anything which is evil,” or “refuse to act in any way which even seems bad.”

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Thessalonians 2:15

The emotive tone becomes stronger in verse 15. The reading the prophets is certainly better than “their own prophets” (mentioned in New English Bible in a note). The punctuation of the UBS Greek New Testament: “killing Jesus and the prophets, and persecuting us” is generally accepted, though one or two commentators have argued for a punctuation which would give the meaning: “killing Jesus, and persecuting the prophets and us.” Hostile translates a word usually applied to such objects as the wind blowing against someone.

The participles translated killed and persecuted refer to action at a specific point in time. Displeasing, on the other hand, refers to a permanent or at least a long-lasting state.

Note that Paul here uses the word killed rather than “crucified” to show that the Jews were as much responsible for the death of Jesus as were the Romans, even though it was the latter who directly condemned and crucified him. Since the killing of the prophets preceded the killing of Jesus, it may be necessary to introduce a temporal distinction, for example, “and had earlier killed the prophets.” The persecution of Paul and his colleagues represents still a different period of time, and a temporal distinction may be required here also, for example, “and more recently they have been causing us to suffer,” or “… have been persecuting us.”

Since the historical order of the events mentioned in the first clause of this verse differs from the linguistic order, it may be necessary in some languages to rearrange the linguistic order, for example, “who long ago killed the prophets, and then caused the Lord Jesus to be killed, and recently have been persecuting us.” It may not be possible, in some languages, to use the one pronoun “they” to refer to those who killed the prophets, caused the Lord Jesus to be killed, and persecuted the apostle and his companions, because different groups of people performed these various acts. In may be necessary to mention three distinct groups, for example, “long ago some of them killed the prophets, and then others caused the Lord Jesus to be killed, and now some of them have been persecuting us.”

The exclamation How displeasing they are to God! may need to be made an emphatic statement such as “They displease God very much!”, “They cause God to be very angry!”, or “God is surely very angry with them!”

It is not easy to find a term which can readily translate hostile. The closest equivalent is normally an expression such as “enemy,” for example, “they are very much enemies of everyone,” or “they are very much against everyone.”

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Thessalonians 4:14

This verse gives the reason why Christians should not grieve as non-Christians do. The relation with verse 13b is marked in Greek by a conjunction meaning “for,” which Good News Translation, in accordance with current English usage, omits, leaving the relation implied. Throughout the New Testament, Christian hope for the future is closely related to the past events which form the basis of faith, that is, the death and resurrection of Jesus. So it is here.

The relation between the two halves of this sentence, beginning we believe that Jesus and so we believe that God, is not quite clear. Several factors need to be taken into consideration.

1. Paul is expressing himself in a very concentrated way, and some links in the chain of his argument are omitted.

2. We have noticed in previous passages how easily Paul makes the transition between speaking about Jesus and speaking about God. In fact, Paul more often says “Jesus was raised,” implying “God raised Jesus,” than he says Jesus … rose again (the words for “raised” and rose are quite different in Greek). The parallel would have been clearer if Paul had followed his normal usage here, but he may be quoting a fixed saying already current in the church. Nevertheless, the underlying parallel is clear, namely, that God raised Jesus and God will also raise those who believe in Jesus.

3. King James Version (cf. Luther 1984 Zürcher Bibel La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée) follows the form of the Greek closely by translating “if we believe that Jesus died and rose again.” This is ambiguous in English since it does not tell us whether or not the condition is fulfilled. There is no doubt, however, that the Thessalonians shared the fundamental Christian belief that Jesus did die and rise again. The form of the Greek suggests taking the condition as a fact. There are various ways of making this fact clear. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible (cf. Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale) has “if, in fact, we believe,” which is equivalent to “if, as we do, we believe.” Revised Standard Version has “since” instead of “if.” Phillips (1st edition) has: “if, after all, we believe.” All these rendering are possible. The simplest solution is that chosen by Jerusalem Bible Good News Translation New English Bible Barclay Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Bible en français courant, that is, to make two separate statements, leaving the relation between them to be expressed at the beginning of the second.

4. What, then, is the relation between verse 14a and 14b?
(a) As we have seen, it is not satisfactory to see it as one of ground and condition. “We believe that God will bring believers with Jesus, on condition that we believe that Jesus died and rose again” does not properly represent the relation.
(b) Nor is it simply a comparison, as Biblia Dios Habla Hoy has (“as we believe that Jesus died and rose, in the same manner we believe”), though this is the normal meaning of the word which Good News Translation translates so. A glance at Diagram 3 is enough to show that the items listed in the second column are not only (and not primarily) similar to those in the first column, but the second group really depends on the first.
(c) The relation between 14a and 14b is best understood as one of reason and result; but even this needs to be more closely defined. We believe in 14a indicates a presupposition (it is almost an aside). The second we believe is not expressed in the Greek text. Paul is therefore not relating one act of believing to another (as in Phillips “if we believe that Jesus died and rose again from death, then we can believe that God…,” cf. La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée). Barclay‘s otherwise excellent translation runs into difficulties at this point: “We believe that Jesus died and rose again. We therefore also believe that in the same way God will bring with Jesus those who died in the Christian faith.” The whole point of the passage is that the Thessalonians do not yet believe the second point, and this translation would require either a different meaning for the two occurrences of “we,” or some vague and unusual meaning such as “Christians believe.” Paul is rather relating one act of God, which the Thessalonians already know about, to another, the consequence of the first, about which they have not yet been taught. The meaning may be paraphrased as “Jesus died and rose again. (We all believe this already.) Therefore, this assures us that God will take to himself those who have died believing in him.” Unfortunately, as we have seen in paragraph 1, the consequence is indirect, but Moffatt may be right in translating “since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then it follows….”

Two more problems remain. First, the words translated believing in him are literally “through Jesus” (Revised Standard Version). They may be related either (a) to will take back which would give the meaning “through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (Revised Standard Version cf. Moffatt “by means of Jesus,” Luther 1984 La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “by Jesus and with him”); or (b) to those who have died believing in him (literally, as in v. 13, “those who have fallen asleep through Christ”). In this case, “through Christ” would have the same meaning as the more frequently used expression “in Christ,” discussed in the notes on 2.14. This would make a convincing parallel to those who have died believing in Christ in verse 16. This interpretation is followed by King James Version Knox Jerusalem Bible Phillips Barclay New English Bible Translator’s New Testament (cf. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Bible en français courant Biblia Dios Habla Hoy Bijbel in Gewone Taal), as well as by Good News Translation.

The final problem is the meaning of take back. Literally the Greek word means “will bring” or “will lead,” but in English “bring” includes the idea of movement toward a given point of reference. In this context “bring” therefore would imply “God will move down from heaven to earth with Jesus and with those who have died believing in him.” Is this what Paul means? There are strong reasons for thinking that it is not.
(a) The meaning of the word translated will take back varies according to the context. Sometimes the infinitive may mean simply “to go.” Usually, it implies movement with someone else and on someone else’s initiative, like the English “lead.” It does not, however, always imply movement towards a point of reference. In Acts 20.12, for example (contrast Acts 5.26), it involves movement away from the point of reference, and Good News Translation accordingly translates “they took the young man home.” That the meaning varies according to the context is recognized by the translators of Bible de Jérusalem, who change “will bring” of their 1st edition to “will take away” in their 2nd edition in their rendering of the present verse.
(b) There is no suggestion here or in the wider context of God the Father’s coming from heaven to earth.
(c) Nor is there any suggestion that the dead are already in heaven (cf. Matthew 27.52 f.).
(d) Verse 16, which fills out the meaning of verse 14, suggests that the movement is in the opposite direction: Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first.

In translation, the point of reference must be made clear. In the context, this is the earth, where we are in verse 15. The translation would therefore be something like “God will take” (or “take back”) “to himself.” Very few translations make this clear, as Good News Translation does, but Bijbel in Gewone Taal has “God will draw to himself, together with Jesus, those who have died as Christians,” and New American Bible has “will bring forth with him from the dead.” Some translations avoid the problem by eliminating the idea of movement completely. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “God will … give (them) life with Jesus” (cf. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy).

In some languages one encounters serious problems in trying to translate literally rose again. In the first place, “to rise” may not express the concept of “coming back to life.” It might only mean to sit up from a lying position or to stand up from a lying or a sitting position. Furthermore, “again” can be confusing, since it may imply merely rising up a second time, rather than coming back to life from death. This means that in many languages it is necessary to say that “Jesus lived again,” “Jesus became alive again,” or “Jesus died and then became alive.”

The conjunction so may require a more elaborate equivalent in order that the precise connection will be clearly indicated. A literal translation might suggest that “because of our belief about Jesus, therefore we believe that God will do….” As already pointed out, this is not the proper connection. It may be preferable to translate “because Jesus died and rose again, therefore we believe that God….”

To avoid the wrong implication of “will bring with Jesus” (cf. New American Bible), it may be useful to use a causative, for example, “will cause them to be with Jesus.”

Those who have died believing in him indicates a relation often described as “attendant circumstance”; in the present instance the people were believing in him at the time they died. This relation may be expressed as “those who were believing in him when they died,” or “those who believed in him and died.” It would be wrong to suggest a concessive relation, such as “those who died even though they believed in him.” This idea may be precisely what was troubling the Thessalonians; they may have thought that true Christians would not experience physical death, and so were quite disturbed by the fact some of their number had died.

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Thessalonians 1:4

Paul seems to have been writing to a mixed group which in included both Jews and former pagans (compare verse 9 and Acts 17.1-3). This makes it all the more remarkable that he should call them all brothers, as he does repeatedly in this letter and elsewhere. In the ancient world, it was almost unheard-of for anyone to call a foreigner “brother,” but in the Christian family it was common from the beginning. It makes no difference to Paul that not long before this some of his readers had been fellow Jews and others had been pagans; now, without any distinction, they are all brothers. Though in many languages the Christian community refers to all its members by a word which more of less literally means “brothers” or even “brothers and sisters,” in some instances a term for broader kinship is employed, for example, “relatives” or “clansmen,” since this would be the only appropriate way in which one could address a larger group with which one is intimately associated.

We still includes, of course, Silas and Timothy, but not the Thessalonians. This is the case in the entire section until verse 10, where the first person plural becomes inclusive; that is, the expression us there includes the Thessalonian Christian as well as Paul and his companions.

Good News Translation rightly makes explicit two things which are only implicit in the Greek: (1) the connection between we know and God loves you (literally, “we know, brothers beloved by God”) and (2) the component of meaning expressed by to be his own. Good News Translation, like Revised Standard Version New English Bible etc., avoids the traditional word “election,” which now has political associations, and translates this noun by a verb, since it clearly refers to something God does. But it is not enough to translate simply “we know … that he has chosen you” (Revised Standard Version cf. New English Bible Biblia Dios Habla Hoy Bijbel in Gewone Taal Translator’s New Testament), because the word Paul uses has clear associations in the minds of his readers with God’s choice of Israel to be his special people and to fulfill a special mission. God’s choice of the Thessalonian believers must be brought out by some such phrase as to be his own, “to belong to him” (Bible en français courant), “to belong to his people” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), or “for a special purpose” (Phillips).

Has chosen you to be his own may be translated more or less literally as “has selected you out so that you could belong to him,” but it is sometimes better expressed in more figurative language, for example, “has chosen you and put his mark upon you,” “has labeled you as his possession,” or “has selected you and marked you as his.”

Expressions corresponding to God loves you frequently reflect terms which denote the love of parents for children, but in some languages figurative expressions are used, for example, “God holds you in his heart,” “God’s heart goes out to you,” or “God treasures you very 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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Thessalonians 3:6

This passage is closely related to verses 1-5, but marks a new stage, introduced by a word which may indicate either a contrast or a transition. Those translations which take it as contrastive (King James Version Moffatt Revised Standard Version Phillips New English Bible Translator’s New Testament Zürcher Bibel Luther 1984 La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale Bible en français courant Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) translate the word as “but” (cf. Jerusalem Bible “however”); those which take it as a transitional (Knox Barclay Good News Translation Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Bible de Jérusalem Traduction œcuménique de la Bible Bijbel in Gewone Taal) simply do not translate it. There is indeed an element of contrast: Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica because he was anxious, but now that he has returned with good news, Paul is reassured.

A special problem for English translators is that now may indicate either a transition or a point in time. As a transition it usually occurs at the beginning of a sentence (e.g. Genesis 3.1 Revised Standard Version: “Now the serpent was more subtle…”). In this verse, the Greek uses two different words to express (1) the contrast (or transition, see last paragraph) and (2) the now which indicates present time, and it may be necessary to use two different words in translation also.

In pre-New Testament Greek, the temporal now was used to refer to something which had just happened, and here, in an emphatic position at the beginning of the sentence, it may still have this meaning. Moffatt (“a moment ago”), Barclay Translator’s New Testament (“has just returned”), Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale Bible de Jérusalem Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translate it in this way. By New Testament times, however, the word more often meant simply “at the present time,” and this is the translation chosen by Knox Good News Translation Zürcher Bibel Luther 1984 Bible en français courant Bijbel in Gewone Taal Biblia Dios Habla Hoy.

Though the Greek text specifies that Timothy has returned “to us from you,” it is strictly redundant to add these words in translation. They are one of the emotive elements in the original, but a literal translation may have the effect of making the sentence heavier. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates more simply “Timothy has come back from Thessalonica”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “has come back from you”; Bijbel in Gewone Taal “is back with us.” If either “to us” or “from you” is omitted, it fits in better with the context to omit “to us,” since Paul’s main concern is not with his reunion with Timothy, but with the news Timothy brought back about the situation in Thessalonica. Good News Translation omits both phrases.

He has brought us the welcome news. Paul uses here the verb which generally refers to the communication of the Christian message, the announcement of the Good News. Here it has the meaning which is usual in secular writings: that of bringing any kind of good news. It is therefore essential to avoid any translation which might suggest the specifically Christian sense. It is probably for this reason that Good News Translation has welcome news instead of the more common “good news” (Revised Standard Version and New English Bible), which when read aloud could be misunderstood as “the Good News.”

In some languages one does not say “to bring news.” Rather, “one comes and speaks news.” The translation of welcome refers to the emotive response of those who heard the news, for example, “news which made us happy” or, idiomatically, “news which soothed our ears.”

About your faith and love. Commentators discuss whether Paul is thinking mainly of the Thessalonians’ love for God of for one another. This becomes a problem for the translator only if the nouns are replaced by verbs requiring a direct object. In this case, it would be more natural to refer “love,” like “faith,” to the Thessalonians’ relationship to God (see the notes on 1.3). This would give a translation something like “he has brought the welcome news that you still trust God and still love him.” However, Paul rarely writes about men loving God (see notes on 2 Thess. 3.5), and it may be better to translate “he has brought the welcome news that you still trust God and still love one another.”

He has told us that you always think well of us. He has told us is inserted in order to begin a new sentence. The components of meaning in the phrase in the translated think well of us include (1) remembrance and (2) either (a) affection or (b) respect (c) both. In translating the first component, it should be borne in mind that the time between Paul’s leaving Thessalonica and writing this letter was almost certainly counted in months rather than in years. Good News Translation tightly avoids any suggestion that an effort of memory was needed. Within the second component of meaning, the Greek can convey both affection and respect, but the translator may have to choose which is more important in this context. The same expression is used in 2 Maccabees 7.20 in speaking of a heroic mother who “deserves to be remembered with special honour” (New English Bible). Good News Translation‘s think well of us brings out this element of respect, while New English Bible‘s and Barclay‘s “think kindly of us” emphasizes the element of affection (cf. Knox Biblia Dios Habla Hoy; also Phillips “cherish happy memories of us,” cf. Bijbel in Gewone Taal; Jerusalem Bible “remember us with pleasure”; cf. Translator’s New Testament Bible de Jérusalem). On balance, the element of affection seems to fit in better with the warmth of the passage as a whole. An appropriate expression for affection in this context could be “you remember us with happiness,” “you are happy when you think of us,” or “your thinking about us causes you to have joy.”

The center of gravity, so to speak, of this phrase is the Greek word often rendered as “good,” and it is to this that always should be related: not “you are continually thinking of us” (unless possibly as an emotive exaggeration), but “your memories of us are good ones,” “whenever you remember us, it is in a good sense.”

Some editions of the Greek text punctuate this sentence in such a way as to connect always with what follows (i.e. “wanting to see us”), but this is less natural than the punctuation followed by Good News Translation and most other translations.

You want to see us. The word translated want conveys strong emotion, like the English verb “long” in “long to see us.” As in verse 2.17, see must be rendered as implying “visiting” rather than merely looking at.

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Thessalonians 5:7

The grammatical structure of this verse in Greek is balanced, but the meaning is not. A fairly literal translation would be “for the sleepers sleep at night, and the drunkards get drunk at night.” Paul is not interested here in distinguishing those who sleep and get drunk from those who do not, but in mentioning two of the activities associated with night. Good News Translation effectively focuses attention upon the factor of time by introducing both the sleeping and the drunkenness with the phrase it is at night. Other languages may use “at night people sleep; at night they get drunk,” or “people sleep at night and get drunk at night.”

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Thessalonians 2:5

In Greek this verse begins a new sentence which continues at least into verse 7 (see the notes on that verse). Paul continues his self-defense with a series of three parallel negative statements which expand what he has said in verses 3-4, particularly his claim that we do not try to trick anyone, and prepare the way for the positive statement which begins at verse 7b. Into these negative statements are set two brief parenthetical expressions which complement one another and which Moffatt translates “(you know that)” and “(God is witness to that).”

A brief look at the items in this verse may help us decide whether Paul is thinking specifically of the Thessalonians or (as in the previous verse) of general principles.

a. This sentence, like verses 1 and 3, contains an introductory “for,” which Good News Translation omits. If Paul is thinking of the Thessalonians, this word would relate the general statement in verse 4b to the more specific statements in verses 5-7. If he is thinking in more general terms, “for” would indicate an unfolding in verses 5-7 of the content of verse 4. The conjunction itself does not help us decide one way or the other.

b. The expression translated “never” in Revised Standard Version etc., used by Paul here and in a slightly variant form in Ephesians 5.29, is also omitted by Good News Translation. It tends to indicate a general reference, but it could mean “at no time during our stay with you.”

c. The tense of the verb translated did come normally indicates a specific event, but here it probably indicates the act of entering into a state in which, it is understood, one then remains. One might paraphrase: “At no time did we take up flattery as part of our normal practice.”

d. On “as you know,” see the general note on verses 3-7a. By themselves these words tend to indicate a specific reference, but they are less emphatic in the Greek than in Good News Translation.

The evidence is thus inconclusive. The wider context does not settle the matter either, since verse 4 is clearly general and verse 7 clearly specific. The translator has to weigh the points at issue, make up his mind, and produce a translation which is clear-cut and consistent. Good News Translation is an admirable example of a translation based on the decision that Paul is here thinking specifically of the Thessalonian situation. Most commentators agree, and most translators either agree (as do Barclay Biblia Dios Habla Hoy Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or leave the matter unclear. New English Bible (cf. Phillips Bible en français courant) is a good example of a translation based on the more general interpretation: “Our words have never been flattering words, as you have cause to know; nor, as God is our witness, have they ever been a cloak for greed.” Best (97) thinks that Paul speaks in verses 3-4 of his mission in general, and in verses 5-12 of his mission to Thessalonica. This may, on balance, be the best solution of the problem.

Flattering talk (literally “[a] word of flattery”) can mean either “talk which consists in flattery” or “talk which flatters”; it makes little practical difference. “Flattery” combines the ideas of insincere talk and the desire to use someone else for one’s own ends. Most languages have excellent equivalents for flattering talk, since flattery is a universal phenomenon. In some languages flattery is described in a very direct manner, for example, “telling you that you are very good,” “telling you how great you are,” or “saying beautiful words about you.”

Greed (also New English Bible) means the desire to possess something one does not have. It is the sin condemned in the Tenth Commandment (Exodus 20.17), except that greed does not make explicit the idea of wanting what belongs to someone else. It is a more general term than “the love of money” (1 Timothy 6.10), though Paul may already have this in mind (cf. Bible en français courant Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) and may be preparing to mention it specifically in verse 9. There is no sexual connotation in the word itself, though (as in the Tenth Commandment) greed, can have a sexual object. It is better here to use a general word like greed, “self-seeking” (Moffatt), or “(our) own advantage” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch); cf. Best “with a veiled desire to exploit.”

Good News Translation‘s words (in the phrase words to cover up greed) is not absolutely necessary. The essential idea is that of covering up one’s true motive, which is greed. There is an implied contrast: “You know that we did not flatter people by anything we said, and God knows that greed was not our hidden motive.” On calling God to witness something, see Romans 1.9; 2 Corinthians 1.23; cf. Genesis 31.50 and other Old Testament passages.

If one follows the Good News Translation rendering, words to cover up greed, some misunderstanding may arise. If one translates “We did not use words to cover up our taking advantage of you,” a reader might assume that Paul and his colleagues used another technique to cover up their greed. A more satisfactory equivalent in some languages is “and in nothing that we said to you were we trying to take advantage of you,” “we did not speak to you in order to serve our selfish desires,” or “we did not proclaim the Good News in order to profit from you.”

God is our witness may be rendered in some instances as “God knows very well what we did,” or “God knows our hearts.”

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 .