They is a general word, “such people” as Paul has just described.

The word for punishment normally means a penalty imposed by a court of law.

The word here rendered suffer is less emphatic than the unrelated words for “suffer” which Paul uses in verses 5 and 6. It means simply “undergo.” Moffatt translates “they will pay the penalty.”

Eternal destruction is a difficult phrase, not only from the theological point of view, which does not concern us directly here, but also for the translator. Destruction suggests that the persecutors will cease to exist, but if this were so, how could their destruction be eternal except in the sense of “final” or “permanent”? This same word for destruction could be translated “disaster” in 1 Thess. 5.3, and New American Bible translates it “ruin” here. Eternal is often used in the New Testament in speaking of the age to come or the last days. “Eternal life” is not simply life which goes on forever, but life of a quality associated with the age to come. Eternal destruction is the opposite of this. In 1 Thess. 4.17 Paul describes the life of the age to come by saying simply “we will always be with the Lord.” Conversely, eternal destruction is to be separated from the presence of the Lord. The persecutors will be punished in such a way that “all that makes life worth living is destroyed” (H. A. A. Kennedy, quoted by Best, p. 262).

Eternal destruction must be rendered in some languages as a verb phrase, for example, “he will destroy them forever.” This expression may be related to what precedes as “they will be punished; God will destroy them forever,” or “God will cause them to suffer; he will punish them by destroying them forever.” Note, however, that this eternal destruction is further defined by the phrase which follows, namely, separated from the presence of the Lord.

Separated from represents a common Greek preposition which has a wide range of meanings. King James Version Moffatt Zürcher Bibel translate it rather vaguely as “from.” Knox thinks that it is God’s presence which causes the destruction and translates “the presence of the Lord, and the majesty of his power, will condemn them to eternal punishment,” but he adds a note giving another interpretation. It is more natural to understand the word “from” as referring (metaphorically) to space, and this is the meaning in Isaiah 2.10, 19, 21, of which this verse is a quotation. Most translations understand in this way: separated (cf. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), Jerusalem Bible “excluded” (cf. Phillips), New English Bible “cut off,” Barclay Translator’s New Testament “banishment” (cf. Bijbel in Gewone Taal), “far from” (cf. Bible en français courant Biblia Dios Habla Hoy Luther 1984 Bible de Jérusalem La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale Zürcher Bibel).

The phrase separated from the presence of the Lord serves to further define the meaning of eternal destruction. One may therefore introduce this expression as “this means they will be separated from the presence of the Lord.” In some languages, however, it is extremely difficult to use a passive expression such as separated without indicating precisely who does the separating and the mode of the separation. One must say in some instances “God will close them off from where the Lord will be.” In many instances, of course, the Lord must be rendered as “our Lord.”

The presence of the Lord is a non-figurative equivalent of the Greek “the face of the Lord,” which is not very natural in current English. The Lord, as usual in Paul’s writings, means Jesus (cf. v. 8), though in the passage in Isaiah which Paul is quoting, the Lord naturally refers to God. His glorious might is literally “the glory of his might,” and could also mean “the glory which comes from” or “is caused by his might.” On “glory,” see 1 Thess. 2.12; cf. 2.6, 20. In some translations his glorious might has been rendered merely as “his wonderful strength.” But this is often not satisfactory. How can one be separated from someone’s strength? It is possible in some instances to reverse the attribution and to speak, not of “glorious might,” but “great wonderfulness”; that is to say “God will shut them away from the great wonderfulness of our Lord.” In some cases this may be best indicated by “and they will never see how very wonderful he is,” or “… never experience his great wonderfulness.”

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

For a discussion of in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, see 2 Thess. 3.6.

Paul’s instructions are introduced by two verbs, both normally used by a superior addressing an inferior. Command clearly includes this meaning. Warn does not, and it is an unusual meaning of the Greek, which, in similar context, normally means “appeal to, urge, exhort, encourage.” Bible en français courant has “recommend” (cf. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (cf. Bijbel in Gewone Taal) takes the two words together and translates “we exhort” (possibly “warn”) “then … with all emphasis.” Barclay, at the risk of anticlimax, differentiates the two verbs rather sharply as “our instructions and our plea.” Good News Translation‘s warn seems rather too strong. It is true that in verse 4 and 6 (cf. 10), Paul has used the same Greek verb without feeling any need to soften it by adding a gentler expression. However, examples of this procedure are to be found elsewhere in Paul’s writings (e.g. Romans 1.11-12), and verse 15 fulfills a similar function here. Some such expression as “command and urge” would preserve the balance. Best has the rather less emphatic “instruct and request.”

In some languages there is a problem in relating the verbs command and warn to what follows, because what follows is essentially direct discourse. One would expect the second person plural “you” to be used in the direct discourse, so that the latter part of verse 12 would read “we command these people and urge them, You must lead orderly lives and work to earn your own living.” A difficulty with the term warn is that it suggests a negative prohibition which might be taken to mean “warn them not to lead orderly lives.” A rendering such as “strongly urge” in place of warn would eliminate this difficulty.

Revised Standard Version‘s “such persons,” for these people, faithfully reproduces the form of the Greek, but sound too pejorative for a letter partly addressed to the people in question, and for a passage in which Paul insists that they are still “brothers” (v. 15). The Vulgate carefully avoids a common pejorative Latin pronoun, and translates “to those however who are of this kind.” Similarly Good News Translation avoids “such.”

There are two possible meanings of living a lazy life in verse 6 (cf. v. 11 and 1 Thess. 5.14), but we have already given reason for suggesting that Paul’s main attack is against refusal to work, rather than against disorderly conduct as such. However, the second meaning does lie in the background, and Paul’s fear that those who refuse to work may disturb and agitate the Christian community is reflected both in verse 11 (meddle) and here. Orderly is not formally related in Greek to the word for lazy or “disorderly” which has been used earlier, but the meanings are contrastively related. Orderly may mean either “calm” or “silent,” but “calm” fits the context better. Lead orderly lives is literally “go-on-working with calm” (Bible en français courant “work regularly,” cf. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Good News Translation separates work and attaches it to the following phrase.

It may be impossible to translate literally lead orderly lives. It may be possible to say “live in an orderly way,” but in many languages the concept of “orderly” has nothing to do with proper living. The closest equivalent in meaning may be more appropriately expressed as a type of modal, for example, “live as they should.”

Earn their own living is literally “eat their own bread” (see the notes on v. 8). This may be expressed in some languages as “earn money for food and clothes,” or “work to feed their mouths.” Or the focus may be upon family responsibilities, for example, “work to help their families.”

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

Then in New Testament Greek, as in English, may mean either “at that time” or “next, immediately after.” The context suggests the second meaning here: “as soon as the restraining power is taken away, the Wicked One will appear.” To show the close connection between the temporal elements in these verses, it may be possible to render then as “only then.” This will reinforce the relation between the removal of the restraining one and the appearance of the Wicked One.

For the Wicked One, see the introductory notes on 2.1-12 and the notes on 2 Thess. 2.3.

The rest of verse 8 has a poetic tone which the translator should try to reproduce, using, of course, the poetic features of the receptor language. There are several poetic features in the original Greek text. To begin with, there is (1) a kind of rhythm and balance of expression: “whom the Lord Jesus will / kill by the breath of his mouth // and / destroy by the appearance of his coming.” (2) This is a modified quotation of Isaiah 11.4 (cf. Psalm 33.6), which is poetic in the original Hebrew. (3) The repetition, both between the two halves of the couplet (kill and destroy) and within the second half (“appearance” and “coming”) is poetic, as is also (4) the pictorial language, “the breath of his mouth.”

Because of the poetic tone of this verse, one should not look for a distinction between kill and destroy. In other contexts, kill can mean “annul, abolish,” as in Hebrews 10.9, and destroy can mean “make inactive,” as in Romans 3.3; but such a distinction does not need to be made in the present case. (Translator’s New Testament, however, has “take away all his power.”) Similarly, “appearance” and “coming” are close in meaning. They are really closer in Greek than in those translations which render “appearance” by such words as “brightness” and “radiance” (King James Version cf. Knox Phillips New English Bible Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). The second edition of Bible de Jérusalem correctly changes “resplendence” to “manifestation.” Barclay, recognizing that parallelism is not a normal feature of English poetry, combines the two lines: “the Lord Jesus will blast him out of existence with the breath of his mouth and with the blinding brilliance of his coming.”

There is a serious problem of temporal sequence in verses 8-9. A literal rendering of verse 8 (“and then will be revealed the Lawless One, whom the Lord Jesus will kill … by the appearance of his coming”) would seem to imply that immediately upon the appearance of the Wicked One the Lord Jesus will destroy him. However, in verse 9 there is a description of what the Wicked One will do when he comes. It may be possible to suggest a time span between the appearance of the Wicked One and the coming of the Lord Jesus by shifting the order of clauses, as Good News Translation does: then the Wicked One will be revealed, but when the Lord Jesus comes, he will kill…. This order suggests a time span during which the events described in verse 9 can take place. In fact, it may be necessary in some languages to begin verse 9 with a temporal conjunction such as “in the meantime.”

When the Lord Jesus comes … with his dazzling presence is literally “by the manifestation of his coming,” but this refers to a single event, not (as, for example in Revised Standard Version) “his appearing and his coming.” The poetic use of repetition emphasizes the solemn nature of the event, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “he will annihilate him by his mere appearing” is rather wide of the mark. The Greek expression translated in Good News Translation as with his dazzling presence is best taken as means rather than simply as a temporal qualification, since it is parallel with the expression with the breath from his mouth. Therefore one may translate this phrase in some languages as “by means of his being present in a dazzling way,” or perhaps “by means of his appearing in a glorious way.”

For a more detailed discussion of presence, see the discussion of when he comes (1 Thess. 2.19).

The breath from his mouth is a rather common biblical expression (e.g. Exodus 15.8; Psalm 33.6) which can sometimes be misunderstood in translation. (1) The Greek word for breath also means “spirit” (cf. King James Version), but there is no reference here to the Holy Spirit. (2) “Breath” does not mean simply “word,” as in Phillips “the words from the mouth of the Lord Jesus.” (3) God’s breath is always thought of as powerful, so the meaning is very different from “a puff of wind will blow him away.” A literal rendering of with the breath from his mouth may involve a number of serious complications. In the place, it is rather redundant to speak of “the breath of his mouth,” since the breath is normally regarded as coming from the mouth. Even to speak of someone being killed by this breath may seem either humorous (as a reference to halitosis or bad breath) or as a suggestion of some kind of disease spread by germs carried on the breath. The concept of breath in this verse may be incorporated in the idea of “kill” in some languages by rendering “he will blow him out of this life,” or “by blowing he will destroy him.” Where it is either misleading or completely unintelligible to speak of “the breath of his mouth,” it may be better to drop this aspect of the figurative language and simply say “the Lord Jesus will kill him.”

Older translations, such as King James Version, followed a text which omitted Jesus and had “consume” instead of kill. Modern editions and translations prefer the text on which Good News Translation is based.

Verses 9-12 raise a general problem of the relation between past, present, and future events, which it is convenient to look at as a whole. If we try to list them according to tense, we reach the not very definite result shown in the diagram|fig:Table_2TH2-8.htm. The distinction is far from clear-cut. Items 1, 2, and 8 are certainly future in meaning, though the verb in 1 is grammatically present. Item 4 is clearly past. Items 3, 5, 6, and 7 may be present, future, or both in meaning.

However, Greek makes a distinction, perhaps more important than that of tense, between events thought of as (1) taking place over a period of time and now complete, (2) those taking place over a period of time but not yet complete, and (3) those taking place at a point in time and therefore (at least by implication) complete. No verbs in group (1) occur in the present verses. “He will deceive” (item 2 in the above list) is not expressed by a verb. Items 1, 3, and 6 fall in group (2), and items 4, 5, 7, and both verbs of 8 fall in group (3).

This distinction, as it has just been applied to these verses, has some interesting though partly tentative implications for the translator. Item 1 does not focus on the event of the coming of the Wicked One, since this has been specified in verse 8. Item 1 focuses rather on the series of events which occur during the period of his coming. Items 3 and 6 overlap present and future: those who are to perish are already beginning to perish. The notes on verse 11 will suggest reasons for the translation “the reason for this is that God is sending….” The other items raise no special problems. Item 4 is clearly marked as occurring at a point in the past. Item 5 focuses on the point of final and complete salvation. The translation of item 7 will be determined by that of item 6, the main verb. The context clearly places item 8 in the future.

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

This verse contains Paul’s second request for prayer, and both parts of it are expressed in very general terms. Paul was probably referring to particular difficulties in which he and his companions found themselves at the time of writing. The Thessalonians may have known about these problems, but we do not. The Greek has literally “that we may be rescued from the wicked and evil men.” It would be unnatural to use here the word “the” in English, since there has been no previous reference to particular wicked men (except perhaps in 2.7, which is an even more difficult verse.) King James Version has “unreasonable” where Good News Translation has wicked. “Unreasonable” represents an earlier sense of the Greek word, but by the time of Paul its meaning had become more general.

A literal translation of rescue might suggest that Paul and his colleagues were actually in the power of wicked and evil men who had in some way gotten control of them, perhaps even putting them in prison. That is clearly not the correct meaning. Therefore, it may be more appropriate to translate “pray also that God will keep us from suffering because of wicked and evil men,” or “… that God will keep wicked and evil men from harming us,” or “… causing us great trouble.”

It may be impossible in some languages to distinguish between wicked and evil. These are essentially equivalent terms, and may be translated together in some languages simply as “very wicked men.” A qualifier such as “very” may be regarded as compensating for the loss of one of the attributes or as representing the closest equivalent emphasis.

The relation between the two parts of the verse is not clear. For rightly indicates only a loose connection, since the second part of the verse does not explain the first, except indirectly in the sense that if everyone believed the message there would be no wicked and evil people. Bijbel in Gewone Taal Bible en français courant Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch make verse 2b a separate sentence.

The message is implicit, since “believe” in normal English (though not in church language) requires an object. The text is literally “for not of all the faith.” Knox interprets this in a footnote as “ ‘The faith does not reach all hearts’; or possibly ‘faith is not to be found in all hearts’.” However, “faith,” even with “the,” should not be understood here as a system of belief; rather it is the positive response to the Christian message. “Faith” is therefore often translated by a verb such as “believe.” Bible en français courant has “for it is not everyone who accepts to believe,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “for not all let themselves be called to believe.” If one does make the message explicit as the object of the verb believes, it may be necessary to relate this message to what has already been spoken of in verse 14 as the Good News and in verse 15 as our preaching. Therefore one may wish to say “believes the message we have proclaimed,” or “believes the Good News.” The last word of verse 2, “faith,” and the first word of verse 3, “faithful,” form the hinge on which Paul turns to a rather different subject, the contrast between faith and stability.

Verses 3-5 cannot be understood without realizing that the basic meaning of the Hebrew concept of faith is “firmness, reliability, or steadfastness.” This is the central idea which is repeatedly emphasized here by the words translated faithful, strengthen, keep you safe, confidence (v. 4), endurance (v. 5), and possibly also lead (v. 5). (The original suggests making a path which is straight and therefore safe.) There is a restless spirit in the air, with people becoming over-excited about the Day of the Lord and busybodies upsetting the life of the community. In addition, there are attacks from outside the church, and even fiercer tests will come before the End. Only the Lord (that is, Jesus) can keep the Thessalonians safe among these dangers (vv. 3, 5), but they must also hold on to the evangelists’ teaching (v. 4).

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

See also the notes on 1 Thess. 5.2, and 2 Thess. 1.12.

When he comes. The Greek suggests a single event at an indefinite time in the future.

On that Day is emphatic in Greek, because it comes right at the end of this long sentence (vv. 3-10). Many translations, including Good News Translation make the flow of the sentence smoother by moving on that Day to an earlier position; others preserve the emphasis by making this phrase a separate sentence (Knox “yes; there will be justice when that day comes,” cf. Bible de Jérusalem “thus it will be on that day”). If on that Day is not closely related to the rest of the verse, the reader may be left asking “On what day?” For the original readers, the phrase on that Day would have been easy to understand because of its use in the Old Testament, where it means the same as “the day of the Lord.” Isaiah 2, a passage from which Paul has just quoted; uses this expression repeatedly. Christians reinterpreted “the day of the Lord” to mean the day on which the Lord Jesus would come again, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch makes this explicit by translating “that happens on the day on which he comes.” Several translations, including Translator’s New Testament and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, add a note to explain the associations of “that day;” the capital letter used by Good News Translation (cf. Bible en français courant) and Bijbel in Gewone Taal “the great Day,” show in other ways that “Day,” has a special significance here.

Because of the special significance given to that Day, it may be necessary in some languages to use qualifying expressions, for example, “on that special Day” or “on that very important Day.” Note, however, that verse 10, though very closely linked to verse 9, may introduce complications in some languages, especially if phrases such as eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord, and his glorious might are all expressed as complete clauses. It may therefore be necessary to begin verse 10 as a separate sentence, for example, “All this will happen when he comes on that special Day….”

It should be noted that to spell Day with a capital letter does not help the person who only hears the passage read aloud. Capitals generally should be used in accordance with the usage of the receptor language, but they are not very effective in distinguishing shades of theological meaning. There is a tendency in some languages, including English and French (cf. Bible en français courant Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, but not Bible de Jérusalem) for the use of capitals to decline.

To receive glory … and honor. Virtually all translations take this to mean that the purpose of Jesus’ coming again is to receive glory and honor. However, New Testament Greek, under Hebrew influence, does not distinguish clearly between purpose and result, and it would make equally good sense if Paul meant that the result of Jesus’ coming, in the impressive way described in verses 7b-9, would be to make all believers give him honor and glory. In Revelation 16.9, where the Greek construction is similar, Good News Translation translates “(men) would not turn from their sins and praise his greatness,” and the second part of this sentence is sometimes understood as the result of the first.

The Greek is literally “when he comes to be glorified in his saints” (cf. King James Version Revised Standard Version). The word for “glory” is an unusual compound, repeated in verse 12, literally “in-glorified in his saints.” This emphasizes the word “in” and makes it important to establish its exact meaning. The possibilities may be grouped as follows: (1) “in (the assembly) of his saints” (cf. Psalm 89.7), “when his people are gathered together,” hence “among his people” (cf. New English Bible “glorified among his own and adored among all believers”). (2) “By means of” or “because of the saints” (cf. Barclay translation of 12a: “the name of the Lord Jesus will be glorified because of you,” and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible of verse 10a: “glorified in the person of his saints”). This is not necessarily the same as “by the saints,” and some commentators suggest that the angels would glorify God when they see what he has made of the saints. This interpretation, however, is unnecessarily complicated, since the identity of those who give glory is not stated either here or in similar Old Testament passages (e.g. Isaiah 45.25). Several translations, including Bible en français courant and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, therefore take the verse to mean that Jesus will come “to be honored (glorified) by all his saints”; Good News Translation and Bijbel in Gewone Taal use active verbs to give the same meaning. If the translator chooses an equivalent of “by,” the context will still show clearly that a community is intended.

On people (literally “saints”), see the notes on 1 Thess. 3.13. Here, however, the words all who believe show clearly that human believers and not angels are intended. The whole passage contrasts the fate of persecutors and believers. New English Bible translates “his own”; Barclay “his own dedicated people”; Translator’s New Testament “those who belong to him.”

The word translated honor is a verb which may suggest a range of emotions going from astonishment and fear to reverence and wonder. Both the parallel with glory and the wider context suggest something more than mere surprise or shock. Barclay has “welcomed with … awe and wonder,” and Best has “marvelled at.”

A literal translation of to receive glory from all his people and honor from all who believe might suggest two different actions by two distinction groups. In reality, what will happen on the day of the Lord’s return is essentially a single event expressed in this parallel form. To avoid the impression that there will be two events and two groups of persons, it may be necessary to translate “to receive glory and honor from all his people, that is to say, from all who believe in him.”

The expressions receive glory and receive … honor may be regarded as substitute passives. It may be important to restructure this sentence in some languages as “when he comes on that special Day, all his people will give him glory, that is to say, all who believe in him will show him honor.” In this type of context “to give him glory” may be expressed in some languages as “to lift up his name,” “to praise him with powerful words,” or “to show how wonderful he is.” In many languages a verb such as “honor” may be expressed as “to praise” or “to say great things about.”

Believe in verse 10a and have believed in verse 10b refer to acts which took place at a particular point in the past, probably the point at which Paul’s readers first became Christians. You too will be among them (cf. other common language translations, Barclay “and by you too,” Translator’s New Testament “you too are included”) is not in the Greek, but is inserted in order to start a new sentence and to link with the rest of the passage words which, in the original, form a rather awkward parenthesis (King James Version uses marks of parenthesis at this point). It may be important to indicate clearly those among whom the believers in Thessalonica are to be, and thus one may need to say “you too will be with those who will honor the Lord.” In some cases, however, it may be sufficient to say “you too will be there with them.”

Message is the normal word for “witness” or “testimony.” As an apostle, Paul counted himself among the witnesses to Christ’s resurrection (cf. 1 Corinthians 15.8 f.), though not, of course, to his earthly life. The last part of verse 10 is literally “because our testimony to you was believed” (Revised Standard Version). Most modern translations change this into the equivalent active form. It may, however, be more natural to render because you have believed the message that we told you simply as “because you believed what we told you.” If one specifically wishes to emphasize the element of “testimony,” one can say “because you believed what we told you, things that we ourselves personally knew about.”

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

Paul turns away from the group which is refusing to work and addresses the rest of the Christian community. He also turns from a specific order to a general instruction. The transition is marked in Good News Translation as in Greek by an emphatic but you, brothers, which Revised Standard Version, usually so close to the form of the Greek, does not reproduce in its “brethren.” New English Bible similarly has simply “my friends.” Phillips has “and the rest of you, my brothers,” Perhaps verse 15 is intended to correct this emphasis by stating that even those who do not work are still to be counted among the Christian “brothers.”

The abrupt appositional expression, you, brothers, may seem particularly awkward in this context. Perhaps one can use an expression such as “you, my fellow believers,” but it is also possible to say “but, my fellow believers, you must not become tired of doing good.”

Some translations (including Moffatt Phillips New English Bible Jerusalem Bible Bijbel in Gewone Taal Bible en français courant Biblia Dios Habla Hoy La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée Bible de Jérusalem Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) also mark the transition by beginning a new paragraph with this verse. Revised Standard Version and Luther 1984 make this verse the end of a paragraph. This is less satisfactory, since verse 13 is closely linked to the more specific instructions of verses 14-15.

There is a danger that some may wrongly interpret must not become tired of doing good. This expression could be interpreted to mean that the believers should refrain from doing good so that they would not become tired. The meaning is, of course, that the believers should keep on doing good, even though they might be tired. The correct meaning is more appropriately expressed in some languages as “you must never give up doing good.”

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

Here as in verse 8, Good News Translation changes the noun “coming” into an active verb come. But here it is not the Lord Jesus but the Wicked One who comes. Good News Bible and some other translations mark this change by a new sentence.

The grammatical structure of the Greek is not clear. The Wicked One will come may be linked with (1) “by the activity of Satan,” (2) “with all power…,” or (3) “for (the destruction of) those who will perish.” The third possibility is remote. “By the activity of Satan” comes first in the Greek, and it seems more natural to understand it as the basis of the signs and wonders, rather than simply as an aside. This is the view taken by most translators (e.g. New English Bible “the coming of that wicked man is the work of Satan,” cf. Moffatt Phillips Jerusalem Bible Barclay Translator’s New Testament; Revised Standard Version “the coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power….”)

Will come reflects a present tense in Greek (see the notes on vv. 9-12). Translators must avoid making nonsense of the passage by suggesting that the Wicked One had already come. Yet there is a serious problem involved in the future form of the verb will come since it repeats the beginning of verse 8 and so seems to contradict what has been said in the latter part of that same verse. It may be necessary, therefore, to refer to the coming of the Wicked One as a temporal setting for the kinds of miracles, signs, and wonders which he will perform, for example, “when the Wicked One comes with the power of Satan, he will perform all kinds of miracles….”

On the power of Satan, see verse 7. Satan should be carefully distinguished in translation from his servant the Wicked One. A literal rendering of with the power of Satan might suggest that the Wicked One was merely carrying along Satan’s power. It may be necessary to introduce this phrase as a parenthetical and explanatory statement, for example, “Satan himself will give the Wicked One his power,” or “he will have Satan’s power.”

All kinds of false miracles raises two separate questions, one about all, and the other about miracles. (1) All may mean (a) all kinds of (Good News Translation cf. Jerusalem Bible Barclay New English Bible Translator’s New Testament), as in Matthew 4.23 (Good News Translation “every kind of disease”), or (b) “to the highest degree,” as in Philippians 1.20 (Good News Translation “full of courage,” literally “with all courage”). Moffatt (“the full power”) and Phillips (“all the force”) choose this second meaning of all. (2) When the Greek word dunamis “power” is used in the plural, it often means miracles. But in this verse, dunamis is in the singular, and Moffatt Revised Standard Version Phillips New English Bible Barclay accordingly translate it as “power.” Combining these two choices, the translator has in practice two possibilities: (1) “all kinds of power” (New English Bible Barclay); (2) “power in the highest degree” (Moffatt Phillips).

Good News Translation, however, combines the expression of power (so frequently used to refer to supernatural force) with the following two Greek terms, generally translated as “signs and wonders.” The resulting coalesced expression is perhaps the closest natural equivalent of a rather unusual Greek phrase.

It is also possible to translate “power in the highest degree,” leaving the false miracles and wonders to be understood as examples of this power. However, all kinds of fits in better with every kind of wicked deceit in verse 10, so “all kinds of power” is perhaps to be preferred. It may be necessary to translate as “he will demonstrate all kinds of power,” or “he will show that he has all kinds of power,” and then to bring in the false miracles in an added phrase, for example, “by causing people to see false miracles.”

“Signs and wonders” are often linked together, especially by Luke in Acts, in speaking of the miracles performed by the apostles. “Signs” indicates the significance of the event: God is active in a special way, the time of his final victory is near. “Wonders” stresses the astonishment of those who see these events. The combination of the two is so common in principle it would be possible to link them in translation as “miraculous signs” or “amazing and significant happenings.”

False miracles and wonders may mean (1) apparent signs and wonders which are really fakes (Knox uses the word “counterfeit,” cf. Revised Standard Version “pretended”); (2) signs and wonders which come from a false source (Moffatt “the full power, the miracles and portents, of falsehood,” cf. New English Bible); or (3) signs and wonders “calculated to deceive” (Barclay). It is difficult to find any parallel to (1) false miracles and wonders in the New Testament, for the New Testament normally takes seriously even those miracles which are performed by evil powers. (2) fits in well with the reference to Satan as the ultimate cause of these events. (3) fits in well with the more detailed description of those who will perish, especially in verse 11, and is perhaps slightly preferable. Accordingly, false miracles and wonders may be rendered as “signs and wonders which deceive people,” or “… which cause them to turn the wrong way” (using an idiom which refers to general behavior). It may be possible to combine miracles and wonders as “wonderful events” or “very astonishing happenings.”

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

The play on words mentioned above is reproduced in many English translations (from King James Version to Translator’s New Testament) and by some translations in other languages (e. g. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). There are, however, two reasons for avoiding it in English, and one or both of them may apply in other languages also. (1) It may be good to follow Good News Translation in replacing “faith” in verse 2 by a related verb like “believe,” in order to show that Paul is speaking of an event. (2) Faithful is gradually falling out of nonliterary English, except in a number of set phrases, most of which refer to an inferior’s relationship with his superior (“faithful servant,” “faithful dog,” though not “faithful husband/wife”). This term is therefore not very appropriate in speaking of God’s relationship with men. Phillips “the Lord is utterly to be depended upon” brings out the meaning well, at a slightly higher language level (cf. Barclay “you can rely on the Lord to strengthen you”). In addition to these two factors, the ability to reproduce plays on words in translation depends entirely on the resources of the receptor language, and meaning must have priority over formal and stylistic features.

Most translations, both traditional and modern, translate the Greek conjunction de here as “but,” since there is a clear contrast between the faithlessness of the wicked men in verse 2 and the faithfulness of Christ or God. If the play on words is not retained, there is a rather less specific contrast between the wicked men and God. In order to point up the contrast, it may be possible to restructure but the Lord is faithful by rendering this expression as “but you can trust the Lord completely.” Here, however, the contrast must be between not everyone and you. It is not between the message and the Lord. In some languages the Lord is faithful must be semantically restructured, since in reality the Lord is the goal of the process of trusting, and people are the ones who trust. In many languages expressions for trust or dependence are quite idiomatic in form, for example, “you may lean on the Lord,” “you may put your hand on the Lord,” or “the Lord will always hold you up.”

A literal rendering of he will strengthen you might suggests mere physical strength. It is better in some instances to render this as “he will cause your hearts to be strong,” or “he will strengthen your wills.” The strength here is obviously not physical, but psychological and spiritual. On strengthen see 1 Thess. 3.2.

Here as in verse 2 (rescue), the translator must avoid the suggestion that Christ will make it possible for the Thessalonians to avoid persecution completely. Paul knows that persecution is already going on and cannot be avoided, but he is confident that Christ will keep both him and the Thessalonian Christians safe in the midst of these attacks. The expression keep you safe from the Evil One must be inverted in a number of languages, for example, “prevent the Evil One from harming you,” or “cause that the Evil One will not harm you,” or “… make you suffer.”

The last words may mean either the Evil One or “evil.” (The same ambiguity is found in Matthew 5.37, and in the Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6.13.) Translations are divided: Moffatt New English Bible Jerusalem Bible Barclay cf. Bijbel in Gewone Taal (“the devil”) Bible en français courant La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale Bible de Jérusalem Traduction œcuménique de la Bible agree with Good News Translation, while King James Version Knox Revised Standard Version Phillips Translator’s New Testament cf. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy have “evil.” (German translations, like the original, can have both meanings. Revised Standard Version Translator’s New Testament Jerusalem Bible La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée Bible de Jérusalem Traduction œcuménique de la Bible give the other possible translation in a note.) The arguments for each translation are rather evenly balanced. It is at least clear that the idea of a completely impersonal power of evil is foreign to Paul’s thought. The wider context, especially 2.6-9, refers to the Wicked One in clearly personal terms. The narrower context, on the other hand, which has just mentioned wicked men, would support a more general translation “evil,” thus covering attacks from either human or supernatural powers. Ancient Jewish writings speak of an “evil impulse.” This idea is relevant if Paul is now thinking, not of attacks from outside the Christian community (as in v. 2), nor even of disturbances within it (as in vv. 6 ff.), but of attacks from within the individual. “Evil” therefore seems slightly preferable to the Evil One (cf. Knox “he will strengthen you, and keep you from all harm”).

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