SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2002

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 1:10

1:10a

and to await His Son from heaven: This refers to the time when Jesus will return to earth. This is a theme in Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians. See 1 Thessalonians 3:13, 4:13–18, 5:1–3, and 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12 for further explanation.

to await: In this context this expression implies “expecting with certainty that Jesus will return.” Here is another way to translate this expression:

to wait expectantly (Revised English Bible)

His Son: The phrase His Son refers to God’s Son, Jesus. “The Son of God” or “God’s Son” is a title that was often used to refer to a savior who would be a descendant of King David. God would send this savior to rescue his people. This person was often referred to as the “Messiah” or “Christ.”

The title “the Son of God” also indicates that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. The relationship between God the Father and Jesus, his Son, is similar in some way to the relationship between human fathers and sons. But God the Father does not have a physical body. He did not have a sexual relationship with Mary that resulted in her becoming pregnant and giving birth to Jesus. The Son of God existed eternally as the Son with his Father.

In areas where people do not understand the title “the Son of God” in this way, you may want to include a footnote that explains the correct meaning. Here is a suggested footnote:

The title “his Son” or “the Son of God” refers to Jesus. It indicates that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. It does not mean that God the Father had a sexual relationship with Mary that resulted in her becoming pregnant and giving birth to Jesus. Mary became pregnant with Jesus in a miraculous way by the Holy Spirit of God.

In some languages, it is natural to speak of a son as a “child,” without specifying male or female. If that is true in your language, you may use a more general term, such as:

his Child (A translation of the title “the Son of God” must include a familial term such as “son” or “child.” Translations such as “the man who is God,” “the divine man,” or “the God man” are not acceptable, since they do not retain familial language. Examples of acceptable translation options include “the Son who comes from God” and “the divine/unique/eternal Son of God.”)

Other verses will usually make clear that Jesus was a male child. If you use a phrase such as “his male child,” be sure that it does not imply that God had another child who was female.

heaven: The word heaven refers to the place where God lives. Many languages use the same term for “sky” and for heaven.

1:10c

our deliverer: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as deliverer is a present participle in Greek and therefore includes both the present and the future. Jesus is delivering his people now and he will deliver them in the future so that God will not punish them on the day when he judges all people.

from the coming wrath: This refers to God’s anger. Because God is holy, he is angry when people sin. Paul referred to this anger as coming because he was referring to the day when God will judge everyone. On that day God will show this anger and he will punish people who have sinned but have never repented and trusted in Jesus.

Paragraph 2:1–2

Paul reminded the Thessalonians about how he and his companions came to Thessalonica. Although people had persecuted them in Philippi and forced them to leave, God had helped them to have the courage to continue their journey to Thessalonica and preach the gospel there.

2:1

You yourselves know: In Greek, the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as You yourselves is emphatic. The word You contrasts with “they themselves” in 1:9a. Not only were other people talking about Paul’s visit to Thessalonica, but the Thessalonians themselves knew what had happened.

brothers: See the note on 1:4.

our visit to you: The Greek word eisodos, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as visit here, is the same word that it translated as “welcome” in 1:9a. It is most logical to translate the word the same way in both places. Nearly all commentators and English versions agree that here it means visit.

was not in vain: Rather than simply saying “our visit to you was a success,” Paul chose to make his statement stronger by using two negatives: not and in vain. This sort of figure of speech is called “litotes.” Paul wanted to emphasize that his visit had definitely had a good result. When he had preached the gospel, it had resulted in the Thessalonians believing in Jesus Christ. Paul was referring to 1:9, which says that many Thessalonians had stopped worshiping idols and had begun to serve God.

If you do not use litotes in your language to strengthen a statement, you may need to restate this part of the verse positively. For example:

You know, brothers, that our visit to you was a great success.
-or-
You know, brothers, that when we visited you, there were great results.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:2

4:2

For you know the instructions we gave you: This verse gives Paul’s reason for what he told the Thessalonians to do in 4:1c. That is, these were not new instructions, but ones he had already given them when he was in Thessalonica.

by the authority of the Lord Jesus: The commentators agree that this relates to the fact that Jesus had authorized Paul and his companions to teach people.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:17

5:17

Pray without ceasing: This does not mean that believers should pray many times a day or that they should do nothing but pray. Rather it means that believers should “keep on praying, be always ready to pray” instead of just doing so at set times or on special occasions.

without ceasing: The Greek word adialeiptōs, which means without ceasing or “continually,” is the word emphasized in this sentence. See the note on 5:15b above. You should emphasize this in your translation in the way that is natural in your language.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2:12

2:12a

In some Greek manuscripts this part of 2:12 is part of 2:11. Some English versions, such as the Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, and God’s Word, similarly include 2:12a in 2:11. You should follow the English or national language version that is most common in your area.

encouraging you, comforting you: The two Greek verbs here, parakaleō and paramutheomai, have similar meanings. They both include the meanings “to encourage, exhort, comfort.” If you have two similar words you can use here, you should do so. Otherwise, you can use a single term.

and urging you: The Greek word marturomai, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as urging, has a different meaning from the other two verbs in this part of the verse. It means “telling someone how necessary or important it is to do a particular thing.” Here is another way to translate this in English:

insist (NET Bible)

The form of all three of these verbs in Greek (they are present participles) mean that these were actions that happened continually. Paul and his companions continued encouraging, comforting, and urging the Thessalonians.

to walk in a manner worthy of God: This means “to behave in such a way that God would be pleased that you are members of his kingdom.” Paul uses the verb walk to describe how people behave. See also 4:1a, where the Berean Standard Bible translates this word as “live.”

2:12b

who calls you into His own kingdom and glory: In Greek there is a textual problem with this part of the verse. The King James Version has followed the manuscripts that have a past tense verb here: “who hath called.” However, the best manuscripts have a present participle that the Berean Standard Bible translates with a continuous present tense who calls. It is strongly recommended that you follow these manuscripts. All other English versions also use a present tense here.

This form of the verb literally means “the one calling, the caller.” Paul used this verb form to focus on one of two things:

(1) It focuses on the fact that God is the one who calls people into his kingdom. The verb then does not have any particular time/tense. God calls new people every day.

(2) It focuses on God continuously calling the Thessalonians. He called them originally when they became Christians but went on calling them every day to new aspects of their Christian life.

It is not possible to know which of these aspects Paul was concentrating on here. In your translation you have two options:

• Use a continuous present tense, as most English versions have done: “who calls you.”

• In some languages it may be possible to use a nominal form: “the caller of you.”

calls you into: In some languages it may not be possible to say “call into something.” The UBS Handbook handbook suggests a verb such as “invite,” and the SSA suggests “summon.” It may also be necessary to include an additional verb here. Here is another way to translate this:

who calls you to share in (Good News Translation)

His own kingdom and glory: There are two ways to understand this:

(1) God called the Thessalonians to share in two things: His own kingdom and His own…glory.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, Good News Translation, God’s Word, King James Version, Revised English Bible, Contemporary English Version)

(2) This could be interpreted as a hendiadys. This means that the second noun, glory, modifies the first noun, kingdom. This would then be translated “his glorious kingdom”.

(New Century Version, SSA)

Although the structure of this part of the verse in Greek gives some support to the second option, many commentators prefer the first option. This means that God’s kingdom and his glory are two related, yet separate, things that the Thessalonians could expect to share in if they behaved in a way that was worthy of God (2:12a). It therefore is recommended that you follow the first option (1).

The expectation of sharing in God’s kingdom and glory would also be an encouragement to continue believing despite persecution. Compare with Paul’s words in Romans 8:18.

kingdom: In this context, this does not refer to a geographical region, but to God’s rule over his people. To share in God’s kingdom then means “to be the people over whom God will rule.”

glory: In this context, to share God’s glory means to share his greatness/majesty.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:13

Section 4:13–5:11

Paul taught about when the Lord Jesus would return

Paul explained that when the Lord Jesus returns, God will cause both the Christians who have died and those who will still be alive to ascend to meet the Lord Jesus in the sky. He also explained how the Thessalonians should behave as they waited for the Lord to return.

Paragraph 4:13–18

While Paul was in Thessalonica, he had probably taught the Thessalonians that Jesus would soon return, and the Thessalonians may have assumed that they would all survive until then. But as time passed, some of them died. Those who remained alive had begun to worry whether those believers who had died would see Jesus return. This is the issue Paul was addressing in this paragraph.

4:13a

Brothers: See the note on 1:4.

we do not want you to be uninformed: It may be more natural in your language to translate this as a strong positive sentence. For example:

We want you to know (New Century Version)
-or-
We want you to be quite certain (New Jerusalem Bible)

about those who sleep in death: Paul was not talking about actual sleep here. He was using a polite way to speak about dying. The Berean Standard Bible has added the words in death to make this clear. In your translation, use the common word for dying or an appropriate polite expression.

4:13b

so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope: Paul was not saying that the relatives of a dead person should not mourn or perform a funeral. Rather, he was saying that they should not grieve in the hopeless way that unbelievers grieve. Because believers know that other believers who die will become alive again, while they may still grieve for them, they do not grieve as people do who are without hope.

like the rest: This phrase refers to unbelievers.

who are without hope: Unbelievers do not believe that they will live again on earth or that they will be with Jesus. See the note in 1:3d on the word hope. In this verse it also means “being certain.” Paul did not doubt at all that Christians would live again one day after Christ returned. It may be necessary in some languages to say what the unbelievers were not certain about. One way to make this clear would be:

who do not confidently expect to live again after they die as you believers expect to do (see SSA)

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 3:4

3:4a

Indeed: This translates the Greek phrase kai gar, which literally means “and for.” Many English versions translate it “for.” Paul used this phrase to show that 3:4a was the reason for his statement in 3:3b. That is, the Thessalonians knew they were destined to be persecuted because Paul and his companions had told them so.

we kept warning you: The Greek verb prolegō, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as warning, means “to foretell, to tell something before it happens.” The Berean Standard Bible has left implicit the idea of “before it happens,” as this is clear from the context. In your translation, do not use a word that means divination or prophecy or a warning not to do something. Paul had told the Thessalonians that they would suffer because that is what happens to all Christians.

The form of the Greek verb suggests that Paul and his companions had told the Thessalonians this several times. This is why the Berean Standard Bible has translated it as kept warning.

3:4b

that we would suffer persecution: The Greek verb mellō followed by a second verb (in this case suffer persecution) means that the second action is inevitable, something that is certain to happen.

we: This refers to all believers, not just Paul and his companions.

3:4c

it has come to pass: The Thessalonian believers had already experienced persecution for their faith, so they knew that believers suffer because they obey God.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:7

5:7a

For: The Greek conjunction gar, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as For, has a number of functions. Here it indicates that Paul was amplifying what he had just said in 5:6. In many languages it may not be necessary to translate the conjunction here.

those who sleep, sleep at night: Here Paul was stating something that is obviously true: “people usually sleep at night.” He was probably continuing the metaphors of “sleep” and “night” that he had already used in this chapter.

at night: The Greek word nuktos, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as at night, is emphasized in Greek. Show this emphasis in a natural way in your language. For example:

It is at night when people sleep (Good News Translation)

5:7b

those who get drunk, get drunk at night: Paul was once more stating what people knew to be true, that usually people become drunk and behave badly during the night, after dark. This introduces Paul’s next point in 5:8, that since Christians “belong to the day,” they should be self-controlled and not behave like unbelievers.

at night: As in 5:7a, the Greek word nuktos, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as at night, is emphasized in Greek. Show this emphasis in a natural way in your language. For example:

it is at night when they get drunk (Good News Translation)

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2:2

2:2a

In the Greek text, the conjunction alla (“but”) actually occurs at the beginning of the verse. Versions such as the English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, and NET Bible place it there. This makes it clear that what Paul was about to say in 2:2 connects to 2:1. Paul was saying that his visit had not been a failure but, on the contrary, it had been a success because, despite persecution, he had still preached in Thessalonica. However, other versions, including the Berean Standard Bible and the Contemporary English Version, New International Version (2011 Revision), and New Living Translation (2004 Revision), place this conjunction before 2:2b-c. This indicates the contrast between Paul’s boldness and the persecution that could have made him afraid. Place this conjunction where it would be natural in your language.

If you translated 2:1 using litotes, you could use an expression such as “on the contrary” here. If, however, you used a positive statement, you will need to use a word such as “indeed” to link the two verses.

As you are aware, we had already endured suffering and shameful treatment in Philippi: See Acts 16:16–40 for details of Paul’s suffering at Philippi.

2:2b

in the face of strong opposition: The Greek is literally “in much struggle.” Most commentators and versions agree that Paul was referring to the people who had opposed him and tried to stop him preaching everywhere he went.

2:2c

we were bold in our God to speak to you: It was God who had enabled Paul and his companions to preach boldly in Thessalonica, even after they had been persecuted in Philippi.

our God: In some languages, using a possessive such as “our” with God might imply that God was in some sense possessed or owned. Clearly this is not the meaning here, since God cannot be owned by anyone. In other languages it might mean that Paul’s God was only one God among many. This is also not true, because Paul’s God is the only God. The meaning is “God whom we worship/serve.”

the gospel of God: God is the source of the good news concerning Jesus Christ. So you could translate the phrase the gospel of God as “the good news that God gave” or “the good news that came from God.”

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2002

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 1:10

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:2

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:17

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2:12

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:13

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 3:4

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:7

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2:2

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