4:15a

By the word of the Lord, we declare to you: Paul explained that Jesus himself spoke the words that he was telling them. (It can only be guessed which of the following Paul was referring to: (1) Sayings of Jesus that had been written down, and which were later included in the Gospels. Matthew 24:30–31 is an example. (2) A message from Jesus received directly by Paul. (3) “Sayings of Jesus” which were recorded by someone, but which were not included in the Gospels. The problem is that not everything Paul taught in these verses is found in the Gospels in their present form. So it must be that Paul learned from both sources (1) and (2). See the discussion on this in Best, pp. 189–193.) However, we do not know when Jesus said this or to whom. Therefore, you should not be specific in your translation. If you must say to whom Jesus said this, use as general a term as possible, for example, “according to what the Lord said to people.”

4:15b

that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord: This refers to any believer who was alive at the time when Paul was writing and therefore who might still be alive when Jesus returned.

4:15c

will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep: The Berean Standard Bible phrase by no means translates two different Greek words that both mean “not.” When both occur together, they make the sentence an emphatic negative. Paul was emphasizing that believers who had died would certainly not get left behind when the Lord returned. This was what the Thessalonians had been worrying about.

precede: This means that believers who are alive when Jesus returns will not meet Jesus before those who have already died.

those who have fallen asleep: See the note on 4:13a.

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Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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.

Section 1:2–10

Paul thanked God for the way that the Thessalonians had believed the gospel and continued to obey God

Paragraph 1:2–3

Whenever Paul prayed for the Thessalonians, he thanked God for them because he remembered the way that they had trusted God, the way that they loved others, and the way that they confidently expected that the Lord Jesus would return.

1:2

We always thank God for all of you, remembering you in our prayers: Paul wrote similar statements in 2 Thessalonians 1:3a and Philippians 1:3–5.

We: This refers to Paul and his companions.

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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.

Section 3:6–13

Timothy had visited the Thessalonians and brought Paul an encouraging report

Paragraph 3:6–10

Timothy had returned from Thessalonica with the good news that the Thessalonians still affectionately remembered Paul and his companions and that they still trusted in God and loved other people. This encouraged Paul greatly. The news made him pray even more fervently that he and his companions might be able to visit the Thessalonians again.

3:6a

But: The way this verse begins in Greek indicates that Paul was beginning a new section. It possibly also contrasts the joy that Paul felt when Timothy brought his good news with the fear that Paul had been writing about in 3:5.

just now: Biblical scholars do not agree about which other word the Greek word arti (now) is connected to. There are two possibilities:

(1) It is connected to the verb “come.” Most English versions follow this.

(2) It is connected to the verb “reassured” in 3:7b. This is probably what the Revised Standard Version follows.

It is recommended that you follow the first option (1), as the position of arti in the Greek sentence suggests that it is probably connected to the verb “come.”

3:6b

the good news about your faith: This refers to the good news that the Thessalonians were still continuing to believe strongly in Christ.

your love: Paul did not make explicit here whom the Thessalonians loved. It could refer to God, Jesus, Paul and his companions, the other Thessalonian believers, or just people in general. All are possible and suggested in commentaries. However, most commentators think that here Paul meant love for other people. If possible, you should leave this ambiguous, since it is in ambiguous the Greek text. But if you must supply an object for the verb “love” in your language, you should say “love other people.”

3:6c

and the fond memories you have preserved: Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

you always think about us affectionately
-or-
every time you remember us, it makes you happy

3:6d

longing to see us: The verb longing means “greatly desiring.”

3:6e

just as: There are two different ways to understand what just as means:

(1) It means “in the same way as”.

(Berean Standard Bible, King James Version, New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, God’s Word).

(2) It means “just as much as”.

(Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version).

It is recommended that you follow the first meaning (1).

we long to see you: In Greek there is no verb in this part of the sentence, but the Berean Standard Bible has repeated the verb long in order to make the meaning clear.

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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.

5:9a

For: Here Paul wrote another reason for his commands in 5:6–8: Because God did not appoint Christians to suffer wrath, they must be alert and self-controlled.

appointed: Paul meant that God deliberately chose (or destined) to save those who have trusted in Jesus, rather than to punish them as he will punish unbelievers.

to suffer wrath: This refers to God’s anger. This is the usual phrase to express that God is angry with those who refuse to repent and trust in him and that God will punish them when the Lord Jesus returns.

5:9b

but to obtain salvation: In this context, salvation probably refers to when Jesus returns to judge everyone. At that time believers will be saved rather than being punished.

through our Lord Jesus Christ: It is God who saves people, but he does so by means of what Jesus has done through his death on the cross. This is made clear by the link to 5:10a. You may need to add this implied information in your translation.

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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.

2:4a

Instead: This verse contrasts with 2:3, where Paul used negative statements. Rather than deceitful and wrong teaching (2:3), what Paul was preaching was approved by God (2:4).

we speak as those approved by God: The way that Paul and his companions preached and behaved wherever they went showed that God had examined their motives and behavior and had found that these were pure. Here is another way to translate this:

God…has judged us worthy to be entrusted (Good News Translation)

to be entrusted with the gospel: This is closely connected with the previous phrase. God had examined Paul and his companions and judged that he could trust them to preach the gospel faithfully.

2:4b

not in order to please men but God: Whatever Paul and his companions did, they did not do it so that human beings would praise them. It was God’s approval that was important to them.

men: The Greek word anthropos, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as men, is a word that means humans beings, male and female. It is not limited to males.

2:4c

who examines our hearts: Paul was using Old Testament language here to describe how God examines what people think. The Greek verb dokimazō, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as examines, is the same verb that Paul used in 2:4a (where the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “approved”). There is a similar idea in 2:5c, where Paul used the expression “God is our witness” in order to emphasize again that God had approved what they were doing.

hearts: People of different languages and cultures have unique ways to express what people think and how they feel. Many of these expressions refer to parts of the body as if they were the origin of these emotions. In Paul’s culture, the heart was considered to be the center of the inner life, including all thoughts, emotions and motives. You need to use the equivalent natural expression in your language.

© 2002 by SIL International®

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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.

4:5a

not in lustful passion: The phrase lustful passion refers to the opposite of self-control. It refers to someone strongly desiring to have sexual intercourse with someone else, whether or not that person is their spouse.

4:5b

like the Gentiles who do not know God: The Greek word ethnē, which the Berean Standard Bible, King James Version, and New Revised Standard Version translate as Gentiles, is sometimes translated “heathen” (New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation). It is normally used by Jews to refer to those who are not Jews, those who do not worship the one true God. People who do not know God cannot behave in ways that please him.

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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.

5:20

Do not treat prophecies with contempt: Here Paul gave a specific example of how people quench the Holy Spirit’s fire, that is, by rejecting prophecies without first evaluating them.

prophecies: Paul was not referring to Old Testament prophecies in this verse. Rather he was referring to prophecies that fellow believers were making. A prophecy could be about what would happen in the future or about present-day matters. For example, the prophecy could be a warning that God would punish those who were sinning unless they repented. Or it could be a promise that God would forgive, comfort, and encourage those who trusted him.

The emphasis in this command is on this word prophecies. 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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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.

2:15a

who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets: Here Paul refers to the Jews as a collective whole across time. The Jews who killed …their own prophets refers to people who killed some of the Old Testament prophets from many generations ago. This refers to different people than those who plotted to kill Jesus, which happened only 20 years or so before Paul wrote this letter. In both cases, although the Jews are referred to as a whole, it was only certain people, or certain groups of people who wanted to have them killed.

who killed both the Lord Jesus: Although it was Roman soldiers who actually crucified Jesus, it was the Jewish leaders who handed Jesus over to the Romans and who were therefore responsible for his death. Notice that this group of Jews was not the same group of Jews who had persecuted the Judean churches (2:14b).

their own prophets: Paul was referring to the Old Testament prophets here. A literal translation of Paul’s words in some languages may imply that the Jews had killed all the prophets, so you may need to make it clear that it was only some prophets who were killed. For example:

who killed some of their own prophets

This is not referring to a specific event where many prophets were killed. It is referring broadly to the many generations during the Old Testament period where prophets were killed. Translate in a way that refers to many years of repeated incidents with different generations of people.

2:15b

and drove us out as well: The Greek word ekdiōkō, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as drove…out, can have several meanings. The commentators disagree about what it means in this verse. There are two possibilities:

(1) Paul used it with its literal meaning “to drive out.” This is what the Jews did to Paul in Thessalonica and Berea (Acts 17:5–10, 13–15).

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised English Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

(2) Paul used the word with the secondary meaning “to persecute.” The way that Paul and his companions were being “driven out” is just one example of how they were “being persecuted.”

(King James Version, Good News Translation, God’s Word, NET Bible, New Jerusalem Bible)

In the context, the first option (1) makes the most sense and is therefore recommended. The Thessalonians would easily remember how Paul and his companions had been chased away from Thessalonica.

us: Most commentators agree that us refers specifically to Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy.

2:15c

They are displeasing to God: Commentators do not agree about how this should be understood here. There are two possibilities:

(1) The Jews were displeasing to God by the way that they were hindering Paul from preaching to the non-Jews (2:16a).

(2) The Jews were displeasing to God by the way that they were persecuting Christians.

Most English versions are ambiguous. It is recommended that you leave your translation ambiguous here if that is possible. However if you wish to make the connection clear, the Display shows one way to express the first interpretation (1).

2:15d-2:16a

and hostile to all men, hindering us from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved: The Jews were hostile to all people because they were trying to prevent believing people from sharing the Gospel with others. In Acts 13:45, 13:49, 14:2, 14:19, 17:5, and 17:13 there are examples of how the Jews tried to stop Paul from preaching to the non-Jews. They did not want God to save the non-Jews and cause them to also become part of his people. Here is another way to translate these verse parts:

they oppose everybody, trying to stop us(excl) from speaking to the non-Jews

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Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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.