SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2002 – Page 6

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2:8

2:8a

We cared so deeply: In Greek this verse begins with the word houtōs, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as so deeply. However, this word has several meanings and scholars do not agree about its meaning here. There are two possibilities:

(1) It means “so deeply” or “so much”.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Century Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible)

(2) It means “therefore” and links 2:8b back to 2:7. The sentence then means that Paul and his companions cared for the Thessalonians like a mother and, therefore, because they loved them so much, they were happy to share the gospel.

(King James Version, Revised Standard Version, SSA)

It is recommended that you follow the first option (1), because it fits best into the context where Paul was expressing how much he cared about the Thessalonians. It is also supported by the majority of commentaries consulted. This is something he repeats in 2:8d.

2:8b

we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God: The form of the Greek verb here indicates that Paul and his companions had continually been content/happy to share the gospel and their lives with the Thessalonians while they were staying in Thessalonica.

share with you…the gospel of God: To “share the gospel” means to preach/tell the gospel to people.

gospel of God: See the note on “gospel of God” in 2:2c. This is the same phrase in Greek.

2:8c

but our own lives as well: Although there is no verb in this part of the verse in the Greek text, the implied verb is the same one as in 2:8b, “to share.” However, the verb in the expression “to share our own lives” does not have the same meaning as in the expression “to share the gospel.” Paul was able to use the same verb in Greek, but you may need to use a different verb in your translation. The expression “to share our lives” means to be willing to use one’s time and energy to help others.

2:8d

That is how beloved you have become to us: Here Paul expressed a similar idea to 2:8a.

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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 4:9

Paragraph 4:9–12

God had enabled the Thessalonians to love one another. Paul urged them to do so even more and also to behave in an orderly manner. Even non-believers would respect them when they behaved like that.

4:9a

Now: Here Paul began a new paragraph and told the Thessalonians why they needed to behave in a righteous manner. After warning them how not to behave in 4:3–8, he began to tell them how they should behave. The Berean Standard Bible has used the word Now to signal that this is a new paragraph. Be careful not to translate it literally as a time word. Instead, use whatever construction is natural in your language for a new paragraph.

about brotherly love: This means love for other believers.

4:9b

because: In this part of the verse Paul told the Thessalonians why he had no need to write about loving each other (4:9a). It was because God himself had taught them about this love.

you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another: Paul did not say how God taught the Thessalonians to love one another. It may have been by the Holy Spirit or by Jesus’ teaching. The important thing was that the teaching ultimately came from God himself.

you yourselves: In Greek, the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as yourselves is an emphatic pronoun. If you have emphatic pronouns in your language, you should use one here.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:24

5:24

The One: This refers to God. You may need to make this explicit in your translation to make the meaning clear.

who calls you is faithful, and He will do it: God is faithful and trustworthy because he always does what he has promised to do. In this context, this refers to the fact that God has promised to sanctify believers and that the Thessalonians can trust him to do what he promised.

Paragraph 5:25–27

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2:19

2:19

In this verse Paul told the Thessalonians one reason why he wanted to see them again. He gave the reason by using a rhetorical question, which he immediately answered. If such a question is unnatural in your language, you could translate this verse without using a question. For example:

You(plural) are our hope, our joy, and our crown of righteous pride. Because of you(plural), we will glory in the presence of our (incl) Lord Jesus when he comes.

2:19a

who is our hope: Paul meant that the Thessalonians would be the cause of his hope, the reason for his hope. He and his companions were confident that when Jesus returned, the Thessalonians would not be ashamed to meet him, because they had strongly trusted in him. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

you will give us hope (Contemporary English Version)

It is difficult to know how much of the meaning of this expression a translator should make explicit in the translation. The Display shows some ways of translating this part of the verse. If you want to make more information explicit, you could say:

it is you whom we^(excl) confidently expect to be strongly trusting in Jesus.

2:19b

our joy: The Thessalonians would also be a cause of joy for Paul. When Jesus returned, they would also cause Paul and his companions to rejoice, because they had continued to believe firmly in Jesus Christ.

2:19c

our crown: In Greek culture, one of the symbols of great honor was a wreath of laurel leaves that was placed on the head of an athlete who had won a race. Paul was using this image in a metaphor here. He described the Thessalonians as his “wreath of honor.” This means that, just as the laurel wreath showed that an athlete had won a race, so the fact that the Thessalonians strongly believed in Jesus would show that Paul’s work in preaching the gospel had been successful.

of boasting: The Greek word for boasting here is not the same word as is usually translated “glory” in the New Testament. It is a word that means “reason for boasting, pride.” The word “boasting” in English often has a negative meaning, and a better translation is “of which we will be proud.” Here Paul means that he, Silvanus, and Timothy will be proud of the “crown.”

2:19d

if it is not you yourselves: Here Paul emphasizes the fact that the Thessalonians would indeed be his “hope,” “joy,” and “crown.” You could include Paul’s emphasis by beginning the verse part with something like, “It is indeed you….”

2:19e

in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming: This phrase is connected with 2:19a–d, not just 2:19d. There is no verb in the first part of the verse (2:19a–d), so all translators need to decide what tense of verb to use. Many English versions use the present tense in order to be consistent with 2:20. However, 2:19e makes it clear that here Paul was talking about the future. So in some languages, it will be better to use a future tense. You should use whichever tense of verb makes most sense in your language in this context.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:3

5:3a

While people are saying, “Peace and security”: Paul may have been remembering the words of Jeremiah 6:14:

saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all.

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 1:7

1:7

As a result, you have become an example: The Thessalonians believers imitated how Paul and the Lord Jesus behaved (1:6a). The result was that they were an example for other believers to follow.

in Macedonia and Achaia: Thessalonica was in the province or region of Macedonia, the northern part of Greece. Be careful that your translation does not cause people to think that Thessalonica was not in Macedonia. If this is a problem, you could say “in the other parts of Macedonia” rather than in Macedonia. Achaia was the southern part of Greece. See the Introduction for more details about the geographical and political situation.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 3:11

Paragraph 3:11–13

So Paul prayed that God would make it possible for him and his companions to return to Thessalonica. He also prayed that God would help the Thessalonian believers to love one another better and trust the Lord Jesus more strongly.

3:11

Paul sometimes added a prayer at the end of a section or a complete letter. See 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:16, 3:16.

Now: This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible, like most English versions, translates as Now to show that Paul is making a transition. Be careful not to translate this conjunction literally as a time word, as it is not referring to “the present time.”

our God and Father: See the note on 1:3a.

Himself: The Greek word autos, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as Himself, is often used to emphasize something. However, that is not true in this verse. It is just the usual opening for a prayer in Greek that asks God to do something for someone.

direct our way to you: The Greek word kateuthunō, which the Berean Standard Bible has translated as direct, means “make straight, guide correctly.” Therefore, there are two ways to understand what it means here:

(1) It means “make straight.” So Paul was asking God to remove anything that would hinder or delay him returning to Thessalonica, just as someone would remove obstacles on a path or smooth out the surface of a road.

(New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation, New Century Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible)

(2) It means “guide well/correctly.” So Paul was asking God to direct him and his companions safely and directly back to the Thessalonians.

(Berean Standard Bible, King James Version, Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, God’s Word)

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1), as it makes good sense in the context of 2:18, where Paul wrote that Satan had hindered him from returning to Thessalonica. It would therefore be logical for Paul to ask God to remove such a hindrance.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Paragraph 5:14–18

In these verses Paul gave further commands about how believers should behave.

5:14a

brothers: See the note on 1:4.

admonish: The word admonish is the same word that was translated as “give…instruction” in 5:12c. Here it clearly means “admonish, warn” rather than “advise.”

the unruly: The commentators do not agree about whom this refers to. The word ataktos, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as unruly, usually means “disorderly.” So commentators suggest two possible meanings here:

(1) It refers to a specific form of disorderliness, that of being idle. Paul was therefore referring to a group of Thessalonian believers who had stopped working (see 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12) because they thought that Christ would return very soon.

(New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), The Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible)

(2) The word should be understood literally to refer to those who were unruly or disorderly, that is, they refused to obey or respect their leaders.

(Berean Standard Bible, King James Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, God’s Word)

The commentators are evenly divided between these two views. However, it is clear from 2 Thessalonians 3:6–12 that the first option was a real problem among the believers at Thessalonica. Therefore it is recommended that you follow the first option (1).

5:14b

encourage the fainthearted: Paul did not say what had caused some believers at Thessalonica to become fainthearted or “timid.” The commentators suggest that some were fearful because people were persecuting them or because they were worried about fellow believers who had died before Christ had returned. There may also have been some who doubted that Christ had really saved them or felt that they had no spiritual gifts. However, you should not try to include these possibilities in your translation.

5:14c

help the weak: Commentators agree that Paul was not referring to those whose bodies were literally weak because they were sick or old, though he may have been including them. Rather, he was referring either to those who were weak spiritually or to those who were weak morally. There is nothing in the context that can clarify which group he meant. All English versions translate this phrase literally and it is recommended that you either follow them or include a phrase such as “in any way” to make it clear Paul that was not just talking about physical weakness.

5:14d

be patient with everyone: Scholars do not agree about whom Paul was referring to here. There are three possibilities:

(1) All believers.

(2) All people, believers and non-believers alike.

(3) The idle, the timid, and the weak of 5:14a–c.

Most English versions do not make it clear which of these possibilities they support. If you decide that you wish to follow one interpretation explicitly, it is recommended that you follow the first option (1).

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2002

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2:8

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:9

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:24

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2:19

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:3

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 1:7

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 3:11

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:14

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