1:8a

in blazing fire: Commentators mostly agree that the Lord Jesus will appear surrounded by fire. In some Greek manuscripts, this phrase occurs at the beginning of 1:8. That is the verse division that the Berean Standard Bible follows, along with versions such as the Contemporary English Version, English Standard Version, and NET Bible. In other Greek manuscripts, this phrase comes at the end of 1:7. That is where versions such as the God’s Word, New Century Version, New International Version (2011 Revision), and Revised Standard Version have it. Most commentators agree that it belongs grammatically with 1:7, and so it is recommended that you include it in 1:7.

those who do not know God: The use of the verb know here can be confusing. It refers to acknowledging God. Those who persecuted the believers had proved, by the way they behaved, that they did not know/acknowledge God. But Paul did not only mean the persecutors in Thessalonica; he was referring to all people who refuse to acknowledge God and obey him. Here are some other ways to translate this:

those who refuse to acknowledge God (God’s Word)
-or-
those who reject God (Good News Translation)

1:8b

and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus: Paul was referring to the same group of people here as in 1:8a.

obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus: This means “to do what the message of the gospel tells them to do.”

the gospel of our Lord Jesus: That is, the gospel about our Lord Jesus.

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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.