1:9

In this verse Paul described how those in 1:8 will be punished.

1:9a

the penalty of eternal destruction: As most commentators agree, this does not mean that those in 1:8 will be completely destroyed and cease to exist. It means that the act of destroying will never end.

1:9b

separated from the presence of the Lord: The word separated is not in the Greek. The Berean Standard Bible has added this word to make the meaning clearer in English. However, the fact that there is no verb in Greek indicates that Paul was not speaking of two separate punishments, destruction and separation, but that this part of the verse describes more specifically the everlasting destruction of 1:9a.

the Lord: This probably refers to Jesus here.

the glory of His might: The Greek says: “the glory of his strength.” This probably means “the majesty/glory that is shown by his power.”

glory: In this context, the Greek word used here contains the meanings “greatness,” “honor,” and “great light.”

His might: The phrase His might refers to Christ’s power.

1:10a

on the day He comes: That is, the day when the Lord Jesus will return to earth. Those who do not know God will be punished on that day.

to be glorified in His saints: This phrase indicates one purpose for the Lord Jesus’ return.

to be glorified: This means that people will honor/praise the Lord Jesus. As this is a passive verb, there is no subject given. If you can use a passive verb, you should do so. Otherwise you could make “His saints” the subject of the verb, as in the second Meaning Line in the Display.

in His saints: Scholars do not agree about how this phrase is connected to the phrase “to be glorified” and therefore what the Greek word en (in) means here. The literal translation of the Berean Standard Bible is ambiguous. There are three possibilities:

(1) It gives the reason why Jesus will be glorified, that is, he will be glorified because of what he has done for believers (for example, saving them). Most commentators support this option.

(New Century Version, SSA)

(2) It gives the agent of the action, that is, he will be glorified by his people.

(Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

(3) It gives a location, that is, Jesus will be glorified among his people. (Revised English Bible, God’s Word, New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow the first option (1), which has the best support in the commentaries.

His saints: The phrase His saints is translated from the Greek word hagioi, which literally means “holy ones.” It often is translated “saints” but it is important to recognize that in the New Testament, this refers to all believers in Christ, not just to people who are very good. One way to translate it is “those who belong to God.”

1:10b

and regarded with wonder by all who have believed: This part of the verse is parallel to 1:10a. Obviously, all who have believed refers to the same people as “his saints” in 1:10a. It is less clear whether the verb thaumazō, which the Berean Standard Bible translates regarded with wonder, should be considered to mean the same as “glorify” in 1:10a. The two verbs in Greek are quite distinct, so it is better to follow the majority of English versions and use two verbs.

regarded with wonder: That is, “to be wondered at, to cause people to be amazed.” Once more the verb is passive, so no subject has been supplied. If you need to use an active verb in your language, you should use the same subject as you did in 1:10a.

1:10c

including you: Although the Greek text does not say this, it is helpful for showing how 1:10b and the rest of 1:10c connect together. Paul’s message was believed by many people in Thessalonica, and so they will be among Jesus’ “saints” and “those who have believed.”

our testimony: Paul used the Greek word marturion here, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as testimony to make it clear that Paul and his companions preached about what they had actually seen God do.

Paragraph 1:11–12

Paul concluded this chapter by praying for the Thessalonian believers. He prayed that when the Lord Jesus returned he would find them worthy to enter his kingdom and that, in the meantime, God would enable them to behave in a righteous way.

1:11a

To this end: Most commentators and English versions agree that the word this in this phrase refers backward to some previous verses, but they do not agree about which precise verses are being referred to. There are three main possibilities:

(1) It refers to 1:10b–c.

(2) It refers to 1:5–10.

(3) It refers to 1:5.

If you need to be specific in your translation, it is recommended that you follow the first option (1). The second meaning line in the Display shows one way to do this.

1:11b

our God: See the note on 1 Thessalonians 2:2c.

will count you worthy: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as count…worthy here is the verb axioō. It is related to the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as worthy in 1:5b. Here the scholars do not agree about how the verb should be translated. There are two possibilities:

(1) It means “regard/consider as worthy” The word then has the same meaning as the related word kataxioō in 1:5b. This is the view of the majority of the commentators.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), King James Version, Revised English Bible, New American Standard Bible, SSA)

(2) It means “make worthy.”

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

It is recommended that you follow the first meaning (1), which has wide support in the commentaries.

of His calling: God has called the Thessalonian believers to be “his holy people,” “those who belong to him.” He has also called them to behave morally so that he will be pleased to call them his people.

1:11c

your every good desire: Most commentators and English versions agree that this means “every good thing you want/desire to do.”

1:11d

work of faith: That is, “everything you do because you believe in Jesus.” This is parallel to 1:11c. If it is more natural in your language, you could combine 1:11c and 1:11d as follows:

We also always pray to God for you that he will powerfully enable you to do the good deeds that you want to do because you believe/trust in the Lord Jesus.

1:12a

so that: There are two ways to connect this to 1:11:

(1) It is the purpose of Paul’s prayer. So Paul was saying “we pray all this so that…” This is the view of almost every commentary.

(New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, New American Standard Bible, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, SSA)

(2) It is the expected result of Paul’s prayer. So Paul was saying: “We pray all this. Then, [when the prayer is answered]….”

(This seems to be the view of the Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

It is recommended that you follow the first option, as scholars agree that the word hopōs usually indicates purpose.

the name of our Lord Jesus: In the Bible, when someone refers to the name of a person, they usually mean his reputation, character, and habits. By extending this definition, then, the name can mean the person himself. So if it is not possible in your language to use the expression “the name of,” you could just say “so that our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you.”

will be glorified in you: This part of the verse has the same meaning as it had in 1:10a, that is, that the name of Jesus will be glorified because of what he has done for the Thessalonian believers. See the note on 1:10a. Paul did not specify who would glorify Jesus, but he probably meant people in general.

1:12b

and you in Him: There are two main ways to understand this part of the verse and how it compares with 1:12a.

(1) The relationship indicated by “in” has a different meaning here than in 1:12a. This part of the verse then means that the Thessalonians will be praised by Jesus.

(2) This is the reverse of 1:12a. So it means that people will praise the Thessalonians because of Jesus, just as they will praise Jesus.

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

1:12c

according to the grace: Paul knew that God would answer his prayer according to grace, that is, he would act in a way that showed that he is merciful to the people who follow him.

grace: See the note on 1:2.

of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: Most commentators and versions agree that the text refers to God and the Lord Jesus Christ as two separate persons here.

our God: See the note on 1 Thessalonians 2:2c.

Paragraph 2:1–4

Some of the Christians at Thessalonica were upset because they thought that Paul had said that the Lord Jesus had already returned. Here Paul sought to correct this misunderstanding. He reminded them that before the Lord Jesus returns, many people will reject God. Then a wicked leader called “the man of lawlessness” will appear.

2:1a

the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: This refers to the Lord Jesus Christ’s return, not his birth in Bethlehem.

2:1b

our being gathered together to Him: Literally, “our gathering to him.” Many English versions translate the Greek noun episunagōgē, “gathering, assembly,” using a passive form, as the Berean Standard Bible has done. Paul did not make clear who will gather the believers, but as the note on 1 Thessalonians 4:17a says, Paul probably meant that God would gather the believers together, both those who were still alive and those who had already died. Then he would bring them to meet the Lord Jesus in the air as he returned. So if you need to use an active verb, you should use God as the subject.

to Him: That is, “to meet him [Jesus].”

2:1c

we ask you: In the Greek text, this part of the verse actually occurs at the beginning of 2:1. The Berean Standard Bible and most other English versions have placed this expression at the end of the verse to make it clear that this phrase is directly connected with 2:2, that is, that 2:2 contains what Paul was asking the Thessalonians.

brothers: See the note on 1 Thessalonians 1:4. If such an expression only occurs in your language at the beginning of a sentence, you may need to place this at the beginning of the verse.

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