In Greek this verse begins a new sentence which continues at least into verse 7 (see the notes on that verse). Paul continues his self-defense with a series of three parallel negative statements which expand what he has said in verses 3-4, particularly his claim that we do not try to trick anyone, and prepare the way for the positive statement which begins at verse 7b. Into these negative statements are set two brief parenthetical expressions which complement one another and which Moffatt translates “(you know that)” and “(God is witness to that).”
A brief look at the items in this verse may help us decide whether Paul is thinking specifically of the Thessalonians or (as in the previous verse) of general principles.
a. This sentence, like verses 1 and 3, contains an introductory “for,” which Good News Translation omits. If Paul is thinking of the Thessalonians, this word would relate the general statement in verse 4b to the more specific statements in verses 5-7. If he is thinking in more general terms, “for” would indicate an unfolding in verses 5-7 of the content of verse 4. The conjunction itself does not help us decide one way or the other.
b. The expression translated “never” in Revised Standard Version etc., used by Paul here and in a slightly variant form in Ephesians 5.29, is also omitted by Good News Translation. It tends to indicate a general reference, but it could mean “at no time during our stay with you.”
c. The tense of the verb translated did come normally indicates a specific event, but here it probably indicates the act of entering into a state in which, it is understood, one then remains. One might paraphrase: “At no time did we take up flattery as part of our normal practice.”
d. On “as you know,” see the general note on verses 3-7a. By themselves these words tend to indicate a specific reference, but they are less emphatic in the Greek than in Good News Translation.
The evidence is thus inconclusive. The wider context does not settle the matter either, since verse 4 is clearly general and verse 7 clearly specific. The translator has to weigh the points at issue, make up his mind, and produce a translation which is clear-cut and consistent. Good News Translation is an admirable example of a translation based on the decision that Paul is here thinking specifically of the Thessalonian situation. Most commentators agree, and most translators either agree (as do Barclay Biblia Dios Habla Hoy Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or leave the matter unclear. New English Bible (cf. Phillips Bible en français courant) is a good example of a translation based on the more general interpretation: “Our words have never been flattering words, as you have cause to know; nor, as God is our witness, have they ever been a cloak for greed.” Best (97) thinks that Paul speaks in verses 3-4 of his mission in general, and in verses 5-12 of his mission to Thessalonica. This may, on balance, be the best solution of the problem.
Flattering talk (literally “[a] word of flattery”) can mean either “talk which consists in flattery” or “talk which flatters”; it makes little practical difference. “Flattery” combines the ideas of insincere talk and the desire to use someone else for one’s own ends. Most languages have excellent equivalents for flattering talk, since flattery is a universal phenomenon. In some languages flattery is described in a very direct manner, for example, “telling you that you are very good,” “telling you how great you are,” or “saying beautiful words about you.”
Greed (also New English Bible) means the desire to possess something one does not have. It is the sin condemned in the Tenth Commandment (Exodus 20.17), except that greed does not make explicit the idea of wanting what belongs to someone else. It is a more general term than “the love of money” (1 Timothy 6.10), though Paul may already have this in mind (cf. Bible en français courant Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) and may be preparing to mention it specifically in verse 9. There is no sexual connotation in the word itself, though (as in the Tenth Commandment) greed, can have a sexual object. It is better here to use a general word like greed, “self-seeking” (Moffatt), or “(our) own advantage” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch); cf. Best “with a veiled desire to exploit.”
Good News Translation‘s words (in the phrase words to cover up greed) is not absolutely necessary. The essential idea is that of covering up one’s true motive, which is greed. There is an implied contrast: “You know that we did not flatter people by anything we said, and God knows that greed was not our hidden motive.” On calling God to witness something, see Romans 1.9; 2 Corinthians 1.23; cf. Genesis 31.50 and other Old Testament passages.
If one follows the Good News Translation rendering, words to cover up greed, some misunderstanding may arise. If one translates “We did not use words to cover up our taking advantage of you,” a reader might assume that Paul and his colleagues used another technique to cover up their greed. A more satisfactory equivalent in some languages is “and in nothing that we said to you were we trying to take advantage of you,” “we did not speak to you in order to serve our selfish desires,” or “we did not proclaim the Good News in order to profit from you.”
God is our witness may be rendered in some instances as “God knows very well what we did,” or “God knows our hearts.”
Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .