This verse contains little that is new. It repeats and expands the content of verse 3, adding only “(you know) because we told you beforehand.” In the original, this new statement is emphasized by “and,” which Phillips idiomatically translates “actually we did warn you.”

Because verses 3 and 4 overlap so much, one of the stylistic problems in translation is to avoid excessive repetition of particular words. Even Good News Translation has not avoided “persecutions … persecutions … persecuted.”

Ahead of time in the original means simply “at a point of time earlier than another event”; in this context, earlier than the persecutions themselves. The same expression in English tends to mean “in advance of a fixed time,” but this is not the meaning of the Greek. Ahead of time may be rendered simply as “before it happened to you,” or “before you were caused to suffer.”

We were going to be persecuted is one way of translating a phrase which sometimes, and probably here, refers not merely to something which is going to happen in the future, but to something which has to happen (with the implication, as in verse 3, that it is part of God’s will). The same verb is used in Luke 9.31, where Good News Bible translates “… he would soon fulfill God’s purpose by dying in Jerusalem.” Good News Translation here reverses two phrases in the original, placing the semantically subordinate “as you know” before the new information “that is what happened” (exactly is implied).

The word we occurs three times in verse 4. In the first two instances Paul clearly refers to himself and his companions, but not to the Thessalonians. However, the Thessalonians are included in the third we, since they too are involved in the persecution. This distinction must be reflected in the translation in languages which distinguish between the inclusive and the exclusive first person plural.

That is exactly what happened may be rendered more specifically as “we did in fact suffer persecution.”

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 .

The word translated turn back is not used anywhere else in the New Testament. Of its possible meanings in New Testament or later times, the most appropriate here is “disturbed” (Best), “shaken” (Translator’s New Testament Barclay), “unsettled” (Jerusalem Bible). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch interestingly transfers “your faith” from verse 2: “He was to strengthen and encourage you, so that no one should let himself be turned aside from the faith.”

In some languages there may be no meaningful connection between “turning back” and “faith” or “trusting.” Therefore it may be necessary to say “so that none of you would give up believing,” or “… would cease trusting Christ.”

These persecutions (already mentioned in 1.6 and 2.14) must often be rendered as “the way in which you have suffered persecution,” or “the ways in which people have caused you to suffer.”

You yourselves know. Good News Translation follows the Greek closely here in emphasizing you by the addition of yourselves; but the emphasis really attaches to the whole phrase; there is no contrast with any other group of people. Moffatt transfers the emphasis to know: “You know that well” (cf. Knox Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Barclay (cf. Translator’s New Testament) emphasizes both elements: “You yourselves well know.” Bijbel in Gewone Taal, like Moffatt, emphasizes the whole phrase by transferring it to the end of the sentence: “that you know.”

Such persecutions are part of God’s will for us. Good News Translation and Bible en français courant make explicit a reference to God which is implicit in the text, which could be translated almost literally “that is why we have been put here.” Here, as in many places, the passive implies an activity of God. References to “our appointed lot” (New English Bible, cf. Revised Standard Version), like the use of the verb “destined,” wrongly suggest an impersonal fate, which is far from Paul’s way of thinking. The context shows that here “we” includes Paul, his companions, and the Thessalonians. In the next verse, however, the Thessalonians are excluded from “we.”

The rendering of such persecutions are part of God’s will for us must be done with care. Otherwise the reader may think that God himself had purposely planned or even organized the persecutions against the Christians in Thessalonica. In some languages it may be necessary to say “God has permitted these persecutions to come to us,” or “God has allowed these people to cause us to suffer.” It is sometimes possible to speak of “God’s will” as being “God’s plan,” for example, “God’s plan for us includes our being caused to suffer.”

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 .

The dates at which Paul wrote his various letters are usually uncertain, and they are not very important for the translators. There is, however, good reason to believe that 1 and 2 Thessalonians, in that order, are the first two of Paul’s letters to survive. It is also fairly certain that 1 Thessalonians was written about fifteen years after Paul’s conversion, that is, early in the year 51 or late in the previous year. Paul was writing to young Christians, but he himself was already an experienced evangelist.

All of Paul’s letters follow the normal Greek pattern of stating at the beginning the name of the sender(s), the name of the person(s), to whom the letter is addressed, and a greeting. Paul, however, fills this conventional form with a new and Christian content. The introduction to this letter is the shortest we have in any of Paul’s letters to a church. Some early copyists, followed by the older translations, apparently found the ending of verse 1 too abrupt and so added “… from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” or a similar phrase (cf. 2 Thess. 1.1), but these words are probably not original here.

Three people are mentioned as senders of the letter: Paul, Silas, and Timothy. They had visited Thessalonica together, and they were together in Corinth while the letter was being written (see Acts 17.1–18.5). The repeated use of “we” in this letter, more frequently than in any other of Paul’s letters, shows that the message comes essentially from all three senders. Especially in the first three chapters, they refer continually to experiences they have lived through together. But there is no reason to think that either Silas or Timothy had much share in the actual writing of the letter. The sentence structure, vocabulary, and style are similar to those of Paul’s other letters, and in a few places (2.18; 3.5; 5.27) he speaks in his own name, using the first person singular.

In translating this opening salutation, it is necessary in many languages to introduce a verb indicating that the three are writing or sending the letter. Thus it may be necessary to translate “We who are Paul, Silas, and Timothy write to you people in the church at Thessalonica.” Since Paul is essentially the author of the letter, one may find it preferable in some languages to translate “I, Paul, together with Silas and Timothy, write to you people….” If a language requires the identification of Paul as “I” and of Paul together with his companions as “we,” it is almost inevitable that the people of the church at Thessalonica be addressed as “you.” This will fit quite readily with what is said in verse 2.

Here and in other places (for example, 2 Corinthians 1.19), Paul calls one of his companions “Silvanus,” but there is no doubt that this is the same person who is called “Silas” in Acts. Good News Translation and Bible en français courant rightly recognize this by using the form Silas everywhere; most older translations (also some modern ones, including New English Bible Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch New American Bible Translator’s New Testament) do not.

The repeated conjunction “and” (“Paul and Silas and Timothy”) of the Greek text is reproduced in older translations (for example King James Version Luther 1984 La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée), but not in Revised Standard Version New English Bible Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale Bible en français courant Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Bijbel in Gewone Taal. The repetition should not be made in translation unless it is natural to the receptor language.

At the time this letter was written, Thessalonica (now Salonika) was the most important city in Macedonia; but Paul writes, not to the population in general, but to the Christians in the city. The Greek word translated “church” does not refer to a special building (Christians met for worship in one another’s homes) but to the coming together of people, in this case of Christians. Best accordingly translates “the Christian community of the Thessalonians”; Knox “the church assembled at Thessalonika”; Good News Translation the people of the church in Thessalonica; Bible en français courant “the members of the Church of Thessalonica.” In some languages the only satisfactory equivalent of “church” in this context is “believers in Jesus Christ” or “followers of Christ” or “those who trust in Jesus Christ.” Such a rendering may be particularly important in situations where the common word for “church” identifies a building. Furthermore, the Greek word translated “church” indicates a group which recognizes itself as a group, and not just a collection of individuals. If possible, this fact should be reflected in translation.

The context shows clearly that Paul is not writing to the church universal but to the local gathering of Christians. In some languages, though not in Greek, this distinction is reflected in a difference of spelling, between “Church” (capital C) and “church” (small c) respectively. Since this distinction disappears when the passage is read aloud, it is better not to rely on it to make the meaning clear.

The Thessalonians are here mentioned for the first time. The Greek text marks this as new information by omitting the article (literally “the church of Thessalonians”). In Thessalonica may need to be translated in some languages with a classifier, for example, “in the city of Thessalonica.”

Grammatically it would be possible, but it would almost certainly be wrong, to link who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ with what follows, giving the translation: “May grace and peace be yours in God Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul often does speak of Christian individuals or groups as being “in Christ” or (less often) “in God,” and sometimes he uses both expressions. What does he mean? Clearly his use of “in” is figurative. For Paul Christ is a person, not a kind of gas physically diffused through the atmosphere. In some passages, it is possible to think that Paul is speaking of the mystical identification of two individuals; but that is not possible here, since he is referring to the whole Christian community. Who belong to God (Good News Translation cf. Bible en français courant Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) is the essential meaning of this phrase. This may be rendered in some languages as “who are God’s possession,” “whom God possesses,” or even “who are God’s.”

In some languages the phrase God the Father poses a difficulty, especially if the term for “Father” must indicate whose father. In such cases it may be necessary to say “who belong to God our Father” or “to God who is our Father.” In languages which make a distinction between exclusive and inclusive first person plural, the inclusive form should be used, since Paul clearly includes the Thessalonian Christians with himself and his companions among those to whom God is Father.

Christ was originally not a proper name but a title, corresponding to “Messiah” and meaning “the Anointed (One).” For Paul, however, as for us, it is usually a proper name. In this and most other Pauline passages, Christ should therefore be transliterated and not translated.

For some languages the term Lord is not a title which can readily be added to the name of Jesus Christ, because it expresses a relation between men and Christ. Therefore, it may be rendered as “Jesus Christ who controls us” or “… who commands us,” equivalent in some languages to “Jesus Christ our chief.”

Paul wishes his readers grace and peace, as he does in all his letters. The context does not narrow the meaning of these words, which should therefore be taken in their widest sense. There is a considerable overlap of meaning between them. Grace here means, not physical gracefulness and not a specific favor, but God’s willingness to look upon Christians as his people, and to give them good gifts, such as forgiveness. In secular Greek peace meant the cessation or absence of war, just as it usually does in modern English. Paul, however, uses the term to mean a right and harmonious relationship among men or between men and God, a total well-being which God himself gives. Good News Translation Bible en français courant Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch New English Bible, like older translations, retain the traditional nouns, grace and peace.

Some scholars view the phrase grace and peace in this type of salutation as being a combination of a Greek and a Semitic greeting. At any rate, it is certainly a distinctive expression, and no doubt it has wide usage among the members of the early church. In view of the distinctive value of the expression, it is not easy to do justice to all the meaning which may be involved. In some languages an appropriate equivalent may be “May God be good to you and show you his peace” or “May God show goodness to you and cause you to have peace.” Since “peace” in this context suggests general well-being, it is expressed in some languages in a figurative way, for example, “May you be able to sit down in your heart” or “May you rest in happiness.”

In some languages it is difficult to express a wish or prayer such as may grace and peace be yours without indicating clearly the relation between the one who desires such a blessing for others and the agent, who is God. Therefore one may need to translate this clause as “I pray to God that he will be good to you and make you to have peace.”

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 .

We could not bear it any longer must refer to the intense emotion which Paul and his colleagues felt in missing the Thessalonians. It may be necessary to make this reference more specific, for example, “we could not endure any longer not seeing you,” or, stated idiomatically, “our being away from you was crushing us.”

The word so is important because it introduces clearly the reason for the decision. In some languages this reason may need to be made explicit, for example, “because of how we felt.” Or the preceding sentence may be combined with this statement about the decision, for example, “At last, because we could not endure any longer being away from you, we decided….”

We decided is the same verb which in 2.8 is translated we were ready, but here the tense shows that Paul is not thinking of a state of being ready and willing, but of a specific decision. This is not brought out by Revised Standard Version (“we were willing”), Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale (“we preferred”), or Traduction œcuménique de la Bible (“we thought it best,” cf. Zürcher Bibel). Decided is rightly chosen, not only by common language translations, but by Knox Barclay Translator’s New Testament (cf. Luther 1984 Jerusalem Bible). Moffatt has the equivalent “made up my mind” (cf. La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée Bible de Jérusalem).

In translating we in verses 1 and 2, it is important to make the proper transitions and to indicate clearly who is involved. This will mean that in many languages the first “we” in verse 1 will be the exclusive first person plural to include Paul, Silas, and Timothy. The second “we” will be the same (“we decided”), but the implied third “we” must refer merely to Paul and Silas, for the two of them were the ones who stayed on alone in Athens. Therefore it may be necessary to translate “so we three decided that we two would stay on alone in Athens.” The we of we sent would then refer to Paul and Silas, but our in the phrase our brother would be inclusive first person plural (for languages having the inclusive-exclusive distinction), since Timothy would be a fellow believer, not only of Paul and Silas, but of the Thessalonians as well. Us in the phrase who works with us would again refer simply to Paul and Silas. Only a careful sorting out of precise references in the use of we, our, and us can prevent serious misunderstanding.

To stay on is passive in form, literally “to be left behind” (Revised Standard Version), but the context shows that Paul is writing from his own point of view, not that of Timothy. Good News Translation and most other translations make this clear by the use of “remain” or the more common equivalents “stay on” or “stay behind” (Translator’s New Testament).

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 .

Verse 20 adds no new idea. Pride means practically the same as reason for boasting (v. 19), which New English Bible translates “pride”; and joy is repeated from the previous verse. The function of this sentence is simply to sum up and reemphasize, and this is indicated by indeed (also Phillips New English Bible; Bible en français courant Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch have “Yes”). The word translated pride means “glory” in other contexts. The causative relation implied in our pride and our joy may be expressed in some languages as “It certainly is true that you are the ones who cause us to be proud and to have joy.” It is important to employ a rendering of pride which will not suggest a haughty or boastful attitude. Paul’s pride is not in himself but in the Thessalonians. It may be possible to render our pride as “you are the ones who cause us to be so proud of you.”

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 .

The translation of the transition after all may be difficult, since a rendering implying a cause or reason might refer back immediately to Satan’s preventing Paul from visiting the Thessalonians. The real connection is not with Satan’s activity but with Paul’s desire. It may be necessary to repeat this fact at the beginning of verse 19, for example, “I wanted to visit you because you are the ones who are….”

Verse 19 consists of a rhetorical question within a rhetorical question, literally: “For who is our hope and joy and crown of boasting (is it not also you?) before our Lord Jesus at his coming?” Paul is dictating, and his feelings are running high. Underneath the questions, he is giving the reason for his desire to see the Thessalonian Christians again. Our hope, as the parallel with our joy shows, means “a reason for hope” or “a source of hope,” not “an object of hope” or “something for which we hope.” The “crown” Paul mentions is not a sign of kingship, but of victory, as in an athletic competition. In removing the metaphor, Good News Translation makes this clear by using the words of our victory (cf. Bible en français courant and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). The word translated reason for boasting means the basis for being justly proud (cf. Romans 4.2; Good News Translation “something to boast about”; Translator’s New Testament “evidence of proud achievement”), as distinct from the act of speaking boastfully (cf. Romans 3.27).

In rendering our hope and our joy, it is important to indicate clearly the implied causative relation. The Thessalonians were the ones who caused Paul and his colleagues to hope and to have joy. In some languages an equivalent translation may be “you are the ones who caused us to have hope, and you are the ones who caused us to be joyful.” Similarly, our reason for boasting is a causative relation, for example, “you are the ones who have caused us to boast.” But “boast” must be carefully translated, since it can easily imply a wrong kind of verbal self-praise. An appropriate equivalent in some languages may be “you were the ones who caused us to speak so confidently about our victory.”

The translation of our victory is often difficult, since any term which seems to suggest victory implies fighting and war. This is obviously not what Paul means. It may be even more difficult to suggest victory in some kind of competition or game, since this might introduce unacceptable connotations such as of gambling. It may be necessary to shift this figure of speech to the concept of success, for example, “you are the ones who caused us to speak so confidently about our success,” or “… about what we have accomplished.”

The second rhetorical question, like the first, became an emphatic statement in the third edition of Good News Translation: you, no less than others! This was a great improvement on the earlier editions, which had “you, and no one else!”—a statement which was not only emphatic, but also apparently exclusive. Paul’s “also,” omitted by most modern as well as traditional translations, is given its full value in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch‘s “you certainly belong to those who are our hope and our joy.” The church at Thessalonica was not the only one of which Paul was proud.

In rendering no less than others, one might be tempted to introduce a negative comparison, for example, “you do not surpass others in this,” but that would produce the wrong emphasis. The focus here is upon the Thessalonians’ being fully equal to all others in causing Paul’s hope and joy. Therefore an equivalent may be an emphatic statement such as “you are completely equal to others in this,” or “no one surpasses you in this.” This statement may very well be placed at the end of verse 19 so as to refer to all the various aspects of what the Thessalonians contributed to Paul’s hope, joy, and confidence. Such an arrangement would also provide a good transition to verse 20.

When he comes represents a noun which is a key word in Paul’s vocabulary. In nonbiblical texts, it can mean either (a) “presence” (cf. Translator’s New Testament) or (b) “coming,” “arrival” (not “return”). It can be used to speak of the presence of a (pagan) god in a temple or a sacred meal, or to his appearance in a vision. It is also used to refer to the ceremonial arrival of a king. Here, as usual in Paul’s writings, the word means the appearing or coming of Jesus at the end of time. The eager waiting for this coming is a recurring theme in both 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Though English may use a present tense in a clause such as when he comes, even though it refers to an indefinite future, many languages require a specific future tense, for example, “when he will come.”

Though the focus of meaning in the Greek term is upon “presence” or “coming,” in some receptor languages it is necessary to employ a term which means “return.” Otherwise the implication would be that Jesus had not been on earth before.

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 .

We wanted implies, not longing over a period of time (cf. Phillips), but specific action. Good News Translation is therefore right, when the subject changes abruptly to the singular, I myself, to supply a verb tried (cf. Best “we resolved”).

This is one of the few passages in this letter in which Paul expressly distinguishes himself from Silas and Timothy. The reason is clearly that Timothy has returned to Thessalonica, and Paul has not. More than once rightly translates the idiom “once and twice,” since Paul is not really specifying the number of occasions on which he tried to get back to Thessalonica. Nor do we know what, in human terms, prevented him from doing so. Like most biblical writers, Paul sees beyond purely human reasons and attributes his failure to Satan.

Again it may be necessary to translate return to you as “to visit you again,” since Paul does not imply he wishes to go back to be with the Thessalonians permanently.

The Greek text has “I, Paul” as the subject of tried to go back. In some languages it would be awkward to say “I, Paul”—especially if the introduction to the letter makes it clear that Paul is the principal writer and Silas and Timothy are simply associated with him. For this reason Good News Translation translates I myself.

More than once may be rendered as “repeatedly” or “again and again.” Since the number of times is indefinite, the translation should employ an indefinite term, but not one that would indicate a large number of times. The word order in Good News Translation is slightly ambiguous; “tried more than once to go back” would be clearer.

In translating Satan would not let us, it is important to avoid giving the impression that Paul and his colleagues required permission from Satan to do anything. It may be better to translate “but Satan prevented us from doing so,” “Satan made it impossible for us,” or “Satan stopped us.”

Verses 17 and 18 are linked by a conjunction meaning “because” or “for.” Here, however, it does not express a relation of reason and result, and Translator’s New Testament‘s “for that reason alone we wanted to come to you” is much too strong. The function of the conjunction is to indicate a transition from verse 17, in which Paul speaks of his longing, to verse 18, which unfolds the meaning of verse 17 by speaking of the efforts by which the desire was expressed.

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 .

The phrase as for us is a very convenient device in English for shifting focus, but some languages do not have any such mechanism. The closest equivalent may be an expression of “speaking” or “thinking,” for example, “now I want to speak about us,” or “and now think about us.”

Separated translates a strong and unusual word which literally means “orphaned,” but it can also be used to mean the separation of parents from children and a lover from his beloved. “Bereft” (Revised Standard Version Moffatt) gives the right meaning by the use of a somewhat archaic word. New English Bible‘s “you were lost to us” reverses the focus, and Barclay‘s “you and I were lost to each other” steers a middle course. Paul is referring to the moment of being torn away from his friends, not to the period of separation which followed. It may be difficult in some languages to employ a passive expression such as were separated without indicating the agents. Moreover, this separation was not a physical act of removing Paul from the people, but the persecution which forced Paul and Silas to leave (Acts 17.10). Accordingly, it may be necessary to translate “we were forced to leave you,” or “some people there made us leave you.”

For a little while does not mean that Paul had already been reunited with the Thessalonian Christians, as he makes clear in the following verses, but it indicates that he is confident that the separation will not be long. It may be difficult to translate for a little while, since we do not know specifically how much time had actually lapsed. One must certainly not give the impression that the lapsed time was merely a matter of a few days or weeks, and though Paul wishes to emphasize the relative shortness of the time, a literal translation could be quite misleading. In order to emphasize that the separation is still continuing but should not be permanent, some languages may employ a perfect tense, for example, “we have been forced to be away from you for a while.”

Not in our thoughts, of course, but only in body is (as of course indicates) an aside which is literally translated “in face, not in heart.” Moffatt appropriately used the idiom “(out of sight, not out of mind)”. Good News Translation (cf. Bible en français courant), by its use of thoughts, reminds us that in Hebrew thinking the heart was considered to be the seat of the intellect and the center of the whole personality, not primarily the seat of the emotions.

As in many instances, it may be necessary to introduce the positive statement before the negative one and to make more explicit what “body” and “thought” mean, for example, “we were only away from you as far as our bodies were concerned, but we never stopped thinking about you,” or “we ourselves were not with you, but we were always thinking about you.”

How we missed you and how hard we tried to see you again! Good News Translation effectively turns a statement into an exclamation and reverses the Greek sentence so that the longing is mentioned before the effort to which it gave rise. How hard is comparative in form (“more,” “more abundantly”), but the context shows that there is no real comparison; “more than if we had not been separated” would be nonsense. The comparative form is an idiomatic equivalent of “very” (cf. New English Bible “exceedingly anxious”). Formal equivalents such as King James Version “the more abundantly” and Revised Standard Version “the more eagerly” are misleading.

There are two problems involved in translating how we missed you. First, many languages do not use an exclamation, but prefer a type of emphatic statement, as in the Greek text. Second, this concept of “missing” must often be expressed in an idiomatic way, for example, “our heart was pained because of you,” “we hurt within ourselves because of you,” “our love for you grabbed us,” or “our insides went out to you.”

How hard we tried to see you again may likewise be changed into an emphatic statement, either of frequency, “we tried many times to see you again,” or of intensity, “we tried very much to see you again.” To see you is literally “to see your face.” Good News Translation and New English Bible eliminate the redundancy, while Revised Standard Version and Translator’s New Testament “to see you face to face” somewhat overemphasize it. In this context “see” must often be translated as “to visit,” since it is not simply sight, but more particularly fellowship, which is involved.

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 .