SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2002

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:13

Section 4:13–5:11

Paul taught about when the Lord Jesus would return

Paul explained that when the Lord Jesus returns, God will cause both the Christians who have died and those who will still be alive to ascend to meet the Lord Jesus in the sky. He also explained how the Thessalonians should behave as they waited for the Lord to return.

Paragraph 4:13–18

While Paul was in Thessalonica, he had probably taught the Thessalonians that Jesus would soon return, and the Thessalonians may have assumed that they would all survive until then. But as time passed, some of them died. Those who remained alive had begun to worry whether those believers who had died would see Jesus return. This is the issue Paul was addressing in this paragraph.

4:13a

Brothers: See the note on 1:4.

we do not want you to be uninformed: It may be more natural in your language to translate this as a strong positive sentence. For example:

We want you to know (New Century Version)
-or-
We want you to be quite certain (New Jerusalem Bible)

about those who sleep in death: Paul was not talking about actual sleep here. He was using a polite way to speak about dying. The Berean Standard Bible has added the words in death to make this clear. In your translation, use the common word for dying or an appropriate polite expression.

4:13b

so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope: Paul was not saying that the relatives of a dead person should not mourn or perform a funeral. Rather, he was saying that they should not grieve in the hopeless way that unbelievers grieve. Because believers know that other believers who die will become alive again, while they may still grieve for them, they do not grieve as people do who are without hope.

like the rest: This phrase refers to unbelievers.

who are without hope: Unbelievers do not believe that they will live again on earth or that they will be with Jesus. See the note in 1:3d on the word hope. In this verse it also means “being certain.” Paul did not doubt at all that Christians would live again one day after Christ returned. It may be necessary in some languages to say what the unbelievers were not certain about. One way to make this clear would be:

who do not confidently expect to live again after they die as you believers expect to do (see SSA)

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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 5:6

5:6a

So then: This introduces the clause that follows logically from 5:4–5. Paul was telling the Thessalonians that since they were sons of light and the day, they should not behave like unbelievers.

let us not sleep: This time Paul was not using sleep as a euphemism for “death.” Rather, he meant that unbelievers were like people who are sound asleep, unaware of what is happening. He was continuing the metaphor of a thief coming in the night (5:2b). Unbelievers are like a homeowner who is sleeping when the thief comes; they will not be ready when Jesus returns. However, Paul was warning believers not to be like this. They should be expecting Jesus to return. See also Matthew 25:1–13.

us: This refers to all believers, not just Paul and his companions.

as the others do: Paul was warning all who claimed to be believers to behave as believers should and not like unbelievers who did not believe that Jesus would come again.

5:6b

but let us remain awake: This metaphor is the opposite of the one in 5:6a, so it means “we should be aware” that Jesus will return suddenly, and we should be ready for him. See Matthew 25:13; Mark 13:35–37.

sober: The Greek verb nēphō literally means “to be sober” and usually refers to not being drunk. However, in this context, many commentators agree that it does not just refer to avoiding being intoxicated. Rather, its meaning is extended to mean being self-controlled. Here is another way to translate this:

self-controlled (New International Version (2011 Revision))

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:5

5:5a

For: The Greek conjunction gar, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as For, indicates that the words that follow are the grounds or evidence for Paul’s words in 5:4a. Here is one way to translate this:

It will not come unexpectedly for you because (SSA)

Many English versions leave this conjunction implicit in this verse. Introduce this verse in a natural way in your language.

you are all sons of the light and sons of the day: To refer to someone as the “son” of some object is a Hebrew metaphor. It means that the person has the same characteristics as the object or belongs to the object.

sons of the light: This means those who live in the light (as opposed to the darkness in 5:4a, 5:5b), those who belong to the light. You should try to translate this in a way that contrasts with 5:4a.

sons of the day: This means those who belong to the day (as opposed to the night in 5:5b). It may mean the same thing as “sons of the light.”

These are difficult phrases to translate. Here are two suggested ways to deal with this part of the verse:

• You could keep the metaphor of light and day, as most modern English versions have done. For example:

people who belong to the light, who belong to the day (Good News Translation)

• You could combine the two metaphors. For example,

people who do everything as though it were done in the light, that is, in the daytime (UBS Handbook Handbook, page 109)
-or-
people who do what is right as people usually do when it is light/daytime” (SSA).

5:5b

we do not belong to the night or to the darkness: This part of the verse repeats 5:5a, but it uses negative statements instead of the positive ones of 5:5a. The word darkness here means the same as it does in 5:4a.

we: This refers to all believers.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:4

Paragraph 5:4–11

Because the Lord will return suddenly but people do not know when this will happen, Paul told the believers at Thessalonica that they should be prepared for the Lord Jesus to return at any time.

5:4–8

In these verses Paul used a series of metaphors, including darkness and light, night and day, asleep and awake, drunk and sober. These metaphors are related to one another, yet they contrast with one another.

5:4a

brothers: See the note on 1:4.

are not in the darkness: The metaphor of darkness in 5:4 is the opposite of the metaphors of “light” and “day” in 5:5a. “Darkness” (and “night” in 5:5b) in the Bible is a metaphor for evil. When a person becomes a Christian, he leaves the darkness of sin and Satan and enters God’s kingdom of light. See, for example, Ephesians 5:8; Colossians 1:13; 1 Peter 2:9.

If the metaphor of darkness referring to evil and of light referring to goodness and purity can be understood in your language, then use it to translate these verses. If not, then try using a simile (for example, “this evil world, which is like darkness”). If that cannot be understood, translate only the meaning.

5:4b

so that this day should overtake you like a thief: This part of the verse is the result of 5:4a. Paul was saying that since the Thessalonians were no longer in darkness (and therefore unaware of what was happening), they would not be surprised or unprepared when Jesus returned.

like a thief: See the note on 5:2b. This is the same simile here. Jesus will return when most people do not expect him.

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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 5:2

5:2a

For you are fully aware: Paul had undoubtedly told the Thessalonians about these things when he was with them, but here he reminded them they could not know the exact day and time when Jesus would return.

5:2b

the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night: This whole sentence is a simile. Paul was not comparing Jesus to a thief who steals something. The point of the comparison is that Jesus will return unexpectedly, at a time when people are not prepared, in the same way that a thief comes during the night when people are asleep and not expecting him. Jesus himself taught similarly in Matthew 24:43. One way to express this would be:

the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief who comes at night (UBS Handbook handbook, p106).

the Day of the Lord: The phrase the Day of the Lord was a well-known phrase in the OT (for example, see Joel 2:31; Amos 5:18; Malachi 4:5). When this phrase occurred in the OT, “Lord” always referred to God the Father. The whole phrase therefore referred to the time when God would judge the people of the world and punish those who had sinned against him. However, in the NT, the Lord almost always refers to the Lord Jesus. So the Day of the Lord here means “the day when the Lord Jesus will return to earth.”

will come: In some languages it may not be possible to say that a day/time will come. If this is the case in your language, you may need to talk about Jesus himself coming.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:18

4:18

Therefore: This word indicates that this verse is Paul’s final remark on this subject he discussed in 4:14–17. Here is another way to translate this word:

Because all this is true

encourage one another: The form of the Greek verb parakaleō, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as encourage, indicates a continuing action. So it is best translated as “continue encouraging” or “continually encourage.”

with these words: This refers to the whole message of 4:14–17. Paul was not telling the Thessalonians to repeat these words exactly to one another, but to remind each other about what he had said in 4:14–17, that is, that all believers, whether they had already died or were still alive when Christ returned, would meet him together.

(1) There is no real difference in meaning between the two words, and the whole expression is an idiom for “the day of the Lord” (see 5:2b).

(2) There is a difference between the two words. The word chronoi (times) refers to “duration of time.” The word kairoi (seasons) refers to “the significant events that happen before Jesus will return.” Here is one way to translate this possible sense of the expression:

times and occasions (Good News Translation)

It is not easy to decide between these two opinions. However, in this passage Paul’s main subject was “the day of the Lord.” So it is logical to assume that here he was referring to the time when the day of the Lord would occur. It is therefore recommended that you follow the first option (1).

brothers: See the note on 1:4.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:17

4:17a

we who are alive and remain: See the note on 4:15b.

will be caught up together with them: All the believers, both those who are still alive and those who have just become alive again, will suddenly be lifted up and taken upward from the earth into the sky to meet Jesus as he descends from heaven. If you need to say who lifts the believers, you should say it is God.

them: This refers back to “the dead in Christ” (4:16e).

in the clouds: In the Scriptures, the Messiah’s (Christ’s) coming is sometimes mentioned together with the phrase “with clouds” (Daniel 7:13; Matthew 24:30, 26:64; Mark 13:26, 14:62; Revelation 1:7).

4:17b

in the air: The phrase in the air probably refers to the same place as “in the clouds.” Here is another way to translate this phrase:

in the sky (Contemporary English Version)

4:17c

And so we will always be with the Lord: From the time that Jesus returns, believers will never again be physically separated from him.

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2002

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:13

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:6

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:5

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:4

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:3

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:2

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:18

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:17

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