SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2002 – Page 2

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:16

4:16a

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven: The Lord Jesus is presently sitting at God’s right hand in heaven. See, for example, Luke 22:69; Acts 7:55. It is from there that he will descend to earth.

the Lord Himself: The Lord Jesus Christ will personally return to earth.

4:16b–d

with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God: Commentators disagree about whether this part of the verse describes three events, two events, or one event. However, the Greek text lists them as three events, and most English versions translate them in that way, so it is recommended that you also translate them as three distinct events.

4:16b

with a loud command: Most scholars agree that this refers to a command that Jesus himself will shout. If possible, do not state what or whom Jesus commands. Paul did not tell us, and so we can only guess. If it is necessary to include this information in your translation, you could translate it:

he will loudly command believers who have died to become alive again

4:16c

with the voice of an archangel: People will also hear an archangel speak. He may be speaking to other angels, but we do not know this.

an archangel: An archangel is a chief angel.

4:16d

with the trumpet of God: This does not mean that God will blow the trumpet, but that the trumpet belongs to God. Paul did not tell us here who will blow the trumpet. However, in Revelation, it is always angels who blow trumpets to announce events. See, for example, Revelation 8–11. If it is possible in your language, do not say who blows the trumpet, but that “God’s trumpet will be blown.” If it is necessary to indicate who blows the trumpet, you could say “an angel.”

4:16e

the dead in Christ: Most English versions understand this to refer to those who believed in Christ before they died, that is, “believers who have died.”

will be the first to rise: This means that the believers who have already died will become alive again, before those who are still living go to meet Christ in the air. It does not mean that those who have died will rise into the air before those who are still living.

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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 4:15

4:15a

By the word of the Lord, we declare to you: Paul explained that Jesus himself spoke the words that he was telling them. (It can only be guessed which of the following Paul was referring to: (1) Sayings of Jesus that had been written down, and which were later included in the Gospels. Matthew 24:30–31 is an example. (2) A message from Jesus received directly by Paul. (3) “Sayings of Jesus” which were recorded by someone, but which were not included in the Gospels. The problem is that not everything Paul taught in these verses is found in the Gospels in their present form. So it must be that Paul learned from both sources (1) and (2). See the discussion on this in Best, pp. 189–193.) However, we do not know when Jesus said this or to whom. Therefore, you should not be specific in your translation. If you must say to whom Jesus said this, use as general a term as possible, for example, “according to what the Lord said to people.”

4:15b

that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord: This refers to any believer who was alive at the time when Paul was writing and therefore who might still be alive when Jesus returned.

4:15c

will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep: The Berean Standard Bible phrase by no means translates two different Greek words that both mean “not.” When both occur together, they make the sentence an emphatic negative. Paul was emphasizing that believers who had died would certainly not get left behind when the Lord returned. This was what the Thessalonians had been worrying about.

precede: This means that believers who are alive when Jesus returns will not meet Jesus before those who have already died.

those who have fallen asleep: See the note on 4:13a.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:14

4:14b

we…believe that: These words are implied in the Greek text and may need to be made explicit in your translation.

also: This connects this part of the verse back to 4:14a. In 4:14a, Paul stated the basis for what he said in 4:14b. Another way to translate this connection would be:

Because we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then certainly God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep with him.

God will bring with Jesus: Most English versions are ambiguous in the way they translate this part of the verse. The Greek verb agō, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as bring, is a general verb of motion and means “bring, take, lead, go.” The commentators suggest many different ways of understanding this part of the verse. The two most likely interpretations are:

(1) Paul was focusing on the fact that when Jesus returns, the bodies of Christians who have died will be resurrected. He therefore meant that God would bring these resurrected bodies from earth to be with Jesus as he returns.

(2) Paul was focusing on the fact that after a Christian dies, his soul is with Jesus. He therefore meant here that God would bring these people from heaven back to earth with Jesus.

Paul did not specify which of these possibilities he was thinking of. What Paul wrote in 4:14–17 makes it clear that God will cause both the resurrected believers and the ones still living to ascend into the sky to meet Jesus as he is descending to earth. This seems to favor the first interpretation. However, Paul’s main point was that from that moment all Christians would be with Jesus, whether on earth or in heaven. So if possible, you should avoid making your translation too explicit at this point.

those who have fallen asleep: See the note on 4:13a.

in Him: In Greek, the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as in Him could mean either “in him” or “with him.” It is not clear from the Greek word order to which verb this phrase should be connected. There are two possibilities:

(1) It should be attached to the verb “fallen asleep,” which comes earlier in the sentence it in the Greek text. The majority of commentators also support this. The meaning of the phrase “those who have fallen asleep in Him” therefore is “those who were believers when they died.”

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation, NET Bible, King James Version, Revised English Bible, SSA, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), New American Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) It should be attached to the verb “will bring” which directly precedes it in the Greek text. The meaning is therefore that it is “through Jesus” that God will cause believers to live again.

(Revised Standard Version, God’s Word, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow the first option (1), as do the majority of English versions and commentaries. It is the most probable grammatically.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:7

5:7a

For: The Greek conjunction gar, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as For, has a number of functions. Here it indicates that Paul was amplifying what he had just said in 5:6. In many languages it may not be necessary to translate the conjunction here.

those who sleep, sleep at night: Here Paul was stating something that is obviously true: “people usually sleep at night.” He was probably continuing the metaphors of “sleep” and “night” that he had already used in this chapter.

at night: The Greek word nuktos, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as at night, is emphasized in Greek. Show this emphasis in a natural way in your language. For example:

It is at night when people sleep (Good News Translation)

5:7b

those who get drunk, get drunk at night: Paul was once more stating what people knew to be true, that usually people become drunk and behave badly during the night, after dark. This introduces Paul’s next point in 5:8, that since Christians “belong to the day,” they should be self-controlled and not behave like unbelievers.

at night: As in 5:7a, the Greek word nuktos, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as at night, is emphasized in Greek. Show this emphasis in a natural way in your language. For example:

it is at night when they get drunk (Good News Translation)

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:12

4:12a

you will behave: This refers to the way the Thessalonians lived every day.

properly toward outsiders: The word outsiders refers to those who did not believe in the Lord Jesus. Not everything that believers do will please non-believers. But Paul was saying that believers must behave and work in ways that everyone recognized as the correct way to behave. For example, no one would respect a lazy person, so the believers should make sure they were not lazy.

4:12b

without being dependent on anyone: This refers back to the phrase in 4:11c, “and to work with your hands.” Those who worked would not need to ask others for food and drink. Here Paul is describing a second result that will happen if the Thessalonians behave as he told them to behave in 4:10–11. (The first result is in 4:12a.)

on anyone: The commentators do not agree about what the Greek word mēdenos, “nobody, nothing,” means here. There are two possibilities:

(1) It means “no one.” The meaning of 4:12b therefore is “so that you will be dependent on no one”.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

(2) It means “nothing.” The meaning of 4:12b therefore is “so that you may need nothing”.

(King James Version, Revised English Bible, New American Standard Bible)

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1), as it fits the context better, especially 4:11c.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:11

4:11a

and to aspire to live quietly: In the Greek text, as in the Berean Standard Bible, this is not a new sentence. It is the second thing that Paul was urging the Thessalonians to do. If it would be helpful to begin a new sentence here, you could make the connection with 4:10b clearer by beginning the verse with “We also urge you to….”

to aspire: This means “to try hard to do something, to do your best to do something.” Use whatever verb is most natural and forceful to translate this.

to live quietly: Another way to say to live quietly is to say “avoid causing trouble for other people.”

4:11b

to attend to your own matters: Paul was not saying that the Thessalonians should not help one another. He was saying that they should not gossip and meddle in other people’s affairs. It is possible that this part of the verse is a restatement of 4:11a. But most English versions treat it as a second item in the list of things Paul was instructing, and it is recommended that you do the same.

4:11c

and to work with your own hands: Paul was not telling the Thessalonians specifically to do manual work. He was really telling them not to be lazy. He wanted them to work in order to get money or food to support themselves and their families. They should not expect their fellow believers to care for them.

4:11d

as we instructed you: Paul was reminding the Thessalonians that this was not something new. It was what he had already taught them while he was in Thessalonica. He was not here referring to the instructions in this particular letter.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:10

4:10a

all the brothers throughout Macedonia: Paul here expanded what he was saying to include not only believers in Thessalonica but also in Philippi and Berea and any other town in the region of Macedonia.

brothers: See the note on 1:4.

4:10b

But: Paul knew that the Thessalonians already loved their fellow Christians, but he wanted them to do so even more.

we urge you: This is the same verb that the Berean Standard Bible translated as “encourage” in 2:12a and 3:2b and in 4:1a. See the notes on those verses.

brothers: See the note on 1:4.

to excel more and more: This phrase means “to continue to love your fellow believers more and more.”

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:9

Paragraph 4:9–12

God had enabled the Thessalonians to love one another. Paul urged them to do so even more and also to behave in an orderly manner. Even non-believers would respect them when they behaved like that.

4:9a

Now: Here Paul began a new paragraph and told the Thessalonians why they needed to behave in a righteous manner. After warning them how not to behave in 4:3–8, he began to tell them how they should behave. The Berean Standard Bible has used the word Now to signal that this is a new paragraph. Be careful not to translate it literally as a time word. Instead, use whatever construction is natural in your language for a new paragraph.

about brotherly love: This means love for other believers.

4:9b

because: In this part of the verse Paul told the Thessalonians why he had no need to write about loving each other (4:9a). It was because God himself had taught them about this love.

you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another: Paul did not say how God taught the Thessalonians to love one another. It may have been by the Holy Spirit or by Jesus’ teaching. The important thing was that the teaching ultimately came from God himself.

you yourselves: In Greek, the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as yourselves is an emphatic pronoun. If you have emphatic pronouns in your language, you should use one here.

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2002

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:16

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:15

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:14

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:7

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:12

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:11

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:10

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 4:9

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