The Greek that is translated as “licentiousness” and “impurity” or similar in English is translated in Bariai as “following behavior like dogs.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
See also adultery.
inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (1Thess. 2:3)
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the addressee), except in Karbi where translators used the inclusive pronoun, since “we have the prophecy in Acts 14:22 to guide us.”
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff. and W. R. Hutton in The Bible Translator April 1953, p. 86ff. (Karbi).
In Fijian, the paucal exclusive forms neitou and keitou (“of me and a few [two or slight more]”) are used instead. This choice is understandable in view of the introduction found in both letters to the Thessalonians, where the writer Paul indicates clearly that the letters were co-authored by two other colleagues, Silas and Timothy, hence the use of a pronoun referring to three people (“Paul, Silas and Timothy”).
Source: Joseph Hong in The Bible Translator 1994, p. 419ff.
complete verse (1 Thessalonians 2:3)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Thessalonians 2:3:
- Uma: “We did not invite/encourage you to follow teaching that was false. Neither was there any evil intention in our heart, we did not want to deceive anyone.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “All we (excl.) told you is true. It is not that our (excl.) thoughts are bad, (that is not the reason) why we (excl.) preach. We (excl.) do not deceive.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Our preaching to people does not come from error or from an immoral purpose. We do not lie to anyone.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Because what we (excl.) are saying to convince people is all true. Our (excl.) purpose/motive also, it isn’t that we (excl.) trick them and neither is it women that we (excl.) are thinking about,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “It really is the truth which we (excl.) taught to you there. It’s not as if there was a motive in our (excl.) mind/inner-being which was disgusting or just deceptive.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “When we told you the word, we did not look for ways to deceive you. We did not tell you anything which was not correct; we told you only the word which would do you good.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Translation commentary on 1 Thessalonians 2:3
The Greek here has the same link word “for” which we noted in verse 1. Here it may indicate a logical link between verses 1 and 2. It may mean “our stay in Thessalonica was a hard and costly time for us, and this proves that we had not come to win cheap popularity or to make easy money”; or it may mean “we spoke openly and fearlessly because we had no unworthy motive to hide.” But either of these interpretations makes rather too much of an unemphatic conjunction, and it is probably best to omit it in translation, as in done in various translations (Good News Translation Phillips Barclay Jerusalem Bible Knox Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Bijbel in Gewone Taal).
Some translations understand appeal as a synonym of Good News in verse 2 and so translate as “preaching” (Luther 1984 Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale) or “what we preach” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) or simply refer back to verse 2 with an adverb “thereby” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Appeal in this sense, however, refers not to the whole content of the message as such, but to its application to a particular group of hearers, that is, to the preachers’ appeal to them to accept the message. (In Acts 2, for example, the appeal would be, not Peter’s entire sermon, but the application of his message in verses 38-40; the related verb meaning “made his appeal” is, in fact, used in verse 40.) Good News Translation Bible en français courant Revised Standard Version New English Bible Knox Moffatt Barclay Best all translate by appeal.
Good News Translation‘s addition of to you is justified, partly by the nearness of verse 2, which refers explicit to Thessalonica, and partly by the likelihood that Paul is here thinking of criticisms made against himself and his friends (see general note on 2.3-7a).
Neither the Greek text nor Good News Translation uses a verb such as “made” with appeal (“the appeal which we make”), but in many languages a verb must be supplied. Should it be in the past or in the present tense? If the reference is general, the present tense must be used in English. If, as seems more likely, the reference is specifically to the Thessalonians, the verb should probably be in the past tense, since Paul does not begin making any appeal to his readers until chapter 4 of the present letter. Among English translations, Moffatt Revised Standard Version New English Bible take the reference as specific, and therefore they use the present tense; Knox takes it as specific and uses the past tense; Barclay and Translator’s New Testament take it as general but use the present tense.
The noun appeal must frequently be rendered as a verb, for example, “when we were appealing to you,” but sometimes appeal must be translated as “try to convince.” When one translates appeal as a temporal clause beginning with “when,” it is necessary to restructure the latter part of the clause, for example, “when we were trying to convince you about the Good News, we did not use lies,” or “… we did not speak lies.” In this type of context, the closest equivalent of error is often “lies” or “untruths,” and “lies” is usually the more effective term.
Paul is fond of grouping three similar expressions (cf. 1.3), but the three nouns represented by error, impure motives, and nor do we try to trick anyone do not seem to be arranged in any particular order. Error is more than an innocent mistake. It means a wandering from the path of truth, a voluntary (and therefore sinful) giving in to influences which lead one astray (see 2 Thess. 2.11; Ephesians 4.14). “Impurity” (motives is implied) can mean literal or ritual uncleanness, but it is often associated with sexual immorality (e.g. in Romans 1.24; Galatians 5.19; Ephesians 5.3; Colossians 3.5). Paul may be referring to the sexual immorality which, in the Greek world as well as in the world of the Old Testament, often accompanied pagan worship. However, the word for “impurity” has a wider meaning in Romans 6.19 and perhaps in Ephesians 4.19; 5.3, and Paul does not refer to sex in 1 Thessalonians until chapter 4; so a more general meaning such as “impurity” is more likely here. If error is the state of having been led away from truth, deceit is the attempt to trick other people. Paul is indeed describing a vicious circle.
The phrase not based on … impure motives is often rendered in a figurative manner, for example, “our heart was true,” “our hearts had no shadows in them,” “there was no darkness in us,” or “we had no twisted thoughts.” Nor do we try to trick anyone may simply be rendered as “and we do not try to deceive anyone,” or, idiomatically, “we do not try to make people think that bad is good.”
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 .
SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2:3
Paragraph 2:3–9
Paul then defended himself and his companions against the accusations that he believed that people were making. He affirmed that what he and his companions had preached was true and that they wanted to please God rather than people. Paul and his companions had never asked anyone to honor them personally, although they could have done that because they were apostles. In the Greek world there were many people who traveled from place to place teaching people and living at the expense of those who began to follow them. Paul wanted to emphasize how different he and his companions were from people like that. This is probably the reason why he defended himself here.
To prove this, Paul reminded the Thessalonians believers how he and his companions had worked to earn their own money so they would not burden them. He also reminded them that he and his companions behaved toward them the way a good father behaves toward his children. He then urged them to behave in a way that would please God.
In 2:3–4 Paul was describing his ministry among people in general, wherever he and his companions went and preached. Then in 2:5 he talks about his specific ministry among the Thessalonians.
2:3a
For: Paul and his companions had succeeded in producing the result that they had hoped to produce by preaching to the Thessalonians. That result was that Thessalonians had believed in Jesus. Here Paul gave another reason why their preaching was successful (2:1) and why they could preach the gospel boldly (2:2c).
our appeal: It is not clear from the Greek text or from most English versions to whom Paul made this appeal. There are two possibilities:
(1) He appealed to people in general.
(NET Bible, SSA)
(2) He appealed to the Thessalonians in particular.
(Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Jerusalem Bible)
If possible you should leave your translation ambiguous here. However, if you must say to whom Paul appealed, it is recommended that you follow the first option and use a word for people in general. This option has the support of most commentators.
appeal: Paul’s appeal was to urge people to believe the gospel.
2:3b
does not arise from: There is no verb in the Greek text in this part of the verse, yet all English translations need to supply one. Most English versions supply a verb such as “spring from,” “come from,” or “is based on.” You should choose a verb that makes it clear that Paul was saying that his appeal did not originate from error.
All English versions except the King James Version supply a verb in the present tense to indicate that Paul was talking about something he did habitually. It is recommended that you use a verb tense or aspect that refers to habitual actions, that is, actions that occur frequently. This matches the tense of the verb “speak” in 2:4a, which also shows habitual action.
deceit: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as deceit is more literally “error” or “delusion.” This Greek word can have two meanings:
(1) Paul meant that he was not mistaken or deluded or mad.
(New International Version (2011 Revision), New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible)
(2) Paul meant that he was not deliberately deceiving them.
(Berean Standard Bible, God’s Word, King James Version, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), New Revised Standard Version)
Some English versions are ambiguous. Probably the first opinion (1) is correct here. Otherwise the meaning would be almost the same as 2:3c and Paul would just have been repeating himself.
ulterior motives: The Greek word akatharsia, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as ulterior motives, literally means “uncleanness.” This could mean one of two things:
(1) It means any kind of moral impurity, for example, greed, ambition, vanity, pride, or sexual immorality. Preaching to gain money, as some people were doing, is one example of an “impure motive” in this context.
(God’s Word, New Century Version)
(2) It specifically means sexual immorality.
(The Jerusalem Bible)
Most English versions are ambiguous. It is recommended that you follow the first meaning (1) here. Choose a general term, because most commentators agree that in this context the meaning should not be limited to sexual immorality.
2:3c
or trickery: Literally, “nor trickery.” Paul was speaking generally here, so it is most likely that Paul was saying that he and his companions were not intending to deceive anyone at any time. Here are some other ways to translate this:
we didn’t try to fool or trick anyone (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
nor do we try to trick anyone (Good News Translation)
He said more about this in 2:5a and 2:5b when he talked about “flattery” and “any pretext for greed.” See the notes on those verses.
© 2002 by SIL International®
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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.
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