It is not quite clear in what the greetings consist. There are at least three possibilities: (1) verse 16 (Best), (2) verse 17, (3) verses 17-18. Best thinks that it was at verse 16, and not at verse 17, that Paul took the pen from his secretary’s hand. This would, of course, be necessary if verse 16 were to be the greeting. Parallel passages in other letters suggest that Paul’s personal greeting does not refer backward to earlier verses, but usually includes later verses. For example, see 1 Corinthians 16.21 (v. 22 is scarcely a “greeting,” vv. 23-24 are); Galatians 6.11 (not a greeting, but a reference to Paul’s own handwriting); Colossians 4.18 (cannot refer to preceding verses). Philemon 19 is not relevant since it probably means that the whole letter was written in Paul’s own handwriting.

The Greek of the first few words is very concise, and will often need restructuring in translation. Literally it is “the greeting in my hand of Paul,” that is, “in my (Paul’s) own hand” (cf. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “I, Paul, write the greeting with my own hand”). This may be rendered as “I am writing these words with my own hand,” “these very words I am writing with my own hand,” or “I myself am writing these words.”

Greetings from Paul must be rendered in some languages as “I am greeting you,” equivalent in some languages to “I am saying to you hello.”

This is the way I sign every letter may be expressed as “this is how I write my name at the end of every letter.” Such an expression would include the final clause of verse 17, this is how I write.

On the matter of possible forgeries, see the notes on 2 Thess. 2.2.

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .