1:6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, when you received 4 the message with joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, despite great affliction. 1:7 As a result you became an example 5 to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 1:8 For from you the message of the Lord 6 has echoed forth not just in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place reports of your faith in God have spread, 7 so that we do not need to say anything. 1:9 For people everywhere 8 report how you welcomed us 9 and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God 1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath. 10
3:18 Wives, submit to your 18 husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
1:1 From James, 22 a slave 23 of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. 24 Greetings!
2:1 My brothers and sisters, 29 do not show prejudice 30 if you possess faith 31 in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 32
1 tn Or “because.”
2 tn Or “speech,” or “an act of speaking.”
3 tn Grk “just as you know what sort of people we were among you for your sakes.” Verse 5 reflects on the experience of Paul and his fellow preachers; v. 6 begins to describe the Thessalonians’ response.
4 tn Or “after you received.”
5 tc Most
6 tn Or “the word of the Lord.”
7 tn Grk “your faith in God has gone out.”
8 tn Grk “they themselves,” referring to people in the places just mentioned.
9 tn Grk “what sort of entrance we had to you” (an idiom for how someone is received).
10 sn The coming wrath. This wrath is an important theme in 1 Thess 5.
11 sn The phrase you are clean already occurs elsewhere in the Gospel of John only at the washing of the disciples’ feet in 13:10, where Jesus had used it of the disciples being cleansed from sin. This further confirms the proposed understanding of John 15:2 and 15:6 since Judas was specifically excluded from this statement (but not all of you).
12 tn Or “Consecrate them” or “Sanctify them.”
13 tn Or “I sanctify.”
14 tn Or “for their sake.”
15 tn Or “they may be truly consecrated,” or “they may be truly sanctified.”
16 tn Grk “you were slaves of sin but you obeyed.”
17 tn Or “type, form.”
18 tn The article τοῖς (tois) with ἀνδράσιν (andrasin, “husbands”) has been translated as a possessive pronoun (“your”); see ExSyn 215.
19 tn Grk “just as in the entire world it is bearing fruit.” The antecedent (“the gospel”) of the implied subject (“it”) of ἐστιν (estin) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20 tn Though the participles are periphrastic with the present tense verb ἐστίν (estin), the presence of the temporal indicator “from the day” in the next clause indicates that this is a present tense that reaches into the past and should be translated as “has been bearing fruit and growing.” For a discussion of this use of the present tense, see ExSyn 519-20.
21 tn Grk “Having willed, he gave us birth.”
22 tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
23 tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
24 tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.
25 tn The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” However, as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, here it is “equivalent to τὶς someone, a person.”
26 tn Grk “the face of his beginning [or origin].”
27 tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, “equivalent to τὶς someone.”
28 tn Grk “synagogue.” Usually συναγωγή refers to Jewish places of worship (e.g., Matt 4:23, Mark 1:21, Luke 4:15, John 6:59). The word can be used generally to refer to a place of assembly, and here it refers specifically to a Christian assembly (BDAG 963 s.v. 2.b.).
29 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
30 tn Or “partiality.”
31 tn Grk “do not have faith with personal prejudice,” with emphasis on the last phrase.
32 tn Grk “our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.” Here δόξης (doxhs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
33 tn Grk “their entire body.”
34 sn James’ point seems to be that instead of seeking deliverance from condemnation, they have defied God’s law (fattened your hearts) and made themselves more likely objects of his judgment (in a day of slaughter).