1 Thessalonians 2:1

Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica

2:1 For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, ¹  about our coming to you – it has not proven to be purposeless. ² 

Isaiah 49:4

49:4 But I thought, ³  “I have worked in vain;

I have expended my energy for absolutely nothing.” ⁴ 

But the Lord will vindicate me;

my God will reward me. ⁵ 

Galatians 2:2

2:2 I went there ⁶  because of ⁷  a revelation and presented ⁸  to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did so ⁹  only in a private meeting with the influential people, ¹⁰  to make sure that I was not running – or had not run ¹¹  – in vain.

Galatians 4:11

4:11 I fear for you that my work for you may have been in vain.

Philippians 2:16

2:16 by holding on to ¹²  the word of life so that on the day of Christ I will have a reason to boast that I did not run in vain nor labor in vain.

¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

² tn Grk “has not become empty.” Paul is defending himself against the charge that he lacked earnestness and personal concern for them, but appeared in their city out of greed or egotism. In his defense he appeals to what they recall of his ministry and what has become of it since he left, all of which demonstrates his God-given earnestness and effectiveness.

³ tn Or “said” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “I replied.”

⁴ tn Heb “for nothing and emptiness.” Synonyms are combined to emphasize the common idea.

⁵ tn Heb “But my justice is with the Lord, and my reward [or “wage”] with my God.”

⁶ tn Grk “I went up”; one always spoke idiomatically of going “up” to Jerusalem.

⁷ tn Or “in accordance with.” According to BDAG 512 s.v. κατά B.5.a.δ, “Oft. the norm is at the same time the reason, so that in accordance with and because of are merged…Instead of ‘in accordance w.’ κ. can mean simply because of, as a result of, on the basis of…κ. ἀποκάλυψιν Gal 2:2.”

⁸ tn Or “set before them.”

⁹ tn Grk “Gentiles, but only privately…to make sure.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started with “But” and the words “I did so,” an implied repetition from the previous clause, were supplied to make a complete English sentence.

¹⁰ tn L&N 87.42 has “important persons, influential persons, prominent persons” for οἱ δοκοῦντες and translates this phrase in Gal 2:2 as “in a private meeting with the prominent persons.” The “prominent people” referred to here are the leaders of the Jerusalem church.

¹¹ tn Here the first verb (τρέχω, trecw, “was not running”) is present subjunctive, while the second (ἔδραμον, edramon, “had not run”) is aorist indicative.

¹² tn Or “holding out, holding forth.”