1 Thessalonians 1:5-10

1:5 in that ¹  our gospel did not come to you merely in words, ²  but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction (surely you recall the character we displayed when we came among you to help you). ³ 

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 

[1:5]  ¹ tn Or “because.”

[1:5]  ² tn Or “speech,” or “an act of speaking.”

[1:5]  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.

[1:6]  ⁴ tn Or “after you received.”

[1:7]  ⁵ tc Most mss (א A C D² F G Ψ 0278 Ï) have the plural τύπους (tupou", “examples”) here, while a few important witnesses have the singular τύπον (tupon, “example”; B D*^,c 6 33 81 104 1739 1881 pc lat). With ὑμᾶς (Jumas, “you”) immediately preceding, the plural form looks motivated: Scribes would be expected to change the singular to the plural here. Although the external evidence for the singular reading is not overwhelming, the internal evidence for it is compelling.

[1:8]  ⁶ tn Or “the word of the Lord.”

[1:8]  ⁷ tn Grk “your faith in God has gone out.”

[1:9]  ⁸ tn Grk “they themselves,” referring to people in the places just mentioned.

[1:9]  ⁹ tn Grk “what sort of entrance we had to you” (an idiom for how someone is received).

[1:10]  ¹⁰ sn The coming wrath. This wrath is an important theme in 1 Thess 5.