1 Thessalonians 2:3

2:3 For the appeal we make ¹  does not come ²  from error or impurity or with deceit,

1 Thessalonians 4:7

4:7 For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness.

1 Thessalonians 5:1

The Day of the Lord

5:1 Now on the topic of times and seasons, ³  brothers and sisters, ⁴  you have no need for anything to be written to you.

1 Thessalonians 2:1

Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica

2:1 For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, ⁵  about our coming to you – it has not proven to be purposeless. ⁶ 

1 Thessalonians 5:4-5

5:4 But you, brothers and sisters, ⁷  are not in the darkness for the day to overtake you like a thief would. 5:5 For you all are sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness.

1 Thessalonians 5:9

5:9 For God did not destine us for wrath ⁸  but for gaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 2:4

2:4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we declare it, not to please people but God, who examines our hearts.

1 Thessalonians 2:8

2:8 with such affection for you ⁹  we were happy ¹⁰  to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.

1 Thessalonians 2:17

Forced Absence from Thessalonica

2:17 But when we were separated from you, brothers and sisters, ¹¹  for a short time (in presence, not in affection) ¹²  we became all the more fervent in our great desire ¹³  to see you in person. ¹⁴ 

1 Thessalonians 4:8-9

4:8 Consequently the one who rejects this is not rejecting human authority ¹⁵  but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

4:9 Now on the topic of brotherly love ¹⁶  you have no need for anyone to write you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.

1 Thessalonians 4:13

The Lord Returns for Believers

4:13 Now we do not want you to be uninformed, ¹⁷  brothers and sisters, ¹⁸  about those who are asleep, ¹⁹  so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope.

1 Thessalonians 5:3

5:3 Now when ²⁰  they are saying, “There is peace and security,” ²¹  then sudden destruction comes on them, like labor pains ²²  on a pregnant woman, and they will surely not escape.

1 Thessalonians 1:5

1:5 in that ²³  our gospel did not come to you merely in words, ²⁴  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). ²⁵ 

1 Thessalonians 1:8

1:8 For from you the message of the Lord ²⁶  has echoed forth not just in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place reports of your faith in God have spread, ²⁷  so that we do not need to say anything.

1 Thessalonians 4:15

4:15 For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, ²⁸  that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep.

1 Thessalonians 2:13

2:13 And so ²⁹  we too constantly thank God that when you received God’s message that you heard from us, ³⁰  you accepted it not as a human message, ³¹  but as it truly is, God’s message, which is at work among you who believe.

[2:3]  ¹ tn Grk “For our exhortation.” Paul here uses παράκλησις (paraklhsis) to speak in broad terms about his preaching of the gospel, in which he urges or appeals to people to respond to God’s salvation (cf. the verb form παρακαλοῦντος [parakalounto"] in 2 Cor 5:20).

[2:3]  ² tn Grk “[is] not” (the verb “to be” is implied in the Greek construction).

[5:1]  ³ tn Grk “concerning the times and the seasons,” a reference to future periods of eschatological fulfillment (cf. Acts 1:7).

[5:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

[2:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

[2:1]  ⁶ 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.

[5:4]  ⁷ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

[5:9]  ⁹ sn God did not destine us for wrath. In context this refers to the outpouring of God’s wrath on the earth in the day of the Lord (1 Thess 5:2-4).

[2:8]  ¹¹ tn Grk “longing for you in this way.”

[2:8]  ¹² tn Or “we are happy.” This verb may be past or present tense, but the context favors the past.

[2:17]  ¹³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

[2:17]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “in face, not in heart.”

[2:17]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “with great desire.”

[2:17]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “to see your face.”

[4:8]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “rejecting man.”

[4:9]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “concerning brotherly love.”

[4:13]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “ignorant.”

[4:13]  ²⁰ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

[4:13]  ²¹ tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaw) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for death when speaking of believers. This metaphorical usage by its very nature emphasizes the hope of resurrection: Believers will one day “wake up” out of death. Here the term refers to death, but “sleep” was used in the translation to emphasize the metaphorical, rhetorical usage of the term. This word also occurs in vv. 14 and 15.

[5:3]  ²¹ tc ‡ δέ (de, “now”) is found in א² B D 0226 6 1505 1739 1881 al, but lacking in א* A F G 33 it. γάρ (gar, “for”) is the reading of the Byzantine text and a few other witnesses (Ψ 0278 Ï). Although normally the shorter reading is to be preferred, the external evidence is superior for δέ (being found in the somewhat better Alexandrian and Western witnesses). What, then, is to explain the γάρ? Scribes were prone to replace δέ with γάρ, especially in sentences suggesting a causal or explanatory idea, thus making the point more explicit. Internally, the omission of δέ looks unintentional, a case of homoioarcton (otandelegwsin). Although a decision is difficult, in this instance δέ has the best credentials for authenticity.

[5:3]  ²² tn Grk “peace and security,” with “there is” understood in the Greek construction.

[5:3]  ²³ tn Grk a singular “birth pain.”

[1:5]  ²³ tn Or “because.”

[1:5]  ²⁴ tn Or “speech,” or “an act of speaking.”

[1:5]  ²⁵ 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.

[1:8]  ²⁵ tn Or “the word of the Lord.”

[1:8]  ²⁶ tn Grk “your faith in God has gone out.”

[4:15]  ²⁷ sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

[2:13]  ²⁹ tn Grk “for this reason,” which seems to look back to Paul’s behavior just described. But it may look forward to v. 13b and mean: “and here is another reason that we constantly thank God: that…”

[2:13]  ³⁰ tn Grk “God’s word of hearing from us.”

[2:13]  ³¹ tn Paul’s focus is their attitude toward the message he preached: They received it not as a human message but a message from God.