Discovery Box1 Thessalonians 3:6
Context3:6 But now Timothy has come 1 to us from you and given us the good news of your faith and love and that you always think of us with affection 2 and long to see us just as we also long to see you! 3
1 Thessalonians 3:2
Context3:2 We 4 sent Timothy, our brother and fellow worker for God 5 in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen you and encourage you about your faith,
1 Thessalonians 1:3-5
Context1:3 because we recall 6 in the presence of our God and Father 7 your work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope 8 in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1:4 We know, 9 brothers and sisters 10 loved by God, that he has chosen you, 11 1:5 in that 12 our gospel did not come to you merely in words, 13 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). 14
[3:6] 1 tn Grk “but now Timothy having come,” a subordinate clause leading to the main clause of v. 7.
[3:6] 2 tn Grk “you have a good remembrance of us always.”
[3:6] 3 tn Grk “just as also we you.”
[3:2] 4 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[3:2] 5 tc A variety of readings occurs in this verse. Instead of “and fellow worker for God” (καὶ συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, kai sunergon tou qeou), B has “and fellow worker” (καὶ συνεργόν); א A P Ψ 0278 6 81 629* 1241 1739 1881 2464 lat co read “and servant of God” (καὶ διάκονον τοῦ θεοῦ, kai diakonon tou qeou); D2 Ï and a few versional witnesses read “and a servant of God and our fellow worker” (καὶ διάκονον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ συνεργὸν ἡμῶν); and F G have “servant and fellow worker for God” (διάκονον καὶ συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ). The reading of the text (καὶ συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ) is found in D* 33 b {d m o} Ambst {Pel}. It may be argued that all readings that do not collocate συνεργόν with θεοῦ are secondary, as this is certainly the harder reading. Indeed, in only one other place in the NT are human beings said to be συνεργοὶ θεοῦ (sunergoi qeou; 1 Cor 3:9), and the simplest (though by no means the only) interpretation is that the genitive should be taken associatively (“a fellow worker in association with God”). It is difficult to account for συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ here unless it is authentic because of the theological difficulty that would be easily seen in this wording. A genealogy of the readings suggests that various scribes may have deleted τοῦ θεοῦ or swapped διάκονον for συνεργόν to remove the offense. The readings of the Byzantine text and two Western
[1:3] 6 tn Grk “making mention…recalling.” The participle ποιούμενοι (poioumenoi) in v. 2 has been translated as temporal, and μνημονεύοντες (mnhmoneuonte") in v. 3 has been translated as causal.
[1:3] 7 tn Or the phrase may connect at the end of the verse: “hope…in the presence of our God and Father.”
[1:3] 8 tn These phrases denote Christian virtues in action: the work produced by faith, labor motivated by love, and endurance that stems from hope in Christ.
[1:4] 9 tn Grk “knowing.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle εἰδότες (eidotes) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence started here in the translation.
[1:4] 10 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
[1:4] 11 tn Grk “your election.”
[1:5] 13 tn Or “speech,” or “an act of speaking.”
[1:5] 14 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.
