1 Thessalonians 3:8

3:8 For now we are alive again, ¹  if you stand firm in the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:2

5:2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord ²  will come in the same way as a thief in the night. ³ 

1 Thessalonians 2:1

Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica

2:1 For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, ⁴  about our coming to you – it has not proven to be purposeless. ⁵ 

1 Thessalonians 3:3-4

3:3 so that no one would be shaken by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. 3:4 For in fact when we were with you, we were telling you in advance that we would suffer affliction, and so it has happened, as you well know. ⁶ 

1 Thessalonians 5:9

5:9 For God did not destine us for wrath ⁷  but for gaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 4:14

4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that ⁸  God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians. ⁹ 

1 Thessalonians 4:16

4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, ¹⁰  and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

1 Thessalonians 1:5

1:5 in that ¹¹  our gospel did not come to you merely in words, ¹²  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). ¹³ 

1 Thessalonians 2:14

2:14 For you became imitators, brothers and sisters, ¹⁴  of God’s churches in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, because you too suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they in fact did from the Jews,

1 Thessalonians 3:6

3:6 But now Timothy has come ¹⁵  to us from you and given us the good news of your faith and love and that you always think of us with affection ¹⁶  and long to see us just as we also long to see you! ¹⁷ 

1 Thessalonians 4:15

4:15 For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, ¹⁸  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 ¹⁹  we too constantly thank God that when you received God’s message that you heard from us, ²⁰  you accepted it not as a human message, ²¹  but as it truly is, God’s message, which is at work among you who believe.

[3:8]  ¹ tn Grk “because now we live,” in comparison with his feelings of dread in not knowing how they were doing (cf. 2:17-3:5).

[5:2]  ² sn The day of the Lord is the period of time in the future when the Lord will intervene in the events of this earth to consummate his redemption and his judgment (Isa 2:11-12; 13:6-13; Ezek 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:32; 3:18; Amos 5:18-20; Obad 15-17; Zeph 1:7-18; 2:2-3; Zech 14:1, 13, 20-21; Mal 4:1, 5; 1 Cor 1:8; 5:5; 2 Cor 1:14; 2 Thess 2:2; 2 Pet 3:10). It includes both blessings and curses, though the latter is emphasized here.

[5:2]  ³ sn Jesus used a thief coming at night as an illustration of the unexpected and hostile nature of the coming of God’s judgment in the future. This is repeated in various ways in v. 4; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3; 16:15.

[2:1]  ³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

[2:1]  ⁴ 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.

[3:4]  ⁴ tn Grk “just as it also occurred and you know.”

[5:9]  ⁵ 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).

[4:14]  ⁶ tn “we believe that” is understood from the first clause of the verse, which is parallel. Grk “so also God will bring.”

[4:14]  ⁷ tn Grk “those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.” It is possible that “through Jesus” describes “bring,” but this gives the unlikely double reference, “through Jesus God will bring them with Jesus.” Instead it describes their “falling sleep,” since through him their death is only sleep and not the threat it once was. Also Christians are those whose total existence – life and death – is in and through and for Christ (1 Cor 8:6).

[4:16]  ⁷ tn Neither noun in this phrase (ἐν φωνῇ ἀρχαγγέλου, ejn fwnh ajrcangelou, “with the voice of the archangel”) has the article in keeping with Apollonius’ Canon. Since ἀρχάγγελος (ajrcangelo") is most likely monadic, both nouns are translated as definite in keeping with Apollonius’ Corollary (see ExSyn 250-51).

[1:5]  ⁸ tn Or “because.”

[1:5]  ⁹ tn Or “speech,” or “an act of speaking.”

[1:5]  ¹⁰ 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.

[2:14]  ⁹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

[3:6]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “but now Timothy having come,” a subordinate clause leading to the main clause of v. 7.

[3:6]  ¹¹ tn Grk “you have a good remembrance of us always.”

[3:6]  ¹² tn Grk “just as also we you.”

[4:15]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Grk “God’s word of hearing from us.”

[2:13]  ¹⁴ 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.