1 Tesalonika 1:5

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 Tesalonika 1:8

1:8 For from you the message of the Lord ⁴  has echoed forth not just in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place reports of your faith in God have spread, ⁵  so that we do not need to say anything.

1 Tesalonika 2:1

Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica

2:1 For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, ⁶  about our coming to you – it has not proven to be purposeless. ⁷ 

1 Tesalonika 2:3-4

2:3 For the appeal we make ⁸  does not come ⁹  from error or impurity or with deceit, 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 Tesalonika 2:13

2:13 And so ¹⁰  we too constantly thank God that when you received God’s message that you heard from us, ¹¹  you accepted it not as a human message, ¹²  but as it truly is, God’s message, which is at work among you who believe.

1 Tesalonika 2:17

Forced Absence from Thessalonica

2:17 But when we were separated from you, brothers and sisters, ¹³  for a short time (in presence, not in affection) ¹⁴  we became all the more fervent in our great desire ¹⁵  to see you in person. ¹⁶ 

1 Tesalonika 2:19

2:19 For who is our hope or joy or crown to boast of ¹⁷  before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not of course you?

1 Tesalonika 4:5

4:5 not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God.

1 Tesalonika 4:7-8

4:7 For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. 4:8 Consequently the one who rejects this is not rejecting human authority ¹⁸  but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

1 Tesalonika 5:4-5

5:4 But you, brothers and sisters, ¹⁹  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 Tesalonika 5:9

5:9 For God did not destine us for wrath ²⁰  but for gaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

[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.

[1:8]  ⁴ tn Or “the word of the Lord.”

[1:8]  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 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said. Here the phrase has been translated “the message of the Lord” because of the focus upon the spread of the gospel evident in the passage.

[1:8]  ⁵ tn Grk “your faith in God has gone out.”

[2:1]  ⁶ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

[2:1]  ⁷ 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.

[2:3]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Grk “[is] not” (the verb “to be” is implied in the Greek construction).

[2:13]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Grk “God’s word of hearing from us.”

[2:13]  ¹² 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.

[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.”

[2:19]  ¹⁷ sn Crown to boast of (Grk “crown of boasting”). Paul uses boasting or exultation to describe the Christian’s delight in being commended for faithful service by the Lord at his return (1 Cor 9:15-16; 2 Cor 1:12-14; 10:13-18; Phil 2:16; and 1 Cor 3:14; 4:5).

[4:8]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “rejecting man.”

[5:4]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

[5:9]  ²⁰ 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).