1 Tesalonika 2:7-13
Konteks2:7 1 although we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we became 2 little children 3 among you. Like a nursing mother caring for her own children, 2:8 with such affection for you 4 we were happy 5 to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. 2:9 For you recall, brothers and sisters, 6 our toil and drudgery: By working night and day so as not to impose a burden on any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God. 2:10 You are witnesses, and so is God, as to how holy and righteous and blameless our conduct was toward you who believe. 2:11 As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his own children, 2:12 exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you live in a way worthy of God who calls you to his own kingdom and his glory. 2:13 And so 7 we too constantly thank God that when you received God’s message that you heard from us, 8 you accepted it not as a human message, 9 but as it truly is, God’s message, which is at work among you who believe.
[2:7] 1 tn Punctuating vv. 6 and 7 is difficult. One must consider the difficult textual problem of v. 7 (see tc note on the word “children” in that verse) as well as the grammar of the verse. In the translation above, “little children” is understood to be a predicate nominative connected to the verb “became.” This allows a full stop to be placed at the end of v. 6 and before the phrase “like a nursing mother” in v. 7. This separates the two metaphors which impact the textual problem and allows for greater clarity in the way the sentence is read.
[2:7] 2 tn Or “were,” “proved to be.”
[2:7] 3 tc The variant ἤπιοι (hpioi, “gentle”) has fair support (א2 A C2 D2 Ψc 0278 33 1739 1881 Ï), but νήπιοι (nhpioi, “little children”) has significantly stronger backing (Ì65 א* B C* D* F G I Ψ* pc it bo). It is not insignificant that the earliest Alexandrian and Western witnesses in support of ἤπιοι are actually not Alexandrian or Western; they are the second correctors of Alexandrian and Western
[2:8] 4 tn Grk “longing for you in this way.”
[2:8] 5 tn Or “we are happy.” This verb may be past or present tense, but the context favors the past.
[2:9] 6 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.
[2:13] 7 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] 8 tn Grk “God’s word of hearing from us.”
[2:13] 9 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.