1 Thessalonians 1:8

1:8 For from you the message of the Lord ¹  has echoed forth not just in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place reports of your faith in God have spread, ²  so that we do not need to say anything.

1 Thessalonians 2:8-9

2:8 with such affection for you ³  we were happy ⁴  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, ⁵  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.

1 Thessalonians 4:6

4:6 In this matter no one should violate the rights of his brother or take advantage of him, ⁶  because the Lord is the avenger in all these cases, ⁷  as we also told you earlier and warned you solemnly.

1 Thessalonians 4:10

4:10 And indeed you are practicing it toward all the brothers and sisters ⁸  in all of Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, ⁹ 

1 Thessalonians 4:13

The Lord Returns for Believers

4:13 Now we do not want you to be uninformed, ¹⁰  brothers and sisters, ¹¹  about those who are asleep, ¹²  so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope.

---

¹ tn Or “the word of the Lord.”

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.

² tn Grk “your faith in God has gone out.”

³ tn Grk “longing for you in this way.”

⁴ tn Or “we are happy.” This verb may be past or present tense, but the context favors the past.

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

⁶ tn Grk “not to transgress against or defraud his brother in the matter,” continuing the sentence of vv. 3-5.

⁷ tn Grk “concerning all these things.”

⁸ tn Grk “brothers”; this applies to the second occurrence as well. See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

⁹ sn To do so more and more. See 1 Thess 4:1.

¹⁰ tn Grk “ignorant.”

¹¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

¹² 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.