Discovery Box1 Thessalonians 1:5 
Context1:5 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 Thessalonians 2:4
Context2:4 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 Thessalonians 2:8-9
Context2:8 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.
1 Thessalonians 2:17
Context2:17 But when we were separated from you, brothers and sisters, 7 for a short time (in presence, not in affection) 8 we became all the more fervent in our great desire 9 to see you in person. 10
1 Thessalonians 4:15
Context4:15 For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, 11 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 5:3
Context5:3 Now when 12 they are saying, “There is peace and security,” 13 then sudden destruction comes on them, like labor pains 14 on a pregnant woman, and they will surely not escape.
1 tn Or “because.”
2 tn Or “speech,” or “an act of speaking.”
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.
4 tn Grk “longing for you in this way.”
5 tn Or “we are happy.” This verb may be past or present tense, but the context favors the past.
6 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.
7 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.
8 tn Grk “in face, not in heart.”
9 tn Grk “with great desire.”
10 tn Grk “to see your face.”
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.
12 tc ‡ δέ (de, “now”) is found in א2 B D 0226 6 1505 1739 1881 al, but lacking in א* A F G 33 it. γάρ (gar, “for”) is the reading of the Byzantine text and a few other witnesses (Ψ 0278 Ï). Although normally the shorter reading is to be preferred, the external evidence is superior for δέ (being found in the somewhat better Alexandrian and Western witnesses). What, then, is to explain the γάρ? Scribes were prone to replace δέ with γάρ, especially in sentences suggesting a causal or explanatory idea, thus making the point more explicit. Internally, the omission of δέ looks unintentional, a case of homoioarcton (otandelegwsin). Although a decision is difficult, in this instance δέ has the best credentials for authenticity.
13 tn Grk “peace and security,” with “there is” understood in the Greek construction.
14 tn Grk a singular “birth pain.”
