Discovery Box1 Thessalonians 2:4-8 
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. 2:5 For we never appeared 1 with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed – God is our witness – 2:6 nor to seek glory from people, either from you or from others, 2:7 2 although we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we became 3 little children 4 among you. Like a nursing mother caring for her own children, 2:8 with such affection for you 5 we were happy 6 to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.
1 tn Or “came on the scene,” “came.”
2 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.
3 tn Or “were,” “proved to be.”
4 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
5 tn Grk “longing for you in this way.”
6 tn Or “we are happy.” This verb may be past or present tense, but the context favors the past.
