1 Thessalonians 5

Translator Notes

1. Paul distinguishes chronōn ('times' — chronological duration) from kairōn ('seasons' — significant or decisive moments). The combination covers both 'when' and 'what kind of time.' The phrase echoes Acts 1:7 where Jesus uses the same pair to deflect timeline questions. Paul's point is not that timing is knowable but that it is irrelevant to readiness.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase hēmera kyriou ('day of the Lord') is drawn directly from Old Testament prophetic vocabulary (Hebrew: yom YHWH). In the prophets it refers to God's decisive intervention in judgment and salvation. Paul applies it to the return of Christ. The thief simile emphasizes unexpectedness, not stealth or evil intent — a thief comes when you do not expect him (cf. Jesus's use in Matthew 24:43).

Translator Notes

1. The phrase eirēnē kai asphaleia ('peace and security') may echo Roman imperial propaganda — the Pax Romana promised exactly this. Paul subverts the claim: true security is not found in empire but in Christ. The labor pain metaphor (ōdin) emphasizes inevitability and suddenness, not gradual process. The double negative ou mē ('they will absolutely not') stresses the impossibility of escape for the unprepared.

Translator Notes

1. Paul shifts from 'they' (v. 3) to 'you' — the believers are in a fundamentally different position. The metaphor of darkness represents moral and spiritual ignorance, not merely the absence of chronological information. Those who live in the light will not be surprised because they are already prepared.

Translator Notes

1. The Semitic idiom 'sons/children of' (huioi) expresses essential character — 'children of light' means people whose nature is defined by light. The phrase echoes language found in the Dead Sea Scrolls (War Scroll: 'sons of light vs. sons of darkness'). Paul shifts from 'you' to 'we' (esmen), including himself in the community of light.

Translator Notes

1. The metaphors operate on two levels: literal sleep/waking (extending the night/day imagery) and moral alertness/negligence. The verb grēgorōmen ('let us stay awake, be watchful') becomes a key eschatological term in early Christianity (cf. Mark 13:35, 37). The verb nēphōmen ('let us be sober') refers to mental clarity and self-control, the opposite of spiritual intoxication.

Translator Notes

1. Paul extends the night/day metaphor with commonsense observation — sleep and drunkenness are naturally associated with nighttime. The implication is that if believers belong to the day, they should exhibit daytime behavior: alertness and sobriety.

Translator Notes

1. Paul introduces military armor imagery drawn from Isaiah 59:17 where God puts on righteousness as a breastplate and salvation as a helmet. Paul adapts the imagery: the breastplate protects the heart with faith and love, and the helmet guards the mind with hope. The faith-love-hope triad from 1:3 returns here in eschatological armor form. This is a condensed version of the fuller armor passage in Ephesians 6:10-17.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Isaiah 59:17 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Translator Notes

1. The verb etheto ('placed, appointed, destined') with eis ('toward, for') indicates divine purpose. The contrast is between orgē ('wrath' — eschatological judgment) and peripoiēsis sōtērias ('obtaining of salvation'). The noun peripoiēsis can mean 'possession' or 'obtaining/acquiring' — salvation is both God's gift and something believers receive.

Translator Notes

1. The 'awake or asleep' language now carries double meaning: it refers to physical death and life (the concern from 4:13-18) as well as the moral alertness imagery of this chapter. Paul's answer to both questions — what about the dead? what about readiness? — is the same: Christ's death ensures that our state (alive or dead, alert or not) does not determine our destiny. Union with Christ does.

Translator Notes

1. The verb oikodomeite ('build up, edify') uses construction imagery — the community is a building under construction, and each member contributes to the structure. The phrase eis ton hena ('one the one,' i.e., 'each other individually') emphasizes personal, one-on-one encouragement. Paul again affirms their current practice (cf. 4:1, 10).

Translator Notes

1. Three participles describe church leaders: kopiōntas ('those laboring' — the same word for exhausting toil used in 1:3), proistamenous ('those who lead, stand before, care for'), and nouthetountas ('those who admonish, counsel, correct'). The verb eidenai ('to know, recognize') means more than mere awareness — it implies respect and acknowledgment of their role. The leadership structure in Thessalonica was not yet formalized into offices (no 'elders' or 'deacons' are named).

Translator Notes

1. The adverb hyperekperissou ('beyond all measure') recurs from 3:10 — Paul characteristically piles up intensifiers. Esteem for leaders is to be 'in love' (en agapē), not in fear or obligation. The abrupt imperative eirēneuete en heautois ('be at peace among yourselves') suggests tensions within the community, possibly related to the disorderly behavior addressed in verse 14.

Translator Notes

1. Four imperatives addressed to the whole community, not just leaders: noutheteite tous ataktous ('admonish the disorderly' — ataktos is a military term for soldiers who break rank, referring to those who refuse to work per 4:11-12); paramytheisthe tous oligopsychous ('encourage the fainthearted' — oligopsychos means 'small-souled,' those crushed by grief or fear); antechesthe tōn asthenōn ('help the weak' — whether physically, economically, or spiritually); makrothymeite pros pantas ('be patient with everyone' — including all three problem groups). The differentiated response is crucial: the disorderly need correction, the fainthearted need comfort, the weak need support. One-size-fits-all pastoral care fails.

Translator Notes

1. The prohibition of retaliation (kakon anti kakou, 'evil in return for evil') parallels Romans 12:17 and 1 Peter 3:9, and ultimately echoes Jesus's teaching (Matthew 5:38-48). The verb diōkete ('pursue, chase after') implies active effort — doing good requires intentional action, not passive goodwill. The scope extends beyond the community (eis allēlous) to everyone (eis pantas).

Translator Notes

1. The first of three brief imperatives (vv. 16-18) that form a well-known triad. Pantote ('always, at all times') is unqualified — Paul does not say 'rejoice when things go well.' Joy in Paul's theology is not dependent on circumstances but rooted in relationship with God (cf. Philippians 4:4, written from prison).

Translator Notes

1. The adverb adialeiptōs ('without ceasing, constantly') appeared in 1:3 and 2:13 for Paul's own prayer practice. This does not mean unbroken verbal prayer but a persistent orientation of life toward God — prayer as habitual conversation with God woven into daily existence.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase en panti ('in everything, in every circumstance') does not mean 'for everything' — Paul calls for thanksgiving in all situations, not necessarily for all situations. The phrase 'this is the will of God' (touto gar thelēma theou) may refer to all three imperatives (vv. 16-18) together, not just thanksgiving. God's will is the triad: joy, prayer, gratitude.

Translator Notes

1. The verb sbennyte ('quench, extinguish') treats the Spirit's work as fire — a metaphor consistent with Pentecost imagery (Acts 2:3). 'Quenching' implies suppressing or stifling the Spirit's manifestations, likely prophetic gifts given the next verse. The present imperative with mē suggests 'stop quenching' — this may have already been happening.

Translator Notes

1. The verb exoutheneite ('despise, treat as nothing, hold in contempt') suggests some Thessalonians were dismissive of prophetic speech. Prophecy in the Pauline churches was Spirit-inspired speech for edification, not fortune-telling (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:3). The next verse provides the corrective: test, don't dismiss.

Translator Notes

1. The verb dokimazete ('test, examine, assess') is the same word used for testing metals to determine their purity. Applied to prophecy, it means evaluate rather than accept uncritically or reject reflexively. The imperative katechete ('hold fast, retain') balances openness with discernment — accept what proves genuine, release what does not.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek eidous can mean 'form, kind, type' or 'appearance.' The KJV's 'appearance of evil' has been misapplied to mean 'anything that looks bad.' The Greek more likely means 'every kind of evil' — each type or manifestation of evil should be avoided. This provides the negative counterpart to verse 21's positive imperative.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The title 'God of peace' (theos tēs eirēnēs) is a standard Pauline benediction formula. The adjective holoteleis ('completely, entirely') and the adjective holoklēron ('whole, complete, intact') create emphatic completeness — every part of the person is included. The threefold 'spirit and soul and body' (pneuma kai psychē kai sōma) is comprehensive language for the whole person, not a systematic anthropological division. This is the only place Paul lists all three together. The parousia serves once again as the horizon toward which sanctification is directed.

Translator Notes

1. The brevity is powerful: pistos ho kalōn ('faithful is the one calling'). The present participle kalōn indicates God's call is ongoing. The assurance that 'he will do it' (hos kai poiēsei) grounds the prayer of verse 23 in God's faithfulness — sanctification will be completed because God's character guarantees it.

Translator Notes

1. The request for prayer is brief and mutual — Paul who prays constantly for them (1:2, 3:10) asks for the same in return. The kai ('also') emphasizes reciprocity.

Translator Notes

1. The 'holy kiss' (philēmati hagiō) was a standard greeting in early Christian worship (cf. Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12). The adjective 'holy' distinguishes it from romantic or familial kisses — it was a sign of spiritual kinship and mutual peace.

Translator Notes

1. The verb enorkizō ('I put under oath, I adjure') is strikingly solemn for a letter closing — Paul uses oath language to ensure the letter is read publicly to the entire congregation, not just leaders. This suggests both the letter's authoritative status and the possibility that some might try to restrict its circulation. Paul shifts to the first person singular (enorkizō, 'I'), lending personal weight to the charge.

Translator Notes

1. The closing benediction follows Paul's standard formula. The SBLGNT does not include 'Amen,' which appears in some later manuscripts. 'Grace' (charis) forms an inclusio with the opening greeting (1:1), framing the entire letter in the reality of divine favor.