1 Thessalonians 5
No need to write about times and seasons — the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night; at “Peace and security” sudden ruin comes upon them like birth-pangs. But you are not in the dark; you are sons of light and of day — not sleeping like the rest but awake and sober, wearing the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation. God set us not for wrath but for the possession of salvation; Christ died so that, awake or asleep, we live together with him. Console and build one another. Know those who labour, preside and admonish; count them in love. Admonish the disorderly, comfort the faint-hearted, hold on to the weak, be patient; repay no evil for evil, pursue the good. Always rejoice, unceasingly pray, in everything give thanks. Do not quench the Spirit or despise prophecies; test all things, hold what is good, keep away from every appearance of evil. A wish — may the God of peace sanctify you wholly, spirit, life and body kept entire and faultless at the Lord’s coming. The one calling you is faithful. Pray, greet with a holy kiss, have the letter read to all the brothers. Grace be with you.
Why this rendering
1Thess.5.2 Observation
Syntactic observation
Περὶ δὲ τῶν χρόνων καὶ τῶν καιρῶν, ἀδελφοί, οὐ χρείαν ἔχετε ὑμῖν γράφεσθαι, αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἀκριβῶς οἴδατε ὅτι ἡμέρα κυρίου ὡς κλέπτης ἐν νυκτὶ οὕτως ἔρχεται. ὅταν λέγωσιν· Εἰρήνη καὶ ἀσφάλεια, τότε αἰφνίδιος αὐτοῖς ἐφίσταται ὄλεθρος ὥσπερ ἡ ὠδὶν τῇ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσῃ, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐκφύγωσιν — Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you, for you yourselves know accurately that the day of the Lord comes just so, like a thief in the night. When they say, “Peace and security,” then sudden ruin comes upon them — just as the birth-pang upon one with child — and they will by no means escape. χρόνων καὶ καιρῶν are the two words of Acts 1:7 ‘times or seasons’ — kept apart as ‘times’ and ‘seasons’. γράφεσθαι is a passive infinitive, ‘to have written to you’ — unlike the active γράφειν of 4:9. ἡμέρα κυρίου comes without the article — the phrase of 2 Cor 1:14 ‘the day of the Lord’ (which has one); ⸀ὅτι is the base text’s reading (the Received Text adds ‘the’ ἡ before the day). ὡς κλέπτης ἐν νυκτὶ οὕτως ἔρχεται ‘comes just so, like a thief in the night’ — οὕτως points back to the comparison · the thief of Matt 24:43. ⸀ὅταν ‘when’ — the Received Text adds ‘for’ (γάρ). Εἰρήνη καὶ ἀσφάλεια is a verbless cry — ‘peace’ the word of the greeting in 1:1 · ἀσφάλεια is Acts 5:23 ‘security’. αἰφνίδιος is the word of Luke 21:34 ‘that day come upon you suddenly’ (two places in the New Testament) — that verse shares the picture of ‘the day’ and its coming-upon. ἐφίσταται ‘comes upon’, present · ὄλεθρος is 1 Cor 5:5 ‘ruin’. ὥσπερ ἡ ὠδὶν τῇ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσῃ ‘just as the birth-pang upon one with child’ — the word of Matt 24:8 ‘the beginning of birth pangs’ · the phrase of Luke 21:23 ‘those with child’ · a verbless comparison, so ‘upon’ carries it. οὐ μὴ ἐκφύγωσιν ‘will by no means escape’ — the verb of Luke 21:36 ‘escape’ with the strongest negation.
Rendering options · 3
Basis ‘Times or seasons’ as fixed at Acts 1:7 — two words not flattened into one.
Basis Idiomatic singulars.
Rejected Both are plural in the text — so were they at Acts 1:7.
Basis As fixed at 2 Cor 1:14 — a set phrase pointing to a known day even without the article (the Old Testament ‘day of the Lord’).
Lost in translation
χρόνων / καιρῶν (v.1) — ‘times / seasons’ keep the two words apart.
ἡμέρα κυρίου (v.2) — no article. ‘The day of the Lord’ supplies one.
αἰφνίδιος (v.3) / Luke 21:34 — ‘sudden / suddenly’ show the same word.
Εἰρήνη καὶ ἀσφάλεια (v.3) — a verbless cry. ‘Peace and security’ keeps it.
ὥσπερ ἡ ὠδὶν τῇ … ἐχούσῃ (v.3) — a verbless comparison. ‘Upon’ / ‘오듯이’ is supplied.
Why this rendering
1Thess.5.5 Observation
Syntactic observation
ὑμεῖς δέ, ἀδελφοί, οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σκότει, ἵνα ἡ ἡμέρα ὑμᾶς ὡς κλέπτης καταλάβῃ, πάντες γὰρ ὑμεῖς υἱοὶ φωτός ἐστε καὶ υἱοὶ ἡμέρας. οὐκ ἐσμὲν νυκτὸς οὐδὲ σκότους· ἄρα οὖν μὴ καθεύδωμεν ὡς οἱ λοιποί, ἀλλὰ γρηγορῶμεν καὶ νήφωμεν. οἱ γὰρ καθεύδοντες νυκτὸς καθεύδουσιν, καὶ οἱ μεθυσκόμενοι νυκτὸς μεθύουσιν· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἡμέρας ὄντες νήφωμεν, ἐνδυσάμενοι θώρακα πίστεως καὶ ἀγάπης καὶ περικεφαλαίαν ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας· ὅτι οὐκ ἔθετο ἡμᾶς ὁ θεὸς εἰς ὀργὴν ἀλλὰ εἰς περιποίησιν σωτηρίας … τοῦ ἀποθανόντος περὶ ἡμῶν ἵνα εἴτε γρηγορῶμεν εἴτε καθεύδωμεν ἅμα σὺν αὐτῷ ζήσωμεν. διὸ παρακαλεῖτε ἀλλήλους καὶ οἰκοδομεῖτε εἷς τὸν ἕνα — But you, brothers, are not in the dark, that the day should seize you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of the dark. So then let us not sleep like the rest, but let us stay awake and be sober … but we, being of day, let us be sober, having put on a breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation … who died for us, so that whether we stay awake or sleep, we may live at the same time together with him. Therefore console one another and build one the other. σκότος is Eph 5:8 ‘the dark’ · ἡ ἡμέρα … καταλάβῃ ‘the day … seize’ is the verb of John 1:5 ‘the darkness did not seize it’ (Phil 3:12 ‘seize’) · ⸀κλέπτης ‘like a thief’ (other witnesses have the accusative plural ‘like thieves’ — the base text is singular). υἱοὶ φωτός is John 12:36 ‘sons of light’ · the phrase of Luke 16:8 — not smoothed to ‘children’ · in υἱοὶ ἡμέρας ‘sons of day’ ἡμέρα shifts from ‘the day’ to daytime (set against night) · νυκτὸς οὐδὲ σκότους is bare genitive, ‘of night nor of the dark’. ⸀γάρ is the base text’s reading. ἄρα οὖν ‘so then’ — the two words of Rom 5:18 · Gal 6:10 as there. γρηγορῶμεν καὶ νήφωμεν ‘stay awake and be sober’ — γρηγορέω is Mark 13:34 ‘stay awake’ · νήφω is the base verb of 1 Cor 15:34 ἐκνήφω ‘sober up’ (six places in the New Testament · two here). νυκτός twice is a genitive of time, ‘at night’ · μεθυσκόμενοι / μεθύουσιν ‘those who get drunk … are drunk’ — the two verbs of Luke 12:45 · John 2:10. ἡμέρας ὄντες ‘being of day’ — a genitive predicate. θώρακα … περικεφαλαίαν are Eph 6:14 · 17 ‘breastplate · helmet’ as there, yet the two pieces of armour from Isaiah 59:17 here carry faith, love and hope (in Eph 6 righteousness and salvation). ἔθετο εἰς ὀργὴν … εἰς περιποίησιν ‘set us not for wrath but for the possession’ — taking up 1:10 ‘the coming wrath’ · περιποίησις is Eph 1:14 ‘possession’. ⸀περὶ ἡμῶν ‘for us’ (the Received Text has ὑπέρ). εἴτε γρηγορῶμεν εἴτε καθεύδωμεν ‘whether we stay awake or sleep’ — the two verbs of v.6 shift here toward the living and the dead (4:13-15 ‘those who have fallen asleep’) · the rendering keeps the words so the shift is visible. ἅμα σὺν αὐτῷ is 4:17 ‘at the same time together with’ as there. οἰκοδομεῖτε εἷς τὸν ἕνα ‘build one the other’ — the verb of 1 Cor 8:1 ‘love builds’ · not ‘one another’ (ἀλλήλους) but ‘one the one’.
Rendering options · 4
Basis The text uses the same two verbs while shifting the sense to the living and the dead — changing the words hides the shift.
Basis A gloss of the sense.
Rejected The two words tying v.10 to v.6 vanish, and the grain of 4:13 ‘fall asleep’ is cut.
Basis The base verb of 1 Cor 15:34 ἐκνήφω ‘sober up’ — kept apart from ‘stay awake’ (γρηγορέω) so the two verbs of v.6 both show.
Basis ‘One another’ (ἀλλήλους) stands separately earlier in the verse — the text changes its word, so does the rendering.
Lost in translation
καταλάβῃ (v.4) / John 1:5 κατέλαβεν — ‘seize’ shows the same verb.
ἡμέρα (vv.2 · 4 ‘the day’ · vv.5 · 8 ‘day’) — one word, and in English the same word too.
νυκτὸς οὐδὲ σκότους (v.5) — bare genitives. ‘Of night nor of the dark’ keeps them bare.
γρηγορῶμεν / καθεύδωμεν (v.6 → v.10) — ‘stay awake / sleep’ the same in both, so the shift of sense shows.
μεθυσκόμενοι / μεθύουσιν (v.7) — ‘get drunk / are drunk’ keep two verbs.
θώρακα · περικεφαλαίαν (v.8) — the same words as Eph 6:14 · 17, visible in ‘breastplate · helmet’.
εἷς τὸν ἕνα (v.11) — a different phrase from ἀλλήλους, visible in ‘one the other’.
Why this rendering
1Thess.5.13 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἐρωτῶμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, εἰδέναι τοὺς κοπιῶντας ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ προϊσταμένους ὑμῶν ἐν κυρίῳ καὶ νουθετοῦντας ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἡγεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ ἐν ἀγάπῃ διὰ τὸ ἔργον αὐτῶν. εἰρηνεύετε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς. παρακαλοῦμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, νουθετεῖτε τοὺς ἀτάκτους, παραμυθεῖσθε τοὺς ὀλιγοψύχους, ἀντέχεσθε τῶν ἀσθενῶν, μακροθυμεῖτε πρὸς πάντας. ὁρᾶτε μή τις κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ τινι ἀποδῷ, ἀλλὰ πάντοτε τὸ ἀγαθὸν διώκετε εἰς ἀλλήλους καὶ εἰς πάντας — Now we ask you, brothers, to know those who labour among you and preside over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to count them beyond all measure in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we exhort you, brothers: admonish the disorderly, comfort the faint-hearted, hold on to the weak, be patient toward all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always pursue the good toward one another and toward all. εἰδέναι ‘to know’ — οἶδα ‘know’, here with the grain of ‘recognise, acknowledge’; the verb is kept. One article with three participles (κοπιῶντας · προϊσταμένους · νουθετοῦντας) — one group of people · προΐστημι is Rom 12:8 ‘preside’ · νουθετέω is Col 1:28 ‘admonish’ (again in v.14). ⸀ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ is 3:10 ‘beyond all measure’ (other witnesses have the -ῶς form). εἰρηνεύετε ἐν ⸀ἑαυτοῖς ‘be at peace among yourselves’ — other witnesses ‘with them’ (αὐτοῖς) · the verb of Rom 12:18. ἄτακτος occurs once in the New Testament — ‘the disorderly’ (the negation of τάξις ‘order’) · ὀλιγόψυχος also once — ὀλίγος + ψυχή, ‘the faint-hearted’ (the thread ψυχή = life breaks here · recorded). ἀντέχεσθε τῶν ἀσθενῶν ‘hold on to the weak’ — the verb of Matt 6:24 ‘hold to one’ · a genitive object. μακροθυμεῖτε is 1 Cor 13:4 ‘be patient’. κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ … ἀποδῷ is the phrase of Rom 12:17 ‘repaying evil for evil’ as there · τὸ ἀγαθὸν ⸀διώκετε ‘pursue the good’ — Rom 14:19 ‘pursue’ · Rom 12:9 ‘the good’ · marked ⸀ in the base text.
Rendering options · 4
Basis οἶδα ‘know’ as fixed — the sense ‘acknowledge’ is left to the context.
Basis A gloss of the sense.
Rejected The word οἶδα vanishes — the text chose ‘know’.
Basis ὀλίγος + ψυχή ‘little-souled’ — ‘faint-hearted’ takes the shape · must stay apart from ‘the weak’ (ἀσθενής) in the same verse.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected It merges with ‘the weak’ (ἀσθενής) that follows at once.
Lost in translation
ὀλιγοψύχους (v.14) — the thread rendering ψυχή as ‘life’ breaks in ‘faint-hearted’.
ἀντέχεσθε (v.14) / κατέχετε (v.21) — ‘hold on to / hold’ keep two verbs, barely.
κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ (v.15) / Rom 12:17 — ‘evil for evil’ shows the same phrase.
νουθετοῦντας (v.12) · νουθετεῖτε (v.14) — ‘admonish’ twice ties them.
τοὺς κοπιῶντας … καὶ προϊσταμένους … καὶ νουθετοῦντας (v.12) — one article, three participles. ‘Those who … and … and …’ carries the one.
Why this rendering
1Thess.5.18 Observation
Syntactic observation
πάντοτε χαίρετε, ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε, ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστεῖτε· τοῦτο γὰρ θέλημα θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ εἰς ὑμᾶς. τὸ πνεῦμα μὴ σβέννυτε, προφητείας μὴ ἐξουθενεῖτε· πάντα δὲ δοκιμάζετε, τὸ καλὸν κατέχετε, ἀπὸ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀπέχεσθε — Always rejoice; unceasingly pray; in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. Do not quench the Spirit; do not treat prophecies with contempt; but test all things, hold what is good; keep away from every appearance of evil. Verses 16-22 run eight imperatives in a row — one to a verse (v.21 alone has two). The first three open with ‘always · unceasingly · in everything’, and pieces of πᾶς come three times (πάντοτε · παντί · v.21 πάντα — four with v.22 παντός; only ἀδιαλείπτως is another word). τοῦτο can take up all three or only the thanksgiving · left open. θέλημα θεοῦ takes up 4:3 ‘the will of God’ — there θεοῦ has the article, here not. τὸ πνεῦμα μὴ σβέννυτε ‘do not quench the Spirit’ — the verb of Eph 6:16 ‘quench the arrows’ · a picture of fire. προφητείας μὴ ἐξουθενεῖτε ‘do not treat prophecies with contempt’ — 1 Cor 12:10 ‘prophecy’ · Luke 18:9 ‘treat with contempt’. πάντα δὲ δοκιμάζετε ‘test all things’ — the verb of 2:4 ‘God who tests our hearts’ now becomes the assembly’s task · τὸ καλὸν κατέχετε ‘hold what is good’ — 1 Cor 11:2 ‘hold’ · a different word from v.15 τὸ ἀγαθόν ‘the good’ (καλός/ἀγαθός). ἀπὸ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀπέχεσθε ‘keep away from every appearance of evil’ — the verb of 4:3 ‘keep away from sexual immorality’ · εἶδος is Luke 9:29 ‘appearance’ · πονηροῦ reads either as a noun (‘of evil’) or as an adjective (‘every evil appearance’) · the rendering closes it as a noun.
Rendering options · 3
Basis A genitive on the anarthrous παντὸς εἴδους — ‘every appearance of evil’ is the natural reading, ‘every evil appearance’ possible too · both recorded.
Basis Reading εἶδος as ‘kind’.
Rejected It departs from the fixed ‘appearance’ (Luke 3:22 · 9:29 · 2 Cor 5:7) — the grain of what is seen vanishes.
Basis As fixed at 2:4 ‘who tests our hearts’ — an echo inside the letter.
Lost in translation
πάντοτε · παντί · πάντα · παντός (vv.16 · 18 · 21 · 22) — one root four times, split as ‘always · everything · all things · every’.
τοῦτο (v.18) — the thanksgiving alone or all three; ‘this’ leaves it open.
δοκιμάζετε (v.21) / 2:4 δοκιμάζοντι — ‘test’ shows the echo.
ἀπέχεσθε (v.22) / 4:3 ἀπέχεσθαι — ‘keep away from’ ties them.
τὸ καλόν (v.21) / τὸ ἀγαθόν (v.15) — ‘what is good / the good’ — both come out as ‘good’.
πονηροῦ (v.22) — between noun and adjective. ‘Of evil’ closes it as a noun.
Why this rendering
1Thess.5.23 Observation
Syntactic observation
Αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης ἁγιάσαι ὑμᾶς ὁλοτελεῖς, καὶ ὁλόκληρον ὑμῶν τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἀμέμπτως ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τηρηθείη. πιστὸς ὁ καλῶν ὑμᾶς, ὃς καὶ ποιήσει. Ἀδελφοί, προσεύχεσθε περὶ ἡμῶν. ἀσπάσασθε τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς πάντας ἐν φιλήματι ἁγίῳ. ἐνορκίζω ὑμᾶς τὸν κύριον ἀναγνωσθῆναι τὴν ἐπιστολὴν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς. ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μεθ’ ὑμῶν — Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and life and body be kept entire, faultlessly, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is the one calling you, who also will do it. Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I put you under oath by the Lord that the letter be read to all the brothers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ θεός is the construction of 3:11 ‘God himself’ · ὁ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης is Rom 15:33 · Phil 4:9 ‘the God of peace’. Two optatives (ἁγιάσαι · τηρηθείη) — after the three of 3:11-13, ‘may … sanctify / may … be kept’. ὁλοτελεῖς occurs once in the New Testament, ‘wholly’ (ὅλος + τέλος — a predicate adjective) · ὁλόκληρον stands here and at Jas 1:4, ‘entire’ (ὅλος + κλῆρος — with every portion present) — two compounds of ὅλος in one verse. τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ τὸ σῶμα ‘spirit and life and body’ — ψυχή is the word this version threads as ‘life’ (Mark 12:30 ‘out of your whole life’ · 2:8 ‘our own lives’) · not switched to ‘soul’ (recorded) · all three with the article · the verb singular (τηρηθείη — agreeing with ‘body’). ἀμέμπτως is 2:10 ‘faultlessly’ (two places in the New Testament · both in this letter) · paired with the adjective of 3:13. παρουσία is the fourth in this letter (2:19 · 3:13 · 4:15 · 5:23). πιστὸς ὁ καλῶν ὑμᾶς ‘faithful is the one calling you’ — verbless · present participle ‘calling’ (2:12 ‘God who calls you’) · ὃς καὶ ποιήσει ‘who also will do it’ — no object. ⸀προσεύχεσθε ‘pray’ — other witnesses add ‘also’ (καί). φιλήματι ἁγίῳ is Rom 16:16 · 1 Cor 16:20 ‘a holy kiss’. ⸀ἐνορκίζω occurs once in the New Testament — ‘put under oath’ (other witnesses have the ὁρκίζω of Acts 19:13, ‘adjure’) · two accusatives (ὑμᾶς · τὸν κύριον) ‘you … by the Lord’ · ἀναγνωσθῆναι ‘be read’, passive — the verb of Col 4:16 ‘have it read’ · ⸀τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ‘to the brothers’ (the Received Text ‘the holy brothers’). The blessing has the construction of Col 4:18 ‘grace be with you’ · after μεθ’ ⸀ὑμῶν the base text sets no Amen (the Received Text does).
Rendering options · 4
Basis ‘Life’ as fixed at Mark 12:30 · Eph 6:6 · Col 3:23 · 1 Thess 2:8 — one word, one rendering · the strain at this place is recorded.
Basis The familiar triad.
Rejected ‘Soul’ is not this version’s word for ψυχή — switching here alone cuts the tie to 2:8 ‘our own lives’.
Basis Two compounds of ὅλος in one verse — not flattened into one word.
Basis A different word (ἐν-) from Acts 19:13 ὁρκίζω ‘adjure’ — kept apart, following the base text’s reading.
Lost in translation
ὁλοτελεῖς / ὁλόκληρον (v.23) — ‘wholly / entire’ keep two words.
ἡ ψυχή (v.23) — ‘life’ carries the same word as 2:8 · the grain of ‘soul’ is lost.
τηρηθείη (v.23) — a singular verb with three subjects. ‘Be kept’ does not mark number.
ἀμέμπτως (v.23) / 2:10 — ‘faultlessly’ shows the same word.
πιστὸς ὁ καλῶν ὑμᾶς (v.24) — verbless. ‘Faithful is the one calling you’ supplies ‘is’.
ἐνορκίζω / ὁρκίζω — ‘put under oath / adjure’ keep two words.
μεθ’ ὑμῶν (v.28) — ends without Amen. ‘Be with you.’ ends as it stands.