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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
1 Th 3 V1 V2 V3 V4 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13
OET (OET-LV) Because_of this also_I no_longer enduring, I_sent in_order that to_know the faith of_you_all, lest somehow tempted you_all the one tempting, and in vain may_become the labour of_us.
OET (OET-RV) So again when I could no longer endure it, I sent Timothy to find out about your faith, just in case you’d been tempted by the tempter and then our work there would have been wasted.
Since Paul and his companions were not all able to return to Thessalonica, they decided to send Timothy alone. The purpose of Timothy’s visit was to strengthen and encourage the Thessalonians to continue believing in Christ even when people persecuted them. As Christians, they should expect that other people would cause them to suffer. Paul was very concerned about them, because he feared that the Thessalonians had been persecuted so severely that the devil had been able to tempt them to stop following Christ.
For this reason, when I could bear it no longer,
That is why, when I could no longer bear not knowing whether or not you still believed in Christ,
Because I knew that you were being persecuted and when I could not tolerate/bear any longer not knowing how you were doing,
For this reason: Commentators do not agree about what this refers to. There are two possibilities:
It refers back to 3:4. Paul was saying that, because he knew that the Thessalonians were being persecuted, he was anxious about them. (GNT, NLT, REB, NJB, SSA)
It refers forward to the rest of 3:5. Paul was saying that, because he could no longer stand not knowing how the Thessalonians were, he had sent Timothy. In this case, this verse repeats 3:1a, which contains a similar phrase in Greek.
Many English versions are ambiguous, and it may be possible for you to translate this in a way that leaves both possibilities open. However, if that is not possible, it is recommended that you follow the first option (1), along with the majority of English versions that are not ambiguous.
I sent to find out about your faith,
I sent Timothy to find out whether or not you still firmly believed in Christ.
I sent: The Greek text does not explicitly say whom Paul sent, but from the context it is clear that he was referring to Timothy. You may need to make this explicit in your translation. For example:
I sent Timothy (CEV)
to find out about your faith: Paul was not spying, nor did he want to know what facts the Thessalonians believed. He wanted to know whether they still firmly believed in Jesus Christ.
for fear that the tempter had somehow tempted you
I did this because I was afraid that perhaps the one who tempts people might have tempted you and might have caused you to stop believing in Christ,
for fear that: These words translate the Greek phrase mē pōs, which means “lest.” Paul was concerned that the Thessalonians might have stopped believing in Christ.
the tempter: This refers to Satan, the devil. The same expression is also used in Matthew 4:3. If your readers would not understand that this term refers to Satan, you could:
make explicit that it refers to Satan, for example, use an expression such as “Satan, the one who tempts people.”
replace the term “the tempter” with “Satan” or “the devil”. For example:
Satan (CEV)
devil (NCV)
use a footnote or a note in the glossary.
had somehow tempted you: In some languages the same word is used for “tempting” and “testing” and it is necessary to specify what someone is tempting people to do. In this context, Paul meant that he was afraid that the devil might have successfully tempted the Thessalonians to stop believing in Jesus.
and caused our labor to be in vain.
and that the hard work that we(excl) had done among you to help you believe in Christ would turn out to be useless.
and because I was afraid that the effort that we(excl) had made among you had been wasted.
our labor: This refers to the effort Paul and his companions had made as they worked and preached so that the Thessalonians would follow Christ.
to be in vain: However, if Satan had succeeded in tempting the Thessalonians to stop following Christ, all that effort would have been worthless.
Note 1 topic: writing-pronouns
διὰ τοῦτο κἀγὼ μηκέτι στέγων, ἔπεμψα
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τοῦτο κἀγώ μηκέτι στέγων ἔπεμψα εἰς τό γνῶναι τήν πίστιν ὑμῶν μή πώς ἐπείρασεν ὑμᾶς ὁ πειράζων καί εἰς κενόν γένηται ὁ κόπος ἡμῶν)
Here, the word this could refer to: (1) what Paul said in the previous verse about how the believers have experienced affliction (See: [3:4](../03/04.md)). Alternate translation: [Because of those afflictions, I also, no longer enduring it, sent] (2) what Paul says in this verse about how he could no longer endure. Alternate translation: [Because I could no longer endure it, I also sent]
Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
μηκέτι στέγων
no_longer enduring
Here, much as in [3:1](../03/01.md), the word enduring could introduce: (1) the reason why Paul sent Timothy. Alternate translation: [since I could no longer endure it] (2) the time when Paul sent Timothy. Alternate translation: [when I could no longer endure it]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
μηκέτι στέγων
no_longer enduring
Here, much as in [3:1](../03/01.md) Paul implies that he could no longer endure being separated from the Thessalonians and not knowing how they were doing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [enduring my separation from you no longer] or [no longer enduring how I long to see you]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἔπεμψα
˱I˲_sent
Here Paul implies that he sent Timothy to the Thessalonians. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [sent Timothy to you]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τοῦτο κἀγώ μηκέτι στέγων ἔπεμψα εἰς τό γνῶναι τήν πίστιν ὑμῶν μή πώς ἐπείρασεν ὑμᾶς ὁ πειράζων καί εἰς κενόν γένηται ὁ κόπος ἡμῶν)
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of faith, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [whether you continue to believe]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
μή πως
lest (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τοῦτο κἀγώ μηκέτι στέγων ἔπεμψα εἰς τό γνῶναι τήν πίστιν ὑμῶν μή πώς ἐπείρασεν ὑμᾶς ὁ πειράζων καί εἰς κενόν γένηται ὁ κόπος ἡμῶν)
Here, the phrase lest somehow introduces something that Paul was worried about. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [fearing that somehow] or [worrying that somehow]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ὁ πειράζων
the_‹one› tempting
Here Paul uses the phrase the tempter to refer to the devil, Satan. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [the tempter, Satan,]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἐπείρασεν ὑμᾶς
tempted you_all
Here Paul implies that he was worried not only that they would be tempted but also that they would stop believing when they were tempted. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [had somehow successfully tempted you] or [had tempted you with the result that you stopped believing]
Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ὁ κόπος ἡμῶν
the_‹one› the labor ˱of˲_us
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of labor, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [what we had done among you]
Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
εἰς κενὸν
in_order in (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τοῦτο κἀγώ μηκέτι στέγων ἔπεμψα εἰς τό γνῶναι τήν πίστιν ὑμῶν μή πώς ἐπείρασεν ὑμᾶς ὁ πειράζων καί εἰς κενόν γένηται ὁ κόπος ἡμῶν)
Here, the phrase in vain identifies a cause that does not have its intended effect. In this case, Paul’s labor will not help the Thessalonians if the tempter successfully tempts them. If it would be helpful in your language, you use a word or phrase that identifies a cause that does not have its intended effect. Alternate translation: [for nothing] or [to no purpose]
OET (OET-LV) Because_of this also_I no_longer enduring, I_sent in_order that to_know the faith of_you_all, lest somehow tempted you_all the one tempting, and in vain may_become the labour of_us.
OET (OET-RV) So again when I could no longer endure it, I sent Timothy to find out about your faith, just in case you’d been tempted by the tempter and then our work there would have been wasted.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.