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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 4 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V15 V16 V17 V18
OET (OET-LV) For/Because if we_are_believing that Yaʸsous/(Yəhōshūˊa) died_off and rose_up, thus also the god the ones having_been_fallen_asleep through the Yaʸsous will_be_bringing with him.
OET (OET-RV) because if we believe that Yeshua died and came back to life, then we can also believe that when he returns, Yeshua will be bringing with him those who have died.
Paul explained that when the Lord Jesus returns, God will cause both the Christians who have died and those who will still be alive to ascend to meet the Lord Jesus in the sky. He also explained how the Thessalonians should behave as they waited for the Lord to return.
While Paul was in Thessalonica, he had probably taught the Thessalonians that Jesus would soon return, and the Thessalonians may have assumed that they would all survive until then. But as time passed, some of them died. Those who remained alive had begun to worry whether those believers who had died would see Jesus return. This is the issue Paul was addressing in this paragraph.
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again,
Do not mourn as they do, because we(incl) believe as a fact that Jesus died and became alive again,
we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.
and therefore we(incl) believe/know that when Jesus returns to earth, God will cause all those believers in Jesus who have died to come to be with Jesus.
we…believe that: These words are implied in the Greek text and may need to be made explicit in your translation.
also: This connects this part of the verse back to 4:14a. In 4:14a, Paul stated the basis for what he said in 4:14b. Another way to translate this connection would be:
Because we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then certainly God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep with him.
God will bring with Jesus: Most English versions are ambiguous in the way they translate this part of the verse. The Greek verb agō, which the BSB translates as bring, is a general verb of motion and means “bring, take, lead, go.” The commentators suggest many different ways of understanding this part of the verse. The two most likely interpretations are:
Paul was focusing on the fact that when Jesus returns, the bodies of Christians who have died will be resurrected. He therefore meant that God would bring these resurrected bodies from earth to be with Jesus as he returns.
Paul was focusing on the fact that after a Christian dies, his soul is with Jesus. He therefore meant here that God would bring these people from heaven back to earth with Jesus.
Paul did not specify which of these possibilities he was thinking of. What Paul wrote in 4:14–17 makes it clear that God will cause both the resurrected believers and the ones still living to ascend into the sky to meet Jesus as he is descending to earth. This seems to favor the first interpretation. However, Paul’s main point was that from that moment all Christians would be with Jesus, whether on earth or in heaven. So if possible, you should avoid making your translation too explicit at this point.
those who have fallen asleep: See the note on 4:13a.
in Him: In Greek, the phrase that the BSB translates as in Him could mean either “in him” or “with him.” It is not clear from the Greek word order to which verb this phrase should be connected. There are two possibilities:
It should be attached to the verb “fallen asleep,” which comes earlier in the sentence it in the Greek text. The majority of commentators also support this. The meaning of the phrase “those who have fallen asleep in Him” therefore is “those who were believers when they died.” (BSB, NIV, GNT, NET, KJV, REB, SSA, NLT, NASB, CEV, NJB)
It should be attached to the verb “will bring” which directly precedes it in the Greek text. The meaning is therefore that it is “through Jesus” that God will cause believers to live again. (RSV, GW, NCV)
It is recommended that you follow the first option (1), as do the majority of English versions and commentaries. It is the most probable grammatically.
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
γὰρ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Γάρ πιστεύομεν ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἀπέθανεν καί ἀνέστη οὕτως καί ὁ Θεός τούς κοιμηθέντας διά τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σύν αὐτῷ)
Here, the word For introduces a reason why the Thessalonians should not grieve like other people do. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces a reason or basis for a claim, or you could leave For untranslated. Alternate translation: [You should not grieve in those ways because,] or [Indeed,]
Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-condition-fact
εἰ
if
Paul speaks as if this were a hypothetical situation, but he means that it must be true. If your language does not state something as a condition if it is certain or true, and if your readers might think that what Paul is saying is uncertain, then you could translate his words as an affirmative statement. Alternate translation: [because]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive
πιστεύομεν
˱we˲_˓are˒_believing
Here, the word we includes Paul, his fellow workers, and the Thessalonians, so use the inclusive form of that word in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
ἀνέστη
rose_up
Here, the word rose refers to how Jesus came back to life after he died. If your language does not use rose to describe coming back to life, you could use a comparable idiom or express the idea plainly. Alternate translation: [came back to life] or [lived again]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis
οὕτως καὶ ὁ Θεὸς
thus (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Γάρ πιστεύομεν ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἀπέθανεν καί ἀνέστη οὕτως καί ὁ Θεός τούς κοιμηθέντας διά τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σύν αὐτῷ)
Paul is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from earlier in the sentence if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: [we believe that thus also God]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure
οὕτως καὶ ὁ Θεὸς
thus (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Γάρ πιστεύομεν ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἀπέθανεν καί ἀνέστη οὕτως καί ὁ Θεός τούς κοιμηθέντας διά τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σύν αὐτῷ)
The phrase thus also could go with: (1) God will bring. In this case, thus also indicates that believers will experience something that is similar to how Jesus died and rose again. Alternate translation: [we can also believe that, in a similar way, God] (2) the implied phrase “we believe.” In this case, thus also indicates that believing that Christians will resurrect is based on believing in Jesus’ resurrection. Alternate translation: [thus also we believe that God]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς κοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ
¬the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Γάρ πιστεύομεν ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἀπέθανεν καί ἀνέστη οὕτως καί ὁ Θεός τούς κοιμηθέντας διά τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σύν αὐτῷ)
Here Paul does not explicitly state all the elements in his comparison between Jesus and the the ones having slept. He states that Jesus died and rose, and he implies that this will be true for the ones having slept. He states that the ones having slept will be brought with Jesus, and he implies that Jesus is coming back to this world. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make these two implicit ideas more explicit. Alternate translation: [God will raise the ones having slept through Jesus and will bring them with him when he comes back]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἄξει
˓will_be˒_bringing
Here, the phrase will bring could mean that: (1) God will send resurrected believers with Jesus when Jesus comes back to this world. Alternate translation: [will send back to earth] (2) God will bring resurrected believers to be with Jesus in heaven. Alternate translation: [will bring to heaven]
Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / euphemism
τοὺς κοιμηθέντας
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Γάρ πιστεύομεν ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἀπέθανεν καί ἀνέστη οὕτως καί ὁ Θεός τούς κοιμηθέντας διά τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σύν αὐτῷ)
See how you translated the similar phrase in [4:13](../04/13.md). Alternate translation: [the ones having passed away] or [the ones who are dead]
Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure
ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς κοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ
¬the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Γάρ πιστεύομεν ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἀπέθανεν καί ἀνέστη οὕτως καί ὁ Θεός τούς κοιμηθέντας διά τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σύν αὐτῷ)
Here, the phrase through Jesus could go with: (1) will bring. In this case, God acts through Jesus. Alternate translation: [through Jesus God will bring with him the ones having slept] (2) having slept. In this case, Paul is describing people who died while they were believing in Jesus. Alternate translation: [God will bring with him the ones having slept in Jesus] or [God will bring with him the believers who have slept]
Note 11 topic: writing-pronouns
αὐτῷ
him
The pronoun him refers to Jesus. If this is not clear for your readers, you could use the person’s name here. Alternate translation: [with Jesus]
OET (OET-LV) For/Because if we_are_believing that Yaʸsous/(Yəhōshūˊa) died_off and rose_up, thus also the god the ones having_been_fallen_asleep through the Yaʸsous will_be_bringing with him.
OET (OET-RV) because if we believe that Yeshua died and came back to life, then we can also believe that when he returns, Yeshua will be bringing with him those who have died.
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.