OET interlinear 2 TH 2:7

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

γὰρ

for

Here, the word translated For serves to connect this sentence as a contrast to what Paul has said about lawlessness, starting in verse 3. Until here, Paul was talking about lawlessness in the future, but now he wants to clarify that people are already being lawless.Use a natural way in your language for introducing this contrast. Alternate translation: [Now] or [Actually,]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

τὸ & μυστήριον ἤδη ἐνεργεῖται τῆς ἀνομίας

the & mystery already ˓is˒_working ¬the ˱of˲_lawlessness

Here, lawlessness is characterized as a mystery because we cannot understand why people rebel against God’s wise instructions unless we understand the spiritual forces at work, which Paul explains here. If your language does not use abstract nouns for these ideas, you can express them in another way. Alternate translation: [people are already mysteriously rebelling against God] or [Satan is already secretly leading people to reject God’s laws, as this man will do]

ὁ κατέχων

the_‹one› restraining_‹it›

To restrain someone is to hold him back or to keep him from doing what he wants to do. Alternate translation: [the one who has been holding him back]

Note 3 topic: writing-pronouns

γένηται

˱it˲_˓may˒_become

Here, he refers to the one who is restraining the man of lawlessness. If this is not clear to your readers, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: [the one who restrains the man of lawlessness moves]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐκ μέσου γένηται

out_of ˓the˒_midst ˱it˲_˓may˒_become

Here Paul speaks of the person who is restraining the man of lawlessness as though he were standing in front of him and blocking his path. If this does not make sense in your language, you could use an equivalent metaphor or you could express the meaning in a nonfigurative way. Alternate translation: [he stops restraining him]