InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEUT JOB YEHO (JOS) HERO (JDG) RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG YOEL (JOEL) MIC ISA ZEP HAB YIR (JER) LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBAD DAN EZEK EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL 2 PS WIS TOB MAN BAR G DAN G ESD L ESD ESG JDT 3 MAC SIR 1 MAC 2 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL LAOD 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
2 Th 3 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18
People tagged in the matching LV passage: Paul
Used in these topics: Work, diligence and everyday witness
OET-LV nor undeservedly bread we_ate from anyone, but in labour and hardship, night and day working, in_order that not to_burden anyone of_you_all.
OET (OET-RV) nor did we eat food from anyone that we didn’t deserve, but we worked even when it was hard—day and night, so that we wouldn’t be a burden on anybody,
It seems that there were some believers in Thessalonica who had stopped working. This was probably because they thought the Lord Jesus was going to come back soon or that the Lord Jesus had already come back (see 2 Thessalonians 2:2). Therefore they had decided that there was no point in continuing to work. Paul warned people not to behave in this way. He reminded them how he and his companions had worked for their food when they stayed at Thessalonica so that they would not burden the other believers there. They did this in order to be a good example for the Thessalonians to follow, even though as apostles they had the right to be supported. Paul had already mentioned those who would not work in 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 and 5:14. But it seems that that warning had not had any effect.
nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it.
and you know that we(excl) did not accept food from anyone unless we(excl) paid him for it.
nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it: The Greek word artos, which the BSB translates as food, literally means “bread.” However most English versions (except some of the older versions) agree that it means more than just bread here. There are two possibilities:
It means any sort of food. (BSB, NIV, NET, GW, NJB, CEV, NLT, NCV)
The expression “to eat someone’s bread” is an idiom that means “to accept someone’s hospitality.” It therefore includes lodging as well as food. (GNT, REB)
It is recommended that you follow the first option (1) in your translation.
without paying for it: Greek teachers often went from town to town receiving food and accepting a place to stay in return for their teaching. Paul was probably emphasizing that he and his companions were not like that. This does not mean that Paul and his companions never accepted an invitation as guests to a meal from time to time.
Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night and day
On the contrary, we(excl) worked night and day, toiling diligently to earn money
Instead, we(excl) worked diligently/hard day and night to pay for our(excl) food
Instead: In 3:7b–8a, Paul wrote what he and his companions did not do. In this part of the verse he wrote the positive, what they did do.
in labor and toil: The Greek words kopos and mochthos, which the BSB translates as labor and toil, are the same words that the BSB translated “labor” and “toil” in 1 Thessalonians 2:9a. The two words have similar meanings. Paul used this repetition to emphasize that they worked very hard. If you do not have two similar words you can use here, or if it would be unnatural for you to use such repetition, you could translate this as “laboring very diligently/hard.” The following expression “we worked night and day” also has a similar meaning, and you may have to combine all three into one expression. The second Meaning Line in the Display does this.
we worked night and day: The Greek verb form ergazomenoi, which the BSB translates as we worked, indicates an action that continues over a period of time. See the note on 1 Thessalonians 2:9b.
so that we would not be a burden to any of you.
so that we(excl) would not burden you.
so that we(excl) would not require you to supply what we(excl) needed.
so that we would not be a burden to any of you: The Greek word epibareō, which the BSB translates as be a burden, refers to not being a financial burden on the Thessalonians. Paul and his companions worked to support themselves so that they could buy their own food, rather than expecting anyone to provide it for them. This part of the verse is identical to 1 Thessalonians 2:9c in Greek.
In this part of the verse Paul used a negative expression to explain the purpose for which they worked so hard: so that we would not be a burden…. In 3:9b, he gave the positive purpose: “to offer ourselves as an example…”
Note 1 topic: translate-unknown
ἄρτον
bread
Paul refers to bread here because it was the most common and basic food for them. If your readers would not be familiar with bread or if that is a kind of food that would be considered unusual or extravagant, you could use a general expression for ordinary food. Alternate translation: [food] or [anything]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / merism
νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας ἐργαζόμενοι
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὐδέ δωρεάν ἄρτον ἐφάγομεν παρά τινός ἀλλʼ ἐν κόπῳ καί μόχθῳ νυκτός καί ἡμέρας ἐργαζόμενοι πρός τό μή ἐπιβαρῆσαι τινά ὑμῶν)
Here, night and day forms a merism, which means “all the time.” If it would be helpful in your language to explain that they did not work without taking any rest whatsoever, then you could make the meaning clear. Alternate translation: [working throughout that time with little rest] or [we worked almost continuously]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet
ἐν κόπῳ καὶ μόχθῳ
in labor (Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὐδέ δωρεάν ἄρτον ἐφάγομεν παρά τινός ἀλλʼ ἐν κόπῳ καί μόχθῳ νυκτός καί ἡμέρας ἐργαζόμενοι πρός τό μή ἐπιβαρῆσαι τινά ὑμῶν)
Here, toil and hardship have very similar meanings. Paul used this repetition to emphasize that they worked very hard. If you do not have two similar words that you can use here or if it would be unnatural for you to use such repetition, you could emphasize this in another way. Alternate translation: [with great effort] or [in very difficult circumstances]
OET-LV nor undeservedly bread we_ate from anyone, but in labour and hardship, night and day working, in_order that not to_burden anyone of_you_all.
OET (OET-RV) nor did we eat food from anyone that we didn’t deserve, but we worked even when it was hard—day and night, so that we wouldn’t be a burden on anybody,
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.
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