First Letter to the Thessalonians ~ Part 4

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We pause our ongoing story of Sha’ul’s Second Missionary Journey as we dig into his first letter to the Thessalonians while in Corinth.

Sha’ul Commends Them for Their Eager Reception of the Gospel

¹³ Another reason we regularly thank God is that when you heard the Word of God from us, you received it not merely as a human word but as it truly is, God’s Word, which is at work in you believers.

¹⁴ For, brothers, you came to be imitators of God’s congregations in Y’hudah that are united with the Messiah Yeshua – you suffered the same things from your countrymen as they did from the Judeans who

In all principal English translations, the Greek word “Ioudaiôn” is rendered not “Judeans” as here, but “Jews.” As a result, vv. 14–16 cease to be what they are, namely, a comparison of the Thessalonian congregation’s suffering at the hands of their countrymen in Thessalonica with the Judean congregations’ suffering at the hands of their countrymen the Judeans; and instead, despite Sha’ul’s manifest love and zeal for his Jewish people (Romans 9:3–4, 10:1, 11:13–14), the passage reads as a virulently antisemitic outburst.

What this proves is that there is antisemitism not in Sha’ul, as his Jewish critics claim, but in the Church! The Church has been so blind that it has not seen that the context of v. 14 is Judea, so no rendering other than “Judeans” makes sense. Jews who thus criticize the Brit Hadashah as antisemitic can hardly be blamed for accepting as authoritative the Church’s interpretation of what Sha’ul has written. ^[1]

¹⁵ both killed the Lord Yeshua and the prophets and chased us out, too. They are displeasing God and opposing all mankind ¹⁶ by trying to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be delivered. Their object seems to be always to make their sins as bad as possible! But God’s fury will catch up with them in the end.

“The Judeans who killed the Lord Yeshua.” They did not kill him; the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, allowed Yeshua to be executed by Roman soldiers. On the degree of Judean responsibility, see Mattityahu 27:25; Acts 2:22–23, 3:17.

Sha’ul Desires to Be with Them

¹⁷ And as for us, brothers, when we were deprived of your company for a short time—in person, but not in thought—we missed you and tried hard to come and see you. ¹⁸ We wanted so much to come to you—I, Sha’ul, tried more than once—but the Adversary stopped us. ¹⁹ For when our Lord Yeshua returns, what will be our hope, our joy, our crown to boast about? Won’t it be you? ²⁰ Yes, you are our glory and our joy!  ^[2]

When our Lord Yeshua returns, literally, “at the coming of our Lord Yeshua,” where the word “coming” is Greek parousia. Since Sha’ul’s letters to the Thessalonians are among the first Brit Hadasah books written, this is chronologically the first use of this important word in the Brit Hadashah. It means “presence, being present,” and was used for the arrival of a great personage, such as a king making a royal visit. King Yeshua’s return will be the Royal Visit.

In our next post, we will continue to explore Shaul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians beginning in 1 Thess. 3:1.

Click here for the PDF version.

^[1] David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary.

^[2] 1 Thessalonians 2:13–20.