C3
Verses Where the Divine Name Does Not Appear as Part of Direct or Indirect Quotations in the Book of 1 Thessalonians
1 THESSALONIANS 1:8 “the word of Jehovah”
Kingdom Interlinear: “the word of the Lord”
REASON(S) FOR RESTORING THE DIVINE NAME: This expression has its background in the Hebrew Scriptures, where it appears as a combination of a Hebrew term for “word” and the divine name.—See comment on Acts 8:25.
SUPPORT:
Note what some reference works say regarding the Greek expression for “the word of the Lord” in this verse:
“A phrase common in the OT [Old Testament] and later in Acts, but appearing only here and in 2 Thessalonians 3:1 in [Paul’s] writings. But Paul enlists other, similar phrases like ‘the word,’ ‘the word of God,’ ‘the gospel of God.’ The word is the gospel, and it is the gospel of which ‘the Lord’ is the author . . . As elsewhere in the NT [New Testament], it is unclear who is meant by the Lord, for the Son (Jesus) no less than the Father is called by this name. In this instance we should probably understand the reference to be to the Father.” In a note on 1 Thessalonians 1:1, the same commentary says: “The immediate background to his use [of the term “Lord”] . . . is the LXX [Septuagint], where ‘Lord’ frequently renders the Hebrew Yahweh, the name of God.”—New International Biblical Commentary—1 and 2 Thessalonians, by David J. Williams, 1992, pages 24, 31.
“An equivalent of the OT [Old Testament] expression for ‘the word of the LORD’ (cf. Isa[iah] 38:4–5), is used extensively in Acts to describe the spreading gospel message (Ac[ts] 8:25; 13:44, 48–49; 15:35–36; 16:32; 19:10, 20).” The scripture referred to, Isaiah 38:4, says: “Then the word of Jehovah came to Isaiah.”—The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians-Philemon, Revised Edition, edited by Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland, 2006, Vol. 12, page 382.
“‘The word of the Lord’ is a technical expression in OT [Old Testament] literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen[esis] 15:1, Isa[iah] 1:10, Jonah 1:1 [These three scriptures contain the expression “the word of Jehovah.”]).”—The NET Bible, New English Translation, Second Edition, 1996-2017, page 2233.
SUPPORTING REFERENCES: J7, 8, 17, 18, 22, 23, 32, 33, 48, 65, 94, 95, 100, 101, 106, 125, 144, 146, 167, 310, 322-324
1 THESSALONIANS 4:6 “because Jehovah exacts punishment”
Kingdom Interlinear: “through which avenger [is] Lord”
REASON(S) FOR RESTORING THE DIVINE NAME: The context points to God as the one referred to as “Lord.” In verse 7, Paul says that God “has called [Christians] . . . for holiness,” and in verse 8, he goes on to say that the one who commits sexual immorality “is disregarding . . . God.” The Greek expression for “exacts punishment” could also be rendered “is the avenger.” (Compare Romans 13:4, where the same Greek word is rendered “an avenger.”) Paul uses a related Greek word for “vengeance” at Romans 12:19 where, based on Deuteronomy 32:35, he quotes Jehovah as saying: “Vengeance is mine.” The same Greek word is used in the Septuagint at Psalm 94:1 (93:1, LXX), where Jehovah is addressed as “O God of vengeance.” Here at 1 Thessalonians 4:6, Paul is apparently alluding to Psalm 94:1. Additionally, scholars have noted that at 1 Thessalonians 4:6, the Greek definite article is not included before Kyʹri·os (Lord), where it would be expected according to standard grammatical usage. As in many other cases, the absence of the definite article would make Kyʹri·os tantamount to a proper name.
SUPPORT:
Note the following comments on this verse:
“Paul here likely refers to ‘Lord’ as ‘God,’ not Jesus, because the subsequent motivations refer to God.”—The New Interpreter’s Bible, 2000, Vol. XI, page 719.
“The form in which this particular warning is cast is that of a reminder that the Lord is ‘an avenger’ (NIV, “will punish”). It is possible to take ‘the Lord’ here to signify the Lord Jesus (as it usually does in the New Testament). But that God is the avenger is a frequent thought in the Old Testament (e.g., Deut[eronomy] 32:35), and, with somewhat different terminology, in the New [Testament] also. This is probably the way we should take it here.”—The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians, Revised Edition, by Leon Morris, 1991, page 124.
SUPPORTING REFERENCES: J7, 8, 17, 18, 22-24, 32, 34, 43, 65, 90, 94, 95, 100, 101, 106, 115, 126, 145-147, 154, 230, 310, 322-324
1 THESSALONIANS 4:15 “by Jehovah’s word”
Kingdom Interlinear: “in word of Lord”
REASON(S) FOR RESTORING THE DIVINE NAME: This expression has its background in the Hebrew Scriptures, where it appears as a combination of a Hebrew term for “word” and the divine name. (See comments on Acts 8:25 and 1 Thessalonians 1:8.) One example of the very same Greek expression occurs in the Septuagint at 1 Kings 13:5, where the original Hebrew text reads “by the word of Jehovah.” Some other examples of the same grammatical construction occur at 1 Kings 13:1, 2, 32; 20:35 (21:35, LXX). Additionally, the absence of the definite article before the Greek word for “Lord” is a valid reason for using the divine name in the main text.
SUPPORT:
The reference work Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, 1991, (Vol. 2, pp. 329-330) lists 1 Thessalonians 4:15 as a verse where Kyʹri·os is “used in the NT [New Testament] of Yahweh/God.”
SUPPORTING REFERENCES: J7, 8, 17, 18, 24, 32, 33, 48, 65, 94, 95, 100, 101, 106, 115, 127, 146, 310, 323, 324
1 THESSALONIANS 5:2 “Jehovah’s day”
Kingdom Interlinear: “day of Lord”
REASON(S) FOR RESTORING THE DIVINE NAME: The expression “Jehovah’s day” (or “day of Jehovah”) has its background in the Hebrew Scriptures, where it appears as a translation of the Hebrew word for “day” and the divine name. (Some examples are found at Isaiah 13:6, 9; Ezekiel 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 1:14; Zechariah 14:1; Malachi 4:5.) In his speech at Pentecost 33 C.E., Peter quotes from Joel 2:31, where the prophet spoke about “the coming of the great and awe-inspiring day of Jehovah.” (See study note on Acts 2:20.) It is also noteworthy that here at 1 Thessalonians 5:2, the Greek definite article was not included before Kyʹri·os (Lord), where it would be expected according to standard grammatical usage. The absence of the definite article makes Kyʹri·os tantamount to a proper name.
SUPPORT:
Note what some reference works say regarding the Greek expression for “day of Lord”:
“That is, the Day of the Lord (understood as YHWH’s day) originally was the day of YHWH’s vindication of the righteous and judgment of the unrighteous.”—The New Interpreter’s Bible, 2000, Vol. XI, page 726.
The reference work Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, 1991, (Vol. 2, pp. 329-330) lists 1 Thessalonians 5:2 as a verse where Kyʹri·os is “used in the NT [New Testament] of Yahweh/God.”
“Of the Lord—kurios = Jehovah.”—Vine’s Expository Commentary on 1 & 2 Thessalonians, by W. E. Vine with C. F. Hogg, 1997, page 112.
SUPPORTING REFERENCES: J7, 8, 14, 16-18, 22-24, 31-33, 61, 65, 66, 88, 90, 94-96, 100, 101, 106, 115, 128, 145-147, 236, 250, 260, 322-324