1 Thessalonians 1:7–10

1:7 As a result you became an example15 to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 1:8 For from you the message of the Lord16 has echoed forth not just in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place reports of your faith in God have spread,17 so that we do not need to say anything. 1:9 For people everywhere18 report how you welcomed us19 and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God 1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.20

15	tc Most mss (א A C D2 F G Ψ 0278 𝔐) have the plural τύπους (tupous, “examples”) here, while a few important witnesses have the singular τύπον (tupon, “example”; B D,c 6 33 81 104 1739 1881 pc lat). With ὑμᾶς (humas*, “you”) immediately preceding, the plural form looks motivated: Scribes would be expected to change the singular to the plural here. Although the external evidence for the singular reading is not overwhelming, the internal evidence for it is compelling.
16	tn Or “the word of the Lord.” sn “The word of the Lord” is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rhēma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logos tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said. Here the phrase has been translated “the message of the Lord” because of the focus upon the spread of the gospel evident in the passage.
17	tn Grk “your faith in God has gone out.”
18	tn Grk “they themselves,” referring to people in the places just mentioned.
19	tn Grk “what sort of entrance we had to you” (an idiom for how someone is received).
20	sn The coming wrath. This wrath is an important theme in 1 Thess 5.