4:13 Now we do not want you to be uninformed,14 brothers and sisters,15 about those who are asleep,16 so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope.
tnGrk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.
16
tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaō) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for death when speaking of believers. This metaphorical usage by its very nature emphasizes the hope of resurrection: Believers will one day “wake up” out of death. Here the term refers to death, but “sleep” was used in the translation to emphasize the metaphorical, rhetorical usage of the term. This word also occurs in vv. 14 and 15.