inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (1Thess. 4:13)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the addressee).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

In Fijian, the paucal exclusive forms neitou and keitou (“of me and a few [two or slight more]”) are used instead. This choice is understandable in view of the introduction found in both letters to the Thessalonians, where the writer Paul indicates clearly that the letters were co-authored by two other colleagues, Silas and Timothy, hence the use of a pronoun referring to three people (“Paul, Silas and Timothy”).

Source: Joseph Hong in The Bible Translator 1994, p. 419ff.

brother (fellow believer)

The Greek that is translated in English as “brother” (in the sense of a fellow believer), is translated with a specifically coined word in Kachin: “There are two terms for brother in Kachin. One is used to refer to a Christian brother. This term combines ‘older and younger brother.’ The other term is used specifically for addressing siblings. When one uses this term, one must specify if the older or younger person is involved. A parallel system exists for ‘sister’ as well. In [these verses], the term for ‘a Christian brother’ is used.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae)

In Martu Wangka it is translated as “relative” (this is also the term that is used for “follower.”) (Source: Carl Gross)

See also brothers.

hope

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“Hope is sometimes one of the most difficult terms to translate in the entire Bible. It is not because people do not hope for things, but so often they speak of hoping as simply ‘waiting.’ In fact, even in Spanish, the word esperar means both ‘to wait’ and ‘to hope.’ However, in many instances the purely neutral term meaning ‘to wait’ may be modified in such a way that people will understand something more of its significance. For example, in Tepeuxila Cuicatec hope is called ‘wait-desire.’ Hope is thus a blend of two activities: waiting and desiring. This is substantially the type of expectancy of which hope consists.

In Yucateco the dependence of hope is described by the phrase ‘on what it hangs.’ ‘Our hope in God’ means that ‘we hang onto God.’ The object of hope is the support of one’s expectant waiting.

In Ngäbere the phrase “resting the mind” is used. This “implies waiting and confidence, and what is a better definition of hope than ‘confident waiting’.” (Source for this and above: Nida 1952, p. 20, 133)

In Mwera “hope” and “faith” are translated with the same word: ngulupai. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

Other languages translate as follows:

  • Mairasi: “vision resting place” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Enlhet: “waitings of (our) innermost” (“innermost” or valhoc is a term that is frequently used in Enlhet to describe a large variety of emotions or states of mind — for other examples see here) (source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. )
  • Kwang: “one’s future is restored to one’s soul like a fresh, cool breeze on a hot day.” (Source: Mark Vanderkooi right here )
  • Noongar: koort-kwidiny or “heart waiting” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Anjam: “looking through the horizon” (source: Albert Hoffmann in his memoirs from 1948, quoted in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 7)
  • Ron: kintiɓwi or “put lip” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Highland Totonac “wait with expectation” (to offset it from the every-day meaning of hope or wait — source: Hermann Aschmann in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 171ff. ).
  • Alekano: “wait not hearing two ears” (meaning to “wait without being double-minded” — source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation June 1986, p. 36ff.)
  • Marathi aasha (आशा) with a stronger emphasis on desire
  • Tamil: nampikkai (நம்பிக்கை) with a stronger emphasis on expectation (source for this and above: J.S.M. Hooper in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 2ff. )

C.M. Doke looks at a number of Bantu languages and their respective translations of “hope” with slightly varying connotations (in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 9ff. ):

  • Xhosa and Zulu: themba “hope, expect,” also “have faith in, rely upon”
  • Tswana: tsholofelo “hope, expect, look for confidently”
  • Southern Sotho: tshepo “trust, rely on, believe in, have confidence in”
  • Kuanyama: eteelelo “waiting for”
  • Swahili: tumaini “confidence, trust, expectation, hope” (as a verb: “hope, trust, expect, be confident, be truthful, rely on”
  • Luganda: okusuubira “hope, trust, expect” also “look forward to, rely upon, anticipate, reckon”
  • Chichewa: chiyembekezo “wait for, wait, expect”
  • Koongo: vuvu “hope, expectancy, expectation, anticipation”
Syntyche D. Dahou (in Christianity Today, January 2021 or see here the same article in French ) reports on the two different terms that are being used in French (click or tap here to see the details):

“Unlike English, which uses the word hope broadly, the French language uses two words that derive from the word espérer (to hope): espoir and espérance. Both can first refer to something hoped for. In this sense, the word espoir usually refers to an uncertain object; that is, someone who hopes for something in this way does not have the certainty that it will happen (“I hope the weather will be nice tomorrow”). On the other hand, espérance describes what, rightly or wrongly, is hoped for or expected with certainty. It often refers to a philosophical or eschatological object (‘I hope in the goodness of human beings’; ‘I hope for the return of Jesus Christ’).

“When we speak of espoir or espérance, we then have in mind different types of objects hoped for. This difference matters, because both terms also commonly refer to the state of mind that characterizes the hopeful. And this state of mind will be different precisely according to the object hoped for.

“Having espoir for an uncertain yet better future in these difficult times may be a good thing, but it is not enough. Such hope can be disappointed and easily fade away when our wishes and expectations (our hopes) do not materialize.

“The opposite is true with espérance, which is deeper than our desire and wish for an end to a crisis or a future without pain and suffering. To face the trials of life, we need peace and joy in our hearts that come from expecting certain happiness. This is what espérance is: a profound and stable disposition resulting from faith in the coming of what we expect. In this sense, it is similar in meaning to the English word hopefulness.

“If we have believed in the Son of the living God, we have such a hope. It rests on the infallible promises of our God, who knows the plans he has for us, his children—plans of peace and not misfortune, to give us a hope and a future (Jer. 29:11). By using the two meanings of the word, we can say that the espérance that the fulfillment of his promises represents (the object hoped for) fills us with espérance (the state of mind).”

complete verse (1 Thessalonians 4:13)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Thessalonians 4:13:

  • Uma: “Relatives, our intention is that you really know what happens to our (incl.) companions who die, so that your hearts are not too sad/troubled, like people who do not hope in God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Na, my brothers, we (excl.) also want to explain to you about the ones who already died who trusted in Isa Almasi, so that you don’t grieve like the other people do who don’t have hope/expectation that they will live again.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Brothers, we want you to know what will happen to believers who are already dead, so that you might not grieve like the grief of other people who do not expect to be raised from the dead.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Brothers, there is still something else that we (excl.) will make-known to you so that you will thoroughly understand concerning believers who have died so that you will not be sad (lit. thoughts hurt) like the people who have no hope.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Our(excl.) siblings in believing, we (excl.) want you to know the truth concerning those who have believed who are now dead, so that you won’t be grieved excessively, like people who have no certainty of the good (situation) of their dead ones.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Listen, brothers, we want that you know how it is concerning the believers who have already died. If anyone has died, do not let it be that also you are sad like the people who do not know God.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Thessalonians 4:13

The literal “we do not want you not to know” is used by Paul in Romans 1.13 and 2 Corinthians 1.8 to introduce a new piece of information. In Romans 11.25; 1 Corinthians 10.1; 12.1, the same expression introduces something which is not part of the basic Christian message as outlined, for example, by Peter in Acts 2.14-39 and by Paul himself in 1 Corinthians 15.3-5, but which is important for a fuller understanding of the scope of Christian truth and life. In Romans 11.25 it is a question of the “mystery” or “secret truth” (Good News Bible) of how God has used the stubbornness of Israel as part of his plan for other nations. In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul speaks of the hidden, Christian significance of the rescue of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. And in 1 Corinthians 12, he introduces a much-needed piece of teaching on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The present passage is also a piece of advanced teaching, about the (still obscure) subject of the state of Christians between death and resurrection.

In translating the present passage, the double negative “we do not want you not to know” is transformed in to the positive we want you to know by Moffatt (“we would like you … to understand”) and Knox (“make no mistake”). Jerusalem Bible‘s “we want you to be quite certain” is a little too strong. Barclay has “I do not want you … to get wrong ideas,” and Phillips “we don’t want you … to be in any doubt” (cf. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Bijbel in Gewone Taal). Paul himself uses an equivalent positive expression (which is perhaps slightly stronger) in 1 Corinthians 11.3 and Colossians 2.1 (cf. Philippians 1.12).

Here as elsewhere in this letter, it is very likely that “we” means Paul and his companions, though Barclay disagrees.

The truth is implied, for there is no suggestion in the text that false views about the dead were circulating among the Thessalonians. Paul is fighting fear and anxiety rather than wrong ideas firmly held. The Thessalonians had seen Christians die, just as Paul himself had seen Stephen stoned to death. They needed reassurance that death would not prevent Christians from sharing in whatever God had in store for them.

What Paul wants the Thessalonian Christians to know is what happens to those who have died. In many languages, the truth can best be expressed as “what happens to” or “what really happens to,” for example, “we very much want you to know what really happens to those who have died.”

Those who have died, here and in verse 14 (but not in v. 16), is literally “those who are asleep” (Revised Standard Version cf. King James Version Luther 1984), or, according to a slightly less well-supported reading, “have fallen asleep” (cf. Zürcher Bibel Knox). “Sleep” is used in many passages to mean “die” (e.g. Job 14.12; Daniel 12.2-3; 2 Maccabees 12.43-45; John 11.11-13; 1 Corinthians 15.18, 20). This is certainly the meaning here, as the literal equivalent in verse 16 shows. Many translations (Jerusalem Bible Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Le Nouveau Testament. Version Synodale Bible de Jérusalem Traduction œcuménique de la Bible Bible en français courant Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) agree with Good News Translation in removing the figure of speech, sometimes putting it in a footnote. La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée (rather less helpfully for anyone hearing the passage read aloud) does the reverse, putting “those who sleep” in the text and “the dead” in a note. Moffatt (“those who are asleep in death”), Phillips (“those who ‘fall asleep’ in death”), and Barclay (“those who sleep death’s sleep”), cf. New American Bible, keep the metaphor, but explain it in the text. Knox (“those who have gone to their rest”) and Bijbel in Gewone Taal (“those who have crossed over”) use equivalent metaphors. The question for the translator is whether, in his receptor language, it is more usual to speak of death directly, or to use a figure of speech. The answer to this question varies not only between languages, but between temporal periods and between social groups using the same language. In many languages, especially those spoken in face-to-face societies, there is much less of a tendency to use figurative expressions than in most European languages, but the amount of such figurative language, even in English, differs greatly from time to time.

Some persons have wished to make a special point of the literal Greek rendering “those who are asleep” to imply that these are only “resting in death, looking forward to the judgment,” and that therefore they have not gone on to heaven. But it is unwise to read into this kind of an idiom a special doctrine of the future life. (In 1 Kings 22.40 the metaphor of sleep is used in speaking of the death of the bad King Ahab, and it was also used by pagans in the ancient world.) The safest and most accurate way of translating the Greek is to say “those who have died.”

The relation between we want you to know and so that you will not be sad is one of means and purpose. As indicates a comparison, but the nature of the comparison needs to be carefully defined. Those who have no hope is literally “the others” or “the rest, who do not have hope.” These are the same group of people whom Paul has just called “those outside” (v. 12), that is, those who are not members of the Christian community. The contrast is not between kinds or degrees of grief, but between two groups of people; that is, Christians, who have reason to hope, and non-Christians, who do not. Translations should therefore be avoided which suggest that Paul’s concern is simply to say that Christians should not be as sad as non-Christians. Phillips‘ “like men who have no hope” does not bring out sufficiently clearly that Paul is contrasting real groups of people. New English Bible‘s “like the rest of men, who have no hope” (cf. Bijbel in Gewone Taal) is better. On hope, see the notes on 1.3.

It is important to avoid a translation which would imply that the clause so that you will not be sad is directly related to the immediately preceding clause those who have died. To avoid this misunderstanding, it may be necessary to repeat the expression “we want you to know,” for example, “we want you to know what happens to those who have died; we want you to know this so that you will not be sad.”

Sadness is often expressed by an idiomatic phrase, for example, “with tears in your eyes,” “with your stomach in pain,” “with your heart throbbing,” or “with your face fallen.” It is better not to use an expression which would imply ritual mourning or weeping, even though this is a natural type of rendering in a context which speak about death.

The comparison introduced in the last clause, as are those who have no hope, may be rather difficult to express in some languages. In fact, a conditional clause may be necessary, for example, “if you do not know about this, you will be like those who have no hope,” or “… you will be sad just like those who do not look forward with confidence.”

In many languages it is not possible to speak of “hope” without indicating what is the goal of the hope. In this context it is hope for life after death, and it may be necessary to say “those who do not hope for life after death.” In some languages it would be more appropriate to speak about “those who have no hope for heaven,” or, even better, “no hope to be with God.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .