Tag: hemera

1 Thessalonians 5:5 – Spiritual Enlightenment

Posted on by Will

You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of night nor of darkness.

Truth to Learn

Christians have spiritual understanding given to us by the Holy Spirit.

 

Behind the Words

“You” is from humeis, the second person plural personal pronoun. Greek is different from English in that all verbs indicate not only what the action is, but also who performs the action. The verb in this case is “are,” which is the Greek verb eimi (the verb of being). The form of the verb in this verse is second person plural (you, plural). Therefore, the personal pronoun humeis (you, plural) is not needed to accurately portray what Paul is saying. That fact that he included it indicates emphasis on who are the sons of light.

The word translated “sons” is huios, which means “a male descendant.” However, it is often used in the New Testament to refer to a child, male or female.

Pas is the root word translated here as “all.” It carries the idea of “oneness” or “the totality of something.” Therefore, pas refers to “all of something without anything being left out.”

“Light” is from the Greek word phōs (or phōtos), which is derived from the verb phaō, meaning “to shine” or “to make visible.” This, phōs refers to “that which shines” or “that which makes visible.” In other words, it refers to light. It is used both of physical light and spiritual light (enlightenment).

The word “day” is from the Greek word hēmera, which can refer to a complete twenty-four hour period or to that portion of the day in which the sun is shining (daytime).

 

Meaning Explained

In order to completely understand Paul’s teaching here we need to understand that Paul was brought up as a Hebrew. The Hebrew language, like most other languages, has idiomatic expressions that don’t always translate easily into other languages. For instance, the Hebrew expression “with four eyes,” as in “the two men met with four eyes,” means that the two men met face to face without anyone else present. Paul often uses such Hebrew idioms (called Hebraisms) in his writing, even though he is writing in Greek.

The expression in the previous verse, “you are not in darkness” is a Hebraism meaning “you are not ignorant, unaware, or unenlightened.” Likewise, the expression “sons of light” is a Hebraism meaning “children of God, the heavenly Father, who is light and in whom is no darkness at all.” Throughout the Bible, the metaphor of light (with respect to God) is a reference to His holiness, righteousness, and sinlessness. As His adopted children, we have been given the righteousness of Christ. In Genesis 15:6 we read that Abraham was credited with righteousness because of his faith. Similarly, a Christian, one who has faith in the saving blood of Christ, is seen by God as completely righteous. In God’s record book we are sinless, righteous, and holy. Hence, we are children of light.

And – because we are righteous children of light, our minds are illuminated by the Spirit of God so that we can understand spiritual things like God’s coming judgment on the world of sinners. “We are not of night nor of darkness” is another Hebraism meaning that we are not ignorant sinners marching mindlessly towards God’s judgment and destruction.

Finally, note that Paul starts off this verse with “you,” speaking directly to those to whom he is teaching, but then says “we,” indicating that all Christians are in the same category.

 

Application

Unsaved people cannot understand the Bible because they are not spiritually enlightened like we are (see 1 Corinthians 2:10, 11). We, on the other hand, are taught by the Holy Spirit, and we can know future things as taught to us in Scripture.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 5:2 – Noisily Versus Quietly

Posted on by Will

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night.

Truth to Learn

The Day of the Lord will come quietly, the rapture noisily.

 

Behind the Words

“Know” is translated from the verb eidō, which refers to “seeing with perception and comprehension.” Thus, it takes on the meaning of “knowing” or “understanding.” In English someone might explain something and then say, “Do you see what I’m saying?” In such a case, they are not asking about vision but about understanding. This is the sense that eidō has in today’s verse.

The word translated “perfectly” is akribōs, which means “accurately” or “exactly.” It is not an expression about perfection, but of accuracy.

Hēmera is the word translated “day.” It can refer to a complete twenty-four hour period or, as in today’s verse, it can refer to the timeframe of a specific event.

The word “like” is from the Greek word houtō, meaning “in this way” or “in this manner.”

The word “thief” is from kleptēs. This is derived from the verb kleptō (from which we get our English word kleptomaniac, meaning someone who has an obsession with stealing things). Kleptē refers to someone who steals things, that is, “a thief.”

“Night” is translated from nux, which refers to the time period from sundown to sunrise.

 

Meaning Explained

In today’s verse we see a couple more reasons why the rapture (the Day of Jesus Christ) and the Day of the Lord are two distinctly different events. When Paul introduced the topic of the rapture back in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, he said “I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers,” meaning that they were ignorant of the facts surrounding the rapture. In yesterday’s verse he said, “you have no need that I should write to you,” and in today’s verse he completes that thought. The reason that they didn’t need additional information is because, “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night.”

Apparently, Paul had previously taught the Christians in Thessalonica the facts about the Day of the Lord. Since they had accurate knowledge about the Day of the Lord and were ignorant concerning the rapture, they must be two different things. One of the possible reasons for this is that the Old Testament has numerous references to the Day of the Lord, but there are no references to the rapture. Since the Old Testament is the only Scripture the Thessalonians had, they could only have learned about the Day of the Lord from it.

The other thing to note is how these two events occur. The rapture occurs with a loud proclamation and a trumpet blast. The Day of the Lord, on the other hand, comes like a thief in the night. A thief doesn’t announce himself and he doesn’t make a lot of noise; he comes quietly and secretly. In other words, the rapture will come with lots of noise, but the Day of the Lord will come quietly, like a thief.

 

Application

Christians, keep your ears open, listening for the shout and the trumpet blast. You’ll be gone when the Day of the Lord comes.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 2:9 – Hard Labor

Posted on by Will

For you recall, brothers, our labor and hard work; laboring night and day so that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.

Truth to Learn

Serving God sometimes requires hard work.

 

Behind the Words

“Labor” is translated from the Greek word kopos, which literally means “to strike or hit something.” Throughout the New Testament it is used figuratively to refer to “wearisome effort, or labor.”

The words “hard work” are from mochthos, which refers to “difficult labor.” It refers to a type of work which is greater in effort and difficulty than kopos; that is, the kind of work which produces fatigue because of how hard the work is.

“Laboring” is translated from ergadzomai, which is based on ergon, meaning “work.” Ergadzomai is a generic term for work or labor of any kind.

Nux is the Greek word for “night” and hemera is the Greek word for “day.” They are both expressed in the genitive case, so we could translate this as “by night and by day.” The implication is that they started their ministry early in the morning (probably before dawn) and worked until after dark.

The word “burden” is translated from epibareō, which is made up of epi, meaning “on” or “upon” and the verb bareō (from baros, meaning “a weight” or “a burden”). Thus, we see that epibareō means “to lay a heavy burden on someone” or “to be burdensome to others.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous two verses Paul told the Christians in the church in Thessalonica that he and his companions nurtured and cared for the people there like loving parents care for their dearly beloved children. He is telling them now how hard they worked for the sake of these young Christians. They put a lot of effort into not being burdensome to the church in Thessalonica. In his later letter to the Thessalonians, Paul explained this further, saying:

nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with labor and hard working night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves a model for you, so that you would follow our example. (2 Thessalonians 3:8-9)

We learn from Paul’s letter to the Philippians that they provided financial support to Paul and his co-workers while they were in Thessalonica.

… no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone. For even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my necessities. (Philippians 4:15b-16)

We also know from Acts 18:3 that Paul worked as a tentmaker while he was in Corinth. It is quite likely that he also performed that trade while in Thessalonica to help cover some of his financial needs.

 

Application

Serving God is hard work and it sometimes requires hard work not directly related to our ministry. When you stand before God, will He be pleased with how hard you worked to serve Him? We can all learn a lesson from Paul’s efforts.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 5:5 – Spiritual Enlightenment

Posted on by Will

You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

Truth to Learn

Christians have spiritual understanding given to us by the Holy Spirit.

Behind the Words

“You” is from humeis, the second person plural pronoun.

The word translated “sons” is huios, which means “a male descendant.” However, it is often used in the New Testament to refer to a child, male or female.

Pas is the root word translated here as “all.” It carries the idea of “oneness” or “the totality of something.” Therefore, pas refers to “all of something without anything being left out.”

“Light” is from the Greek word phōs (or phōtos), which is derived from the verb phaō, meaning “to shine” or “to make visible.” This, phōs refers to “that which shines” or “that which makes visible.” In other words, it refers to light. It is used both of physical light or spiritual light (enlightenment).

The word “day” is from the Greek word hēmera, which can refer to a complete twenty-four hour period or to that portion of the day in which the sun is shining (daytime).

Meaning Explained

In order to completely understand Paul’s teaching here we need to understand that Paul was brought up as a Hebrew. The Hebrew language, like most other languages, has idiomatic expressions that don’t always translate easily into other languages. For instance, the Hebrew expression “with four eyes,” as in “the two men met with four eyes,” means that the two men met face to face without anyone else present. Paul often uses such Hebrew idioms (called Hebraisms) in his writing, even though he is writing in Greek.

The expression in the previous verse, “you are not in darkness” is a Hebraism meaning “you are not ignorant, unaware, or unenlightened.” Likewise, the expression “sons of light” is a Hebraism meaning “children of God, the heavenly Father, who is light and in whom is no darkness at all.” Throughout the Bible, the metaphor of light (with respect to God) is a reference to His holiness, righteousness, and sinlessness. As His adopted children, we have been given the righteousness of Christ. In Genesis 15:6 we read that Abraham was credited with righteousness because of his faith. Similarly, a Christian, one who has faith in the saving blood of Christ, is seen by God as completely righteous. In God’s record book we are sinless, righteous, and holy. Hence, we are children of light.

And – because we are righteous children of light, our minds are illuminated by the Spirit of God so that we can understand spiritual things like God’s coming judgment of the world of sinners. “We are not of the night nor of darkness” is another Hebraism meaning that we are not ignorant sinners marching mindlessly towards God’s judgment and destruction.

Finally, note that Paul starts off this verse with “you,” speaking directly to those to whom he is teaching, but then says “we,” indicating that all Christians are in the same category.

Application

Unsaved people cannot understand the Bible because they are not spiritually enlightened like we are (see 1 Corinthians 2:10, 11). We, on the other hand, are taught by the Holy Spirit, and we can know future things as taught to us in Scripture.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 5:2 – Noisily Versus Quietly

Posted on by Will

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

Truth to Learn

The Day of the Lord will come quietly, the rapture noisily.

Behind the Words

“Know” is translated from the verb eidō, which refers to “seeing with perception and comprehension.” Thus, it takes on the meaning of “knowing” or “understanding.” In English someone might explain something and then say, “Do you see what I’m saying?” In such a case, they are not asking about vision but about understanding. This is the sense that eidō has in today’s verse.

The word translated “perfectly” is akribōs, which means “accurately” or “exactly.” It is not an expression about perfection, but of accuracy.

Hēmera is the word translated “day.” It can refer to a complete twenty-four hour period or, as in today’s verse, it can refer to the timeframe of a specific event.

The word “as” is from the Greek word houtō, meaning “in this way” or “in this manner.”

The word “thief” is from kleptēs. This is derived from the verb kleptō (from which we get our English word kleptomaniac, meaning someone who has an obsession with stealing things). Kleptē refers to someone who steals things, that is, “a thief.”

“Night” is translated from nux, which refers to the time period from sundown to sunrise.

Meaning Explained

In today’s verse we see a couple more reasons why the rapture (the Day of Jesus Christ) and the Day of the Lord are two distinctly different events. When Paul introduced the topic of the rapture back in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, he said “I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren,” meaning that they were ignorant of the facts surrounding the rapture. In yesterday’s verse he said, “you have no need that I should write to you,” and in today’s verse he completes that thought. The reason that they didn’t need additional information is because, “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.”

Apparently, Paul had previously taught the Christians in Thessalonica the facts about the Day of the Lord. Since they had accurate knowledge about the Day of the Lord and were ignorant concerning the rapture, they must be two different things. One of the possible reasons for this is that the Old Testament has numerous references to the Day of the Lord, but there are no references to the rapture. Since the Old Testament is the only Scripture the Thessalonians had, they could only have learned about the Day of the Lord from it.

The other thing to note is how these two events occur. The rapture occurs with a loud proclamation and a trumpet blast. The Day of the Lord, on the other hand, comes like a thief in the night. A thief doesn’t announce himself and he doesn’t make a lot of noise; he comes quietly and secretly. In other words, the rapture will come with lots of noise, but the Day of the Lord will come quietly, like a thief.

Application

Christians, keep your ears open, listening for the shout and the trumpet blast. You’ll be gone when the Day of the Lord comes.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 2:9 – Hard Labor

Posted on by Will

For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.

Truth to Learn

Serving God sometimes requires hard work.

Behind the Words

“Labor” is translated from the Greek word kopos, which literally means “to strike or hit something.” Throughout the New Testament it is used figuratively to refer to “wearisome effort, or labor.”

The word “toil” is from mochthos, which refers to “difficult labor.” It refers to a type of work which is greater in effort and difficulty than kopos; that is, the kind of work which produces fatigue because of how hard the work is.

“Laboring” is translated from ergadzomai, which is based on ergon, meaning “work.” Ergadzomai is a generic term for work or labor of any kind.

Nux is the Greek word for “night” and hemera is the Greek word for “day.” They are both expressed in the genitive case, so we could translate this as “by night and by day.” The implication is that they started their ministry early in the morning (probably before dawn) and worked until after dark.

The word “burden” is translated from epibareō, which is made up of epi, meaning “on” or “upon” and the verb bareō (from baros, meaning “a weight” or “a burden”). Thus, we see that epibareō means “to lay a heavy burden on someone” or “to be burdensome to others.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous two verses Paul told the Christians in the church in Thessalonica that he and his companions nurtured and cared for the people there like loving parents care for their dearly beloved children. He is telling them now how hard they worked for the sake of these young Christians. They put a lot of effort into not being burdensome to the church in Thessalonica. In his later letter to the Thessalonians, Paul explained this further, saying:

… nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. (2 Thessalonians 3:7b-9)

We learn from Paul’s letter to the Philippians that they provided financial support to Paul and his co-workers while they were in Thessalonica.

… no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. (Philippians 4:15b-16)

We also know from Acts 18:3 that Paul worked as a tentmaker while he was in Corinth. It is quite likely that he also performed that trade while in Thessalonica to help cover some of his financial needs.

Application

Serving God is hard work and it sometimes requires hard work not directly related to our ministry. When you stand before God, will He be pleased with how hard you worked to serve Him? We can all learn a lesson from Paul’s efforts.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved