the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
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King James Version
1 Thessalonians 2:17
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But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while—in person, not in spirit—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.
But we, brothers, having been taken away from you for a short while—in face but not in heart—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.
But, just because we've been separated physically (not spiritually), that doesn't mean we don't hanker to return and ride in glory with y'all again.
But we, my brothers, being away from you for a short time, in body but not in heart, had all the more desire to see your face;
But we, brethren, having been bereaved of you and separated for a little moment in person, not in heart, have used more abundant diligence to see your face with much desire;
But as for us, brothers, after we were forced to leave you for a short time (in person, not in heart), we greatly desired and made every effort to return and see you face to face.
But we, brothers, being bereaved of you for a short season, in presence, not in heart, tried even harder to see your face with great desire,
But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time, in presence, not in heart, laboured with great desire the more abundantly to see your face.
But we, brethren, having been for a short time separated from you in bodily presence, though not in heart, endeavoured all the more earnestly, with intense longing, to see you face to face.
But wee, brethren, beeing taken from you for a short time, in presence, not in heart, endeuored the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.
But, brothers, we being taken away from you for an hour's time, in presence, not in heart, we were much more eager with much desire to see your face.
But we (brethren) for as moch as we haue bene kepte from you for a season, as concernynge the bodely presence, but not in the hert, we haue haisted the more with greate desyre to se you personally.
As for me, my brethren, having been so abruptly separated from you, in person, tho' not in affection, I have the more ardently endeavour'd to see you again.
Do you have any idea how very homesick we became for you, dear friends? Even though it hadn't been that long and it was only our bodies that were separated from you, not our hearts, we tried our very best to get back to see you. You can't imagine how much we missed you! I, Paul, tried over and over to get back, but Satan stymied us each time. Who do you think we're going to be proud of when our Master Jesus appears if it's not you? You're our pride and joy!
But since we were taken away from you, believers, for a little while—in person, but not in heart—we endeavored, with great longing to see you face to face.
But we, brethren, being bereaved of you for a short season, in presence not in heart, endeavored the more exceedingly to see your face with great desire:
But since we were bereft of you, brethren, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face;
For as moch brethren as we are kept from you for a season as concernynge the bodyly presence but not in the herte we enforsed the more to se you personally with great desire.
But we, brothers, being bereaved of you for a short season, in presence not in heart, endeavored the more exceedingly to see your face with great desire:
But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.
And we, brethren, having been taken from you for the space of an hour -- in presence, not in heart -- did hasten the more abundantly to see your face in much desire,
Brothers and sisters, though we were separated from you for a short time, our thoughts were still with you. We wanted very much to see you and tried hard to do so.
But when we were separated from you, brothers and sisters, for a short time (in presence, not in affection) we became all the more fervent in our great desire to see you in person.
Brothers, although we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in heart), our desire to see you face to face was even more intense.
My friends, we were kept from coming to you for a while, but we never stopped thinking about you. We were eager to see you and tried our best to visit you in person.
And as for us, brothers, when we were deprived of your company for a short time — in person, but not in thought — we missed you and tried hard to come and see you.
But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face,
For asmuch, brethren, as we were kept from you for a season, concerning sight, but not in the heart, we enforced the more to see your face with great desire.
But we, brethren, have been deprived of your affection for a little while, yet only in presence and not in heart, so we have with great love vigorously endeavored to see your faces.
But we, brothers, being bereaved of you for a short season, in presence, not in heart, tried even harder to see your face with great desire,
Brothers, although we have been separated from you for a little while - in person but not in heart - we desire with great eagerness to see you again face to face.1 Corinthians 5:3; Colossians 2:5; 1 Thessalonians 3:10;">[xr]
17 BUT we, my brethren, having been bereaved-ones of you the time of an hour, as to our presence, [fn] but not in our heart, have been the more solicitous to see your faces with great love,
But we, my brethren, have been bereaved of you for a short time, (in visible presence, not in our hearts,) and have the more exerted ourselves, to behold your faces, with great affection.
But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire.
Dear brothers and sisters, after we were separated from you for a little while (though our hearts never left you), we tried very hard to come back because of our intense longing to see you again.
Christian brothers, because we have not been able to be with you, our hearts have been with you. We have wanted very much to see you.
But we, brethren, being bereaved of you for a short season, in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more exceedingly to see your face with great desire:
As for us, brothers and sisters, when, for a short time, we were made orphans by being separated from you—in person, not in heart—we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face.
Now, we, brethren, having been bereaved away from you, for the season of an hour, - in presence, not in heart, gave more abundant diligence, your face, to behold, with much longing;
But we, brethren, being taken away from you for a short time, in sight, not in heart, have hastened the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.
But when we were made orphans by separation from you, brothers, for a short time (in face, not in heart), we were even more eager with great desire to see your face,
Forasmuch brethren, as we are kept from you for a short season, in person, not in heart, we enforced ye more to see you personally with great desire.
Brothers and sisters, we were separated from you for a short time. But even though we were not there, our thoughts were still with you. We wanted very much to see you, and we tried very hard to do this.
But we, brothers and sisters, having been orphaned from you by absence for a short while—in person, not in spirit—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.
As for us, friends, when we were separated from you for a little while—not in our thoughts, of course, but only in body—how we missed you and how hard we tried to see you again!
And, britheren, we desolat fro you for a tyme, bi mouth and in biholding, but not in herte, han hiyed more plenteuousli to se youre face with greet desir.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
in presence: 2 Kings 5:26, Acts 17:10, 1 Corinthians 5:3, Colossians 2:5
endeavoured: 1 Thessalonians 3:6, 1 Thessalonians 3:10, 1 Thessalonians 3:11, Genesis 31:30, Genesis 45:28, Genesis 48:11, 2 Samuel 13:39, Psalms 63:1, Luke 22:15, Romans 1:13, Romans 15:23, Philippians 1:22-26
Reciprocal: Acts 15:36 - and see Acts 21:1 - we were Romans 1:12 - that I may Romans 15:22 - I have Galatians 4:20 - to be 2 Timothy 1:4 - desiring
Cross-References
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
Gill's Notes on the Bible
But we, brethren, being taken from you,.... Here more properly should begin the third chapter, in which the apostle having before observed the manner of his entrance among these people, the nature of his ministry, the reception the word of God met with among them, and the powerful effect it had upon them, insomuch that they patiently and cheerfully bore persecution for the sake of it; he excuses his not having been with them again as yet, which he knew was proper and necessary, as he was their apostle and spiritual father; and expresses an affectionate concern at his parting with them in the manner he did, which was not his own choice and voluntary act, but was obliged to it, being hurried away at once, at an unawares in the night, by reason of the uproar made in the city by the baser sort of people, instigated by the unbelieving Jews; so that he and his fellow ministers had not the opportunity of taking their leave of them, as they would have done: hence he says,
we being taken from you; they were, as it were, passive in it; they were forced away on a sudden, they did not go of themselves; the word used is very uncommon and emphatical, and may be literally rendered, "we being orphanized from you"; which represents this parting to be like the separation made by death, between parents and children; when either parents are deprived of their children, or children of their parents, and are left orphans or fatherless; and just in such a destitute and desolate condition were the apostle and his companions in, in their account; nor need it to be wondered at, when they are before compared to a nursing mother and a tender father, as they were to these their spiritual children: and he further observes, that this removal from them, was
for a short time, or "for the time of an hour"; which may either denote the suddenness of it, being as it were at an hour's warning, having no more notice of it than for the space of an hour; or it may express the great affection he and his fellow ministers had for them, insomuch that they could not bear an absence from them, though but for an hour; or it may be said by way of comfort, that this parting was but for a short time, and that in a little while they might hope to see them again; and if not in this life, yet in the future state, when they should meet and never part more, and which would be but in a short time at longest: moreover, this separation was only
in presence; in person, in face, in sight, in body, it was but a corporeal one: not in heart; the apostle's heart was with them, as much as if present; they were always in his mind, and remembered by him, at the throne; he had as it were the images of them continually before him, as parents have of their children when at a distance from them; his heart was after them, and his affections moved strongly towards them: and the effect this distance had on him, and those that were with him, was this, that they
endeavoured the more abundantly, he observes,
to see your face with great desire; it made them but the more desirous of seeing them face to face again, and put them upon attempting with more abundant earnestness and diligence to come and see them.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
But we, brethren, being taken from you - There is more implied in the Greek word here rendered, âbeing taken from you â - αÌÏοÏÏανιÏθεÌνÏÎµÏ aporphanisthentes - than appears from our translation. It properly has relation to the condition of an orphan (compare notes on John 14:18), or one who is bereaved of parents, or one who is bereaved of parents}. Then it is used in a more general sense, denoting to be bereaved of; and in this place it does not mean merely that he was âtaken from them,â but there is included the idea that it was like a painful bereavement. It was such a state as that of one who had lost a parent. No word, perhaps, could have expressed stranger attachment for them.
For a short time - Greek, âFor the time of an hour;â that is, for a brief period. The meaning is, that when he left them he supposed it would be only for a short time. The fact seems to have been Acts 17:10, that it was supposed, when Paul was sent to Berea, that things would soon be in such a state that he could safely return to Thessalonica. He was âsentâ there by those who thought it was necessary for the safety of some of his friends at Thessalonica, and he evidently purposed to return as soon as it could properly be done. It had, in fact, however, turned out to be a long and painful absence.
In presence, not in heart - My heart was still with you. This is an elegant and touching expression, which we still use to denote affection for an absent friend.
Endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face - Made every endeavor possible. It was from no want of affection that I have not done it, but from causes beyond my control.
With great desire - Compare the notes at Luke 22:15.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 17. Being taken from you for a short time — Through the persecution raised by the Jews, see Acts xvii., he was obliged to leave Thessalonica, and yield to a storm that it would have been useless for him to have withstood.
Being taken from you - in presence, not in heart — The apostle had compared himself to a parent or nurse, 1 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 Thessalonians 2:11; and the people he considered as his most beloved children; here he represents himself as feeling what an affectionate father must feel when torn from his children; for this is the import of the word αÏοÏÏανιÏθενÏεÏ, bereft of children, which we tamely translate being taken from you.
Endeavoured the more abundantly — His separation from them did not destroy his parental feelings, and the manner in which he was obliged to leave them increased his desire to visit them as soon as possible.
