1 Thessalonians 4:13 New English Translation

The Lord Returns for Believers

¹³Now we do not want you to be uninformed,^[a] brothers and sisters,^[b] about those who are asleep,^[c] so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope.

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Footnotes

1 Thessalonians 4:13 tn Grk “ignorant.”
1 Thessalonians 4:13 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 tc Most witnesses have the perfect participle κεκοιμημένων here (“who have fallen asleep” [D (F G) Ψ 1241 1505 1881 2464 M al]), but the present participle κοιμωμένων (“who are asleep”) is better supported by early and significant mss (א A B 0278 33 81 1175 1739 al) and should be considered the Ausgangstext. 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.

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