C3
Verses Where the Divine Name Does Not Appear as Part of Direct or Indirect Quotations in the Book of 2 Thessalonians
2 THESSALONIANS 2:2 “the day of Jehovah”
Kingdom Interlinear: “the day of the Lord”
REASON(S) FOR RESTORING THE DIVINE NAME: See comment on 1 Thessalonians 5:2.
SUPPORT:
The reference work Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, 1991, (Vol. 2, pp. 329-330) lists 2 Thessalonians 2:2 as a verse where Kyʹri·os is “used in the NT [New Testament] of Yahweh/God.”
See also supporting quotes in the comment on 1 Thessalonians 5:2.
SUPPORTING REFERENCES: J17, 18, 22, 23, 66, 94, 95, 100, 101, 125, 145, 147, 163, 310, 322
2 THESSALONIANS 2:13 “loved by Jehovah”
Kingdom Interlinear: “having been loved by Lord”
REASON(S) FOR RESTORING THE DIVINE NAME: Although some scholars favor the idea that the “Lord” referred to here is Jesus, there are strong reasons for believing that Jehovah God is meant. For example, at 1 Thessalonians 1:4, Paul uses the same form of the Greek verb a·ga·paʹo but in combination with the Greek word for “God” (“loved by God”). These expressions may echo similar ones found in the Hebrew Scriptures regarding Jehovah God’s love for his servants. For example, the same wording is used in available copies of the Septuagint at Deuteronomy 33:12 to render a Hebrew expression for “beloved one of Jehovah.” The expression “loved by Jehovah” may also echo the words of Deuteronomy 7:7, 8. Additionally, it is worth noting that the absence of the Greek definite article before the word for “Lord” (Kyʹri·os) suggests that Jehovah God is the one being referred to here.
SUPPORT:
Note what some reference works say regarding the Greek expression rendered “loved by Jehovah”:
“The phrase may be a reminiscence of Deut[eronomy] 33:12, but ‘the Lord’ would refer to Jesus, as it frequently does in Paul[’s letters] . . . However, two factors suggest that the reference here is to God. Verses 13-14 are in contrast to vv 11-12, and both sections have God’s action as their subject. Furthermore, the topic in both sections is faith and God’s action in relation to it.”—The Anchor Yale Bible—The Letters to the Thessalonians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, by Abraham J. Malherbe, 2000, Vol. 32B, page 436.
A handbook for Bible translators says regarding “Lord” in this verse: “May refer to God or to Christ.” But then the handbook goes on to say: “One may be justified in understanding ‘Lord’ as referring to God.”—A Handbook on Paul’s Letters to the Thessalonians, by Paul Ellingworth and Eugene A. Nida, 1976, page 182.
“In the opening thanksgiving of the first letter [1 Thessalonians 1:4, Paul] echoed language from Deuteronomy 7:7-8 regarding Israel’s constitution as Yahweh’s people (‘loved by God/chosen’). Here the same reality is expressed in terms of ‘loved by the Lord,’ which is the precise language of the Septuagint found in the blessing of Benjamin in Deuteronomy 33:12.” A footnote on 2 Thessalonians 2:13 in this work says: “The same phrase in 1 Thess[alonians] 1:4, where God (θεός) is the one who loves (ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ).”—The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians, by Gordon D. Fee, 2009, page 299.
SUPPORTING REFERENCES: J16, 24, 31-33, 48, 65, 90, 94, 106, 125, 163, 167
2 THESSALONIANS 3:1 “the word of Jehovah”
Kingdom Interlinear: “the word of the Lord”
REASON(S) FOR RESTORING THE DIVINE NAME: See comment on Acts 8:25.
SUPPORT:
The reference work Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, 1991, (Vol. 2, pp. 329-330) lists 2 Thessalonians 3:1 as a verse where Kyʹri·os is “used in the NT [New Testament] of Yahweh/God.”
See also comment on 1 Thessalonians 1:8.
SUPPORTING REFERENCES: J7, 8, 14, 16-18, 22, 23, 32, 65, 66, 94, 95, 100, 101, 106, 115, 125, 146, 163, 322-324