SEV Biblia, Chapter 1:9
Porque ellos cuentan de nosotros cul entrada tuvimos a vosotros; y de qu manera fuisteis convertidos a Dios dejando los ídolos para servir al Dios vivo y verdadero.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Thessalonians 1:9
Verse 9. How ye turned to God from idols] This could not be spoken either of the Jews or of the devout persons, but of the heathen Greeks, and of such it appears that the majority of the Church was formed. See what is said on this subject in the preface to this epistle. To serve the living and true God] The living God; in opposition to the idols, which were either inanimate stocks or stones, or the representations of dead men.
The true God - In opposition to the whole system of idolatry, which was false in the objects of its adoration, false in its pretensions, false in its promises, and false in all its prospects.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 9. For they themselves show of us , etc.] Either the above reports of the preaching of the Gospel to the Thessalonians, and of their faith in God; or rather the persons to whom these reports were brought, openly and publicly, and largely declared concerning the apostles, what manner of entering in we had unto you ; under what difficulties they laboured, what contention they had with the unbelieving Jews, what reproaches were cast upon them, and what persecutions they endured when they first entered their city and synagogue, and preached the Gospel to them; and in what manner they did preach it, with what boldness, sincerity, uprightness and affection, and without flattery, covetousness, and vain glory; and with what power it came to them, and what success attended it, and how readily, cheerfully, and reverently both they and that were received by them: and how ye turned to God from idols ; immediately and at once, upon the preaching of the Gospel to them, being first turned by the powerful and efficacious grace of God; for the first work of conversion is God's work; then they themselves, under the influence of the same grace, turned to the one God, from their internal idols, their sins and lusts, and from their external idols, their many false and fictitious deities: for the Thessalonians before the Gospel came among them were idolaters; here the Dii Cabiri, the great and chief gods of the Gentiles, were worshipped; as Jupiter and Bacchus, Ceres and Proserpina, Pluto and Mercury, Castor and Pollux, and Esculapius; these the Macedonians, and particularly the Thessalonians, worshipped with great devotion and reverence f4 : but now they turned from them and forsook them, to serve the living and true God ; who is called the living God, because he has life in and of himself, and is the fountain of life to others; from whom all living creatures have their life, and are supported in it by him; and in opposition to the above idols, which were inanimate things made of wood or metal, and were images of men that had been dead long ago: and the true God, because he is truth itself, and cannot lie, who faithfully performs all his promises, and is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth; and in opposition to the nominal and fictitious deities of the Gentiles, which were only in name, not in truth and reality, or by nature gods: now though these Thessalonians had before done service to these idols, they now turned from them to serve the one living and true God; not only externally, by embracing and professing his Gospel, submitting to his ordinances, and walking according to the rules prescribed by him; but also internally, in the exercise of faith, hope, love, and every other grace.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 6-10 - When careless, ignorant, and immoral persons are turned from their carnal pursuits and connexions, to believe in and obey the Lord Jesus to live soberly, righteously, and godly, the matter speaks for itself The believers under the Old Testament waited for the coming of the Messiah, and believers now wait for his second coming. He is yet to come. And God had raised him from the dead, which is a full assuranc unto all men that he will come to judgment. He came to purchase salvation, and will, when he comes again, bring salvation with him full and final deliverance from that wrath which is yet to come. Le all, without delay, flee from the wrath to come, and seek refuge in Christ and his salvation __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
αυτοι 846 γαρ 1063 περι 4012 ημων 2257 απαγγελλουσιν 518 5719 οποιαν 3697 εισοδον 1529 {1: εχομεν 2192 5719 } {2: εσχομεν 2192 5627 } προς 4314 υμας 5209 και 2532 πως 4459 επεστρεψατε 1994 5656 προς 4314 τον 3588 θεον 2316 απο 575 των 3588 ειδωλων 1497 δουλευειν 1398 5721 θεω 2316 ζωντι 2198 5723 και 2532 αληθινω 228
Vincent's NT Word Studies
9. They themselves shew (autoi apaggellousin). They themselves in contrast with we, ver. 8. We need not speak of anything: they themselves volunteer testimony to your faith. Shew, more correctly announce or report. 13 Entering in (eisodon). Comp. ch. ii. 1. The thought of ver. 5 is resumed. The repetition of the word in ch. ii. 1, and of in vain in ch. iii. 5, may point to expressions in a letter of the Thessalonians.
Unto you (prov). The preposition combines with the sense of direction that of relation and intercourse. Comp. Matt. xiii. 56; Mark ix. 16; John i. 1; Acts iii. 25; Col. iv. 5; Heb. ix. 20.
Ye turned unto God (epestreyate prov ton Qeon). Comp. Acts xiv. 15. The exact phrase only here. The verb is common in LXX, with both kurion Lord and qeon God.
Idols. See on 1 Cor. viii. 3. The word would indicate that the majority of the converts were heathen and not Jews.
Living and true (zwnti kai alhqinw). The only instance in N.T. of this collocation. It does not occur in O.T. For ajlhqinov genuine, see on John i. 9; iv. 37; vii. 28. Mostly in the Johannine writings.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
1:9 {They themselves} (autoi). The men of Macedonia, voluntarily. {Report} (apaggellousin). Linear present active indicative, keep on reporting. {What manner of entering in} (hopoian eisodon). What sort of entrance, qualitative relative in an indirect question. {We had} (escomen). Second aorist active (ingressive) indicative of the common verb ecw. {And how} (kai pws). Here the interrogative adverb pws in this part of the indirect question. this part about "them" (you) as the first part about Paul. The verb epistrefw is an old verb for turning and is common in the Acts for Gentiles turning to God, as here from idols, though not by Paul again in this sense. In #Ga 4:9 Paul uses it for turning to the weak and beggarly elements of Judaism. {From idols} (apo twn eidolwn). Old word from eidos (figure) for image or likeness and qen for the image of a heathen god (our _idol_). Common in the LXX in this sense. In #Ac 14:15 Paul at Lystra urged the people {to turn from these vain things to the living God} (apo toutwn twn mataiwn epistrefein epi qeon zwnta), using the same verb epistrefein. Here also Paul has a like idea, {to serve a living and true God} (douleuein qewi zwnti kai aleqinwi). No article, it is true, but should be translated "the living and true God" (cf. #Ac 14:15). Not "dead" like the idols from which they turned, but alive and genuine (aleqinos, not aleqes).
