One of the most striking features of this passage is the way Paul breaks into his series of first-person plural pronouns (we
) with the first-person singular pronouns (I
)—I, Paul.
I have taken the position that Paul’s use of we
is literary and rhetorical, rather than being an indication that Silvanus and Timothy should be understood as co-authors of the letter. This means that the statement we wanted (decided) to come to you
is an expression of Paul’s own decision as much as the statement certainly I, Paul, did.
However, the latter form of expression, using as it does the first-person singular, reminds the Thessalonians of Paul’s very personal involvement in the matter. This emphasis is reinforced by Paul’s use of his own name (very unusual in the body of his letters outside of the greetings, in 2 Corinthians 10:1; 2 Corinthians 10:1; Ephesians 3:1; Colossians 1:23 and Philemon 1:9), and the use of the Greek particle μέν/men (translated as certainly
in the NIV). This phrase thus heightens the emotion of the passage and intensifies the sense of Paul’s personal involvement with the Thessalonians.1,2
18 because we wanted to come to you I, Paul, again and again but Satan hindered us.