Whether Paul is using the word nursing mother
in the sense of a person (nurse
) caring for children or a wet nurse, he is drawing attention to the loving, caring, nurturing role of the nurse. This is emphasized by the way he describes those for whom she cared. They are her own children, implying that she is not just their nurse—valuable as that would be—but also their mother. Paul’s logic seems to be: if a nurse knows how to love and cherish children who are not her own, how much more will she care for her own offspring?1 In 1 Thessalonians 2:8, he applies the picture to himself in order to explain certain aspects of his conduct while among the Thessalonians. This results in a moving description of his relationship with the new believers.
7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.