Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
They themselves (autoi). The men of Macedonia, voluntarily.
Report (apaggellousin). Linear present active indicative, keep on reporting.
What manner of entering in (opoian eisodon). What sort of entrance, qualitative relative in an indirect question.
We had (esxomen). Second aorist active (ingressive) indicative of the common verb exw.
And how (kai pwv). Here the interrogative adverb pwv 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 Galatians 4:9 Paul uses it for turning to the weak and beggarly elements of Judaism.
From idols (apo twn eidolwn). Old word from eidov (figure) for image or likeness and then for the image of a heathen god (our idol). Common in the LXX in this sense. In Acts 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 qew zwnti kai alhqinw). No article, it is true, but should be translated "the living and true God" (cf. Acts 14:15). Not "dead" like the idols from which they turned, but alive and genuine (alhqinov, not alhqhv).
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing 1 Thessalonians 1:9:
Acts 11:21
Acts 13:24
Acts 14:15
Acts 17:4
1 Corinthians 8:4
Galatians 2:6
1 Thessalonians 2:1
Hebrews 6:1
2 Peter 1:11
1 John 5:21
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