Another Look at 4Q416 2 ii.21, a Critical Parallel to First Thessalonians 4:4

With the help of fresh evidence from several extrabiblical sources, Smith reexamines 4Q416 2ii.21 and suggests that it supports the view that in 1 Thessalonians 4:4 Paul uses a euphemism for the sexual organs. This, in turn, suggests that Paul is urging sexual restraint, not the acquisition of a wife or some particular behavior within an existing marriage.