14:4a

Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?: This is a rhetorical question. It rebukes any believer who considers another believer to be bad because that believer does something that this believer does not do. It implies that the person this question is addressed to does not have the authority to judge the other believer. Here are some other ways to translate this:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Why do you think that you are someone with the authority to judge someone else’s servant?
-or-
What right do you have to consider someone else’s servant as a bad person?

• As a statement. For example:

You do not have the authority to judge someone else’s servant!
-or-
You have no right to consider someone else’s servant as a bad person.

• As a command. For example:

Do not think that you have the authority to judge someone else’s servant!
-or-
Do not think that you have a right to consider someone else’s servant as a bad person.

you: This word is emphatic in the Greek. It emphasizes that the person does not have that right, only God does. For example:

As for you, who are you…

to judge: See how you translated this phrase in 14:3b.

someone else’s servant: It was well known that only the master had any authority over a servant. Here someone else refers to the Lord (14:4). A fellow believer is the Lord’s servant. If that is not clear in a literal translation, you may want to explain this in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:

Here the phrase “someone else” refers to the Lord (14:4).

servant: The Greek word here refers to a servant whom the master considers to be one of the household. A slave was not usually considered one of the household. Your language may have a word for this special kind of servant.

14:4b

To his own master he stands or falls: The phrase To his own master is emphasized by being first in the clause. Some languages can emphasize this phrase in the same way as the Greek. For example:

before his own master he stands or falls

But some languages cannot move this phrase to the front of the clause. If that is true in your language, if possible, emphasize the clause in a natural way. For example:

If he stands or falls, it is to his own master
-or-
he stands or falls indeed only to his own master

master: The Greek word here is usually translated “lord.” It refers to someone who has authority over someone else, like a ruler or the leader of the family living in that house.

Paul here was referring generally to masters and servants. He explained in particular who he was referring to in 14:4d, so you should not need to explain it here.

he stands or falls: Here the word stands is a figure of speech that refers to the master saying the servant has done right. Here the word falls is a figure of speech that refers to the master saying the servant has done wrong.

In some languages a literal translation would not have the correct meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Translate the meaning without the figures of speech. For example:

he is told he has done right or not
-or-
his master says that he has done right or he has done wrong

• Translate literally and explain it in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:

Here the word “stands” refers to the master saying that the servant has done right and the word “falls” refers to the master saying that the servant has done wrong.

14:4c

And he will stand: In Greek, this clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

⌊his master⌋ will uphold him
-or-

⌊the Lord⌋ will uphold him

will: It is not clear when in the future the Lord would uphold his servant. It could be at some time in the life of the servant on earth, or it could be when God judges believers in the great judgment. Use the grammar in your language that indicates generally a future time.

stand: Here this phrase refers to indicating that someone is accepted or approved. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

what he is doing will of course be approved as right
-or-
be established ⌊as approved⌋

14:4d

the Lord:
See how you translated the word Lord in 1:4 or 13:14. It is not clear whether it refers to God or Jesus here. It probably refers to Jesus, since God is mentioned in 14:3 using the Greek word for God.

to make him stand: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to make…stand is the same word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “stand” in 14:4c. You should translate it similarly to how you translated it there. For example:

to approve as right what he is doing
-or-
to establish ⌊as approved⌋

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