Paul considers himself to be like a father to the Christians of Corinth (see 1 Cor 4.15), a father who keeps a watchful eye on his daughter who has been promised in marriage.

Verse 2 is connected to the preceding verse in Greek with the word “for.” Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation leave this word untranslated, but translators in other languages may choose to translate this word, which expresses the reason for Paul’s wish and command in verse 1.

I feel a divine jealousy is literally “I have zeal [or, jealousy] with a zeal of God.” A formal equivalent for the English adjective divine may be very difficult to find in some languages. It may be more natural to be closer to the Greek in this case: “I am jealous for you, and this jealousy comes from God.” Others may reflect the fact that this “jealousy” is not to be understood in a negative sense, by saying “I love you as God loves you” or “I care deeply for you…” (Anchor Bible). The word jealousy in English is usually used for the strong, angry feelings of people who are worried that they will lose the affection of a spouse or of someone else whom they love. Therefore it will be important to use a term that is suitable for this context, namely, that of a parent, for example, who is deeply concerned for a betrothed child and is therefore constantly watchful, constantly protecting the child.

I betrothed you: New Revised Standard Version makes the meaning clearer and more natural English with “I promised you in marriage.” Or one may prefer “it was I who arranged for your engagement” (Barclay). In some languages it may be advisable to make the figurative character of this image more obvious in translation. Good News Translation does this by saying “you are like a pure virgin whom I have promised in marriage.” Or one may say “I see you as a young woman who has never known a man, and I have arranged for you to marry one man, that is, Christ.”

A pure bride is rendered in Revised English Bible as “a chaste virgin.”

The one husband, or “one man,” that is, Jesus Christ. Compare 1 Cor 7.2, where Paul indicates that “each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .