Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 7:16:

• Uma: “For we don’t know: maybe you (sing.) woman who bring your (sing.) husband to believe in the Lord, or you (sing.) man will bring your (sing.) wife to believe in the Lord.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
• Yakan: “And you cannot be certain that the husband can yet be influenced/carried-along to trust in Isa Almasi by his believing wife, or the wife by her believing husband so that he/she will be saved.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
• Western Bukidnon Manobo: “We must allow that our spouse who is not a believer divorce us because even if we do not permit it, we cannot also know if by means of us, that person will believe in the Lord or not.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
• Kankanaey: “Because you (sing.) who believe, you (sing.) don’t know whether you (sing.) will persuade your (sing.) spouse to be saved or not.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
• Tagbanwa: “For if the marriage is not broken, because his/her spouse is a believer, maybe that will lead this one who is still an unbeliever to believe so that he/she can be saved.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
• Tenango Otomi: “And now, the same for men and for women, who are believers, if they are married with people who are not believers, perhaps they will be able to cause that the person’s soul who is not a believer will be saved.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
• Dutch NBV21: “Who knows, you might save your husband! And who knows, you might save your wife!” Marijke de Lang explains (click or tap here to see)

  In its translation of this verse NBV differs considerably from many other translations, even in its content. Throughout ch. 7 Paul gives various directions to (hose in (he community who are married, unmarried, and widowed. Many Corinthians who converted to Christianity were married to a partner who had not done so. In these verses Paul encourages them to remain with their nonbelieving partners and not to divorce them. Even if the partner had not yet converted there was no reason to separate, says Paul. This is because, as he reasons in v. 14, the nonbelieving partner is “sanctified” through marriage. In 7.15 Paul says that if, however, the nonbelieving partner wants a divorce, the believer should accept his or her wishes.

  The interpretation of vv. 15b-16 is of crucial importance to the tenor of the entire section. V. 15b reads in Greek, en de eirēnē kekleken humas ho theos. The particle de can have either a copulative sense, “and,” or adversative, “but” This means that one can translate either as “and God has called you to live in peace.” or as “but God has called you to live in peace.” Then v. 16 reads literally “what do you know, woman, if you will save your husband?” And “what do you know, man, if you will save your wife?” These questions can be explained in two ways. We can explain it negatively as “How do you know’ that … ?”, or positively as “For all you know, you may … !” In short, from v. 15b onwards there are two interpretive options. One option is that Paul continues to elaborate the sentence “(hen that must happen.” He resigns himself to couples divorcing because the believer cannot know in any case whether he or she will save the nonbelieving spouse. Today’s English Version has chosen this option.

  However, NBV translators have chosen differently, and emphasized the adversative sense of the Greek particle de. They have given a positive interpretation of v. 16. The reasoning behind this decision is as follows: in 7.12-13 Paul says one should not divorce an unbelieving partner if that is not what the partner wishes. In 7.14 the reason for this is given: namely, the nonbelieving partner and any children arc sanctified through the believing spouse. In 7.15a Paul says it is a different matter if the divorce is instigated by the unbelieving partner. In such a case the believer will have to accept the spouse’s decision. But in 7.15b-16 he again says that the believer should not give in too readily, since he or she is called to live in peace. To put it another way, the very fact that the nonbelieving partner is sanctified by marriage is already a form of salvation.

  Moreover, the positive interpretation can also be carried through into 7.17-24. Here Paul maintains that the new situation in which converts find themselves need not necessarily lead to all sorts of enforced changes. People are called by God within a certain situation and it is in that situation that they must live out their Christian vocation. A slave should not suddenly try to free himself from his master. A man who is circumcised should not think of having an operation to reverse that circumcision. Would Paul suddenly have a different opinion in the case of marriage between a believer and unbeliever? No. (Source: The Bible Translator 2003, p. 424ff. )