1:16a

But: This Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But shows contrast. Paul was contrasting what he had done with the merciful way that Christ had treated him. He was the worst sinner, but Christ had mercy on him.

for this very reason: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for this very reason literally means “because of this.” Scholars understand the word “this” in two ways:

(1) The word “this” refers to God’s purpose, as stated in 1:16b–d. For example,

I was mercifully dealt with for this very purpose, that Jesus Christ… (Revised English Bible)
-or-
but God was merciful to me in order that Christ Jesus… (Good News Translation)

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), New Century Version, God’s Word)

(2) The word “this” refers back to the fact that Paul was the worst of sinners, as stated in 1:15c–d. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

since I was worse than anyone else, God had mercy on me…

(Contemporary English Version, New International Version (2011 Revision), New Revised Standard Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

Several English versions are ambiguous. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

In some languages it may be difficult to use a phrase like “because of this” to refer to God’s purpose, which has not yet been stated. Consider how to introduce the purpose in a natural way in your language. It is also possible to leave the phrase “because of this” implicit, as the Good News Translation, New Century Version, and God’s Word have done.

I was shown mercy: The Greek text does not state who was merciful to Paul. There are two possibilities:

(1) Christ

(2) God the Father (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

Most translations do not say who showed mercy to Paul. If possible you also should leave this ambiguous and say something like “I received mercy.” But in some languages it may be necessary to state who showed Paul mercy. In 1:16b, Paul said that it was Christ who showed patience toward him. Therefore, he was probably also referring to Christ here.

mercy: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as mercy also refers to God’s kindness and compassion toward people. But mercy emphasizes that God is kind and does not punish someone who deserves it.

1:16b

so that: This is the Greek word hina. These words introduce a purpose clause. Paul had been shown mercy in order that he could be an example of the way that Christ forgives people. As stated above, the words “for that very reason” in 1:16a emphasize that purpose.

in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His perfect patience: Paul expressed this as a purpose for which Christ Jesus had shown him mercy. That is, Christ wanted Paul to be an example to other people and show them that Christ forgives even the greatest sinner if he repents. For that reason Christ showed Paul mercy.

in me: When Paul said that Christ was going to display his patience in me, he meant “in my case,” or “in the way that he treated me.”

the worst of sinners: See the note on “I am the worst” in 1:15d. Use the same expression here.

display: That is, “show” or “demonstrate.”

His perfect patience: When Paul said that Christ showed perfect patience toward him, he probably meant that he had not punished Paul as soon as he sinned. Instead, he waited for him to repent (see 2 Peter 3:9).

perfect: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as perfect literally means “all.” In this context it can mean “perfect,” “utmost,” “full,” and “endless.” Paul used this word to show that he was amazed at how patient Christ was with him.

patience: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as patience describes a person who is able to endure something unpleasant without complaining. Here Paul was referring to Christ’s patience with him even though he was “the worst of sinners.”

1:16c

as an example: Christ wanted people to understand that he would be patient with them in the same way. The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as example also occurs in 2 Timothy 1:13, where the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “pattern.” For that reason Christ was patient with Paul.

to those who would believe in Him: Paul was referring to those people who would believe in Christ in the future.

believe in: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as believe literally means “to have faith in.” It implies that the believer does not just know some facts about Christ. A person who believes in Christ believes that Christ is able and willing to do the things that he has promised to do.

1:16d

for eternal life: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for eternal life has no verb. If you need a verb in your language, you could say, “to receive eternal life.” The meaning is that 1:16d is the result of 1:16c. People receive eternal life because they have believed in Christ.

In some languages, it is not possible to use a verb like “receive” with an object that cannot be touched, like “hope,” “joy,” “love,” or “eternal life.” In languages like that, it may be possible to say:

God will give them eternal life.
-or-
God will cause them to live forever.

In other languages it may be enough to say:

they will live forever

eternal life: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as eternal life means life that never ends. However, it does not refer to physical life. Rather, it refers to a quality of life that believers experience now, before they die, (For example, in John 3:36, Jesus says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life….” He uses the present tense “has,” not the future “will have.”) and that they will experience more fully after they die.

© 2003 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.