Paragraph 14:5–9

14:5a–c

One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind: Paul wrote here about believers. At least, the command, Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind (14:5c), is to believers. For example:

Some of the Lord’s followers think one day is more important than another. Others think all days are the same. But each of you should make up your own mind. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Some people think that a certain day is more important than other days, while others think that all days are the same. We each should firmly make up our own minds. (Good News Translation)

14:5a

regards: Here the Greek word refers to deciding that one thing is better than another. For example, some believers said that the Sabbath was more holy than the other days. Here are other ways to translate this word:

prefers
-or-
think…more important (Good News Translation)
-or-
considers…more sacred (New International Version)

14:5b

while: The Greek word here is usually translated “and” or “but.” The connection indicates that the two different things both occur. Use whatever is most natural in your language. For example:

and (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
but
-or-
Another person… (God’s Word)

considers every day alike: The Greek is literally “esteems every day.” This kind of believer believes each day is equally important.

14:5c

Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind: The Greek is a command to be fully convinced. For example:

Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
And they must make their thinking strong about these things.

In some languages it is not natural to command someone to think a certain way. In that case, use the words or grammar to indicate or imply a command here. For example:

Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind. (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Each person’s mind must/should be fully convinced.
-or-
So, each of them must be in the state of firmly believing that it is right for them to think like that.

be fully convinced in his own mind: Being convinced of something occurs in the mind. In some languages, it is more natural to not translate the phrase in his own mind. For example:

be fully convinced (New Living Translation (2004))

be fully convinced: This phrase means “completely sure about something.” Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

be absolutely sure
-or-
be certain

See how you translated “fully persuaded” in 4:21.

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