Paul completes his argument with two more rhetorical questions. The first can be expressed as a statement, “If you do this, it can only be because you are trying to arouse Christ’s (or, the Lord’s) righteous anger.”

Provoke the Lord to jealousy is a common translation of a verb that in Deut 32.16 is used to express the thought of making God angry, provoking him, or making him bitter or jealous. Jealousy in such a context implies resentment against those who do not give God the total loyalty that they have promised in the covenant. It is stronger than mere “envy” of another individual. Revised English Bible has “Are we to provoke the Lord?” We can expand Revised English Bible a little to “Are we to provoke the Lord without his punishing us?”

The verb translated provoke … to jealousy may be understood as a future indicative, “shall we…?” or as a present subjunctive, “are we to…?” There is little difference in meaning. Since the following verb is in the present tense, the present subjunctive is slightly more likely.

In verse 22b Good News Bible rightly adds “Do we think that” to bring out the meaning “do we think that we are strong enough to defy the Lord without being punished?”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, 2nd edition. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1985/1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .