Reference to a mirror may suggest to readers a modern mirror made with glass and mercury. Ancient mirrors, however, were made of polished metal and therefore gave a generally less clear reflection, as the contrast shows.

See implies seeing God. The phrase face to face is not found elsewhere in the New Testament, but its meaning is plain. Num 12.8 similarly refers to God and Moses speaking “mouth to mouth.” Languages will have differing ways of expressing face to face; for example, “eyes to eyes.”

The Greek verbs translated know and understand fully are related, the second being a stronger form than the first, as fully shows. I have been fully understood refers to the activity of God, and in many languages will be expressed as “even as God fully understands me” or “as complete as the way that God understands me.” In some languages it will be more natural to provide an object for the verbs know and understand. In that case “I know God incompletely; then I shall understand him fully” is probably the best solution.

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 .