Not at all translates an emphatic Greek negative expression. Good News Bible‘s “not” is perhaps too weak. The following words make it clear that Paul was not recommending that the Corinthian Christians separate themselves from all evildoers, for this would be impossible. Bible en français courant has “I was not thinking, in a general way, of all those who in this world are immoral”; New Jerusalem Bible says “I was not including everybody in this present world who is sexually immoral.” One way to show the correct emphasis is to say “I certainly did not mean….”

Revised Standard Version‘s literal translation of the Greek shows that the word for world occurs twice. The context shows that the first occurrence is negative and the second neutral. Good News Bible brings out the difference by translating the first occurrence as “pagans” (but the Greek is not the normal word for “pagans,” and Revised English Bible translates “people in general”) and by adding “completely” to the second. Revised Standard Version obscures the difference by adding this in each case; New Revised Standard Version omits the second this, suggesting the same interpretation as Good News Bible. Translators should keep the play on the two senses of world if this is possible and natural in their language; otherwise they may consider Good News Bible‘s example.

The words following immoral contain one of many lists of vices that are found in the New Testament and other ancient Greek and Jewish writings. This list parallels the one in 1 Cor 6.9-10, and translators should check that their translation in these two passages is consistent.

Immoral, as in verse 9, means “sexually immoral” and, like the following sins, includes both men and women.

Greedy means “wanting more than one has.” This is an attitude so contrary to Christian love that Paul does not only link it with idolatry (as here), but also describes it as a form of idolatry (Col 3.5; compare Matt 6.24, where the language is different).

Robbers: the idea of taking someone else’s property by force is the dominant one here.

Good News Bible‘s “To avoid them” is implicit in the Greek. It may be added by translators to make the meaning clear.

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 .