The first words repeat the opening sentence of verse 12b, but Paul is once more speaking in his name alone.

Made … use of: this is the same verb that Paul used in 12b.

Rights is implicit in the Greek text, though it is expressed in verse 12. In this verse the Greek has simply “none of these things.”

Nor am I writing: the Greek is literally “neither have I written,” but this does not mean that Paul is referring to an earlier letter. It was normal in Greek to refer in the past tense to a letter (in this case 1 Corinthians) which, from the readers’ point of view, would have been written in the past. The natural English equivalent is “I am writing,” and Good News Bible emphasizes this fact by adding “now.” However, translators should carefully consider how they use verb tenses and other grammatical devices in letter writing. These may be quite different from English.

This is literally “these things,” probably meaning not the whole letter, but the argument of chapter 9.

The phrase to secure any such provision is more tactful than Good News Bible‘s “in order to claim such rights myself.” Revised Standard Version‘s rendering reflects the Greek more closely. Barrett’s translation, “in order that in my case things may be done in this way,” gives the flavor of the Greek but expands it a little. All three of these translations are possible, though Good News Bible and Barrett have better English style.

The rest of the second sentence is violently broken off. It is literally “for it is good for me rather to die than—no one will empty my boasting.” Some manuscripts and almost all translations attempt to make the break less abrupt in some way. Such broken sentences probably reflect Paul’s great emotion and are quite common in his writings.

In the literal translation above there is a great deal of overlap between “good” and “rather,” and these may be combined. The clause I would rather die may be expressed as “It would be better for me to die than do this.” Any one does not refer to any particular person or group. And Paul is not suggesting that anyone was trying to make him accept payment. In many languages this will be translated in a similar way to Good News Bible as “There is no person who….”

Deprive me of my ground for boasting can be translated as “take away my reason for boasting.” This is almost the last time in the letter that Paul develops the theme of boasting, expressed as a contrast between the Corinthians wrong boasting (5.6) and the right kind of “boasting” in the Lord (1.31). In the present context this theme is closely linked with the idea of reward mentioned in verses 17-18 (see the comments on verse 12b). From a human point of view Paul has a right to boast, for he has not accepted payment for his work as an apostle.

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 .