This verse forms a transition between the everyday examples of verse 7 and the argument from scripture in verse 9.

It is difficult to know where to place the question marks in this verse. Most translations take the second half of the verse to be a rhetorical question, since it is introduced by “or” in the Greek, a word that commonly introduces rhetorical questions.

It is not certain whether the first sentence is a rhetorical question or not. By New Testament times it is impossible to draw any firm conclusion from the fact that different Greek negatives are used in the two halves of the verse. Good News Bible, however, translates both parts of the verse as statements. Translators may do well to follow Good News Bible‘s lead here.

The words that Revised Standard Version translates on human authority mean “in a human way,” “from a human standpoint.” Good News Bible‘s “everyday examples” and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente‘s “examples from human experience” help to make a good contrast with the law in the second half of the verse. The law refers to the five books of the Law in the Old Testament, so Good News Bible capitalizes “the Law.” Some translations that do not use capitalization may need to say “law written by Moses.”

Some languages cannot talk about the Law as “speaking” or “saying.” In such cases the translator can say “The same thing is written in the Law” or “You can find the same thing in the book of God’s Law.”

Although the two Greek verbs that Revised Standard Version translates say are different, they are probably used for variety with no difference in meaning.

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 .