Therefore indicates the conclusion of this part of Paul’s argument; the conclusion is not a statement but a command (as in 3.21).

Good News Bible is correct in supplying the word “anyone” in the first sentence. Revised Standard Version‘s rendering is too vague. Although Paul is thinking mainly of himself and Apollos (verse 6), his thought has a wider range, as all things showed in 3.21-22, as well as his reference to wrong judgments in 3.18. Here, in contrast to verses 3-4, the verb for pronounce judgment is the simple form krinō, referring not to an examination by a judge, but to the verdict at the end of the trial (as in Matt 7.1). Since Paul uses both anakrinō and krinō in verses 1-5, he probably intended a different meaning for each.

Before the time does not give the full sense of the Greek. Good News Bible‘s “before the right time” is a better translation (similarly New Jerusalem Bible “the due time”). The word for time in this verse refers to the right time, opportunity, or “psychological moment” for something to happen. In this context “the right time” is when the Lord comes.

The Lord, as in verse 4 and generally in Paul’s writings, is Christ.

The things now hidden in darkness: Revised Standard Version‘s now is not in the Greek, but the word Then in the final sentence shows that now is intended. Then, of course, refers to the future judgment. The clause who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness may also be rendered as “he will bring the hidden things out of the darkness into light” or “he will bring the dark secrets out into the light.”

Heart: in Hebrew thought, the heart was the seat of the intellect and will, much more than of the emotions. In this verse the stress is on a person’s power of thought. So translators should use the part of the body in their languages where the thinking process is presumed to occur.

Every man is literally “each one” (see 1.12; 3.5, 8, 10, 13). This term could be taken as referring only to Paul and Apollos, but Paul more likely is thinking ahead to the wider application in verses 6-8. Good News Bible‘s “all” weakens the meaning; as in 3.8 Paul expects different rewards for different achievements.

The difference between commendation here and “reward” in 3.14 is not as great as might at first appear. The nonmaterial “reward” is an expression of God’s approval at the final judgment, and commendation in this context has the meaning “gives a favorable verdict.”

From God is emphatic in the Greek, implying “not from men,” as in Rom 2.29. Translators in many languages will need to use active rather than passive verbs in this verse; for example, “Then God will give to every person the praise which he deserves” or “Then God will praise each person as that person deserves.”

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 .

There is no difficulty with the meaning of I say this to your shame. However, no translation that we have consulted makes it clear whether this refers to what Paul has just said, or to what he is about to say. Both are possible, since the general subject is the same. It is more likely, however, that this phrase should be linked with what follows. This linking is done in Jerusalem Bible and Bible de Jérusalem through punctuation (but not in New Jerusalem Bible). Paul is counterbalancing the emphatic verse 5b by a preliminary statement concerning the reason why he is about to express himself so strongly. One could paraphrase this sentence as follows: “Let me ask you a question that should make you ashamed. Has it really come to this, that there is not a single person among you who is ‘wise’ enough to settle a dispute between Christians?” If, as seems likely, Christians in Corinth were always talking about “wisdom,” Paul’s question in this verse would indeed shame the readers by showing a contrast between their boasting and their real capabilities.

The clause that is translated decide between members of the brotherhood is ungrammatical in Greek. However, this clause is almost certainly a condensation of an idiom that means “settle a dispute between one brother and another.” The context requires this meaning here.

The punctuation problem in verses 5-6 is less important for the meaning than that in verse 4 (see the footnote on punctuation in the UBS Greek text). The main choice is between exclamations and negative rhetorical questions that have the same effect. Revised Standard Version uses a rhetorical question in 5 and a strong statement in 6. Good News Bible punctuates verse 5b as a statement and verse 6 as an exclamation, but both verses have the effect of strong statements. Again, translators need to decide what is most natural and effective in their language.

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 .

This verse contains two rhetorical questions that in some languages will need to be rendered as statements; for example, “Some of you were already circumcised at the time God called you” and “but some of you were already uncircumcised when God called you.” Good News Bible, however, turns these rhetorical questions into conditional sentences: “If a circumcised man has…” and “If an uncircumcised man….” This is a natural way of expressing these rhetorical questions in English and some other languages.

His call is literally “was called.” Verse 17 states that this call comes from God. So languages that do not use the passive may render this phrase as “when you received God’s call” or “at the time when God called you.”

Circumcised will need a glossary note in translations that are intended for readers for whom the rite of circumcision has no religious meaning. See, for example, the Good News Bible Word List. For such modern readers it is almost impossible to convey the full meaning in translations except by adding a lot of information. Paul means two things in this verse: (1) “if you were a Jew when God called you, do not renounce your heritage” (see Rom 9.4-5); and (2) “if you were circumcised when God called you, do not try to conceal (or, remove) the marks of circumcision” (see 1 Maccabees 1.15). Thus a glossary note will be necessary to bring out these meanings that the Jews, of course, would have understood naturally.

The phrase marks of circumcision may be rendered as “the scars caused by circumcision” or “the scars caused by the circumcision ceremony.”

The second half of the verse, beginning with Was any one …, complements the first. In the first half, call is the aorist tense; in the second, it is the perfect tense. Paul must have used this variation for reasons of style, so on both occasions this verb may be translated the same way in most languages.

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 .

The two main problems in understanding this verse are related. (a) Some early manuscripts omit you, giving the meaning “… sees someone who has knowledge….” The UBS Greek text has you. (b) The word that is translated encouraged is used elsewhere by Paul in the good sense of “building up,” as in verse 1, but here it has a bad meaning.

We can resolve both these difficulties if we suppose that in this verse Paul is presenting the point of view of someone at Corinth, perhaps expressed in a letter from the Christians there. The meaning would then be “ ‘But,’ you say, ‘if anyone sees someone who has knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will his weak conscience be strengthened, so that he can eat meat offered to idols?’ ”

There are two slight difficulties in this explanation that many commentators have overlooked: (a) The conjunction that connects verse 10 with 9 means “for,” not “but,” and this word often has a weak and rather general sense. (b) As in verse 7, one might have expected Paul to use the pagan word for “meat” offered to divinities (compare 10.28). However, the writers of the letter from Corinth were Christians like Paul himself, and therefore would use a term that expressed the negative Christian view of other gods.

If the translator rejects the explanation given in the last two paragraphs and adopts the longer text, which has sees you, “encourage” is probably the best translation of the verb for “build up.”

The word translated at table literally means “reclining.” This was the normal position at table in the Roman world. Modern day translators will need to think of their own customs for eating. In many languages the word for “eat” will probably be the best equivalent.

The clause might he not be encouraged will need to be slightly changed in certain languages. One may say, for example, “This will encourage him…, won’t it?”

The Greek has “the” before food offered to idols, indicating that Paul has already mentioned the food or meat in question.

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 .

These two clauses are closely parallel. In the light of verses 16-17, it is very likely that Paul is thinking of the Lord’s Supper.

The words the same occur twice and imply that the ancestors ate and drank the same food and drink as one another. The context, however, does not support the interpretation “the same as Christians eat and drink in the Lord’s Supper.”

The meaning of the word translated supernatural (Good News Bible‘s “spiritual”) is uncertain. Several translations and commentators, including Revised English Bible, Moffatt, An American Translation, and Barclay, translate “supernatural” as Revised Standard Version does, implying that God’s Spirit was active in giving the food and water. This is certainly a major part of the meaning. However, Paul may also be looking ahead to the “spiritual,” that is, Christian interpretation of the story that he will give in verse 4b. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “divine rock.” The problem with the word “spiritual” is that in most languages it is a “church” word used only by Christians. It is therefore better to use expressions such as supernatural, “divine,” “heavenly,” or “by the power of God.”

Paul’s reference in verse 3, as in 3.2, is not only to bread, but to any kind of solid food. Thus Revised Standard Version‘s translation is preferable to Good News Bible‘s and is followed by New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, and Revised English Bible.

Translators should read general commentaries on these two clauses, for they help us to see Paul’s understanding of the Old Testament in the light of the coming of Christ. Even before Paul’s time, Jews understood the different Old Testament stories about Moses’ striking the rock (Exo 17.1-7; Num 20.2-17) to mean that the same rock followed the Israelites in their travels. The last part of this verse, and the Rock was Christ, contains Paul’s interpretation of this tradition.

For can be omitted in translation, for this verse merely expands 4a rather than drawing a logical conclusion from it.

Them after followed is clearly implied in the Greek, which is literally “from the following spiritual rock.” In some languages it may be necessary to expand the text a little; for example, “they drank water flowing from a supernatural rock.”

The last clause and the Rock was Christ is short and emphatic. Most translators should render it this way. It does not contrast with what precedes. Paul is drawing his own conclusion from it.

All translations that we consulted translate Christ as a proper name. Good News Bible‘s “himself” is implied and can be added in translation for emphasis.

A sample translation of verses 3 and 4 may be as follows: “all of them ate the same food that God gave by his power, and drank the water that God caused to flow from the rock that accompanied them. That Rock was Christ himself.”

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 .

The phrase speaks in a tongue is the main theme that connects chapters 12, 13, and 14 (see the comments on 12.10). This theme is discussed in greater detail in the present chapter. Nothing in this letter would indicate that Paul used the term “tongues” to refer to actual human languages. In fact, in verses 10 and 11 he employs a different Greek word to speak about human languages. Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible show this difference clearly. Other modern translations such as Bijbel in Gewone Taal and New International Version have tended to translate “tongues” as “foreign languages.” However, An American Translation has “anyone who speaks ecstatically,” and Barclay says “when a man is speaking in ecstatic language.” In the comments on 12.10 we suggested that if a literal translation of the word “tongues” has a strange meaning or is unintelligible, translators may use terms such as “ecstatic speech,” “strange sounds,” or “unintelligible sounds.” The Translator’s New Testament glossary note on “tongues” is helpful but too long to reproduce here.

The phrase one who may be rendered as “the person who.” It is a generic singular that Good News Bible correctly translates by a plural (also in verses 3-4 and elsewhere; see the introduction to this section). A tongue is also a generic singular, meaning “(any) strange tongue(s).” Revised English Bible also uses a plural.

Men in this verse does not exclude women, so Good News Bible translates “others.”

Mysteries refers here to “secrets,” things that are not generally known, as in 13.2: “understand all mysteries.”

The final sentence of this verse can be translated as follows: “He is using the power of the Spirit to speak secret truths.”

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 .