Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 7:8:
Uma: “To people who are unmarried [lit., empty] and to widows, here are my words: it is good if you stay single like me.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Na, you unmarried men and women and widows (widowers are included) this is what I say to you. It is good if you are like myself not getting a wife or a husband.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for you unmarried girls, unmarried men, widows and widowers– my advice to you is it’s better if you imitate me in having no spouse;” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “As for you who have no spouse, especially you who are widowed, I say it would be good if you continue to not get-married just like myself.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well, this is what I will say to the widows, women and men. If they can do it, it would be good if they hold fast to having no spouse, just like me.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “I tell the people who have not already married, and also the widows, that those who do not marry, as I do in not being married, do well.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
DutchNBV21: “As for the widows and widowers, I should say that it would be good for them to remain alone, as I do.” Marijke de Lang explains (click or tap here to see)
Following the testing of this translation there was some criticism of the choice of the word ‘widower’ to render the Greek agamos ‘an unmarried person.’ There was also some unhappiness with the fact that the Greek word order, in which widowers were mentioned first and widows second, had been reversed.
There were two reasons behind the choice of the word ‘widower’ to render the Greek term agamos ‘unmarried.’ The first was the context of the chapter. Throughout ch. 7 Paul deals with the same group of people, men and women: in 7.1-7 men and women within marriage; 7.12-16 the man or the woman married to an unbeliever; 7.25-28 the girl or the boy as yet unmarried. It is consistent with this wider context that v. 8 should address a particular group, namely those who have lost a spouse. The second reason is the meaning of the Greek term agamos. Greek docs not have a specific term for ‘widower.’ The Liddell-Scott-Jones dictionary (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996) defines agamos as ‘unmarried, single, whether bachelor or widower.’ Greek does have a specific word for ‘widow,’ namely chera. Widows formed a particular social grouping, since along with orphans they were among the weakest members of society. To express the male equivalent of the widow, Greek simply used the term ‘unmarried person.’ As for reversing the word order, it was decided that the more natural Dutch order was to be preferred, otherwise it would sound peculiar.
An argument that some raised about the use of the word ‘widower’ for agamos was that it was a case of ‘filling in’ the text too much, being too explicit. The term ‘unmarried’ seemed to them to leave the meaning more open. However, it is questionable that this was the case in fact. Every word choice made directs the reader in a certain way and leads to certain associations. The word ‘unmarried’ is in itself no more open than the word ‘widower.’ In Dutch and English the word ‘unmarried’ conjures up something quite different from the word ‘widower.’ ‘Unmarried’ suggests that a person has never been married at all. (Source: The Bible Translator 2003, p. 424ff. )
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 7:16:
Uma: “For we don’t know: maybe you (sing.) woman who bring your (sing.) husband to believe in the Lord, or you (sing.) man will bring your (sing.) wife to believe in the Lord.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “And you cannot be certain that the husband can yet be influenced/carried-along to trust in Isa Almasi by his believing wife, or the wife by her believing husband so that he/she will be saved.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “We must allow that our spouse who is not a believer divorce us because even if we do not permit it, we cannot also know if by means of us, that person will believe in the Lord or not.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Because you (sing.) who believe, you (sing.) don’t know whether you (sing.) will persuade your (sing.) spouse to be saved or not.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “For if the marriage is not broken, because his/her spouse is a believer, maybe that will lead this one who is still an unbeliever to believe so that he/she can be saved.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “And now, the same for men and for women, who are believers, if they are married with people who are not believers, perhaps they will be able to cause that the person’s soul who is not a believer will be saved.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
DutchNBV21: “Who knows, you might save your husband! And who knows, you might save your wife!” Marijke de Lang explains (click or tap here to see)
In its translation of this verse NBV differs considerably from many other translations, even in its content. Throughout ch. 7 Paul gives various directions to (hose in (he community who are married, unmarried, and widowed. Many Corinthians who converted to Christianity were married to a partner who had not done so. In these verses Paul encourages them to remain with their nonbelieving partners and not to divorce them. Even if the partner had not yet converted there was no reason to separate, says Paul. This is because, as he reasons in v. 14, the nonbelieving partner is “sanctified” through marriage. In 7.15 Paul says that if, however, the nonbelieving partner wants a divorce, the believer should accept his or her wishes.
The interpretation of vv. 15b-16 is of crucial importance to the tenor of the entire section. V. 15b reads in Greek, en de eirēnē kekleken humas ho theos. The particle de can have either a copulative sense, “and,” or adversative, “but” This means that one can translate either as “and God has called you to live in peace.” or as “but God has called you to live in peace.” Then v. 16 reads literally “what do you know, woman, if you will save your husband?” And “what do you know, man, if you will save your wife?” These questions can be explained in two ways. We can explain it negatively as “How do you know’ that … ?”, or positively as “For all you know, you may … !” In short, from v. 15b onwards there are two interpretive options. One option is that Paul continues to elaborate the sentence “(hen that must happen.” He resigns himself to couples divorcing because the believer cannot know in any case whether he or she will save the nonbelieving spouse. Today’s English Version has chosen this option.
However, NBV translators have chosen differently, and emphasized the adversative sense of the Greek particle de. They have given a positive interpretation of v. 16. The reasoning behind this decision is as follows: in 7.12-13 Paul says one should not divorce an unbelieving partner if that is not what the partner wishes. In 7.14 the reason for this is given: namely, the nonbelieving partner and any children arc sanctified through the believing spouse. In 7.15a Paul says it is a different matter if the divorce is instigated by the unbelieving partner. In such a case the believer will have to accept the spouse’s decision. But in 7.15b-16 he again says that the believer should not give in too readily, since he or she is called to live in peace. To put it another way, the very fact that the nonbelieving partner is sanctified by marriage is already a form of salvation.
Moreover, the positive interpretation can also be carried through into 7.17-24. Here Paul maintains that the new situation in which converts find themselves need not necessarily lead to all sorts of enforced changes. People are called by God within a certain situation and it is in that situation that they must live out their Christian vocation. A slave should not suddenly try to free himself from his master. A man who is circumcised should not think of having an operation to reverse that circumcision. Would Paul suddenly have a different opinion in the case of marriage between a believer and unbeliever? No. (Source: The Bible Translator 2003, p. 424ff. )
