Translation commentary on 2 Corinthians 1:10

As the note in TEV indicates, some manuscripts have the plural (literally “such terrible deaths”), while others have the singular. It is difficult to decide which reading is more likely to have been original, though the meaning is basically the same in either case.

Other differences occur in the Greek manuscripts of this verse. Some omit the words and he will deliver us. Other manuscripts read “he delivers us” (King James Version, Reina-Valera revisada) instead of he will deliver us. This provides a neat past, present, and future use of the same verb, but most scholars prefer the reading followed by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. Some languages must distinguish between the near future and the distant future; here Paul seems to be referring to the near future. The verb translated deliver may also be rendered “preserve” or “rescue.” This same term is found in 2 Tim 4.17 in the sense of being rescued from the jaws of a lion. The word used here is not the one usually translated “save” in English. Some languages may say something like “snatched us from the jaws of death,” or “pulled us out of the way of death,” or “turned us from the road of death.”

We have set our hope: this English expression represents a single verb in Greek that has the same root as the noun in verse 7. In a number of languages it will be rendered something like “we have placed our hearts [on him],” or the whole phrase may read “we trust him [God] to rescue us from the dangers to come.”

That he will deliver us again: these words express the content of the hope or the object of the verb to hope (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation). Some Greek manuscripts, however, omit the word that. Translations that follow the manuscripts without the word that begin a new sentence with this clause: “and he will deliver us again, he on whom our hope is fixed. Yes, he will continue to deliver us” (Revised English Bible). The Greek text, as represented by Revised English Bible, does not state explicitly what the content of the hope is. Nor does the Greek state explicitly the grammatical object of the verb deliver in this case. It is, however, easily supplied from the first verb in this verse. This may be done by repeating “deliver us from death” or by adding a different expression synonymous with death or destruction. Other languages may say “prevent us from dying” or “keep us alive.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on 2 Corinthians 1:11

Good News Translation rearranges the order of the clauses in this verse to present the ideas in a logical or chronological order. In the Revised Standard Version translation it sounds as if the many prayers have already been answered when Paul writes. The thought is rather that: (1) the people will pray for Paul and Timothy; (2) God will answer the prayers and will bless Paul and Timothy; and (3) other people will thank God.

Verse 11 begins with a participle in Greek. Several options exist for translating this participle. (1) Sometimes participles have the force of an imperative, as in Revised Standard Version, “You also must help us.” (2) Participles may also express the means by which an action is accomplished, or may express the circumstances under which an action is accomplished. This latter use of the participle is reflected in Good News Translation, “as you help us.” Similar to Good News Bible is New Revised Standard Version, “as you also join in helping us” (so also Revised English Bible). (3) Participles may express a condition: “if you too cooperate on our behalf” (Barrett). The context does not favor one interpretation over the others, but the third option, “if you too cooperate,” is probably the most widely accepted by recent interpreters.

You also must help us by prayer: literally “you also cooperating in helping us by prayer.” The Greek does not state with whom the Corinthians cooperate. With one another? With Paul and Timothy? With God? Revised English Bible seems to suggest that they cooperate with God: “Yes, he will continue to deliver us, while you cooperate by praying for us.”

On our behalf: as the note in NIV indicates, many manuscripts read “on your behalf.” The meaning would then be that many Christians gave thanks for the intercessory prayers of the Corinthians. Such a reading makes very little sense in the context and is not likely to be original.

For the blessing granted us: as noted above, Paul is referring to blessings from God that have not yet been granted (see Good News Translation). The granting of blessings and the thanksgiving that will follow will come after the prayers that Paul is urging in this verse. The Revised Standard Version translation is not a good model here. It is better to follow Good News Bible with the future tense of the verb “to bless,” or to say something like “for the blessing that God will give [or, bestow on] us.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on 2 Corinthians 1:12

Verses 12-14 are transition verses from the introductory section (1.1-11) to the theme of Paul’s travel plans and his relationship to the church at Corinth. As the following verses suggest, some people in Corinth thought that Paul was not being honest or straightforward in his relationship with them. In verses 12-13 Paul assures the readers that his conscience is clear, and that he has been guided in his decisions by God’s grace and not by his own human wisdom.

Verse 12 begins in Greek with the word For. Though this word sometimes expresses a causal relationship between two phrases, it may also function as an introductory word without connecting what follows with what precedes. Here the Greek word appears to function only to introduce a new movement of thought. The word may be omitted in some languages (so Good News Translation and Revised English Bible) or translated with an introductory word such as “Now” (Anchor Bible). In some languages the presence of a new section heading serves much the same purpose as this transition word. If the word is translated overtly, the receptor language word or phrase used should be one that serves to introduce an important point or that indicates a point of transition.

Boast: this noun and the related verb are very common in 2 Corinthians and may be considered a key word in this letter. In this context boast may refer to “that which one boasts about” (Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible) or “the reason that one is proud.” The former seems more likely. While it is a noun, it may be better translated by a verbal expression, as in Good News Translation. Here the idea of “boasting” may be expressed in some languages in terms of “pride,” but in other cases it will be necessary to soften this by using an expression like “we must say something good about ourselves…” or “something that makes us feel good about ourselves is….”

Both Nestle-Aland and the UBS Greek New Testament place the words the testimony of our conscience within commas. This punctuation is accepted by Phillips: “Now it is a matter of pride to us—endorsed by our conscience—that our activities….” That is, Paul is stating that he is proud that his life has been ruled by God’s grace, and his conscience agrees with, or endorses, his boast. This interpretation and punctuation are followed also in New Revised Standard Version: “Indeed, this is our boast, the testimony of our conscience: we have behaved…” (so also Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Nouvelle version Segond révisée).

On the other hand, both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation make the words the testimony of our conscience a part of that about which Paul boasts, that is, he is proud that his conscience assures him that his life has been ruled by God’s grace (so also Revised English Bible, Spanish common language version [Biblia Dios Habla Hoy], Bible en français courant). Both interpretations make good sense, and the grammar and context do not point more strongly to one interpretation over the other. In most languages it will not be possible to maintain the ambiguity of the Greek, and translators must simply choose one interpretation, knowing that the other is equally possible.

The word conscience presents serious problems for translators in many languages. It occurs in Paul’s speeches in (Acts 23.1 and 24.16) and is used frequently by Paul in his letters—especially to the Corinthian Christians. It is also found in the letter to the Hebrews and in 1 Peter. It involves knowledge based on contemplation of one’s past actions. In some cases it is qualified by the adjectives “good” or “clean” if those actions have been acceptable and as “evil” if they are unacceptable. In 1 Peter 2.19 Revised Standard Version translates the same term “mindful,” and in Heb 10.2 it is rendered “consciousness.” So the meaning is something like “awareness,” either of having done wrong or of having done nothing wrong. In this verse it clearly involved Paul’s feeling that he had done no wrong. It is translated “conscientious conviction” by New Jerusalem Bible. In many languages the nominal expression the testimony of our conscience may be rendered by a verbal expression like “our heart tells us” or something similar.

We have behaved: the verb used here involves a person’s actions and relationships with other people. Some languages may say “our conduct has been…” or “we have lived….”

The words in the world here are not negative, as if the world is an evil place. Paul is simply referring to his daily life among people.

With holiness and godly sincerity is literally “with holiness and sincerity of God.” The words “of God” may modify the second noun only (Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version) or both nouns (Good News Translation; New International Version “in the holiness and sincerity that are from God”). Some manuscripts have a word meaning “frankness” in place of holiness here. In Greek the two words are spelled almost the same. In this case the word “frankness” would be virtually synonymous with sincerity. This is reflected in a variety of translations, including King James Version, New Revised Standard Version, and Translator’s New Testament (Translator’s New Testament), as well as Good News Translation. The reading “frankness” is recommended by the editors of the UBS Greek New Testament as the word that fits the context better. “Frankness” may be expressed as “openness,” “absolutely above board” (Phillips), or, in some cases, by a full verbal expression like “we have not hidden anything from you.” The alternative term holiness presents special problems in many languages. If translators follow the texts that have holiness (as in Revised Standard Version, New International Version, and Revised English Bible), it may be necessary to restructure the whole phrase and say something like “we have always lived as those who belong to God [or, in obedience to God] and with a sincerity that comes from God.”

Earthly wisdom: literally “fleshly wisdom” (King James Version). Paul sometimes uses the word “fleshly” to refer to that which is typical of human nature. Some other possible models may be “the wisdom of this world” (Contemporary English Version) or simply “human wisdom” (Translator’s New Testament).

The grace of God: on the term grace see 2 Cor. 1.2 above. The expression “the grace of God” occurs nineteen times in Acts and the New Testament letters. It refers to God’s kindness or goodness to human beings, who can do nothing to earn it. In this context Paul is saying that his good behavior is not due to anything in himself but to God’s goodness to him.

A model for this verse as a whole may be something like the following:
• In our own hearts we know that in everything we have done in this world we have done it all with an honest and pure heart given by God. And this is especially true of what we have done in our relations with you. We are very proud of this. But we have done this by the grace of God and not by human wisdom.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on 2 Corinthians 1:13 – 1:14

Revised Standard Version follows the order of the Greek in verses 13-14, while Good News Translation restructures the order (so also Revised English Bible).

For is explanatory. In the previous verse Paul stated that his behavior was “with holiness and godly sincerity.” Verse 13 explains that his letters have been written in the same way and are not intended to deceive or fool the reader.

We write: the pronoun we at the beginning of this verse is taken by some as an epistolary plural. Moffatt, for example, restructures the phrase but talks about “my letters.” And An American Translation has “what I am writing.” While the verbal expression we write may refer to what he is now writing, it probably refers to what he habitually writes in his letters to the Corinthians. Revised English Bible makes this second interpretation explicit: “There is nothing in our letters to you…” (so also Phillips, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). Translators working in languages that have habitual verb forms may wish to use such a form here.

Nothing but what you can read and understand: Phillips captures well the sense of Paul’s words here: “Our letters to you have no double meaning—they mean just what you understand them to mean when you read them.” Barclay adds the words “—no hidden meaning.” Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente says “Our letters are not ambiguous: there is nothing more in them than what you can read and understand.” And Moffatt uses a well-known English idiom that also conveys the sense of the text: “You don’t have to read between the lines of my letters.” Another English idiom is “we did not beat around the bush.” But some languages may say something like “we talked straight to you,” “our words were not crossed [complicated],” or “our arrows were not crooked when we wrote to you.”

I hope: the shift from the plural pronoun to I may be taken as support for those who see the above plural as epistolary. And in a number of languages the verb hope will have to be translated idiomatically, as in verse 10 above.

Understand fully: the words thus translated in Revised Standard Version may also be taken as meaning “understand to the end.” If taken with the words in part, the sense is that they now understand in part, but Paul hopes that they will understand fully. If taken with the words on the day of the Lord Jesus, the sense is that Paul hopes that they will go on understanding “to the end,” that is, until Jesus returns (so Barrett). Though both translations fit the context, most interpreters prefer the first of the two possible meanings, as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

As you have understood in part: the Greek verb you have understood may be taken as referring to the present time or to a time in the past. Good News Translation understands these words to refer to the present situation: “even though you now understand…” (so also Revised English Bible “you do understand us in some measure”). Following this interpretation Good News Translation has inserted the word “now,” which is not written in the Greek. Paul may, however, be referring to a time in the recent past. In Greek the pronoun “us” follows the verb have understood. Revised Standard Version has left this pronoun untranslated, but translators may wish to translate it, as Good News Bible does.

That you can be proud …: the Greek word translated by that in Revised Standard Version introduces the content of Paul’s hope: that you can be proud of us as we can be of you.

You can be proud of us as we can be of you is literally “we are your boast just as you are ours.” In some languages the clause containing the expression “to be proud of” may have to be translated something like “you will be honored because of us, just as we will be honored because of you” or “we will receive recognition because of you, but you will also receive recognition because of us.”

On the day of the Lord Jesus occurs also in 1 Cor 5.5, and without the name “Jesus” in 1 Thes 5.2; 2 Thes 2.2. New Jerusalem Bible indicates that the day of the Lord Jesus is in the future (“when the Day of our Lord Jesus comes”) but does not make clear that this day is the day when Jesus himself will come (so God’s New Covenant “on the day when the Lord Jesus comes”; see also Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). To avoid suggesting that this is Jesus’ first coming, Contemporary English Version says “when our Lord Jesus returns.”

The Lord Jesus: some Greek manuscripts read the Lord Jesus (followed by Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, New International Version) in verse 14, and others have the possessive pronoun “our Lord Jesus” (followed by Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, and Revised English Bible). The evidence for both readings is about equal, and New American Bible reflects the uncertainty by placing the word “our” within brackets in the translation, as do the editors of the UBS Greek New Testament. Some languages must use a possessive pronoun with the noun “Lord” regardless of the correct Greek text. “Our” here seems to include the readers.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on 2 Corinthians 1:15

Because I was sure of this: that is, sure that they would understand his motives and purpose. In some languages this will have to be restructured to begin “I knew this very well,” followed by a “therefore…” or “for this reason….” Contemporary English Version makes clear what the demonstrative pronoun this refers to by saying “I was so sure of your pride in us that….”

Paul states in verse 16 that he had planned to visit the Corinthians first on his way to Macedonia and then visit them a second time on his return trip from Macedonia. The Greek word first may be connected closely to the words to you, as in Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, and Revised English Bible, and mean that he wanted to visit the Corinthians first before going to visit the Macedonians. Or the word first may mean “originally” in the sense of Paul’s original intention (so Good News Translation, God’s New Covenant, Bible en français courant, and Translator’s New Testament). Greek word order seems to favor the Good News Translation translation, but the overall context (see verse 16) is more decisive and favors that of Revised Standard Version.

Some Greek manuscripts have the word “joy” (translated as pleasure in Revised Standard Version), and some have “grace” (New American Bible; translated as “blessed” in Good News Translation). Except for one letter, the spelling of the two words is identical in Greek. Either reading makes sense in the context, and both have good manuscript support. But the UBS Greek New Testament favors the reading followed by Good News Translation. This is also adopted by New International Version, Revised English Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible, which use the English word “benefit” in translation.

Whether read as double pleasure or “blessed twice,” the word double refers to the two visits mentioned in the next verse which he had planned to make to Corinth. Contemporary English Version says “In this way you would have the blessing of two visits from me.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on 2 Corinthians 1:16

The trip to Judea mentioned here is the same trip referred to in 1 Cor 16.1-4, during which the money for the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem was to have been delivered. Corinth was south of the province of Macedonia, whose capital city was Thessalonica. Paul had planned to go to Corinth first, then north to Macedonia, and then back to Corinth, before sailing east for Judea.

The Greek verb translated as send … on in Revised Standard Version often has the additional meaning of helping someone on the journey with food, money, by arranging for travel companions and supplies (see also Rom 15.24, “to be sped on”). Since that meaning seems probable here, Good News Translation says “in order to get help from you.” In some languages it may be a good idea to make this a separate sentence: “In that way you could have helped me on my journey on to Judea.”

Translators should be careful to distinguish the spelling of Judea and Judah. “Judah” is usually an Old Testament term referring to the kingdom in the southern part of the Holy Land consisting of the tribal areas of Judah and Benjamin; the kingdom of Judah was created following the death of Solomon and the dissolution of the United Kingdom (1 Kgs 12ff). Sometimes reference to Judah is found in the New Testament in quotations or references to the Old Testament area. However, Judea is the Greek and Latin form of the term Judah, and this name came to have a more restricted sense referring to a much smaller area around Jerusalem, namely, a Roman province in the southern part of the Holy Land.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on 2 Corinthians 1:17

Revised English Bible begins this verse with “that was my intention,” indicating that Paul had wanted to visit Corinth, and implying that he had not done so. This may be a good model for certain other languages.

Since Paul canceled the return trip (see 1.23), he was accused by some in Corinth of vacillating, or being “fickle.” Revised English Bible says “Did I lightly change my mind?” Literally the Greek says “This therefore intending, did I act with the fickleness?” The presence of the definite article “the” before the noun “fickleness” may indicate that Paul is responding to a specific accusation that he was fickle or vacillating.

To do this refers to his plans to visit the Corinthians both on his way to Macedonia and on his return from there. In some cases it may be helpful to spell out what the word this means in the first part of the verse rather than waiting to read my plans in the second part. The second question is, in fact, more general. Here the reference is to his specific plan to visit Corinth. Translators may consider saying something like “Do you think that I decided on this trip without thinking?” or “When I made these plans, did that mean that I lacked determination?”

Do I make my plans…?: this second question is less restricted in nature than the first. Here Paul is not talking only about his specific plan to visit the Corinthians but about plans in general. The habitual verb form should probably be used in those languages that have it.

Like a worldly man is literally “according to the flesh.” “Flesh” in this context, as elsewhere in Paul’s writings, means humankind in its opposition to God. So Good News Translation says “from selfish motives.” But in some languages it may be most natural to translate “like the people of this world,” if this gives the idea of self-interest.

The form of both questions presupposes that only a negative answer is appropriate. If this will not be clear in the receptor language in this context, it will be better to translate the questions as negative statements: “I was not fickle when I planned to visit you. And I do not make my plans like the people of this world….”

Paul had planned to return to Corinth after his trip to Macedonia, but in 1.23–2.1 he indicates that he did not return to Corinth as he had planned. Originally Paul had planned to go to Macedonia first before he visited Corinth (1 Cor 16.5-8). Then he changed his plans and visited Corinth before going to Macedonia, intending to return through Corinth again on his return home from Macedonia. Then he again changed his plans and did not return to Corinth after his visit to Macedonia. Because of these changes in his plans, Paul was criticized by some people in the Corinthian church.

Ready to say Yes and No at once?: though some manuscripts say Yes and No (followed by Revised Standard Version), the original form was probably “Yes, yes and No, no” (followed by Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version). The meaning is the same either way. Most translations add the words “at the same time” (Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible; similarly New International Version) to make explicit what Paul leaves implicit. By this rhetorical question Paul declares that he does not say one thing and then deny it all in the same breath.

Yes and No: in the context of these verses, the word Yes refers to his promise to visit Corinth, and No refers to his decision not to visit as planned. Revised English Bible says “First saying ‘Yes, yes’ and then ‘No, no’?” In some languages it may be more natural and more easily understood to say “saying ‘Yes’ and then ‘No’ or ‘No’ and then ‘Yes,’ ” or “saying ‘Yes’ when I mean ‘No’ and ‘No’ when I mean ‘Yes.’ ” And in some cases the use of the words “Yes” and “No” in such a context may be unnatural. In such cases one may translate more dynamically, using verbal expressions: “agreeing and refusing all at the same time” or “accepting and rejecting the same idea in a short time.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on 2 Corinthians 1:18

As surely as God is faithful: the sense seems to be that it is not only Paul himself who bears witness to his integrity; God, who can be trusted, likewise bears witness to Paul’s integrity. Barrett makes this implicit information explicit in his translation: “God is to be trusted, and he will bear witness that our word to you is not Yes and No.” Another possible model can be “Just as God never deceives [people] ….”

Our word: though the primary reference is to Paul’s “promise” to visit the Corinthians (so Good News Translation), our word probably includes also the Good News that they preach (1.19-20). Perhaps Good News Translation limits the meaning too much.

Our word to you has not been Yes and No: as in verse 17, the sense is that Paul is not saying contradictory things at the same time. An American Translation says “there has been no equivocation about our message to you.” Revised English Bible says “What we tell you is not a mixture of Yes and No.” Other models can include “We [or, I] did not agree and refuse at the same time” or “our [or, my] promise to you was not made with two hearts [or, minds].” The plural possessive pronoun is very likely epistolary and should be translated as a singular (so Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .