But: as in 1.21 and 23, the transition word here is not intended to mark contrast but to introduce a new topic. This is why Good News Translation has “Now,” and other versions, such as New International Version and Revised English Bible, represent the conjunction only by a paragraph break.
Though Paul uses an indefinite pronoun (if any one), the context indicates that he is referring to a specific case. By adding the words “as is actually the case,” God’s New Covenant makes clear that the word if does not refer to a hypothetical situation: “Now if, as is actually the case, there is a man who has been causing sorrow.” The New Century Version (New Century Version) says “Someone there among you has caused sadness.” Some may prefer to say “Since there is a certain person among you who [has caused trouble].” Paul does not state the nature of the offense against him, but probably someone had challenged Paul’s apostolic authority. Contemporary English Version makes explicit the fact that the offender was a Christian from Corinth: “But if any one of you.” The Greek in verse 7 makes clear that the offender was a man.
Pain: see comment on verse 2.1.
Not to me: this is not meant to indicate that Paul was totally unaffected or untroubled by what the person had done, but that it was not Paul alone who suffered from the offender’s action. For this reason Moffatt translates “not so much to me as to all of you.”
In some measure: these words may modify the verb has caused pain. Paul does not want to state too strongly the degree of pain that the offender has caused to the Corinthians. The offender has caused all of them pain “to some extent” (New Revised Standard Version). Revised English Bible says “to some extent (I do not want to make too much of it) it has been done to you all” (so also New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible).
Another possible interpretation is to see the Greek for in some measure modifying the number of those to whom the offender caused pain (so Good News Translation). Moffatt says “he has been causing pain not so much to me as to all of you—at any rate (for I am not going to overstate the case) to a section of you” (so also Bible en français courant). Either interpretation is possible grammatically, and both make sense in the context. Translators may follow either of these two meanings.
Not to put it too severely: literally “in order not to overburden.” This is taken by most commentators as a kind of parenthetical statement meaning that Paul did not want to exaggerate the importance of the problem. New Century Version follows this first interpretation: “(I do not want to make it sound worse than it really is).” Similar is Anchor Bible, “(I don’t want to exaggerate).”
It can, however, mean that Paul did not want to burden the Corinthians or the offender (so Good News Translation), but this is less likely. Translators are therefore advised to follow the structure of the Good News Bible model, putting this part at the very end of the verse and enclosing the statement in parentheses, if such punctuation is used in the receptor language. However, the interpretation of Good News Bible is not recommended. The understanding of Anchor Bible and New Century Version is preferable.
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 .