The Greek that is translated as “We should not commit sexual immorality” is translated in Sierra de Juárez Zapotec as “You should not commit sexual immorality.”
John Beekman (in Notes on Translation 19, 1965, p. 1-10) explains that in the Pauline epistles “a passage [often] starts out in the second person [and is then] changed to the first person to spare the readers of any negative reactions to the mention of their actual state. In most passages where Paul includes himself, the correction or warning that is given is sufficiently general in nature to apply to any believer. In some passages, however, the content of the injunctions are rather specific and perhaps not applicable to such an one as Paul, especially if they carry negative implications concerning his conduct. The Sierra de Juárez Zapotec language helper objected to the first person form used in 1 Corinthians 10:8 on the grounds that it suggested that Paul was at that time indulging in immorality; or actively contemplating it. This was changed to second person.”
The Greek that is translated as “sexual immorality” or “fornication” or similar is translated much more specifically in some languages. Morelos Nahuatl has “let a man not yield himself to another woman except only to his wife. Also let a woman not yield herself to another man except only to her husband” or in Lalana Chinantec as “not proper for them to mix themselves with other women. The same is true of women for other men also.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
In Low German as Hurenkram or “things related to prostitution (and/or sleeping around)” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006) and in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) typically as Sexgier or “sex cravings” (exceptions: Acts 15:10 and 15:29).
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the inclusive form (including the addressee).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 10:8:
Uma: “Let’s not behave wrongly [euphemism] with others’ wives or with unmarried-women, like some of them did. Because of their wrong behavior, twenty three thousand died in a day.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Don’t let us (incl.) commit illegitimate-sex as some of them did at those times. Because of their committing adultery 23,000 of them died in just one day.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And another thing they did there is that they fooled around with those who were not their spouses, and as for us (incl.), let’s not imitate them, because God punished them and twenty-three thousand of them died in one day.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Let us also not sleep-with anyone who is not our spouse like some of them, because on-account-of their doing that, about (lit. it-went-to) twenty-three thousand died in a single day.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “And also let us not behave immorally with one not our spouse, like some people in the past did. Because of that behavior of theirs twenty three thousand died in just one day, (which was) God’s punishment upon them.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “And we must not commit fornication like some of them did in committing fornication. And because they did so, in just one day there died 23,000 of the people.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Many languages use a “body part tally system” where body parts function as numerals (see body part tally systems with a description). One such language is Angguruk Yali which uses a system that ends at the number 27. To circumvent this limitation, the Angguruk Yali translators adopted a strategy where a large number is first indicated with an approximation via the traditional system, followed by the exact number according to Arabic numerals. For example, where in 2 Samuel 6:1 it says “thirty thousand” in the English translation, the Angguruk Yali says teng-teng angge 30.000 or “so many rounds [following the body part tally system] 30,000,” likewise, in Acts 27:37 where the number “two hundred seventy-six” is used, the Angguruk Yali translation says teng-teng angge 276 or “so many rounds 276,” or in John 6:10 teng-teng angge 5.000 for “five thousand.”
This strategy is used in all the verses referenced here.
We must not: We includes both Paul and his readers; but see the first comment on verse 10.
Indulge in immorality translates a single verb in the text. It was discussed in the comments on 6.18, where Paul says “Shun immorality.” The reference in this verse is to Num 25.1, 9, but the translation should not be harmonized to read “twenty-four thousand.” All translations that we have consulted understand the reference to be to “sexual immorality.”
And before twenty-three thousand probably means “with the result that.”
The idea of “dead” (Good News Bible) after fell is strongly implied, as in verse 5. Many translators will prefer to say just “died in a single day.”
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 .
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