complete verse (1 Corinthians 11:30)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 11:30:

  • Uma: “For it is because of that that many of you are sick and your bones are weak, and some of your companions have even died.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “That is the reason why many of you are weak and sick and some have already died.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “This is the reason why many of you are sick; many also of you there have weak bodies and many also have died, because it is the punishment of God.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “This is the reason many among you are sick and weak and there are also those who have died.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And it’s like this punishment has already begun there among you, for many among you are weak and sick, and there are still others who have died.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “It is for this reason that many people are punished, suffering because of sickness. Some are not strong, and some have died because they have not respected the Holy Supper.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on 1 Corinthians 11:30

That is why: God’s judgment (verse 29) can have physical consequences.

Many of you, literally “many among you,” means “many members of your community.” Many and some are different words in the Greek; some translations have “a number” for some. The difference in meaning between the two terms, though, is probably slight. The context, rather than the words themselves, suggests that more people at Corinth had been ill than had died.

The words translated “sick” (Good News Bible) and weak are also quite similar in meaning. Good News Bible appears to translate them in the opposite order than the Greek. Weak should be understood in a physical sense in this verse. “Sick” (Good News Bible) is a less common Greek term used in Mark 6.5, 13. Some languages such as Thai Common Language Version can use one strong word to approximate the meaning of the two Greek words.

As Revised Standard Version‘s footnote states, have died is literally “have fallen asleep.” New Testament writers tend to use this expression in speaking of the death of Christians. It no doubt reflects the Christian belief that death is not the end. There is simply no basis for Phillips‘ translation “many of you are spiritually asleep.” The word used here is used in the same sense in 15.6, 20; see especially 1 Thes 4.13-16, where “those who are asleep” (verse 13) and “the dead in Christ” (verse 16) are the same people. In most present-day situations it is better to use the common word for “die,” because euphemisms suggest old-fashioned church language rather than any difference of meaning.

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 .