Always, like the words every and all in verse 5, may be an example of the vivid exaggeration that is often found in Hebrew and Aramaic speech (compare, for example, Mark 10.25). If always is translated literally into languages where such exaggeration is not used, readers may feel that Paul does nothing else but give thanks. In such languages it will be better to use some expression meaning “repeatedly” or “very often.”

Most of the Greek manuscripts have “my God” (Good News Bible) instead of just God, but two important manuscripts omit “my,” and Nestle-Aland twenty-fifth edition, followed by Revised Standard Version, the Revised English Bible (Revised English Bible), the New Jerusalem Bible (New Jerusalem Bible), and the New International Version (New International Version) follow these. The United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament, which is the same as Nestle-Aland twenty-sixth edition, includes “my” and is followed by the New Revised Standard Version text. It is possible that scribes added the word under the influence of Rom 1.8; Phil 1.3; and Philemon 4. It is known that scribes tended to add words more often than they omitted them. In languages where “my God” would signify that one owns God, translators may say “the God whom I worship.”

Give thanks is simply “thank” in Greek and may be translated this way if it is more natural. In any case this verb should be translated as an action or event. One may also translate “I always say to God ‘Thanks,’ ” or “I always tell God that I am grateful to him.”

For you translates the Greek expression that often means “about you” or “concerning you.” It can also be translated as “because of what you are” or “because you have become Christians.” It certainly does not mean “on behalf of you.”

Please refer to the comments in the introduction to this section (1.4-9) on how to translate passive verbs. God is the agent or the doer of the action in the clause because of the grace of God which was given you. Other ways to translate this phrase are “God has been very generous to you” or “God has given you many spiritual gifts” (see also verse 5).

Grace: see the introduction to this section, verses 4-9. Here, to speak of God as “giving grace” may be awkward. In some languages the word for “give” requires a more definite object. Perhaps the verse could be restructured as follows: “I thank my God very often for what he has done for you. He has been good to you and has given you many gifts through Jesus Christ.”

In this verse Paul becomes very specific about the reason for his thanksgiving. First, he says in a general way that he is thankful for you Christians in Corinth. Next, he states that it is because of what God has given them through Christ that he is thankful.

The words in Christ Jesus may be connected with given or you. If these words are connected with you, it is possible to rephrase this expression as “given to you as Christians.” However, the first choice, “given in (or, through) Christ Jesus,” is more likely, but there is not much difference in meaning between the two choices. Please see the comments on 1 Cor. 1.2 concerning the translation of the phrase in Christ Jesus.

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 .