ordinary matters

In Gbaya, the notion ordinary or of little value is emphasized in 1 Corinthians 6:3 with kúsú-kúsú, an ideophone that designates something of little value.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

angel

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The Greek, Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Aramaic that is translated as “angel” in English versions is translated in many ways:

  • Pintupi-Luritja: ngaṉka ngurrara: “one who belongs in the sky” (source: Ken Hansen quoted in Steven 1984a, p. 116.)
  • Tetela, Kpelle, Balinese, and Mandarin Chinese: “heavenly messenger”
  • Shilluk / Igede: “spirit messenger”
  • Mashco Piro: “messenger of God”
  • Batak Toba: “envoy, messenger”
  • Navajo (Dinė): “holy servant” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida 1961; Igede: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Central Mazahua: “God’s worker” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
  • Saramaccan: basia u Masa Gaangadu köndë or “messenger from God’s country” (source: Jabini 2015, p. 86)
  • Mairasi: atatnyev nyaa or “sent-one” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “word bringer” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Apali: “God’s one with talk from the head” (“basically God’s messenger since head refers to any leader’s talk”) (source: Martha Wade)
  • Michoacán Nahuatl: “clean helper of God” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Noongar: Hdjin-djin-kwabba or “spirit good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Wè Northern (Wɛɛ): Kea ‘a “sooa or “the Lord’s soldier” (also: “God’s soldier” or “his soldier”) (source: Drew Maust)
  • Iwaidja: “a man sent with a message” (Sam Freney explains the genesis of this term [in this article ): “For example, in Darwin last year, as we were working on a new translation of Luke 2:6–12 in Iwaidja, a Northern Territory language, the translators had written ‘angel’ as ‘a man with eagle wings’. Even before getting to the question of whether this was an accurate term (or one that imported some other information in), the word for ‘eagle’ started getting discussed. One of the translators had her teenage granddaughter with her, and this word didn’t mean anything to her at all. She’d never heard of it, as it was an archaic term that younger people didn’t use anymore. They ended up changing the translation of ‘angel’ to something like ‘a man sent with a message’, which is both more accurate and clear.”)

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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) is used as in mi-tsukai (御使い) or “messenger (of God).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also angel (Acts 12:15) and this devotion on YouVersion .

complete verse (1 Corinthians 6:3)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 6:3:

  • Uma: “Don’t you know, on the Kiama Day Kristen people will judge the cases of angels. So, certainly you are capable of deciding cases in this world.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Do you know also that we (incl.) will even judge the angels in the future? Na even more so about problems/cases here in this world now we (dual) should judge.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because we will be the ones in the future to check up on the activities of even the angels of God in Heaven; and how much more it should be that we can check up on activities which take place just here on earth!” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Don’t you also know that we are the ones who will judge the angels? If we are capable of that, surely more so that which concerns only this earth.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because even the angels, we will be included in judging them. Well do we not all the more have the ability to fix up things in our lives?” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “And even God’s angels will be judged by us. Therefore we should be able to set right some little matter that is troubling us.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (1Cor. 6:3)

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.

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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 6:3

Some translations understand the two halves of this verse as separate questions, whereas others consider that the verse is punctuated as a single question. Translations also vary according to whether the second half is taken as a question or an exclamation (see the punctuation note in the UBS Greek New Testament). These differing views really do not affect the translation. Translators must do what is most effective and natural in their own language.

The question Do you not know…? has the same meaning as in verse 2.

We includes both Paul and his readers and means the same as “God’s people” in verses 1-2, though in verse 1 Paul is referring more specifically to “God’s people” in Corinth.

For angels, see comment on 4.9.

How much more in the second half of the verse introduces a type of argument that is often used in the Gospels (for example, Matt 6.26, 30) and other parts of the New Testament (1 Cor 12.24; 2 Cor 3.9, 11). The word translated How much more is not used elsewhere in the New Testament, but the meaning is clear. Other English equivalents would be “not to mention…” or “let alone….”

Matters pertaining to this life is repeated in verse 4, though Revised Standard Version omits the phrase there for stylistic purposes and says If then you have such cases. Paul does not suggest that matters pertaining to this life are wrong, but that they are far less important than sharing in the final judgment. A possible way of translating this final sentence is “If that is so, we should be even more capable of dealing with everyday matters.”

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 .