complete verse (2 Corinthians 12:5)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Corinthians 12:5:

  • Uma: “Actually, it is quite fitting I praise a person who has seen vision like that. But I don’t want to praise myself. The only thing I will praise myself for is all my weaknesses.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “It is right/fitting for me to boast about this person but I don’t want to boast about myself, only about my weaknesses.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Now I am that person who has taken to Heaven, and it could be that I might boast about these things which happened to me, but I will not boast about my wisdom, rather, the things I will boast about are the things that show my lack of wisdom.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “If I wanted (but I don’t) to boast-about a person like that because of what was shown to him, it would be my right, but as concerns my life on this earth, I will boast-of nothing except what shows my weakness.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “A person who has experienced that, I really would cause to be praised. But I will not cause my own ability to be praised, but rather those things that cause to be comprehended that, as for me, I have no ability of my own.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Concerning this word, clearly I could brag about it. But concerning myself, when I speak about myself I clearly state that I am not strong.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 2 Corinthians 12:5

Of this man: literally “of such a one.” This has been taken by some scholars as meaning “of such an incident.” Moffatt, for example, begins this verse “of an experience like that I am prepared to boast.” But most scholars agree in taking this expression as referring to the person who had the experience, as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

Except …: in Greek the words are literally “if not….” Some languages require that exception clauses be translated by separate sentences. In this case one may consider saying something like “I will boast only that I am weak” or “However I can boast that I lack strength.”

In some languages it may be more natural to reorder the elements in this verse slightly: “I will boast about a person like that, but I will not boast about myself unless it is to show how frail I am.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on 2 Corinthians 12:5

12:5a I will boast about such a man,

I will boast about such a man,
-or-
I will brag about a man who experienced that.

12:5b but I will not boast about myself,

but I will not boast about my own deeds,
-or-
But I will not brag about things that give me high status ⌊in your/anyone’s sight⌋.

12:5c except in my weaknesses.

except about things that show my weaknesses.
-or-
I will only boast about things that show that I am weak.

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