glad

The Greek that is translated in English as “glad” or similar is translated in Enlhet as “innermosts are spread out.” “Innermost” or valhoc is a term that is frequently used in Enlhet to describe a large variety of emotions or states of mind (for other examples see here). (Source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. )

complete verse (2 Corinthians 2:2)

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

  • Uma: “For if I make your hearts sad, who will there be who [can] comfort me? No-one, for you whose hearts I make sad, you are the ones who can comfort me.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Because if I would cause you to be troubled/sad, who would make me glad. You hep are the only ones who can make me glad.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because if I cause you grief, who is going to cheer me up? Nobody, because I have caused you to grieve.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because who indeed makes-me-happy if not you? And how indeed can you make-me-happy if I have already saddened you?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because if I again give you big grief, well who is left to comfort me if not you who are now grieving?” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Because if I cause you to be sad, whoever could make me glad then? Only you yourselves can cause that I rejoice. But I cannot rejoice when I tell you the words which make you sad.” (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 2 Corinthians 2:2

For if I cause you pain: most translations do not reflect the fact that the pronoun I is emphatic in Greek. The sense is “For if I, who ought to work for your joy, cause you pain….”

In this verse you is plural in the Greek, while the one whom I have pained is singular, as in Revised Standard Version. This combination can be misunderstood to mean that, if Paul causes pain to the Corinthian Christians, a single individual would make him glad. Though the Greek is singular in the second part of this verse, Good News Translation changes to the plural (“the persons”) in order to indicate that Paul is not here speaking about one specific person. Revised English Bible uses the pronoun “you” in both parts of the verse: “who is left to cheer me up, except you whom I have offended?” This latter rendering makes very clear that the same group of people is referred to in both parts of this sentence (see verse 3).

Paul’s question in this verse is a rhetorical one; the answer, the one whom I have pained, is provided in the question. Good News Translation provides a separate answer by changing the last part of the sentence into a statement. In some languages it may be more appropriate to use an emphatic statement in place of the question: “For if I were to cause you pain, there would certainly be no one left to make me happy, because you are the ones I have made sad.”

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 2:2

2:2a For if I grieve you,

For if I myself make you (plur.) grieve,
-or-
Furthermore, if it is I who cause you to feel sad/ashamed,

2:2b who is left to cheer me but those whom I have grieved?

could there be someone else to make me glad but you whom I have grieved?
-or-
no one is left to make me glad except you whom I have caused to feel sad/ashamed.

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