12We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart.
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 exclusive form (excluding the addressee).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Corinthians 5:12:
Uma: “Don’t you say thus, that we (excl.) are praising ourselves again here. Our(excl.) purpose here is to let you know something good that you can praise us (excl.) for, so you will have a way to answer those who reject us (excl.). For those people there [where you are (implied in locational)] who reject us (excl.) are getting proud over their skill/intelligence and their position [lit., seat] in this world, but the contents of their heart are not good.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Don’t think that we (excl.) want to make ourselves great again. It is not so! But we (excl.) are speaking like this so that you are not ashamed because of us (excl.) and so that you have something to answer the people who boast about their status, not about their customs.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for these words of mine, it is not my purpose here so that you might praise us, but rather we want that you might know that our purpose is right, so you might have an answer for those people who only look at the face of a person but not at his good works.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “It is not our (excl.) purpose to boast/speak-highly-about ourselves (excl.) in this that we (excl.) have said. We (excl.) only want you to have something that you can use-for-boasting-about us (excl.) in order that you will have a way to answer the people there who give-import to a person’s status, not what is in his mind.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Hopefully you won’t think that we (excl.) are speaking like this because we are boasting to you, but rather so that you will be given the straightness/justification with-which-to-stand-up-for us (excl.) and with-which-to-answer the people there who are belittling us (excl.). Those people, that’s all that they praise in people, the exterior (things) that can be seen. Hopefully what they would praise is, the good in a person’s mind/inner-being and in his ways/nature.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Concerning this word which I speak, do not think that I am only making up what I say in order that I will be honored for what I am doing. Rather I tell you plainly what I am doing so that you can defend me where the people accuse me. Concerning these people who accuse me, these are those who like to boast where they speak, even though their thoughts are not straight.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
We: the context here clearly indicates that the pronoun is exclusive. That is, it does not include the Corinthian Christians.
Commending ourselves: see comments on 3.1.
But: the conjunction used here is a rather strong one underlining the contrast between the denial of self-commendation and the affirmation that follows.
Giving you cause: the word translated cause has the basic meaning of “a starting point or base of operations for an expedition.” But it is used figuratively in the New Testament to indicate a basis or justification for doing something. Elsewhere it is translated “opportunity” in Revised Standard Version (Rom 7.8, 11; Gal 5.13). This may also be a good rendering here. Anchor Bible has “a suitable basis,” while Knox translates the whole clause “we are shewing you how to find material for boasting of us.”
To be proud of us: literally “boast of us.” The Greek suggests not simply inward pride but rather active “boasting.” While some good manuscripts read “of you” in place of of us, it is better to translate as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.
Be able to answer: literally the word answer is not in the Greek text. The idea is not that of responding to questions, but rather to “have something to say [to those who are boasting]” (Anchor Bible, and similarly New American Bible).
Those who pride themselves in the context of this letter clearly refers to Paul’s opponents in Corinth (see 11.12). The root verb used here is the same as in the expression to be proud of us. Therefore the idea of outward boasting, rather than a mere inward feeling of pride, should be conveyed in translation. However, the context indicates that there are negative connotations involved here, while the previous reference is positive.
A man’s position and not on his heart: literally “in face and not in heart.” Since Paul seems to be speaking generally here and not exclusively of men, translators may wish to use inclusive language, such as in Revised English Bible (“whose pride is all in outward show and not in inward worth”) or New Revised Standard Version (“in outward appearance and not in the heart”). The Good News Translation translation “a man’s appearance” should not be understood as referring to a person’s physical appearance. The sense is that Paul’s opponents boast about external things such as their abilities and status (see 11.22-23).
The Contemporary English Version is a good model translation for the last part of this verse: “But we want you to be proud of us, when you are with those who are not sincere and brag about what others think of them.”
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 .
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 show 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).