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 9:4:
Uma: “For if there are some Makedonia people that accompany me going [to where you are (implied in verb)], and if perchance your helping money is not yet gathered, no kidding our (excl.) embarrassment, for we (excl.) have already praised you. You too would be embarrassed, relatives.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “But when I come there and there are some people from here from Makedoniya accompanying me, and they see that you have not yet been able to prepare your help, na, I will be made ashamed. But you will be made more ashamed because I praised you that your help was ready.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For if you don’t carry it out, and if some of the Macedonian Christians come along with me when I come there, and they see that you have not prepared your help, then we’ll be ashamed and you will be ashamed also because of what I said, that you were already prepared.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Because if I arrive there accompanied by our brothers from-Macedonia and they find-out that what you will-help-with is not yet prepared, I will be excessively shamed on account of my expectation that it was already prepared, so also with you.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “For maybe I will just be embarrassed, not to mention you too, if there are some from Macedonia here who accompany me and they observe that you are not yet ready.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “What if it should happen that some who are people of Macedonia come with me to where you are and find that you haven’t gathered the money for the help. And here I have said that you were eager to help. Then I’d be ashamed. You would be ashamed too because you wouldn’t have the money for your help.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
The name that is transliterated as “Macedonia” in English is translated in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) with a sign that shows pillars, a hallmark of the architecture used there in the Roman period and also prominently used today at Archaeological Museum of the Republic of North Macedonia (see here ). (Source: Missão Kophós )
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).
Verse 4 expresses the reason that Paul is sending these brothers on ahead to Corinth (verse 3). He wanted to determine whether they were really prepared, in order to avoid mutual embarrassment.
Lest: while Revised Standard Version and certain other versions follow the Greek in continuing the sentence started at the beginning of verse 3, it will be better in most languages to start a new sentence here with a word like “Otherwise” (Bible en français courant) or “However” (Good News Translation).
To whom do the words some Macedonians refer? The Greek is literally “Macedonians.” By adding the definite article “the” before the word “people,” Good News Translation suggests a specific group of people. It seems that after sending Titus and the two unnamed brothers, Paul himself will go to Corinth and may take with him some Christians from the province of Macedonia. The translations some (Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible) people from Macedonia or “if any Macedonians” (New American Bible, New International Version) are preferable to “the people from Macedonia” (Good News Translation), since Paul does not appear to be referring to a specific group of people. The Revised English Bible translation, “men from Macedonia,” is more specific than the Greek requires; women may have been included also.
Paul was concerned that the Corinthians may not be ready, that is, that they may not have their part of the contribution ready (see 1 Cor 16.1-2). Contemporary English Version says “I want them to find that you have the money ready.”
The context clearly shows that the we in this case excludes the Corinthian readers, since it contrasts with you later in the same sentence.
Be humiliated: in those languages where passive expressions are problematic, it will be necessary to indicate who the agent is in the process of humiliation. In this case it is clearly the Corinthians if they are unprepared for the offering. One may say more directly “you will cause us to feel shame.” But in some languages it will be possible to say simply “we will feel shame.”
To say nothing of you: literally “lest I say you.” This rather cryptic parenthetical statement may have to be translated in some languages as a separate sentence at the end of the verse. One may say “I won’t even mention the shame you might feel.”
For being so confident: it is doubtful whether the meaning “confidence” can be established for the Greek word translated as confident in Revised Standard Version. Good News Translation and most other English versions, however, follow the same meaning as Revised Standard Version. The Greek word is better translated as “plan,” “project,” or “undertaking.” The end of this verse should therefore be translated as “we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—in this undertaking” (New Revised Standard Version and Anchor Bible).
At the end of this verse, some manuscripts add the words “of this boasting” (so REB footnote). The UBS Greek New Testament does not include these words, and the editors give a “B” evaluation to the printed text, suggesting that the printed text is almost certainly correct. King James Version is based on the manuscripts that have this addition: “should be ashamed in this same confident boasting.” With the additional words the sense is clearly that Paul would be humiliated for having confidently boasted about the Corinthians (see 7.14 and 9.3). Some translations such as Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have followed manuscripts that do not have these additional words; but the translators understand the sense to be the same, even without the addition.
As already stated, however, the Greek word translated confident in Revised Standard Version is more accurately translated “undertaking.” The humiliation that Paul fears is not that he may have boasted in vain. Rather he will be humiliated if the undertaking of the fund-raising for the Christians in Jerusalem should fail. The following translation may serve as a model for this verse:
• However, if some people from Macedonia should come with me to Corinth and find out that you are not ready, how ashamed we [exclusive] would be if this project of collecting money should fail. And I will not even talk about your shame in this matter.
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 .
9:4a Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared,
Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and see that you (plur.) are not ready,
-or-
Some believers from Macedonia may come with me. If they see/discover that you have not prepared ⌊your gift⌋,
-or-
If some Macedonian believers come with me ⌊to you⌋, they might find that you have not prepared ⌊your gift⌋.
9:4b we—to say nothing of you—would be ashamed of having been so confident.
we (excl.) would be humiliated for being so confident—to say nothing of you.
-or-
we would be ashamed by our thinking with no doubts that you ⌊would do as you said you would⌋, but you would be ashamed even more.
-or-
If you are unprepared, that would shame us for being certain about you. It would shame you even more!
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.