9:33a

as it is written: This phrase introduces a quote from the Old Testament. Paul quoted what God said to the nation of Israel. See how you translated this phrase in 1:17 or 9:13.

9:33b–d

Paul used words from the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament (Isaiah 8:14 and 28:16). It is not an exact quote, but God spoke in 9:33b–c, so quote marks are needed in English. If you indicate the location of quotes from the Old Testament with cross-references, you may want to do so here.

9:33b

See: This word means “look.” It emphasizes the following clause. It is not a command to look at something. Here are other ways to translate this word:

Behold (English Standard Version)
-or-
Listen
-or-
Hey/Indeed

I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling: This is a metaphor. God put a stone in Zion that would cause the Jews to stumble. As 9:33c makes clear, Jesus is that stone. Jesus came as the Christ, but many Jews rejected him as the Christ. In that way they “stumbled.” But this is a quote from the Old Testament, so nothing should be put in the translation of this clause about Jesus.

In some languages a literal translation would indicate that God put an actual stone in Zion. If that is true in your language, use the word “like” here. For example:

I lay in Zion ⌊something like⌋ a stone of stumbling

I lay: Here the Greek word refers to putting something somewhere. For example:

I place (Good News Translation)

Zion: This is the name of the hill in Jerusalem southwest of the temple. For example:

on Sion/Zion Hill

In the Old Testament, Mount Zion was symbolic for God’s holy city, Jerusalem. In many languages people will not know that Zion represents Jerusalem here. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Translate literally and explain its symbolic meaning in a footnote. Here are example footnotes:

That is, Jerusalem.
-or-
Zion is symbolic for Jerusalem.

• Use the name Jerusalem instead of Zion in your translation. For example:

Jerusalem (New Living Translation (2004))

You may then want a footnote to give the Greek word. Here are example footnotes:

Literally “Zion.”
-or-
The Greek word here is Zion. Zion Hill is symbolic for Jerusalem.

stone: This word refers to a stone large enough to stumble over.

9:33c

In Greek, 9:33c starts with the word that is often translated as “and.” But the stone of 9:33b and the rock of 9:33c are metaphors and refer to the same person, the Messiah.

The English versions that translate the Greek with the word “and” probably imply poetic parallelism, where two phrases refer to the same thing. The New Revised Standard Version and some English versions make that clear by omitting the word “and” and inserting a comma. Another way to indicate that connection is to insert “that is.” For example:

…a stone of stumbling, 33c that is, a rock that will make them/people fall

(New Revised Standard Version🙂 a rock that will make them fall: There are two ways to interpret the Greek word that the New Revised Standard Version translates as make them fall :

(1) It means here cause to fall or trip. In this interpretation this rock refers to the same thing as the a stone of 9:33b and so the meaning here is the same or similar as “stumbling.” For example:

a stone that will make people stumble, a rock that will make them fall (Good News Translation)

(Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Good News Translation, New American Bible, Revised Edition, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, New Century Version)

(2) It means here cause to feel insulted or be angry at something someone does or says. The Jews expected the Christ to start a revolt against the Romans instead of die on a Roman cross like a criminal. For example:

a rock…that people trip over, a large rock that people find offensive (God’s Word)

(Berean Standard Bible, English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, God’s Word)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). But if the major language version in your area follows interpretation (2), you may want to follow that.

The phrase a rock that will make them fall is a metaphor. If you added “like” before “a stone of stumbling,” you may want to add “like” here. For example:

⌊something like⌋ a rock that will make them fall

But if you added “like” before “a stone of stumbling,” you may not need to repeat “like” here.

rock: This is a different word in the Greek. It usually refers to bedrock, a large continuous rock often underneath soil and perhaps sticking out in places. Here it probably refers more generally to any large rock. For example:

large rock (God’s Word)
-or-
boulder

9:33d

and: Some languages will see “whoever believes in him” as contrasting to “I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling.” For example:

but (New Jerusalem Bible)

the one who believes in Him: A person who believes in someone is someone who agrees to what someone stands for, trusts him, relies on him, and is committed to him. See how your translated this word in 1:16 or 6:8.

Him: This refers to the stone of stumbling and the rock of offense. But the meaning of those metaphors is the Christ. Use a pronoun that refers to a man, as the Berean Standard Bible does.

will never be put to shame: There are several ways to interpret the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as be put to shame :

(1) It indicates that someone caused them to be ashamed. For example:

will never be disgraced (New Living Translation (2004))

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, English Standard Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation (2004))

(2) It indicates that the people themselves will feel shame, without any focus on who or what caused it. For example:

will not be ashamed (God’s Word)

(King James Version, God’s Word)

(3) It refers to being disappointed that things did not happen as one hoped. For example:

will not be disappointed (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, New American Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because many scholars support it.

This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

⌊God⌋ will not shame him

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