Paul comments in this verse on the second half of the quotation in verse 55, and in verse 57 on the first half of that quotation.

Like verse 27b, this verse is an aside. In modern books it would have been put in a footnote or in parentheses.

This verse begins in the Greek with a word meaning “and” or “but.” Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible agree in omitting this word here, where it is a very weak transitional.

Sting: see the comments on verse 55.

Power implies “power to hurt,” or perhaps even better, “power to kill,” as in Bible en français courant.

The law: this law is considered as coming from God, so Good News Bible capitalizes “the Law.” Some translations that do not use capitalization may need to say “the law written by Moses.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, 2nd edition. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1985/1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .