complete verse (1 Corinthians 11:19)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 11:19:

  • Uma: “It is indeed good / How good it is if you have disagreements, so that it is evident who of you strongly follows the Lord. [This sentence can be read as irony on Paul’s part.]” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Perhaps it is also good if you are divided, because if for example you are not divided, it is also not known as to who is pleasing to God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Perhaps it’s necessary that these things take place there among you so that it might be known which of you can really be trusted by God.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because it’s necessary that there be something like that so that it will become-known which of you God has approved.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Admittedly deeds like this can’t be left behind from the human race. But even though it’s like that, it has some usefulness for it will be evident who really has true believing/obeying that pleases God.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “But then it is necessary that there be arguments there where you are. It is that which makes known just who are the people who truly are believers and who are the people who are not believers.” (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 1 Corinthians 11:19

Good News Bible, Bible en français courant, and New English Bible (but not Revised English Bible) put this verse in parentheses, to show the close links between verses 18 and 20. However, in the Greek, verse 19 is linked grammatically with verse 18 by the conjunction for. Paul may imply something like “such divisions are only to be expected,” or even “such divisions are part of God’s purpose.” The verb translated must is often used in speaking of God’s purpose, as in Mark 8.31.

Factions means the same as “divisions” in verse 18.

Those who are genuine: the Greek probably implies that the crisis of division in the church will serve as a test or trial, after which it will be possible to tell who have remained faithful and who have not (compare 3.13; 9.27).

Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch expresses this clause as “… so that one can see who has maintained himself in faith”; similarly Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, “… so that one can recognize who have overcome the test”; and Bible en français courant, “… so that one can recognize those among you who are truly faithful.”

In this verse Paul repeats twice the phrase among you that he has already used in verse 18. This emphasizes his concern in this passage for the corporate life of the Christian community.

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 .