3And I wrote as I did, so that when I came, I might not suffer grief from those who should have made me rejoice, for I am confident about all of you, that my joy would be the joy of all of you.
The Greek, Latin and Hebrew that is translated in English as “painful” or “sorrow” is translated in Huba as “cut the insides.” David Frank explains: “Huba has just one expression that covers both ‘angry’ and ‘sad.’ They don’t make a distinction in their language. I suppose you could say that the term they use means more generically, ‘strong emotional reaction’ (source: David Frank in this blog post ). Similarly, in Bariai it is “the interior is severed/cut” (source: Bariai Back Translation).
In Noongar it is translated as koort-warra or “heart bad.” (Source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020)
In Enlhet it is translated as “going aside of the innermost.” “Innermost” or valhoc is a term that is frequently used in Enlhet to describe a large variety of emotions or states of mind (for other examples see here). (Source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. )
The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “joy” or “happiness” is translated in the HausaCommon Language Bible idiomatically as farin ciki or “white stomach.” In some cases, such as in Genesis 29:11, it is also added for emphatic purposes.
Other languages that use the same expression include Southern Birifor (pʋpɛl), Dera (popolok awo), Reshe (ɾipo ɾipuhã). (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Corinthians 2:3:
Uma: “That was my purpose in writing that letter the other day [lit., yesterday], so that when I do come, you will no longer make my hearts sad. For actually, you ought to make my heart glad. And it is clear to me, if I am glad, you also will be glad.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “I know that when I am happy you are happy too. I do not want to come if I only have to be sad about your doings which are not good. And-what’s-more, you are the ones who should make me glad. That is hep the reason why I simply wrote to you at that time.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Therefore, brethren, what I did at that time is I sent you a letter because I did not want to visit you because I knew that as for you, the people who should be the ones to cause me joy, you would cause me sorrow at that time. And I knew that if I could rejoice, you could rejoice also.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “That’s the reason I wrote to you previously instead of visiting you koma immediately, so that when I go there, I will not be sad because of you who ought to make-me -happy. Because I have no doubts that if I am happy, that also is the cause-for-your -happiness.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “That’s why I just wrote to you first so that, on my going there (to you), it wouldn’t be grief you would give me but rather happiness, for hopefully you would be making me happy. Because I am sure that what I am happy about, you are happy about also.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Therefore I didn’t go there, rather I only sent you the letter I wrote. I did not want to go there bringing sadness with me. Because I can’t rejoice when it is necessary that I reprimand you for what you are doing. You also, I know, cannot rejoice when I come with sadness.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
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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).
The content of 1 Corinthians does not seem to fit with what Paul says in verse 4, so the letter referred to here in verse 3 is apparently another letter, now lost, written between 1 and 2 Corinthians. In any case Paul is not referring to the present letter (2 Corinthians) but to a letter that he wrote earlier and which he refers to again in 7.8-12. Though no specific time is indicated, the letter was probably written only a few months earlier, not a few years earlier. Some interpreters regard 2 Cor 10–13 to have been part of the letter referred to in 2.3, but such a view is improbable (see “Translating 2 Corinthians” page 2).
To make clear that Paul is not talking about something that he wrote in chapter 1 of 2 Corinthians, Good News Translation adds “that letter.” In some languages it may be necessary to say “another letter” or “that other letter.”
I wrote as I did: Good News Translation adds the word “to you” (also Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy), since the context clearly indicates that the letter was written to the Corinthians.
The words so that when I came should not be misunderstood to mean that Paul is here referring to a visit that he had already made. He has not yet visited Corinth again since he wrote the letter mentioned in this verse, so the words so that when I came refer to a visit that he planned to make as soon as possible, and that he still plans to make. Translators may consider saying “the reason that I wrote was so that when I do visit you again…,” or else follow the simple form of Good News Translation.
On pain see comment on verse 2.1.
From those who should have made me rejoice: an indirect reference to the Corinthian Christians. Some possible models for this part of the verse are “I did not want to be made sad by the very people who would have made me happy” or, more directly, “I did not want to visit you, because meeting with you would only make me unhappy. And you are the people who should make me happy.”
That my joy would be the joy of you all: this clause tells the reason for Paul’s wanting to be happy. In some languages it may be better to transpose this to the beginning of the verse, as is done in Contemporary English Version: “The reason I want to be happy is to make you happy.” Nearly all interpreters understand this to mean, as in Good News Translation, that when Paul was happy, then all of the Corinthians would be happy too. It is possible, though less likely, that the sense is the following: I will be happy when you are all happy.
Knox captures the meaning of the verse as a whole, translating as follows:
• And those were the very terms in which I wrote to you: I would not come, if it meant finding fresh cause for sorrow where I might have expected to find cause for happiness. I felt confidence in you all, I knew that what made me happy would make you happy too.
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 .
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®).
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