complete verse (2 Corinthians 8:8)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Corinthians 8:8:

  • Uma: “I am not telling you this like it was a command. My purpose is to tell you how big the love of the Makedonia people is, giving their helping money to others, so I can see how far your love goes too.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “I am not saying this that I would command you, but I only want to make known to you as to how the others want to help so that you also imitate them. Because of that you can show that you also truly love your companions.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “This is not my command to you, but rather I want you to know how much some of the other believers desire to help their companions. That’s why I’m telling you this, so that you might imitate them and by means of that I will come to know whether your kindness is true.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “This that I have said is not a command. I only want to let-you -know that others are eager to help so that if you follow-their -example, I will thereby-know that your love is also sincere/heartfelt.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “It’s not that I am commanding you. I’m just telling you how the helping of some others of your siblings in believing is so that, if you also do that, it can therein be assured how true/genuine your valuing really is.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “I am not saying this word as though I command you to give help. Rather I tell you this word because I want that you know what other people are doing, in that they have pleasure to give help to their fellow believers. I think that perhaps it will appear that also you truly love your fellow 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 2 Corinthians 8:8

The words I say this not as a command point back to what Paul has just written in the preceding verses. Some other possible models, in addition to Good News Translation, are “I am not saying that you must do it” (Good News for the World) or “I am not issuing any orders” (Moffatt).

But to prove: the conjunction marks contrast between what Paul is not doing (issuing orders) and what he really hopes to do. In some languages it will be necessary to add the implied information following the conjunction: “but what I want to do is to prove….” Anchor Bible has “I intend to verify the reality of your love.”

The earnestness of others refers to the generosity of the Macedonian Christians. The generosity of the Macedonian Christians becomes the standard by which Paul measures the love of the Corinthians. Martin says “but I am seeking to try out the reality of your love also by using the eagerness of others [as a standard].”

Your love has no stated object. Probably Paul is thinking primarily of their love for fellow Christians, and perhaps also for him (see 8.24). In those languages where an object is required, one may say simply “for other people.”

Genuine: the word so translated is rendered “true” in Phil 4.3; 1 Tim 1.2; Titus 1.4. It is the opposite of fake, counterfeit or false. In some languages it may be translated negatively by saying something like “not a lie” or something similar. Others may have specific terms used in commerce to distinguish quality goods from inferior imitations. If such a term is used figuratively, it would be appropriate here.

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 .