OET interlinear 1COR 10:4

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

πάντες τὸ αὐτὸ πνευματικὸν ἔπιον πόμα; ἔπινον γὰρ ἐκ πνευματικῆς ἀκολουθούσης πέτρας

all the same spiritual drank drink ˱they˲_/were/_drinking for of /a/_spiritual following_‹them› rock

Here Paul refers to two stories that tell how the Israelites drank water that came out of a rock. For these stories, see Exodus 17:1–7 and Numbers 20:2–13. In both of these stories, the Israelites are thirsty in the desert, and God commands Moses to act (either by speaking or by striking the rock with a staff) so that water comes out of the rock for the Israelites to drink. If your readers are not familiar with these stories, you could add a footnote that refers to or summarizes the stories.

Note 2 topic: translate-unknown

πνευματικὸν

spiritual

Here, spiritual could indicate: (1) that Paul is indicating that the drink should be compared with the wine in the Lord’s Supper, which is also spiritual. Alternate translation: “divine” (2) that the drink came from God in a supernatural way. Alternate translation: “supernatural”

Note 3 topic: translate-unknown

πνευματικῆς

/a/_spiritual

Here, spiritual could indicate: (1) that Paul is already hinting that the rock should be interpreted as more than a rock, as Christ (as he does at the end of the verse). Alternate translation: “a divine” (2) that God used the rock in a supernatural way. Alternate translation: “a supernatural”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἀκολουθούσης πέτρας

following_‹them› rock

Some early Jewish scholars used the two stories about the water coming from the rock to argue that it was the same rock in both stories. This means that the rock was following the Israelites as they journeyed through the desert. Paul seems to refer to this interpretation here. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate following them by including a footnote explaining why Paul speaks in this way.

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἡ & πέτρα ἦν ὁ Χριστός

the & rock was the Messiah

Here Paul identifies the rock as Christ. By speaking in this way, he means that the rock was the source of water and life for the Israelites, just as Christ is the source of life for all those who believe in him. Paul also probably means that Christ was the one who made the water come from the rock. If possible, preserve Paul’s metaphor here. If you must express the idea in another, you could state a comparison between how the rock provided for the Israelites and how Christ provides for all his people, including the Israelites. Alternate translation: “they received water from that rock like we receive life from Christ” or “Christ provided for them through the rock, and he provides for us now”