OET interlinear 1COR 12:16

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / hypo

ἐὰν εἴπῃ τὸ οὖς, ὅτι οὐκ εἰμὶ ὀφθαλμός, οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐκ τοῦ σώματος

if /may/_say the ear because not ˱I˲_am /an/_eye not ˱I˲_am of the body

Just as in 12:15, here Paul is using a hypothetical situation to teach the Corinthians. He wants them to imagine that an ear could talk and claim that it is not of the body because it is not an eye. He uses this hypothetical situation because it is absurd for an ear to talk, and it is even more absurd that an ear would say these things if it could talk. Use a natural way in your language to introduce a hypothetical situation. Alternate translation: “suppose an ear would say, ‘Since I am not an eye, I am not of the body’”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

τὸ οὖς

the ear

Paul is using any ear as an example. He is not speaking about one particular ear that can talk. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this form with a form that refers to any ear. Alternate translation: “an ear” or “any ear”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

ἐὰν εἴπῃ τὸ οὖς

if /may/_say the ear

Just as in 12:15, here Paul speaks as if an ear could say things. He speaks in this way because he wants the Corinthians to think of themselves as body parts of the body of Christ, and so the ear is an example for them. He also wishes them to see how absurd it is for an ear to say what it says here. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this figure of speech by clarifying that this is a hypothetical situation in which a foot can say things. Alternate translation: “say that an ear could talk, and it said”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / quotations

εἴπῃ & ὅτι οὐκ εἰμὶ ὀφθαλμός, οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐκ τοῦ σώματος;

/may/_say & because not ˱I˲_am /an/_eye not ˱I˲_am of the body

If your language does not use this form, you can translate the statement as an indirect quote instead of as a direct quote. Alternate translation: “would say that, since it is not an eye, it is not of the body”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐκ τοῦ σώματος & οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ σώματος

not ˱I˲_am not ˱I˲_am of the body & not ˱it˲_is of the body

Just as in 12:15, of the body identifies something that belong to or is part of the body. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express of the body with a form in your language that refers to what is part of or belongs to something else. Alternate translation: “I am not a part of the body … it is not a part of the body”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives

οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ σώματος

not by this not ˱it˲_is of the body

Here Paul uses two negative words to express the idea that the reason that the ear gives is not valid for separating it from the body. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind the two negative words with positive words or only one negative word. Alternate translation: “despite that, it is of the body” or “it is still of the body”

Note 7 topic: writing-pronouns

τοῦτο

this

Here, this refers back to what the ear said about not being an eye. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this with a word or phrase that more clearly identifies what it refers to. Alternate translation: “this reasoning” or “that idea”