1 COR 12:28 Interlinear View

1. Greek word
2. Greek lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. Καί
2. kai
3. And
4. then and
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. S
10. Y59
11. 118334
1. οὕς
2. hos
3. that
4. -
5. 37390
6. R····AMP
7. that
8. that
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118335
1. μέν
2. men
3. indeed
4. indeed
5. 33030
6. D·······
7. indeed
8. indeed
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118336
1. ἔθετο
2. tithēmi
3. appointed
4. appointed
5. 50870
6. VIAM3··S
7. appointed
8. appointed
9. -
10. Y59; F118360; F118363; F118366; F118369; F118372; F118377; F118381
11. 118337
1. ὁ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NMS
7. ¬the
8. ¬the
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118338
1. Θεός
2. theos
3. god
4. God
5. 23160
6. N····NMS
7. god
8. God
9. GN
10. Y59; Person=God
11. 118339
1. ἐν
2. en
3. in
4. -
5. 17220
6. P·······
7. in
8. in
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118340
1. τῇ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····DFS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118341
1. ἐκκλησίᾳ
2. ekklēsia
3. assembly
4. -
5. 15770
6. N····DFS
7. assembly
8. assembly
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118342
1. πρῶτον
2. prōton
3. first
4. -
5. 44120
6. D·······
7. first
8. first
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118343
1. ἀποστόλους
2. apostolos
3. ambassadors
4. -
5. 6520
6. N····AMP
7. ambassadors
8. ambassadors
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118344
1. δεύτερον
2. deuteron
3. secondly
4. -
5. 12075
6. D·······
7. secondly
8. secondly
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118345
1. προφήτας
2. profētēs
3. prophets
4. prophets
5. 43960
6. N····AMP
7. prophets
8. prophets
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118346
1. τρίτον
2. triton
3. thirdly
4. -
5. 51535
6. D·······
7. thirdly
8. thirdly
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118347
1. διδασκάλους
2. didaskalos
3. teachers
4. teachers
5. 13200
6. N····AMP
7. teachers
8. teachers
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118348
1. ἔπειτα
2. epeita
3. then
4. -
5. 18990
6. D·······
7. then
8. then
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118349
1. δυνάμεις
2. dunamis
3. miracles
4. miracles
5. 14110
6. N····AFP
7. miracles
8. miracles
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118350
1. ἔπειτα
2. epeita
3. then
4. -
5. 18990
6. D·······
7. then
8. then
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118351
1. εἶτα
2. eita
3. -
4. -
5. 15340
6. D·······
7. thereafter
8. thereafter
9. -
10. -
11. 118352
1. χαρίσματα
2. χarisma
3. gifts
4. -
5. 54860
6. N····ANP
7. gifts
8. gifts
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118353
1. ἰαμάτων
2. iama
3. of healings
4. healing
5. 23860
6. N····GNP
7. ˱of˲ healings
8. ˱of˲ healings
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118354
1. ἀντιλήμψεις
2. antilēmpsis
3. helpers
4. -
5. 4840
6. N····AFP
7. helpers
8. helpers
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118355
1. κυβερνήσεις
2. kubernēsis
3. guidance
4. -
5. 29410
6. N····AFP
7. guidance
8. guidance
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118356
1. γένη
2. genos
3. kinds
4. -
5. 10850
6. N····ANP
7. kinds
8. kinds
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118357
1. γλωσσῶν
2. glōssa
3. of tongues
4. languages
5. 11000
6. N····GFP
7. ˱of˲ tongues
8. ˱of˲ tongues
9. -
10. Y59
11. 118358

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 12:1–31: Use spiritual gifts to help the church

In this section Paul wrote about different spiritual gifts, or abilities, that the Holy Spirit gives to believers. He listed some of these spiritual gifts and taught that God gave them to us to help the church. He compared the body of Christ with the human body in order to explain that all of the spiritual gifts are important to the church.

Here are some other possible section headings:

Using spiritual gifts

God gives spiritual gifts to each member of the body

About spiritual gifts

12:28a

And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles,

And in the church God chose in the first place the apostles.
Among the believers, there are responsibilities that God gave to people. The most important of these is to be God’s representative.

And: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as And introduces a thought that follows naturally from and builds upon the previous one. You should make a natural connection between 12:27b and 12:28a.

in the church: The phrase in the church refers to the group of believers in Corinth. It does not refer to a church building.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

among the believers

in the body of Christ

God has appointed: The word appointed means “chosen” or “selected to do a job.”

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

God chose

God gave to people responsibilities

first of all: Most commentators agree that first of all means “first in importance” rather than “first in time.”

Here are some other ways to translate this linking word:

the most important of these is

first in importance

first in rank

apostles: The Greek word that the BSB translates as apostles means “people who are sent.” It refers to the people Jesus sent with authority to represent him and perform a task or mission for him. Jesus chose twelve people to be his apostles (Mark 3:14). The term “apostle” is also used to refer to Matthias (Acts 1:26), and Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:14). See the note on “apostle” at 1 Corinthians 1:1a.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

Translate the meaning of the Greek word apostles. For example:
people sent on a mission for Jesus Christ
Christ’s messengers
representatives of Jesus Christ
Indicate the role or function of the apostles. For example:
leaders of Jesus’ work
people who are in charge of Jesus’ work

Be careful to choose different terms for “apostle,” “angel,” “elder,” and “prophet.” See also Apostle in the Key Biblical Terms.

12:28b

second prophets, third teachers,

In the second place he chose prophets and in the third place teachers.
The second most important are those who speak messages from God. The third most important are those who teach God’s word.

second prophets, third teachers: This continues to list the leaders that God appointed for the church. Paul numbered them to show the order of their importance in the church.

prophets: A “prophet” is one who speaks God’s message. The message may sometimes involve foretelling the future, and also telling people the things that God says.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

those who speak messages from God

those who tell the words of God

teachers: The word teachers refers to those who explain to others the meaning of God’s word. Teachers taught both adults and children.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

those who teach God’s word

those who teach spiritual truth

12:28c

then workers of miracles, and those with gifts of healing,

Then he chose those who can perform miracles and those with the ability to heal others.
Then there are people who can do amazing things, and also those with the ability to remove sickness.

then: The Greek word that the BSB translates as then introduces other people who work for Christ in the church but are not the main leaders. It is not a time word.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

also

in addition to these people there are

The workers that follow are not listed in order of importance. In the Greek, the list that follows is a list of spiritual gifts. Many English versions translate it as a list of people who have those gifts.

workers of miracles: The Greek word that the BSB translates as workers of miracles is literally “powers.” It refers to the ability that God gave people to do supernatural things. The BSB translated it as a person who has this ability. See Miracle in the Glossary.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

those who do miracles

those who do amazing things

people to whom God gave the work of doing miracles

and those with gifts of healing: The Greek phrase that the BSB has translated as those with gifts of healing is literally “gifts of healings.” It refers to the ability to heal those who are ill. The BSB translated it as a person who has this ability. See how you translated gifts of healing in 12:9b.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

those who have the ability to heal/cure sick people

those with the ability to remove sickness

people to whom God gave the work of healing others

gifts: A “gift” is an ability given by the Holy Spirit. See how you translated this in 12:1 and 12:4.

12:28d

helping, administration,

He chose those who can help others, those who can look after the church,
There are those who can help others, and those with the ability to organize the affairs of the believers,

helping: The Greek word that the BSB translates as helping is literally “helps” or “helpful deeds.” It refers to an ability to assist other Christians in practical ways.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

those who have the ability to help their companions

people to whom God gave the work of helping others

administration: The Greek word that the BSB translates as administration refers to an ability to direct and manage the church.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

those who have the ability to look after the church

those with the ability to organize the affairs of the believers

people to whom God gave the work of administration

12:28e

and various tongues.

and those who can speak in various unknown tongues.
and those who can speak in unknown/miraculous languages.

and various tongues: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as various tongues is literally “types of tongues.” The word tongues refers to speech uttered by people who do not know the meaning of what they are saying. These tongues may be foreign languages that the Spirit enables the person to speak, or they may be speech that is not a real language of this world. See the note on 12:10d.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

those who have the ability to speak in various languages

those who can speak in unknown/miraculous languages

those who can speak in languages that they have not learned

those who can speak in languages given to them by the Holy Spirit

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-pronouns

οὓς

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί οὕς μέν ἔθετο ὁ Θεός ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ πρῶτον ἀποστόλους δεύτερον προφήτας τρίτον διδασκάλους ἔπειτα δυνάμεις ἔπειτα χαρίσματα ἰαμάτων ἀντιλήμψεις κυβερνήσεις γένη γλωσσῶν)

Here, some refers to the specific people who have the gifts listed in the rest of this verse. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express some by clarifying that it refers to the people who have the gifts or titles he gives in the list. Alternate translation: [people to specifically function]

Note 2 topic: translate-ordinal

πρῶτον & δεύτερον & τρίτον

first & secondly & thirdly

If your language does not use ordinal numbers, you can use cardinal numbers here. Alternate translation: [one, … two, … three,]

ἐκκλησίᾳ πρῶτον ἀποστόλους, δεύτερον προφήτας, τρίτον διδασκάλους, ἔπειτα δυνάμεις, ἔπειτα χαρίσματα ἰαμάτων

assembly first ambassadors secondly prophets thirdly teachers then miracles then gifts ˱of˲_healings

Here Paul could use the numbers and then to indicate: (1) that he listed these things in the order in which he thought of them. In this case, there is no special significance to the numbers, and Paul stopped numbering items because he kept listing things after he said then. Alternate translation: [church. This includes first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing] (2) that the items are listed in order of importance or authority until Paul starts using then. This means that apostles, prophets, and teachers have special importance or authority in that order. Alternate translation: [church. Most important are apostles, second are prophets, and third are teachers. Then there are miracles, gifts of healing] (3) that the items are listed in the order in which God uses them in the church, up until Paul starts using then. Alternate translation: [church, which first requires apostles, second prophets, and third teachers. Then God gives miracles, gifts of healing]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἔπειτα δυνάμεις, ἔπειτα χαρίσματα ἰαμάτων, ἀντιλήμψεις, κυβερνήσεις, γένη γλωσσῶν

then miracles then gifts ˱of˲_healings helpers guidance kinds ˱of˲_tongues

When Paul stops using numbers in his list, he also stops using titles for people and instead names the gifts they have. However, the questions in the next two verses ([12:29–30](../12/29.md)) show that Paul wants the Corinthians to think about these gifts as belonging to specific people. If your readers would be confused by the change from titles to gifts, you could explicitly connect these gifts with the people who perform them. Alternate translation: [then people who perform miracles, then those with gifts of healing, those who help, those who administer, and those who speak various kinds of tongues]

Note 4 topic: translate-unknown

ἀντιλήμψεις

helpers

Here, helps could refer to: (1) acts that help other people. Alternate translation: [helpful deeds] (2) service that helps the church, which would include administrative work and distributing aid to those in need. Alternate translation: [supporting the church]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

κυβερνήσεις

guidance

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind administration, you can express the idea by using an adjective such as “administrative” or a verb such as “lead” or “direct.” Alternate translation: [administrative skills] or [the ability to lead]

Note 6 topic: translate-unknown

γένη γλωσσῶν

kinds ˱of˲_tongues

Here, various kinds of tongues has the same meaning it had in [12:10](../12/10.md). Translate it the same way you did there.

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

γλωσσῶν

˱of˲_tongues

Here, tongues refers to something that one does with one’s “tongue,” which is to speak a language. If it would be helpful in your language, you could indicate that tongues is a way of speaking about “languages” by using a comparable term or expressing the idea plainly. Alternate translation: [of languages]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.

OET interlinear 1 COR 12:28

SR Greek word order (including unused variant words in grey)

Section 12:1–31: Use spiritual gifts to help the church

12:28a

12:28b

12:28c

12:28d

12:28e

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

OET interlinear 1 COR 12:28

SR Greek word order (including unused variant words in grey)

Section 12:1–31: Use spiritual gifts to help the church

12:28a

12:28b

12:28c

12:28d

12:28e

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

OET interlinear 1 COR 12:28