uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

ἡ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε πίπτει

¬The love never /is/_falling

Connecting Statement:

Here, just like in 13:4–7, Paul speaks as if love were a person. Continue to follow the translation strategies you chose in those verses. Alternate translation: “If you love others, you will never stop doing so”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / litotes

οὐδέποτε πίπτει

never /is/_falling

Connecting Statement:

Here Paul uses two negative words, never and fails, to indicate a positive meaning. If your language does not use two negative words like this, you can instead use a strong positive word. Alternate translation: “always keeps going” or “love always continues”

Note 3 topic: grammar-connect-condition-fact

εἴτε & προφητεῖαι, καταργηθήσονται; εἴτε γλῶσσαι, παύσονται; εἴτε γνῶσις, καταργηθήσεται

whether & prophesies ˱they˲_/will_be_being/_nullified or tongues ˱they˲_/will_be/_ceasing or knowledge ˱it˲_/will_be_being/_nullified

Connecting Statement:

Here Paul uses the conditional form to identify what he is speaking about. This form does not mean that Paul is unsure about whether prophecies, tongues, and knowledge currently exist. Rather, Paul uses this form to identify each one as the topic of the rest of the clause. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind Paul’s use of if hereby using a contrast word such as “although” or by simplifying the clauses so that they do not use if. Alternate translation: “although there are prophecies, they will pass away; although there are tongues, they will cease; although there is knowledge, it will pass away” or “prophecies will pass away; tongues will cease; knowledge will pass away”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

εἴτε & προφητεῖαι, καταργηθήσονται; εἴτε γλῶσσαι, παύσονται; εἴτε γνῶσις, καταργηθήσεται.

whether & prophesies ˱they˲_/will_be_being/_nullified or tongues ˱they˲_/will_be/_ceasing or knowledge ˱it˲_/will_be_being/_nullified

Connecting Statement:

Here Paul omits some words that may be required in your language to make a full sentence. If you need these words, you could supply a phrase such as “there are” or “there is.” Since English does need these words in the first clause, the ULT supplies them. You could supply them in just the first clause or in all of the clauses. Alternate translation: “if there are prophecies, they will pass away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will pass away”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

γλῶσσαι

tongues

Connecting Statement:

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: “special languages”

Note 6 topic: translate-unknown

γλῶσσαι

tongues

Connecting Statement:

Here, tongues has the same meaning it had in 12:10, 28, 30; 13:1. Translate it the same way you did in those verses.

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

γνῶσις, καταργηθήσεται

knowledge ˱it˲_/will_be_being/_nullified

Connecting Statement:

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind knowledge, you can express the idea by using a verb such as “know.” Alternate translation: “secret things that people know, they will pass away”