OET interlinear 1COR 3:18

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / imperative3p

μηδεὶς ἑαυτὸν ἐξαπατάτω & μωρὸς γενέσθω

no_one himself /let_be/_deceiving & foolish ˱him˲_/let/_become

In this verse, Paul uses two third-person imperatives. If you have third-person imperatives in your language, you could use them here. If you do not have third-person imperatives, you could express the ideas using a word such as “should.” Alternate translation: “No one should deceive himself … he should become a ‘fool’”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

μηδεὶς ἑαυτὸν ἐξαπατάτω; εἴ τις δοκεῖ σοφὸς εἶναι ἐν ὑμῖν ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, μωρὸς γενέσθω, ἵνα γένηται σοφός.

no_one himself /let_be/_deceiving if anyone /is/_supposing wise to_be among you_all in ¬the age this foolish ˱him˲_/let/_become in_order_that ˱he˲_/may/_become wise

Here, the words translated himself, he, and him are written in masculine form, but they refer to anyone, no matter what their gender might be. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind himself, he, and himby using words that do not have gender, or you could use both genders. Alternate translation: “Let no one deceive himself or herself. If anyone among you thinks he or she is wise in this age, let him or her become a ‘fool,’ that he or she may become wise” or “Let no people deceive themselves. If any people among you think they are wise in this age, let them become ‘fools,’ that they may become wise”

Note 3 topic: grammar-connect-condition-hypothetical

εἴ τις δοκεῖ σοφὸς εἶναι ἐν ὑμῖν ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, μωρὸς γενέσθω

if anyone /is/_supposing wise to_be among you_all in ¬the age this foolish ˱him˲_/let/_become

Here Paul uses If to introduce a true possibility. He means that a person might think that he is wise, or that person might not think this. He then specifies the consequence if someone does think that he is wise. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this form by stating the If statement by using a relative clause. Alternate translation: “Let whoever among you thinks he is wise in this age become a ‘fool’”

ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ

among in ¬the age this

Alternate translation: “according to the standards of this age”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / irony

μωρὸς γενέσθω, ἵνα γένηται σοφός

foolish ˱him˲_/let/_become in_order_that ˱he˲_/may/_become wise

Here Paul commands any wise person among the Corinthians to become a fool. He does not actually think that doing what he commands makes a person a fool, which is why fool appears in quotation marks. Rather, he knows that many will call doing what he commands “becoming a fool.” To make this clearer, he then says that becoming what many will call a “fool” will actually lead to becoming truly wise. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express Paul’s use of the word fool with a form in your language that indicates that Paul is speaking from the perspective of other people. Alternate translation: “let him become a so-called ‘fool,’ that he may become truly wise”

Note 5 topic: grammar-connect-logic-goal

ἵνα

in_order_that

Here, that introduces the goal or purpose for which a person should become a “fool”. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind thatwith a word or phrase that introduces a goal or purpose. Alternate translation: “in order that”