1 COR 3:2 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. Γάλα
2. gala
3. Milk
4. -
5. 10510
6. N····ANS
7. milk
8. milk
9. S
10. Y59
11. 113893
1. ὑμᾶς
2. su
3. you all
4. -
5. 47710
6. R···2A·P
7. you_all
8. you_all
9. -
10. Y59; R113876
11. 113894
1. ἐπότισα
2. potizō
3. I gave to drink
4. gave drink
5. 42220
6. VIAA1··S
7. ˱I˲ gave_to_drink
8. ˱I˲ gave_to_drink
9. -
10. Y59; R113253; Person=Paul
11. 113895
1. καί
2. kai
3. -
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. -
11. 113896
1. οὒ
2. ou
3. not
4. aren't
5. 37560
6. D·······
7. not
8. not
9. -
10. Y59
11. 113897
1. βρῶμα
2. brōma
3. food
4. -
5. 10330
6. N····ANS
7. food
8. food
9. -
10. Y59
11. 113898
1. οὔπω
2. oupō
3. not yet
4. -
5. 37680
6. D·······
7. not_yet
8. not_yet
9. -
10. Y59
11. 113899
1. γάρ
2. gar
3. because/for
4. because
5. 10630
6. C·······
7. for
8. for
9. -
10. Y59
11. 113900
1. ἐδύνασθε
2. dunamai
3. you all were able
4. -
5. 14100
6. VIIM2··P
7. ˱you_all˲ ˓were˒ able
8. ˱you_all˲ ˓were˒ able
9. -
10. Y59; R113876
11. 113901
1. ἠδύνασθε
2. dunamai
3. -
4. -
5. 14100
6. VIAM2··P
7. ˱you_all˲ ˓are˒ able
8. ˱you_all˲ ˓are˒ able
9. -
10. -
11. 113902
1. Ἀλλʼ
2. alla
3. But
4. -
5. 2350
6. C·······
7. but
8. but
9. S
10. Y59
11. 113903
1. οὐδέ
2. oude
3. neither
4. -
5. 37610
6. D·······
7. neither
8. neither
9. -
10. Y59
11. 113904
1. οὔτε
2. oute
3. -
4. -
5. 37770
6. D·······
7. neither
8. neither
9. -
10. -
11. 113905
1. ἔτι
2. eti
3. still
4. still
5. 20890
6. D·······
7. still
8. still
9. -
10. Y59
11. 113906
1. νῦν
2. nun
3. now
4. -
5. 35680
6. D·······
7. now
8. now
9. -
10. Y59
11. 113907
1. δύνασθε
2. dunamai
3. you all are being able
4. -
5. 14100
6. VIPM2··P
7. ˱you_all˲ ˓are˒ being_able
8. ˱you_all˲ ˓are˒ being_able
9. -
10. Y59; R113876
11. 113908

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:1–23: Christian workers serve the Lord by building his church together

In this section Paul told the believers in Corinth that they had not become spiritually mature. That was why they were dividing into separate groups and arguing with one another about teachers. They needed to learn about God’s plan for Christian workers and leaders. Christian workers and leaders all belong to God and are all building God’s church together.

Other possible section headings include:

Paul and all the other apostles were the Lord’s servants

All believers belong to the Lord and should remain united

Paragraph 3:1–4

Paul introduced the problem by pointing out to the Corinthians that they were not acting like people controlled by God’s Holy Spirit. They were quarreling among themselves and being jealous of one another. They were behaving just like unbelievers.

3:2a

I gave you milk,

I gave you only milk to drink.
At that time I taught you only the beginning things from God’s message, because you were like a baby that can only nurse/breastfeed.
At that time I taught you only the simple things from God’s message, as a mother gives babies only milk to drink.

I gave you milk: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as I gave you milk is a metaphor. Paul was comparing himself to a mother who nurses or breastfeeds her baby. He was like a mother who gives milk to her child in the sense that he gave or taught the new believers in Corinthian simple things that they were able to receive and absorb. He was comparing the beginning teachings from God’s message to milk. In some languages it may be necessary to make some of this information explicit. For example:

So I had to treat you like babies and feed you milk. (CEV)

The teaching I gave you was like milk. (NCV)

I taught you simply, as a mother gives only milk to her baby.

3:2b

not solid food,

I did not give/feed you solid/adult food,
I did not talk to you about things that are difficult to understand. Such teachings are like food for adults.

not solid food: Paul contrasted the solid food that adults eat with milk, which is the only food babies are able to eat. The phrase not solid food is a short way of saying “I did not give you solid food to eat.” This is also a metaphor. Paul was saying that some teachings about God are like solid food. They are like solid food in the sense that only mature people can receive them and benefit from them. Other ways to translate this include:

I did not give you anything solid to eat.

I did not teach you things that are only appropriate for people who have strong/adult faith.

General Comment on 3:2a-b

The Greek text uses the same verb for both verse parts. However, in some languages this may not be natural or possible, and you may need to use separate verbs. For example:

^2aI caused you to drink milk. ^2bI did not cause you to eat solid food.

3:2c

for you were not yet ready for solid food.

because you were not yet able to receive/accept such food/teaching.
And at that time you were not ready to learn/understand them.

for you were not yet ready for solid food: Paul gave the reason why he had not given them solid food. Just as a baby is not yet ready for solid food, so when the Corinthians first became believers, they were not ready to understand difficult teaching. Paul was not blaming them for this or criticizing them at this point. Another way to translate this is:

for you were not yet ready for it at that time

because you were not able to take solid food (NCV)

General Comment on 3:2a-c

In some languages it may be natural to follow the CEV and combine 3:2b-c:

[^2aSo I had to treat you like babies and feed you milk.] ^2b-cYou could not take solid food. (CEV)

3:2d

In fact, you are still not ready,

But even now, you are still not ready/able to receive/understand such food/teaching.
But what is bad is, even after all this time, you still are not ready to learn about those things which are for mature believers.

In fact: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as In fact emphasizes what Paul was saying. Other ways to translate this include:

even now (GNT)

even yet (RSV)

you are still not ready: Here Paul began to rebuke/criticize the believers. After being believers for a few years, they were still thinking and acting like babies. They were not yet mature enough in their faith to understand and benefit from the full teaching of the gospel.

not ready: Here, the phrase not ready implies that the Corinthians were not ready for “solid food;” that is, for more difficult or in-depth teaching. In some languages it may be natural to supply this implied information. For example:

not ready for solid food

not ready to eat solid food

In some languages you may be able to suggest something of the meaning of the metaphor by using words that can refer to either food or teaching. For example:

mature enough to absorb/digest anything more substantial

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα, οὐ βρῶμα

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα οὒ βρῶμα οὔπω γάρ ἐδύνασθε Ἀλλʼ οὐδέ ἔτι νῦν δύνασθε)

Paul is using milk, the food of “infants” (See: [3:1](../03/01.md)), which is easy to digest, to represent things that are easy to understand. Paul is using solid food, which is harder to digest, to represent things that are harder to understand. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this figure of speech with a comparable metaphor or express the idea plainly. Alternate translation: [I had to let you crawl, not walk] or [I taught you things that are easy to understand, not things that are hard to understand]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

οὐ βρῶμα

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα οὒ βρῶμα οὔπω γάρ ἐδύνασθε Ἀλλʼ οὐδέ ἔτι νῦν δύνασθε)

Here Paul has omitted some words that may be necessary to make a complete thought in your language. If your language needs these words, you could add a phrase such as “to eat.” Alternate translation: [not solid food to eat]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

οὔπω & ἐδύνασθε & οὐδὲ νῦν δύνασθε

not_yet & ˱you_all˲_˓were˒_able & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα οὒ βρῶμα οὔπω γάρ ἐδύνασθε Ἀλλʼ οὐδέ ἔτι νῦν δύνασθε)

Here Paul has omitted some words that may be necessary to make a complete thought in your language. If your language needs these words, you could add them here, supplying the idea from earlier in the verse. Alternate translation: [you were not yet able to eat solid food … even now, you are not able to eat solid food]

Note 4 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

ἀλλ’

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα οὒ βρῶμα οὔπω γάρ ἐδύνασθε Ἀλλʼ οὐδέ ἔτι νῦν δύνασθε)

Here, Indeed functions to contrast the time when Paul visited the Corinthians with the time when Paul is writing this letter. He speaks of these two different times to say that the Corinthians could not to eat the solid food at either time. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express Indeed with a word or phrase that contrasts two times or a word that introduces additional information. Alternate translation: [In fact]

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 3:2

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

Section 3:1–23: Christian workers serve the Lord by building his church together

Paragraph 3:1–4

3:2a

3:2b

General Comment on 3:2a-b

3:2c

General Comment on 3:2a-c

3:2d

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

OET interlinear 1 COR 3:2

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

Section 3:1–23: Christian workers serve the Lord by building his church together

Paragraph 3:1–4

3:2a

3:2b

General Comment on 3:2a-b

3:2c

General Comment on 3:2a-c

3:2d

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

OET interlinear 1 COR 3:2