Open Bible Data Home About News OET Key
OET OET-RV OET-LV ULT UST BSB MSB BLB AICNT OEB WEBBE WMBB NET LSV FBV TCNT T4T LEB BBE Moff JPS Wymth ASV DRA YLT Drby RV SLT Wbstr KJB-1769 KJB-1611 Bshps Gnva Cvdl TNT Wycl SR-GNT UHB BrLXX BrTr Related Topics Parallel Interlinear Reference Dictionary Search
InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
1 Cor C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16
1 Cor 3 V1 V2 V3 V4 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23
OET (OET-LV) Therefore what is Apollōs?
And what is Paulos?
Servants through whom you_all_believed, also to_each as the master gave.
OET (OET-RV) Indeed, who’s Apollos? Who’s Paul? We’re just servants who brought you all the message when you believed, each one as the master led them.[fn]
3:5 (NEEDS MORE RESEARCH BUT) It seems unclear here who the final part of the verse is referring to: a/ those who brought the message, or b/ those who received it. (We’ve chosen b/ in the OET-RV rendering.)
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
Paul told why the Corinthians should not divide into groups and following their favorite Christian workers. It was because all Christian workers are working for God. He and Apollos were not important in themselves. They were just servants of God whom God sent to help the Corinthians to believe.
What then is Apollos? And what is Paul?
¶ And besides that, consider what/who Apollos and I are.
¶ As for Apollos and myself, let me tell you about us.
¶ Now I want you to remember what kind of people Apollos and I are.
What…is Apollos? And what is Paul?: These are rhetorical questions. Paul used them to introduce a new topic that he wanted his readers to think about. He wanted them to think about the status of Apollos and Paul (that is, himself). He was not asking for information. So there are several ways to translate these questions:
as rhetorical questions. For example,
And besides that, who do you think Apollos and I are?
Why do you think that Apollos and I are so important?
Who is Apollos, and who is Paul, that we should be the cause of such quarrels? (NLT)
as questions with the answer supplied. For example:
Is Apollos important? No! Is Paul important? No! (NCV)
as statements. For example:
Consider Apollos and me.
What: There is a textual problem here.
Some Greek texts say what. For example:
What is Apollos, really? Or what is Paul? (NET) (BSB, NIV, REB, RSV, NJB, NET, ESV, NASB)
Some Greek texts say who. For example:
After all, who is Apollos? And who is Paul? (GNT) (KJV, NLT, GNT, GW)
It is recommended that you follow option (1), as does the UBS Greek text. Some of the English versions that say “who” are almost certainly doing so for reasons of English style and naturalness.
The Greek word that the BSB translates as What is a neuter form, usually used for speaking of things, objects, rather than people. It is a low-status word, indicating that Paul and Barnabas were instruments, not important for their own sake or in their own selves. In some languages it will not be possible to refer to men by a neuter pronoun. In that case, you should consider using an expression that makes it clear that the questions deal with how important the people are. For example, the NCV translated this as:
Is Apollos important? (NCV)
Or you could use a word or expression in your language that implies a low status person such as a servant.
then: The Greek word that the BSB translates as then is usually translated as “therefore” or “so then.” In this context it introduces a further step in Paul’s argument concerning Christian workers. Here he began to talk about Apollos and himself and how the Corinthians should think about them and their other teachers.
They are servants
We(excl) are only God’s workers/servants.
We(excl) are merely ones who do the work that God orders us(excl) to do.
They are servants: The pronoun They refers to Apollos and Paul. In many languages it may be more natural to use the first-person plural pronoun and say:
we(excl) are only servants
servants: Paul was indicating that he and Apollos were servants of God. As servants they were not important because of who they were themselves but only because they served God.
In some languages it may be natural to combine the rhetorical question in 3:5a and the answer in 3:5b into one statement. For example:
5aApollos and I are 5bmerely servants. (CEV)
through whom you believed,
We(excl) helped you to believe in the Lord Jesus.
God gave us(excl) the work of leading/causing you to trust in Jesus.
We(excl) both told you the good news about Christ so that you began to trust him.
through whom you believed: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as through whom you believed means that both Paul and Apollos helped the Corinthians to believe in Christ. They preached the gospel in Corinth and taught the people there about Jesus Christ.
as the Lord has assigned to each his role.
We(excl) each/both do the work that the Lord gave us(excl).
The Lord gave to each/both of us(excl) a job to do.
as the Lord has assigned to each his role: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as as the Lord has assigned to each his role indicates that the Lord had given both Paul and Apollos a task to do. He had given them both a role in helping the Corinthians to trust Christ. Different ways to translate this include:
Each of us performed the task which the Lord assigned to him. (REB)
Each did what the Lord gave him to do. (GW)
Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. (NLT)
each: Paul was speaking primarily of himself and Apollos, so in some languages it will be natural to use a word meaning “both.”
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases
οὖν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐστίν Ἀπολλῶς τί Δέ ἐστίν Παῦλος Διάκονοι διʼ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε καί ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν)
Here, then introduces a further stage in Paul’s argument. He has argued in [3:4](../03/04.md) that Paul and Apollos should not be treated as leaders of groups. In this verse, he goes on to explain how he thinks that Paul and Apollos should be treated, which is as servants of Christ. Thus, the word translated then introduces who Paul and Apollos really are. If it would be helpful in your language, you could leave then untranslated or use a word that introduces the next step in an argument. If you use the following alternate translation, you may need to add a comma before it. Alternate translation: [therefore,]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
τί οὖν ἐστιν Ἀπολλῶς? τί δέ ἐστιν Παῦλος? διάκονοι
what what (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐστίν Ἀπολλῶς τί Δέ ἐστίν Παῦλος Διάκονοι διʼ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε καί ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν)
Here Paul uses these questions to do two things. First, the questions imply that Apollos and Paul are not very important. Therefore, an implied answer to these questions would be that Apollos and Paul are “not very much.” Second, Paul uses the questions to introduce his own answer to these questions. After using the questions to imply that he and Apollos are not much, he then states that they are servants. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind these questions as a statement about the status of Apollos and Paul as servants, and you could use a word such as “only” or “merely” to express the idea that they are not very important. Alternate translation: [Apollos and Paul are merely servants]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person
ἐστιν Παῦλος?
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐστίν Ἀπολλῶς τί Δέ ἐστίν Παῦλος Διάκονοι διʼ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε καί ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν)
In this verse, Paul speaks of himself in the third person. This could sound like he is speaking about a different Paul than himself. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this use of Paul by clarifying that Paul is naming himself. Alternate translation: [am I, Paul]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis
διάκονοι δι’ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐστίν Ἀπολλῶς τί Δέ ἐστίν Παῦλος Διάκονοι διʼ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε καί ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν)
Here Paul omits several words that may be required in your language to make a complete thought. If your language needs these words, you could include words such as “we are” or “they are.” Alternate translation: [We are servants through whom you believed] or [They are servants through whom you believed]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
διάκονοι δι’ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐστίν Ἀπολλῶς τί Δέ ἐστίν Παῦλος Διάκονοι διʼ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε καί ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν)
When Paul says that he and Apollos are those through whom the Corinthians believed, he is implying that the Corinthians believed in someone other than Paul and Apollos. That is, they believed in Christ. If your readers would not make this inference about whom the Corinthians believed in, you could make it explicit by including what the Corinthians believed in, which is “Christ” and not Apollos or Paul. Alternate translation: [Servants through whom you believed in Christ] or [Servants through whom you believed in Christ, not in us]
Note 6 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases
καὶ & ὡς
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐστίν Ἀπολλῶς τί Δέ ἐστίν Παῦλος Διάκονοι διʼ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε καί ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν)
Here, the words translated even as introduce the way in which Apollos and Paul act as servants. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this connection with a word or phrase that would introduce the ways in which Apollos and Paul are servants. Alternate translation: [who do what] or [serving just as]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis
καὶ ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐστίν Ἀπολλῶς τί Δέ ἐστίν Παῦλος Διάκονοι διʼ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε καί ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν)
Here Paul omits what the Lord gave because it would be clear that he means that the Lord gave a specific job or task to each one of them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could add a word or phrase to the Lord gave to each one to indicates that the Lord gave a specific job or task. Alternate translation: [even as the Lord gave a task to teach one]
Note 8 topic: writing-pronouns
ἑκάστῳ
˱to˲_each
Here, to each one directly refers back to Apollos and Paul. However, it also probably refers to everyone who serves the Lord. If you can refer to multiple individuals considered separately in your language, you could use that form here. Alternate translation: [to each and every one who serves him]
OET (OET-LV) Therefore what is Apollōs?
And what is Paulos?
Servants through whom you_all_believed, also to_each as the master gave.
OET (OET-RV) Indeed, who’s Apollos? Who’s Paul? We’re just servants who brought you all the message when you believed, each one as the master led them.[fn]
3:5 (NEEDS MORE RESEARCH BUT) It seems unclear here who the final part of the verse is referring to: a/ those who brought the message, or b/ those who received it. (We’ve chosen b/ in the OET-RV rendering.)
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.