OET interlinear 1COR 3:7

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

ὥστε

so_that

Here, so then introduces a conclusion or inference from what Paul has said about watering, planting, and growth in 3:6. He wishes to explain that the difference between God causing the growth and anyone planting or watering relates to their importance in the process. It is God who is important, because he is the only one causing the growth, just as Paul stated in 3:6. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express so then with a comparable word or phrase that introduces a conclusion or an inference. Alternate translation: [Therefore]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / exmetaphor

οὔτε ὁ φυτεύων ἐστίν τι, οὔτε ὁ ποτίζων, ἀλλ’ ὁ αὐξάνων, Θεός.

neither the_‹one› planting is anything nor the_‹one› giving_to_drink but the_‹one› growing God

Paul now speaks in general about the tasks that God has given to those who proclaim the gospel. He continues to speak as if those who proclaim the gospel were farmers who planted and watered their crops. See the chapter introduction for further explanation of this metaphor. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the way that Paul uses farming language to describe how people proclaim the gospel and how God enables others to receive it with a comparable metaphor or express the idea plainly. Alternate translation: [neither the person who introduces believers to the gospel nor the person who teaches believers more about the gospel is anything, but God is the one who enables believers to have faith]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

ὁ φυτεύων & ὁ ποτίζων

the_‹one› planting & the_‹one› giving_to_drink

When Paul speaks of the one planting, he has himself in mind. When he speaks of the one watering, he has Apollos in mind. This is clear from what he says in the last verse (3:6). However, he is now speaking in more general terms. He does not mean just one person who does planting and one person who does watering. Rather, he wishes to refer to anyone who does either of these tasks. If the phrase the one would not be understood to mean that in your language, you could use a word or phrase that refers to any person who does the task. Alternate translation: [any person who plants … any person who waters]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

ὁ φυτεύων & ὁ ποτίζων

the_‹one› planting & the_‹one› giving_to_drink

Paul never states what it is that someone is planting and what someone else is watering. He does not state what it is because he wishes to use a general statement about farming practices. If you need to state what is planted and watered, you could include a general word or words such as “seed,” “plant,” or “crop.” Alternate translation: [the one who plants the seeds … the one who waters the plants] or [the one who plants the crop … the one who waters it]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / hyperbole

τι

anything

Here, anything is an exaggeration the Corinthians would have understood as emphasis on how unimportant the people who plant and water are. It is as if they were nothing, as if they did not exist. Paul does not mean that they do not exist. Instead, he uses this exaggeration to show how unimportant the people who plant and water are compared to God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express anything with a word or phrase that indicates “importance.” Alternate translation: [important] or [significant]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

ἀλλ’ ὁ αὐξάνων, Θεός.

but the_‹one› growing God

Here Paul does not directly finish the contrast between the people who plant and water and God. What he means is that God is the one who is important, because he is causing the growth. If it would be helpful in your language, you could supply the words that Paul omits, including a word or phrase about how God is “important.” Alternate translation: [but God, who is the one who causes the growth, is the important one] or [but God is the significant one because he causes the growth]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

αὐξάνων

growing

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind growth, you can express the idea by using a verb such as “grow.” Alternate translation: [who makes it grow] or [who causes things to grow]