1 COR 3:8 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. Ὁ
2. ho
3. The one
4. -
5. 35880
6. R····NMS
7. the ‹one›
8. the ‹one›
9. S
10. Y59
11. 113997
1. φυτεύων
2. futeuō
3. planting
4. planter
5. 54520
6. VPPA·NMS
7. planting
8. planting
9. -
10. Y59; R113956; Person=Paul; F114038
11. 113998
1. δέ
2. de
3. and
4. -
5. 11610
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y59
11. 113999
1. καί
2. kai
3. and
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114000
1. ὁ
2. ho
3. the one
4. -
5. 35880
6. R····NMS
7. the ‹one›
8. the ‹one›
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114001
1. ποτίζων
2. potizō
3. giving to drink
4. -
5. 42220
6. VPPA·NMS
7. giving_to_drink
8. giving_to_drink
9. -
10. Y59; R113977; Person=Apollos
11. 114002
1. ἕν
2. heis
3. one
4. -
5. 15200
6. S····NNS
7. one
8. one
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114003
1. εἰσίν
2. eimi
3. are
4. -
5. 15100
6. VIPA3··P
7. are
8. are
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114004
1. ἕκαστος
2. hekastos
3. each
4. -
5. 15380
6. S····NMS
7. each
8. each
9. -
10. Y59; F114008; F114013
11. 114005
1. δέ
2. de
3. but
4. -
5. 11610
6. C·······
7. but
8. but
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114006
1. τόν
2. ho
3. his
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AMS
7. his
8. his
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114007
1. ἴδιον
2. idios
3. own
4. -
5. 23980
6. E····AMS
7. own
8. own
9. -
10. Y59; R114005
11. 114008
1. μισθόν
2. misthos
3. reward
4. rewarded
5. 34080
6. N····AMS
7. reward
8. reward
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114009
1. λήμψεται
2. lambanō
3. will be receiving
4. -
5. 29830
6. VIFM3··S
7. ˓will_be˒ receiving
8. ˓will_be˒ receiving
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114010
1. κατά
2. kata
3. according to
4. -
5. 25960
6. P·······
7. according_to
8. according_to
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114011
1. τόν
2. ho
3. his
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AMS
7. his
8. his
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114012
1. ἴδιον
2. idios
3. own
4. -
5. 23980
6. E····AMS
7. own
8. own
9. -
10. Y59; R114005
11. 114013
1. τόπον
2. topos
3. -
4. -
5. 51170
6. N····AMS
7. place
8. place
9. -
10. -
11. 114014
1. κόπον
2. kopos
3. labour
4. -
5. 28730
6. N····AMS
7. labour
8. labor
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114015

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 3:5–9

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.

3:8a

He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose,

The person who plants the seeds and the person who waters the seeds/plants work with the same goal/aim in mind.
I began the work among you and Apollos continued the work among you but we are both working to get the same task/thing done, just as the person who plants seeds and the person who waters plants are both trying grow a crop.
I who first taught you God’s message and Apollos who continued teaching you God’s message both have the same goal/purpose.

The Greek text for this verse begins with a connecting word. Here it introduces a new point in the metaphor that Paul began in 3:6. The BSB and some other English versions do not explicitly translate it, but the KJV translates it as “Now.”

He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose: A literal translation of the Greek is “the one planting and the one watering are one.” There are two ways to interpret this:

The workers have the same purpose. They work together as a team. For example:
The one who plants and the one who waters have the same goal. (GW) (BSB, NJB, NIV, NLT, NRSV, NET, GW, REB, NCV)
The workers are equally important or equally unimportant ,even though they have different tasks. For example:
He who plants and he who waters are equal. (RSV) (CEV, RSV)

The KJV, ESV, NASB, NJB, and GNT can be interpreted in either way. For example:

There is no difference between the one who plants and the one who waters. (GNT)

It is recommended that you try to maintain the ambiguity of the Greek. If you must choose between the interpretations, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), since it has stronger support from the commentaries.

3:8b

and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.

Both will receive pay/wages in accordance with their work.
And God will pay/reward each worker for the way each has done his work.
God will give both/each of us^(excl) workers a reward for what we^(excl) do,

each will be rewarded: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as each will be rewarded is literally “each one will receive his own pay.” In the context of the metaphor, this means that the farm workers will receive the wages they have earned. But in the context of the figure of speech, this means that each Christian worker will receive a reward. God will reward each of his servants for doing his work well. In some languages it may be natural to make it explicit that it is God who will give the reward. For example:

God will reward each one (GNT)

according to his own labor: The phrase according to his own labor means “in proportion to the work he has done.” The pay or reward will be appropriate for the work that the worker has done. A worker who has worked well will receive a big reward. Here is another way to translate this:

for what they do (CEV)

In some languages it may be natural to translate the words according to his own labor as an adjective describing the reward; that is, as a proper or appropriate reward. For example, it may be possible to translate 3:8b as:

each will receive appropriate compensation

each will have the proper pay for the work that he has done (NJB)

General Comment on 3:7–8

In these verses Paul referred to himself in the third person as “he who plants” (3:7a) and “the man who plants” (3:8a). If this is not natural in your language, you may be able to:

use plural third-person subjects. For example:
people who plant and people who water
use plural first-person subjects. The “we” should include both Paul and Apollos, and should exclude Paul’s readers:
we^(excl) who plant and water
use the singular first-person as the subject of “plants”:
I who plant and Apollos/he who waters

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

δὲ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὁ φυτεύων δέ καί ὁ ποτίζων ἕν εἰσίν ἕκαστος δέ τόν ἴδιον μισθόν λήμψεται κατά τόν ἴδιον κόπον)

Here, Now introduces the next step in Paul’s argument. If it would be helpful in your language, you could leave Now untranslated or use a word or phrase that introduces the next step in an argument. Alternate translation: [Indeed,]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / exmetaphor

ὁ φυτεύων & καὶ ὁ ποτίζων, ἕν εἰσιν; ἕκαστος δὲ τὸν ἴδιον μισθὸν λήμψεται, κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον κόπον.

the_‹one› (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὁ φυτεύων δέ καί ὁ ποτίζων ἕν εἰσίν ἕκαστος δέ τόν ἴδιον μισθόν λήμψεται κατά τόν ἴδιον κόπον)

Here Paul 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. The one planting and the one watering will receive wages that match the kind of labor they did. In the same way, those who first proclaim the gospel and those who teach more about the gospel will receive rewards from God that match the task they accomplished. 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 rewards those who do so with a comparable metaphor or express the idea plainly. Alternate translation: [the person who introduces believers to the gospel and the person who teaches believers more about the gospel are one, and each will receive his own reward from God according to his own task]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

ὁ φυτεύων & ὁ ποτίζων

Just as in [3:7](../03/07.md), 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 [3:6](../03/06.md). However, he is now speaking in more general terms. He does not mean just one person who is planting and one person who is 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

Paul never states what it is that someone is planting and that 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 / metaphor

ἕν εἰσιν

one (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὁ φυτεύων δέ καί ὁ ποτίζων ἕν εἰσίν ἕκαστος δέ τόν ἴδιον μισθόν λήμψεται κατά τόν ἴδιον κόπον)

Paul here speaks as if the one planting and the one watering are the same person. He speaks in this way in order to: (1) show that the one planting and the one watering do the same kind of work with the same goal in mind. Alternate translation: [share a common goal] or [do the same kind of work] (2) state that the one planting and the one watering have equal status. Alternate translation: [are of equal importance]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

(Occurrence -1) τὸν ἴδιον

Here, the words translated his 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 his by using a word that does not have gender, or you could use both genders. Alternate translation: [his or her own … his or her own] or [that person’s own … that person’s own]

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

1. OET-LV words
2. OET-RV words
3. Strongs
4. Greek word
5. Greek lemma
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. The one
2. -
3. 35880
4. S
5. ho
6. R-····NMS
7. the ‹one›
8. the ‹one›
9. S
10. Y59
11. 113997
1. and
2. -
3. 11610
5. de
6. C-·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y59
11. 113999
1. planting
2. planter
3. 54520
5. futeuō
6. V-PPA·NMS
7. planting
8. planting
9. -
10. Y59; R113956; Person=Paul; F114038
11. 113998
1. and
2. -
3. 25320
5. kai
6. C-·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114000
1. the one
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. R-····NMS
7. the ‹one›
8. the ‹one›
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114001
1. giving to drink
2. -
3. 42220
5. potizō
6. V-PPA·NMS
7. giving_to_drink
8. giving_to_drink
9. -
10. Y59; R113977; Person=Apollos
11. 114002
1. one
2. -
3. 15200
5. heis
6. S-····NNS
7. one
8. one
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114003
1. are
2. -
3. 15100
5. eimi
6. V-IPA3··P
7. are
8. are
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114004
1. but
2. -
3. 11610
5. de
6. C-·······
7. but
8. but
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114006
1. each
2. -
3. 15380
5. hekastos
6. S-····NMS
7. each
8. each
9. -
10. Y59; F114008; F114013
11. 114005
1. his
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····AMS
7. his
8. his
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114007
1. own
2. -
3. 23980
5. idios
6. E-····AMS
7. own
8. own
9. -
10. Y59; R114005
11. 114008
1. reward
2. rewarded
3. 34080
5. misthos
6. N-····AMS
7. reward
8. reward
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114009
1. will be receiving
2. -
3. 29830
5. lambanō
6. V-IFM3··S
7. ˓will_be˒ receiving
8. ˓will_be˒ receiving
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114010
1. according to
2. -
3. 25960
5. kata
6. P-·······
7. according_to
8. according_to
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114011
1. his
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····AMS
7. his
8. his
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114012
1. own
2. -
3. 23980
5. idios
6. E-····AMS
7. own
8. own
9. -
10. Y59; R114005
11. 114013
1. labour
2. -
3. 28730
5. kopos
6. N-····AMS
7. labour
8. labor
9. -
10. Y59
11. 114015

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 3:8

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 3:5–9

3:8a

3:8b

General Comment on 3:7–8

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

OET interlinear 1 COR 3:8

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 3:5–9

3:8a

3:8b

General Comment on 3:7–8

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

OET interlinear 1 COR 3:8