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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 5 V1 V2 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13
OET (OET-LV) I for on_one_hand being_absent the in_body, on_the_other_hand being_present the in_spirit, already have_judged as being_present, the one thus this having_produced.
OET (OET-RV) because even though I’m not there physically, I am present in the spirit, and I’ve already made my judgement about the man who’s doing this, as if I were present.
Someone had told Paul that one of the men in the church in Corinth had been having sexual relations with his father’s wife, that is, his step-mother. Paul wrote that the believers must punish this man by expelling him from the church. They should not allow this man to meet with them when they gathered to worship God together. Paul urged the Corinthians to keep away from people who called themselves believers but continually committed grave sins. The main point of this section is that the Corinthians were to judge and discipline the man within their fellowship who was sinning.
Paul introduced a new problem in the church at Corinth. One of the believers was behaving immorally. Paul urged the others to expel him from the church.
These three verses are one sentence in Greek. In your translation you will probably want to break it into several sentences. For example:
3I am not with you in person, but I am with you in spirit. And I have already judged the man who did that sin as if I were really there. 4When you meet together in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I meet with you in spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5hand this man over to Satan. So his sinful self will be destroyed, and his soul will be saved on the day of the Lord. (NCV)
Although I am absent from you in body,
Even though I am not there with you,
Although I am far away from you,
In Greek 5:3a begins with a connecting word that is often translated as “for” or “because” (See 5:3 in the NRSV.) In this context this word introduces one reason why the Corinthians should have expelled the man who had sinned.
Although I am absent from you in body: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as absent from you in body indicates that Paul was not actually in Corinth in person. Other ways to translate this include:
Even though I am not physically present (NIV)
I am not there with you in person, but…. (NCV)
I am present with you in spirit,
I am there with you in my spirit/heart/mind.
I am present with you spiritually.
I am present with you in spirit: The Greek clause that the BSB translates literally as I am present with you in spirit means: “I am there with you in my spirit,” that is, I am with you spiritually.
There is a problem with understanding the structure of these verse parts. There are three ways of understanding where the phrase “in the name of our Lord Jesus” belongs. The three main views are:
It belongs with the phrase “you are assembled.” The believers came together in the name of the Lord Jesus. For example:
I…have already condemned the man who behaved in this way, just as though I were present in person. When you have gathered together in the name of our Lord Jesus…. (NJB) (BSB, NIV, REB, NCV, NET, ESV, NJB)
It belongs with the phrase “I have already pronounced judgment.” Paul passed judgment on the sinner with the authority of the Lord Jesus. For example:
and as if present I have already passed judgment in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man who has done such a thing. When you are assembled… (NRSV) (RSV, GNT, CEV, NLT)
It belongs with the phrase “hand this man over to Satan.” Paul said the man should be handed over to Satan by the authority of the Lord Jesus. Here is another way to translate this:
Then, in the name of our Lord Jesus, and with his power, hand such a person over to Satan… (GW) (GW)
The KJV can be understood either way. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) since it has strong translation support.
and I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did this,
And I have already decided that/how we must punish/discipline the man who has sinned.
I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did this: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as I have…pronounced judgment is literally “I have judged.” This is the main verb in 5:3. Paul had already made his decision about what the Corinthian believers should do with this immoral man in their group.
just as if I were present.
I am acting/speaking as one who is present/there with you.
just as if I were present: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as just as if I were present is more literally “as present.” That is, Paul was emphasizing that he was spiritually present rather than that he was physically absent.
In some languages it may be natural to follow the NRSV and reverse the order of these verse parts:
3das if present 3cI have already pronounced judgment (NRSV)
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
γάρ
for
Here, the word For introduces the reason why the man who has committed the sexual sin should be “removed from among you” ([5:2](../05/02.md)). The reason is because Paul has already passed judgment on him, and so the Corinthians should be enacting the punishment. Use a word or phrase in your language that introduces a reason. Alternate translation: [He should be removed since]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
ἀπὼν τῷ σώματι
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐγώ μέν γάρ ἀπών τῷ σώματι παρών δέ τῷ πνεύματι ἤδη κέκρικα ὡς παρών τόν οὕτως τοῦτο κατεργασάμενον)
In Paul’s culture, being absent in body is a figurative way to speak about not being present in person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express being absent in the body with a comparable expression or translate the idea plainly. Alternate translation: [not being there with you]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
παρὼν & τῷ πνεύματι
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐγώ μέν γάρ ἀπών τῷ σώματι παρών δέ τῷ πνεύματι ἤδη κέκρικα ὡς παρών τόν οὕτως τοῦτο κατεργασάμενον)
In Paul’s culture, being present in spirit is a figurative way to speak of thinking about and caring about that person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind being present in spiritwith a comparable metaphor or plainly. Alternate translation: [still being connected to you]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
τῷ πνεύματι
¬the ¬the ˱in˲_spirit
Here, spirit could refer to: (1) Paul’s spirit, which would be the part of him that connects with the Corinthians across a distance. Alternate translation: [in my spirit] (2) the Holy Spirit, which connects Paul with the Corinthians, even though they are not physically together. Alternate translation: [in God’s Spirit] or [by the power of God’s Spirit]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἤδη κέκρικα & τὸν οὕτως τοῦτο κατεργασάμενον
already ˓have˒_judged & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐγώ μέν γάρ ἀπών τῷ σώματι παρών δέ τῷ πνεύματι ἤδη κέκρικα ὡς παρών τόν οὕτως τοῦτο κατεργασάμενον)
Paul assumes that his readers will understand that already passed judgment means that he has declared the man to be guilty. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Two verses later ([5:4](../05/04.md)), Paul specifies what the punishment that results from the judgment should be: the man should be “handed over to Satan.” Use a word or phrase that indicates a decision about guilt, not a punishment. Alternate translation: [have already judged the one who did such a thing to be guilty]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ἤδη κέκρικα
already ˓have˒_judged
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind judgment, you can express the idea by using a verb such as “judge” instead of passed judgment on. Alternate translation: [have already judged]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / euphemism
τὸν οὕτως τοῦτο κατεργασάμενον
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐγώ μέν γάρ ἀπών τῷ σώματι παρών δέ τῷ πνεύματι ἤδη κέκρικα ὡς παρών τόν οὕτως τοῦτο κατεργασάμενον)
Paul does not wish to repeat the ugly details of the man having sex with his stepmother. Instead, he uses general words to refer back to what he has already said about the man. If possible, preserve how Paul avoids repeating the details of the sin in your translation. You could use vague language like Paul does, or you could use a similar euphemism. Alternate translation: [the man who committed this sin]
Note 8 topic: grammar-connect-condition-contrary
ὡς παρὼν
as (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐγώ μέν γάρ ἀπών τῷ σώματι παρών δέ τῷ πνεύματι ἤδη κέκρικα ὡς παρών τόν οὕτως τοῦτο κατεργασάμενον)
Here Paul makes a conditional statement that might sound hypothetical but that he knows is not true. He knows that he is not present with them, but he wants to emphasize that his judgment is just as effective as if he were present. Use a natural form in your language for introducing a condition that the speaker believes is not true. Alternate translation: [even though I am absent]
5:3 in the Spirit: Paul’s spiritual unity with them and the authority he had received from God through the Spirit were effective among them.
OET (OET-LV) I for on_one_hand being_absent the in_body, on_the_other_hand being_present the in_spirit, already have_judged as being_present, the one thus this having_produced.
OET (OET-RV) because even though I’m not there physically, I am present in the spirit, and I’ve already made my judgement about the man who’s doing this, as if I were present.
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.