1 COR 5:8 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:1–13: Paul commanded the believers to punish the immoral church member

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.

Paragraph 5:6–8

In this section, Paul referred to two Jewish feasts. The Passover Feast was held each year in remembrance of the time that the Israelites departed from Egypt. Its name comes from the way the angel of death “passed over” each family that had placed the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. After celebrating the Passover, the Jewish people celebrated a second feast, the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It lasted for seven days. It was called this because people ate bread made without yeast.

Paul assumed that the Corinthian believers knew about these Jewish holidays. But the people who read your translation may not know about them. In your translation you may want to use a dictionary/glossary or footnotes to explain the Jewish customs of Passover and Unleavened Bread.Here are some brief explanations about Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread and yeast. You may want to put information like this into a dictionary (glossary) in the back of your translation, or in a footnote at 1 Corinthians 5:6–8, to explain background information to your readers.Passover: On the day of Passover, the Jewish people remember the day that God freed them from being slaves in Egypt long ago. We read this story in Exodus 12. On that day long ago, God punished the Egyptian people so they would allow the Jewish people to go free. Here is what he did. First he gave the Jewish people these instructions: Each family was to kill a lamb and put its blood on the sides and top of the doorway of their house. Then they were to stay inside the house all night, cook the lamb and eat it. On that same night, God killed every firstborn son in the land of Egypt. But he did not kill anyone who was in a house where there was the blood of a lamb on the door. In the NT, Jesus was killed at the time of the Passover feast (Matthew 26:2; Luke 22:1; John 13:1). Jesus is like a lamb that the Jewish people killed at Passover time, because he died in our place, so that God would not punish us for our sins. See John 1:29, 36; 1 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Peter 1:18–19; Revelation 5; Isaiah 53:6–7; Acts 8:32–35.Feast of Unleavened Bread: This is the name of a special holiday of the Jewish people. Every year they removed all yeast from their houses. They ate bread made with no yeast. They did this beginning on the day of Passover and for the seven days that followed (Exodus 12:15–20). This custom reminded them of the time when they left Egypt long ago. At that time long ago, God caused the Egyptian people to free the Jewish people from being slaves. They left Egypt quickly and did not have time to put yeast in their bread dough (Exodus 12:39).Yeast: This is a sort of fungus that is mixed with flour. When the flour is mixed with water and sugar, the yeast causes the mixture to get bigger. A very small amount of yeast will affect a large amount of flour, water and sugar. In the NT, yeast is often a symbol of evil behavior. See Matthew 16:6–12; Mark 8:15–21; Luke 12:1; 1 Corinthians 5:6–8; Galatians 5:9. But in Matthew 13:33 and Luke 13:20–21, yeast is a symbol of how God’s kingdom becomes bigger.

In these verses Paul used the Passover lamb and yeast as symbols/metaphors. First, the Passover feast was a reminder of the joy and the freedom from slavery that the Jewish people experienced after God delivered them from the power of the Egyptian king. Slavery can be compared to the bondage that sinning causes us to experience, so the metaphor of Passover refers to a new life of freedom from sin. Second, just as the Jewish people removed yeast from their houses, so the Corinthian believers should remove the immoral man from their church group (5:7a), because the immoral man was like yeast among the believers. Believers should stop behaving in evil ways (5:8).

5:8a

Therefore let us keep the feast,

So let us^(incl) keep/celebrate the Passover Festival/Feast
Since that is true, we^(incl) should celebrate the new life that Christ has given us.
So we^(incl) should live our new lives

Therefore: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Therefore introduces the conclusion to Paul’s argument. It is also possible to translate it as

then (GNT)

So (NCV)

let us keep the feast: This is a command in the first-person plural. It is also possible to translate it as:

we should keep the feast

keep the feast: This is an English idiom. To keep a festival means to celebrate or follow the customs and ceremonies of the festival. But this is also a metaphor. Paul did not mean that believers should literally follow the Jewish customs of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Paul meant that since Christ has already died to redeem the Corinthians from their sins (5:7d), they should rejoice and act like God’s people who have been freed from sin. So there are at least two ways to translate this verse part:

literally, keeping the metaphor. For example
let us celebrate this feast (NCV)
explaining the meaning of the metaphor. For example:
let us celebrate our freedom
let us celebrate how Christ has freed/redeemed us

5:8b

not with the old bread,

and not make use of old yeast, that is, old ways of behaving.
We^(incl) should not use that bad old yeast,
without any of our^(incl) old/former way of living/behaving.

5:8c

leavened with malice and wickedness,

We^(incl) should stop acting in hateful, evil ways.
that is, our^(incl) former wicked ways of living.
We^(incl) should stop doing the evil and wicked things we used to do.

5:8b-c

not with the old bread, leavened with malice and wickedness: The phrase that the BSB translates as old bread is more literally “old leaven,” as in the NASB. Here Paul used the metaphor of “old leaven” in a general sense to refer to the Corinthians’ former way of life. Before they became believers they used to act in ways that were malicious and wicked. Here is a way to translate these verse parts so that the meaning of the metaphor is more clear:

We should get rid of the old leaven. That is, we should stop acting in the hateful and evil ways we had in the old times before we became believers.

In some languages it will be clearer if you use words like “previous” or “former” rather than old. For example:

not with the leaven you previously/formerly used, that malicious and wicked leaven

leavened with malice and wickedness: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as leavened with malice and wickedness here means “the leaven that consists of malice and wickedness.” This phrase helps explain the meaning of Paul’s figure of speech. He was using the phrase “old leaven” to refer to an evil way of life.

malice and wickedness: The Greek words that the BSB translates as malice and wickedness mean approximately the same thing. Paul used two words in order to emphasize the idea of evil. He was saying strongly that believers should stay away from every kind of evil and bad behavior. Other ways to translate this phrase include:

vice and wickedness (JBP)

being evil and sinful (CEV)

5:8d

but with the unleavened bread

We^(incl) should make use only of bread without yeast,
Instead, we^(incl) should act/behave only in ways that are clean/pure.

5:8e

of sincerity and of truth.

acting/behaving sincerely and truthfully.
We^(incl) should always be honest and speak the truth.

5:8d-e

but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and of truth: In 5:8d Paul said that the Corinthian believers should use unleavened bread. In 5:8e he explained what he meant: they should act with sincerity and truth.

of sincerity and of truth: Paul probably used the two words sincerity and truth together as a way of saying strongly that believers should follow every kind of good way. They should treat others in only good ways. To behave with sincerity means to speak and act openly, according to one’s true intentions, rather than deceitfully. To act or speak with truth is to be honest and trustworthy. Other ways to translate this include:

of purity and truth (GNT)

be sincere and truthful

General Comment on 5:8

There are several ways to reorder these verse parts. Here are two suggestions:

^8aSo don’t celebrate the festival ^8cby being evil and sinful, ^8bwhich is like serving bread made with yeast. ^8eBe pure and truthful ^8dand celebrate using bread made without yeast. (CEV)

^8d-eCelebrate the festival by being pure and truthful which is like serving bread made without yeast. ^8cDo not be evil and sinful ^8awhen you celebrate the festival, ^8bwhich is like serving bread made with yeast.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ὥστε ἑορτάζωμεν, μὴ ἐν ζύμῃ παλαιᾷ, μηδὲ ἐν ζύμῃ κακίας καὶ πονηρίας, ἀλλ’ ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καὶ ἀληθείας.

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὥστε ἑορτάζωμεν μή ἐν ζύμῃ παλαιᾷ μηδέ ἐν ζύμῃ κακίας καί πονηρίας ἀλλʼ ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καί ἀληθείας)

Just as in [5:6–7](../05/06.md), here Paul speaks about yeast and “dough.” In this Jewish festival of Passover, people would remove all the yeast from their houses and only bake dough that was not fermented (unleavened bread). See [Exodus 12:1–28](../exo/12/01.md). Here, then, the yeast is what is meant to be removed, and the unleavened bread is what is meant to be eaten. If your readers would not understand this background, you could include a footnote that gives extra information.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / exmetaphor

Here Paul finishes the metaphor about yeast and Passover that he began in [5:6](../05/06.md). Paul encourages the Corinthians to celebrate the festival by getting rid of the old yeast. He then identifies that the yeast stands for evil and wickedness, while the unleavened bread that they are supposed to eat stands for sincerity and truth. With this metaphor Paul exhorts the Corinthians to expel from their group the man who has sinned, just as one would remove yeast from one’s house during the festival. Since this metaphor is based on material from the Old Testament, you should try to preserve the form in your language. You could use a simile, or you could include a footnote that explains the metaphor. Alternate translation: [So then, we should be like those who celebrate the festival, not with old yeast, nor with yeast of evil and wickedness, but with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἑορτάζωμεν

˱we˲_˓may_be˒_feasting

Because of what Paul has said in [5:7](../05/07.md), this festival must be the festival connected with Passover. If your readers would not understand this from the context, you could include the name “Passover” here. Alternate translation: [we might celebrate the Passover festival]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

μὴ ἐν ζύμῃ παλαιᾷ, μηδὲ ἐν ζύμῃ κακίας καὶ πονηρίας

Here Paul repeats yeast in order to define what he means by old yeast. If your language does not use repetition in this way, you can combine the two phrases and introduce the definition in another way. Alternate translation: [not with old yeast, which is evil and wickedness]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

ζύμῃ κακίας καὶ πονηρίας

leaven leaven ˱of˲_malice (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὥστε ἑορτάζωμεν μή ἐν ζύμῃ παλαιᾷ μηδέ ἐν ζύμῃ κακίας καί πονηρίας ἀλλʼ ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καί ἀληθείας)

Here Paul uses the possessive from to identify the yeast as evil and wickedness. If your language does not use this form for that idea, you can express the idea by using a word or phrase that renames or identifies something. Alternate translation: [yeast, that is, evil and wickedness]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

κακίας καὶ πονηρίας

˱of˲_malice (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὥστε ἑορτάζωμεν μή ἐν ζύμῃ παλαιᾷ μηδέ ἐν ζύμῃ κακίας καί πονηρίας ἀλλʼ ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καί ἀληθείας)

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas behind evil and wickedness, you can express the ideas by using adjectives that describe actions or “behavior.” Alternate translation: [of evil and wicked behavior]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

κακίας καὶ πονηρίας

Here, the words evil and wickedness mean almost the same thing. The word evil refers to something that is morally “bad,” while the word wickedness refers to something that is characterized by vice. If your language does not have two words that are this similar, you can express the idea with one word. Alternate translation: [of evil]

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καὶ ἀληθείας

unleavened_‹bread› ˱of˲_sincerity (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὥστε ἑορτάζωμεν μή ἐν ζύμῃ παλαιᾷ μηδέ ἐν ζύμῃ κακίας καί πονηρίας ἀλλʼ ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καί ἀληθείας)

Here Paul uses the possessive from to identify the unleavened bread as sincerity and truth. If your language does not use this form for that idea, you can express the idea by using a word or phrase that renames or identifies something. Alternate translation: [unleavened bread, that is, sincerity and truth]

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

εἰλικρινείας καὶ ἀληθείας

˱of˲_sincerity (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὥστε ἑορτάζωμεν μή ἐν ζύμῃ παλαιᾷ μηδέ ἐν ζύμῃ κακίας καί πονηρίας ἀλλʼ ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καί ἀληθείας)

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas behind sincerity and truth, you can express the ideas by using adjectives that describe actions or behaviors. Alternate translation: [of sincere and true behavior]

Note 10 topic: translate-unknown

εἰλικρινείας

˱of˲_sincerity

The word sincerity identifies actions done with only one intention, done without deceit. The people doing those actions do not say or pretend one thing while doing something else. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind this word by using a word or phrase that identifies something that is done honestly and with one goal in mind. Alternate translation: [of integrity]

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 5:8

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

Section 5:1–13: Paul commanded the believers to punish the immoral church member

Paragraph 5:6–8

5:8a

5:8b

5:8c

5:8b-c

5:8d

5:8e

5:8d-e

General Comment on 5:8

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

OET interlinear 1 COR 5:8

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

Section 5:1–13: Paul commanded the believers to punish the immoral church member

Paragraph 5:6–8

5:8a

5:8b

5:8c

5:8b-c

5:8d

5:8e

5:8d-e

General Comment on 5:8

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

OET interlinear 1 COR 5:8