OET interlinear 2 COR 11:18

11:18a

11:18b

11:18a–b

many: This word probably refers only to the false teachers. Paul probably used this word in contempt of them and their supporters. But this word may refer to people in general who boast of themselves, and the false teachers are just a part of this larger group. The believers in Corinth would know that Paul was referring to the false teachers in one of the above ways. Follow the literal Greek and do not describe who the many are.

However, in some languages a literal translation would wrongly refer to people other than the false teachers. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain in a footnote. For example:

Paul referred to the false teachers with the word “many.” He may have mocked them by calling them “many” when they were not. Or he may have included them in a larger group of non-believers who boasted about themselves.

according to the flesh: There are a number of ways to interpret this phrase. The four most likely ways are:

1. The phrase refers to the way in which they boasted. They boasted as unbelievers boast. For example:

   according to human standards (NRSV) (BSB, NIV, NRSV, NABRE, NASB, NET, ESV, KJV)

2. The phrase refers to the content of the boasting. They boasted about worldly things. For example:

   about their lives in the world (NCV) (RSV, NLT, REB, NCV)

3. The phrase refers to the purpose for boasting. For example:

   for merely human reasons (GNT) (GNT)

4. The phrase refers to the basis of their boasting. For example:

   on merely human grounds (NJB) (NJB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because it is the same as the interpretation for the same phrase “according to” in 11:17a.Thrall (p. 709) translates the Greek phrase as “in an unspiritual fashion.” She says, “It is in opposition to kata kurion of verse 17” (p. 715). Harris (p. 778) translates it as “as the world does.” Martin (p. 356) translates it as “as ‘people of the world.’”