2 COR 11:2 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. ζηλῶ
2. zēloō
3. I am being jealous
4. -
5. 22060
6. VIPA1··S
7. ˱I˲ ˓am˒ being_jealous
8. ˱I˲ ˓am˒ being_jealous
9. -
10. Y60; R123972; Person=Paul
11. 124322
1. Γάρ
2. gar
3. For/Because
4. -
5. 10630
6. C·······
7. for
8. for
9. S
10. Y60
11. 124323
1. ὑμᾶς
2. su
3. for you all
4. -
5. 47710
6. R···2A·P
7. ˱for˲ you_all
8. ˱for˲ you_all
9. -
10. Y60; R123204
11. 124324
1. Θεοῦ
2. theos
3. of god
4. -
5. 23160
6. N····GMS
7. ˱of˲ god
8. ˱of˲ God
9. GN
10. Y60; Person=God
11. 124325
1. ζήλῳ
2. zēlos
3. with +the jealousy
4. -
5. 22050
6. N····DMS
7. ˱with˲ ˓the˒ jealousy
8. ˱with˲ ˓the˒ jealousy
9. -
10. Y60
11. 124326
1. ἡρμοσάμην
2. harmozō
3. I joined
4. -
5. 7180
6. VIAM1··S
7. ˱I˲ joined
8. ˱I˲ joined
9. -
10. Y60; R123972; Person=Paul
11. 124327
1. γάρ
2. gar
3. because/for
4. because
5. 10630
6. C·······
7. for
8. for
9. -
10. Y60
11. 124328
1. ὑμᾶς
2. su
3. you all
4. -
5. 47710
6. R···2A·P
7. you_all
8. you_all
9. -
10. Y60; R123204
11. 124329
1. ἑνί
2. heis
3. to one
4. -
5. 15200
6. E····DMS
7. ˱to˲ one
8. ˱to˲ one
9. -
10. Y60
11. 124330
1. ἀνδρί
2. anēr
3. husband
4. husband
5. 4350
6. N····DMS
7. husband
8. husband
9. -
10. Y60
11. 124331
1. παρθένον
2. parthenos
3. +a virgin
4. -
5. 39330
6. N····AFS
7. ˓a˒ virgin
8. ˓a˒ virgin
9. -
10. Y60
11. 124332
1. ἁγνήν
2. hagnos
3. pure
4. -
5. 530
6. A····AFS
7. pure
8. pure
9. -
10. Y60
11. 124333
1. παραστῆσαι
2. paristaō
3. to present
4. present
5. 39360
6. VNAA····
7. ˓to˒ present
8. ˓to˒ present
9. -
10. Y60; R123972; Person=Paul
11. 124334
1. τῷ
2. ho
3. to the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····DMS
7. ˱to˲ the
8. ˱to˲ the
9. -
10. Y60
11. 124335
1. Χριστῷ
2. χristos
3. chosen one messiah
4. messiah
5. 55470
6. N····DMS
7. chosen_one/messiah
8. Messiah
9. WN
10. Y60; Person=Jesus
11. 124336

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 11:1–15: Paul spoke against the false teachers

In 11:1, Paul prepared his readers for what he would say in 11:7–10 and 11:16. He described the way he would speak as “foolishness.” Paul used the term “foolishness” here in a special way. In this chapter Paul said he was “foolish” because he praised himself for his own good character, attitudes, and actions. He called this praise “foolish” especially because he had just said in 10:17–18 that believers should not praise themselves.

Paul was very concerned for the believers in Corinth, like a father wanting his daughter to be faithful to the man whom she would marry one day (11:2). In the same way he worried that the false teachers might have led the believers away from following Jesus (11:3–4).

Since the false teachers had deceived some of the believers in Corinth, Paul had to defend himself to the believers (11:5–6). The false teachers had praised themselves and some of the believers had believed them, so Paul had to praise himself. He reminded them that he had not allowed them to support him. He wanted them to know that he was serving them because he truly loved them and wanted to help them, unlike the false teachers.

In Greek culture, a teacher expected those whom he taught to support him. It was an honor to support a well-known teacher. But Paul had not let the believers in Corinth support him. Using irony, Paul asked them if they were upset about his not letting them support him (11:7). Using irony again, he told them that churches in other cities had supported him while he lived in Corinth so that he could serve them full time (11:8–9). But the false teachers probably did the culturally expected thing and accepted money from the believers. Paul explained that he loved the believers in Corinth and therefore had not accepted their money (11:10–11). This example of love showed that the false teachers were not equals with Paul as apostles (11:12). He described the false teachers as claiming to be apostles while actually following Satan (11:13–15).

Other examples for this section heading are:

Paul Contrasts Himself With False Apostles (GW)

Paul and His Opponents (NET)

11:2a

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy.

For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. (NLT)
I tell you to do that because I am concerned about you^(plur) like God is.
I am concerned about you, just as God is,

11:2 begins with a Greek conjunction that is often translated as “for” or “because.” Here it probably introduces the reason why Paul asked them to endure his foolishness. For example:

For (NASB)

My reason is that

I ask this because

Many English versions, including the BSB, allow the context to indicate the connection and omit the conjunction.

I am jealous for you: The Greek word that the BSB translates as jealous indicates concern or zeal for someone to do the right thing. Paul had zeal for the believers in Corinth to follow God and reject the false teachers. Other ways to translate this clause are:

I am…concerned about you (CEV)

I’m protective of you (GW)

I greatly/strongly desire/want you to follow Christ completely/exclusively

a godly jealousy: This phrase is literally “jealousy of God.” It implies that Paul’s feelings about the Corinthians were like the feelings that God has about his people. God is concerned for them. He protects them. He wants them to worship only him. When they begin to follow idols or false teachings, God has often used the metaphor of a husband jealous for his wife who acted like a prostitute. God wants his people to return to him. Paul had that same kind of feelings for the church in Corinth. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

God’s own jealousy (NJB)

the jealousy of God himself (NLT)

11:2b

For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. (NLT)
I promised to give you to Christ, as your only husband. I want to give you as his pure bride. (NCV)
for/because I promised to give/present you to Christ as a people devoted to him, and to him alone. This is like a father gives/presents his daughter to her husband when they marry.

For: 11:2b begins with the Greek conjunction that the BSB translates literally as For. It introduces the reason why he is so zealous. Other ways to translate this word are:

because (NET)

since (ESV)

Many English versions allow the context to indicate the connection and omit the conjunction.

I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ: This is a metaphor. Paul had promised the believers in Corinth to Christ. He compared that with a father presenting his daughter as a pure virgin to a man in marriage. Paul wanted the believers to follow Christ completely and no one else. Other ways to translate this are:

you are like a pure virgin whom I have promised in marriage to one man only, Christ himself (GNT)

I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ (NLT)

I promised to give you to Christ, as your only husband. I want to give you as his pure bride. (NCV)

In some languages the meaning of this metaphor is not clear. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
I promised to give you to Christ, and to him alone, as a father gives his daughter as a pure virgin to her husband when they marry
I promised to present you to Christ as a people devoted to him, and to him alone. This is like the way a father presents his daughter to her husband when they marry
Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:
I promised to give/present you to Christ, as a people devoted only/completely to him You may then want to give the literal words in a footnote. An example footnote is:
Literally “I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.”

a pure virgin: Here this phrase refers to a woman who has not had sexual relations. In the metaphor, it refers to the believers following only Jesus and not following any false teachings.

Christ: The word Christ is a title for Jesus. The word Christ literally means “the anointed one.” Translate the word Christ here as you did in 1:1.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

γὰρ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ζηλῶ Γάρ ὑμᾶς Θεοῦ ζήλῳ ἡρμοσάμην γάρ ὑμᾶς ἑνί ἀνδρί παρθένον ἁγνήν παραστῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ)

Here, the word For could introduce: (1) the reason why Paul will be a little foolish. Alternate translation: [I will be a little bit foolish since] (2) the reason why the Corinthians should bear with Paul. Alternate translation: [I want you to bear with me because]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

Θεοῦ ζήλῳ

˱of˲_God ˱with˲_˓the˒_jealousy

Here, the phrase godly jealousy could refer to jealousy: (1) that is the same jealousy that God has. Alternate translation: [with the jealousy that God has] (2) that is from God. Alternate translation: [with jealousy from God]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

Θεοῦ ζήλῳ

˱of˲_God ˱with˲_˓the˒_jealousy

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of jealousy, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [in a godly way] or [as God is jealous]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἡρμοσάμην γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ, παρθένον ἁγνὴν παραστῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ

˱I˲_joined (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ζηλῶ Γάρ ὑμᾶς Θεοῦ ζήλῳ ἡρμοσάμην γάρ ὑμᾶς ἑνί ἀνδρί παρθένον ἁγνήν παραστῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ)

Here Paul speaks as if he is the father of the Corinthians, who together are his daughter. Paul has promised to give his daughter (the Corinthians) as a wife to a man, who is Christ. Until that marriage happens, Paul the father must make sure that his daughter (the Corinthians) remains a pure virgin. If these customs are somewhat similar to what happens in your culture, you could preserve the metaphor or express the idea with a simile. If these customs are not similar to what happens in your culture, you could explain the ideas more clearly or express the idea plainly. Alternate translation: [for I am like your father who has betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to be married to Christ] or [I helped you believe in the Messiah, and I will work hard to help you remain faithful to him]

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 2 COR 11:2

SR Greek word order

Section 11:1–15: Paul spoke against the false teachers

11:2a

11:2b

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

OET interlinear 2 COR 11:2

SR Greek word order

Section 11:1–15: Paul spoke against the false teachers

11:2a

11:2b

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

OET interlinear 2 COR 11:2