Open Bible Data Home About News OET Key
OET OET-RV OET-LV ULT UST BSB MSB BLB AICNT OEB WEBBE WMBB NET LSV FBV TCNT T4T LEB BBE Moff JPS Wymth ASV DRA YLT Drby RV SLT Wbstr KJB-1769 KJB-1611 Bshps Gnva Cvdl TNT Wycl SR-GNT UHB BrLXX BrTr Related Topics Parallel Interlinear Reference Dictionary Search
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
2 Cor C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13
2 Cor 12 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21
OET (OET-LV) And I most_gladly will_be_spending and will_be_being_spent_out for the souls of_you_all.
If more_abundantly you_all loving, less I_am_being_loved?
OET (OET-RV) I’m happy to invest everything I have, including all of myself, for the sake of your souls. Am I being loved less the more that I love you all?
In this section, the attitude of some believers in Corinth forced Paul to act foolishly and boast (12:11a). Paul knew he deserved praise from them and was better than the false teachers even though humanly speaking he deserved nothing (12:11b–d). Paul reminded the believers of all that he had done among them that proved he was an apostle (12:12). He asked them if they were angry at him with a rhetorical question and, using irony, told them that they should not be angry (12:13).
He told them that he would continue to avoid accepting their money for his support and explained why (12:14). He told them of his great love for them (12:15).
Using irony, Paul told them that he had not deceived them (12:16) and that his colleagues had not exploited them either (12:17–18). He explained that he had not been defending himself, but rather he was teaching them to be strong in their faith (12:19). He told them of some of his fears about them (12:20–21).
Other examples for this section heading are:
Paul’s Concern for the Corinthian Church (NRSV)
Paul loved the believers in Corinth
Paul reminded the believers in Corinth about his deeds and explained his worry for them
Paul defended his apostleship and spoke about his concern for the believers
I will most gladly spend my money and myself: The Greek words that the BSB translates literally as I will most gladly spend imply that Paul would spend what he had, without keeping anything for himself. Other ways to translate this are:
I will very gladly spend and be spent for you (KJV)
I am more than glad to spend what I have (NJB)
I will be glad to spend all I have (GNT)
And for the sake of your souls, I will most gladly spend my money
And I will very gladly give what I have
I will be very happy to use all I have to help you(plur) follow God.
And: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as And is often translated as “and” or “but.” Here it indicates a continuation of the story.
Several English versions interpret the connection as introducing a result. For example:
So (NIV)
In some languages it is more natural to allow the context to indicate the connection and omit the conjunction.
spend: This verb refers to spending money. But in this context, it also refers to using any resources that Paul had, including his possessions and his time. If the verb spend refers only to spending money in your language, you should use a verb that includes the whole meaning here. For example:
give (CEV)
use
and myself.
and give my life for you.
I will also be very happy to use all that I am to help you follow God.
and myself: The Greek literally says “and be completely spent.” The words refer to Paul devoting his whole life to helping the believers in Corinth be strong in faith. It indicates that he would work so hard that his life would be shorter and therefore be expended for them. Other ways to translate this are:
to be spent (NJB)
be expended (NASB)
myself as well (GNT)
give…all that I am (CEV)
If I love you more, will you love me less?
If my love for you is great, why is your love for me small?
I love you much, but it seems that you love me only a little.
If I love you more, will you love me less?: There is a textual issue in 12:15c. (1) Some Greek manuscripts have the Greek word that means if (BSB, RSV, NIV, NASB, NET, REB, NCV, ESV). (2) Some Greek manuscripts have the Greek phrase that means even though (KJV, NLT, JBP). It is recommended that you follow option (1). The word If is used rhetorically to cause the believers in Corinth to think about how much Paul loves them. If using the word If indicates in your language that Paul might not love them as much as they love him, you may want to omit the word If. For example:
I love you more; will you love me less?
I love you more, right? Will you love me less?
I love you more, will you love me less?: This is a rhetorical question. It emphasizes the meaning, “My love for you is much, but your love for me is little.” The clause is a rebuke. Paul wanted them to love him more than they did at that time. Translate in a way that emphasizes that meaning. Some ways to translate this are:
As a rhetorical question. For example:
My love for you is great; why is your love for me small?
As a statement. For example:
it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me. (NLT)
I love you much, but it seems that you love me little!
more…less: These two words refer to how much love Paul and the believers in Corinth have. It does not refer to increasing or decreasing that love. Other ways to translate this are:
the more…the less (RSV)
much…little
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases
δὲ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐγώ Δέ ἥδιστα δαπανήσω καί ἐκδαπανηθήσομαι ὑπέρ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν Εἰ περισσοτέρως ὑμᾶς ἀγαπῶν ἧσσον ἀγαπῶμαι)
Here, the word Now introduces a development of the ideas from the previous verse. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces a development, or you could leave Now untranslated. Alternate translation: [Indeed,]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἐγὼ & ἥδιστα δαπανήσω καὶ ἐκδαπανηθήσομαι
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐγώ Δέ ἥδιστα δαπανήσω καί ἐκδαπανηθήσομαι ὑπέρ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν Εἰ περισσοτέρως ὑμᾶς ἀγαπῶν ἧσσον ἀγαπῶμαι)
Here Paul speaks as if his energy, time, and even he himself were money that he or someone else could spend. He means that he is willing to use all his energy and time and even to experience hardships and difficulties to help the Corinthians. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable figure of speech or plain language. Alternate translation: [I will most gladly exhaust everything I have and be completely exhausted] or [I will most gladly use all my resources and be completely worn out]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
ἐκδαπανηθήσομαι
˓will_be_being˒_spent_out
If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, Paul could be implying that: (1) experiences and other people do it to him. Alternate translation: [allow other people to completely spend me] or [let external things completely spend me] (2) he does it to himself. Alternate translation: [completely wear myself out]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐγώ Δέ ἥδιστα δαπανήσω καί ἐκδαπανηθήσομαι ὑπέρ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν Εἰ περισσοτέρως ὑμᾶς ἀγαπῶν ἧσσον ἀγαπῶμαι)
Here, the phrase your souls represents the Corinthians. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression from your language or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [for your sake] or [for the sake of your lives]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
εἰ περισσοτέρως ὑμᾶς ἀγαπῶν, ἧσσον ἀγαπῶμαι?
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐγώ Δέ ἥδιστα δαπανήσω καί ἐκδαπανηθήσομαι ὑπέρ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν Εἰ περισσοτέρως ὑμᾶς ἀγαπῶν ἧσσον ἀγαπῶμαι)
Paul is using the question form to rebuke the Corinthians for loving him less when he loves them more abundantly. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a rebuke or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [Since I love you more abundantly, I should not be loved less.] or [Given that I love you more abundantly, I should not be loved less!]
Note 6 topic: grammar-connect-condition-fact
εἰ & ἀγαπῶν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐγώ Δέ ἥδιστα δαπανήσω καί ἐκδαπανηθήσομαι ὑπέρ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν Εἰ περισσοτέρως ὑμᾶς ἀγαπῶν ἧσσον ἀγαπῶμαι)
Paul speaks as if this were a hypothetical situation, but he means that it is true. If your language does not state something as a condition if it is certain or true, and if your readers might think that what Paul is saying is uncertain, then you could translate his words as an affirmative statement. Alternate translation: [Since I love] or [Given that I love]
Note 7 topic: translate-textvariants
ἀγαπῶν
loving
Many ancient manuscripts read loving. The ULT follows that reading. Other ancient manuscripts read “I love.” If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it uses. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading of the ULT.
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
περισσοτέρως & ἧσσον
more_abundantly & less
Here Paul uses two comparison words without indicating exactly what he is comparing. He could mean that: (1) his love is increasing in comparison to the Corinthians’ love, which is decreasing. Alternate translation: [more than ever … less than ever] (2) he has much love, while the Corinthians have little love. Alternate translation: [greatly … only a little] (3) his love for them is greater than his love for other churches, while the Corinthians love him less than other churches do. Alternate translation: [more abundantly than I love other churches … less than they love me]
Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
ἧσσον ἀγαπῶμαι
less ˱I˲_˓am_being˒_loved
If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, it is clear from the context that it is the Corinthians. Alternate translation: [am I to receive less love] or [are you going to love me less]
OET (OET-LV) And I most_gladly will_be_spending and will_be_being_spent_out for the souls of_you_all.
If more_abundantly you_all loving, less I_am_being_loved?
OET (OET-RV) I’m happy to invest everything I have, including all of myself, for the sake of your souls. Am I being loved less the more that I love you all?
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.