OET interlinear 2 COR 12:2

12:2a–5c

I know a man in Christ…: Paul spoke about his own visions and revelations of heaven as if someone else had seen them. 12:7 makes it clear that it was Paul who had seen them. Paul wanted to tell the believers in Corinth about his experience of seeing visions. Then they would know that he was not lacking in such experiences.

But he did not want to act like the false teachers. They boasted about such experiences so that the believers would esteem them as powerful men of God. Paul did not want to boast about himself like that (12:5b). So he spoke about himself regarding these experiences in the third person (using “he” and “him” instead of “I” and “me”).

In many languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that someone else had these visions and revelations and Paul did not. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain in a footnote why Paul spoke about himself using “he” and “him.” Example footnotes are:

Paul spoke about his own visions and revelations of heaven as if someone else had seen them. 12:7 makes it clear that it was Paul who had seen them. Paul wanted to tell the believers in Corinth of his experience of seeing visions so that they would know that he was not lacking in such experiences. But Paul did not want to boast about himself as the false teachers were doing.

Paul spoke about his own visions and revelations of heaven as if someone else had seen them. He did that to avoid speaking as if he were boasting about himself. He did not want to act like the false teachers. They boasted about themselves.

12:2a–4a

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of it I do not know, but God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or out of it I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to Paradise.: In the Greek, Paul interrupts himself twice in the middle of a sentence. The order of clauses in the Greek is:

^2aI know a man in Christ ^2bwho fourteen years ago—

^2cwhether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—

^2bwas caught up to the third heaven.

^3aAnd I know that this man—

^3bwhether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows—

^4awas caught up to paradise.

The BSB puts the Greek 12:2b before the Greek 12:2c but does not move 12:3b. You may want to:

• Follow the order of the clauses in the Greek. In some languages it is natural to do so. For example:

  ^2aI know a man in Christ ^2bwho fourteen years ago—^2cwhether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—^2bsuch a man was caught up to the third heaven. ^3aAnd I know how such a man—^3bwhether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows—^4awas caught up into Paradise. (NASB)

• Move the interruptions to the beginning of the sentences. For example:

  ^2cWhether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows, ^2abut I know a man in Christ ^2bwho fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. ^3bAnd whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know—God knows, ^3aI know that such a man ^4awas caught up into Paradise.

• Move the interruptions to the end of the sentences. For example:

  ^2abut I know a man in Christ ^2bwho fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. ^2cWhether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. ^3aAnd I know that such a man ^4awas caught up into Paradise. ^3bWhether in the body or apart from the body I do not know—God knows. Doing it this way, you would need to combine verse markers 3 and 4 in your translation like this:

  ^3–4And I know that…

12:2a

a man in Christ: This phrase refers to a person who believes in Christ. He belongs to Christ. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

a man who belongs to Christ

a follower of Christ (GW)

a believerWestern Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation on TW.

See how you translated a similar phrase in 5:17 (“if anyone is in Christ”).

a man: Paul was speaking of himself here, but used the phrase a man to speak humbly about himself.

12:2b

who fourteen years ago was caught up: This clause is passive. God brought him up to heaven. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

whom fourteen years ago God caught up

caught up: This phrase refers to being forcefully grabbed and taken in an upward direction. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

taken up (CEV)

lifted

third heaven: This phrase refers to the place where God lives. In the Greek way of speaking, the first heaven is where the birds fly and the clouds are. The second heaven is where the sun, moon, and stars are. In some languages a literal translation would not refer to the place where God lives. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Translate literally and explain the meaning in a footnote. An example footnote is:

  This phrase refers to the place where God lives. In the Greek way of speaking, the first heaven is where the birds fly and the clouds are. The second heaven is where the sun, moon, and stars are. The third heaven is the place where God lives.

• Translate the cultural meaning. For example:

  the heaven/place where God lives

  the highest heaven/sky

  the place beyond the sun, moon, and stars

12:2c

in the body or out of it: The phrase in the body refers to God taking Paul’s body and spirit to heaven. The phrase out of it refers to God taking only Paul’s spirit to heaven. Paul did not know which way it happened. Other ways to translate this are:

in the body or away from the body

physically or spiritually (GW)

spirit as well as body, or only spirit