OET interlinear 2COR 12:21

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

μὴ

lest

Paul is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the previous verse if it would be clearer in your language (See: 12:20). Alternate translation: “and I fear that”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

πάλιν ἐλθόντος μου, ταπεινώσῃ με ὁ Θεός μου

again /having/_come ˱of˲_me (Some words not found in SR-GNT: μὴ πάλιν ἐλθόντος μου ταπεινώσει με ὁ Θεός μου πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ πενθήσω πολλοὺς τῶν προημαρτηκότων καὶ μὴ μετανοησάντων ἐπὶ τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ καὶ πορνείᾳ καὶ ἀσελγείᾳ ᾗ ἔπραξαν)

Here the word again could go with: (1) I come. In this case, Paul is speaking about how he plans to visit the Corinthians a third time. Alternate translation: “when I come yet again, my God might humble me” (2) God might humble me. In this case, Paul means that God may humble him again, just as he did when Paul visited the Corinthians previously (See: 2:1). Alternate translation: “when I come, my God might humble me again”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ταπεινώσῃ με ὁ Θεός μου πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: μὴ πάλιν ἐλθόντος μου ταπεινώσει με ὁ Θεός μου πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ πενθήσω πολλοὺς τῶν προημαρτηκότων καὶ μὴ μετανοησάντων ἐπὶ τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ καὶ πορνείᾳ καὶ ἀσελγείᾳ ᾗ ἔπραξαν)

Here Paul could be implying that God will humble him: (1) because he would feel ashamed about how the Corinthians were acting. Alternate translation: “my God might humble me by making me feel shame about you, and” (2) because he would have to use his authority for tearing down instead of building up. Alternate translation: “my God might humble me before you by making me punish you, and” (3) because he would mourn publicly. Alternate translation: “my God might humble me before you because”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / distinguish

ὁ Θεός μου

the God ˱of˲_me

When Paul speaks of my God, he does not mean that this is a different God than the one the Corinthians believe in. Rather, he simply wishes to state that this God is his God. If the phrase my God sounds like it makes a distinction between Paul’s God and the Corinthians’ God, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: “the God I serve” or “our God”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ, καὶ πορνείᾳ, καὶ ἀσελγείᾳ

the impurity and sexual_immorality and wantonness

The terms impurity, sexual immorality, and debauchery mean similar things. Paul is using the three terms together to include all types of sexual sin. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with two words or a single phrase. Alternate translation: “the debauchery and sexual immorality” or “the many kinds of sexual immorality”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ἐπὶ τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ, καὶ πορνείᾳ, καὶ ἀσελγείᾳ, ᾗ ἔπραξαν

for the impurity and sexual_immorality and wantonness which ˱they˲_practiced

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of impurity, immorality, and debauchery, you could express the same ideas in another way. Alternate translation: “from acting in impure ways and doing sexually immoral things and enjoying indecent actions” or “from acting in impure and sexually immoral and indecent ways”