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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 2 V1 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17
OET (OET-LV) For/Because if I am_sorrowing you_all, also who is which gladdening me, except not/lest the one being_sorrowed by me?
OET (OET-RV) because if I’m making you all upset, who would be left to cheer me up except for the people that I would’ve just upset?
In this section Paul explained that he had earlier planned to visit the Corinthians two times, once on his way to the province of Macedonia and again on his way back from there (1:15–16). But he probably came earlier than planned and had a painful visit (2:1). After he returned to Ephesus, he wrote a painful letter (7:8–9). He then went to Macedonia via Troas (2:12–13) instead of via Corinth. The false teachers probably accused him of not being trustworthy because he had changed his plans. So Paul explained in these verses why he had changed his plans.
Other examples of headings for this section are:
Paul’s Integrity (NASB)
Why Paul changed his plans (NJB)
Paul explained his change of plans
if I grieve you, who is left to cheer me but those whom I have grieved?: This is a rhetorical question. It emphasizes the fact that if Paul grieved them, none of them could make him glad. They would be sad, so it would be hard for them to encourage him. Translate in a way that emphasizes that meaning. Some ways to do this in English are:
As a rhetorical question and an exclamation or statement. For example:
if I grieve you, is there anyone left to make me glad? There is only you whom I have grieved!
if I grieve you, could there be anyone left/else to make me glad? Only you could, but I have grieved you!
if I grieve you, how can you make me glad? You could not.
As a statement. For example:
if I grieve you, no one among you can make me glad.
if I grieve you, none of you can make me glad.
if I grieve you, you would be too sad to make me glad.
For if I grieve you,
For if I myself make you(plur) grieve,
Furthermore, if it is I who cause you to feel sad/ashamed,
For: Here the word For introduces an explanation. For example:
Because
To explain:
Let me explain:
if I grieve you: The pronoun I is emphasized in the Greek clause. Here the contrast between I and “those whom I have grieved” (2:2b) is emphasized. Other ways to translate this clause are:
if it is I who grieve you
if I myself grieve you
grieve: This word refers to causing someone to feel sad, distressed, or ashamed. Some believers were sinning, so Paul made them understand that what they were doing was wrong. So they became sad and repented. Other ways to translate this word are:
cause…grief (NLT)
make…sad (GNT)
make…feel bad (CEV)
who is left to cheer me but those whom I have grieved?
could there be someone else to make me glad but you whom I have grieved?
no one is left to make me glad except you whom I have caused to feel sad/ashamed.
who is left to cheer me but those whom I have grieved?: The Greek clause is literally “who is the one cheering me except the one being grieved by me.” This clause indicates that if Paul grieved the believers in Corinth, they would become sad. Then they could not make him glad, because they would be too sad to try to cheer him up. Other ways to translate this clause are:
who then makes me glad but the one whom I made sorrowful? (NASB)
who remains to make me glad except those whom I have grieved?
who would make me glad? Only you! Yet I might have grieved you!
those whom I have grieved: The Greek phrase is literally “the one whom I have grieved.” It is singular, like the word “who” in “who is left…” above. But both words probably refer in general to the believers in Corinth. For example:
the people I had made to feel bad (CEV)
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
γὰρ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Γάρ ἐγώ λυπῶ ὑμᾶς καί τίς ὁ εὐφραίνων μέ εἰ μή ὁ λυπούμενος ἐξ ἐμοῦ)
Here, the word For introduces a reason why Paul is avoiding the “sorrow” he mentioned in [2:1](../02/01.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces a reason. Alternate translation: [I decided that because] or [Indeed,]
Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-condition-hypothetical
εἰ & ἐγὼ λυπῶ ὑμᾶς
if & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Γάρ ἐγώ λυπῶ ὑμᾶς καί τίς ὁ εὐφραίνων μέ εἰ μή ὁ λυπούμενος ἐξ ἐμοῦ)
Here Paul refers to a situation that has not happened and which he intends to keep from happening. He refers to the situation using the conditional form to indicate what would result from the situation if it did happen. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a form that refers to something that may not happen but that the author wishes to speak about. Alternate translation: [supposing that I myself grieved you] or [were I myself to grieve you]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / rpronouns
ἐγὼ λυπῶ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Γάρ ἐγώ λυπῶ ὑμᾶς καί τίς ὁ εὐφραίνων μέ εἰ μή ὁ λυπούμενος ἐξ ἐμοῦ)
Here, the word myself emphasizes I. Consider using a natural way to emphasize I in your language. Alternate translation: [it is I myself who grieve]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
καὶ τίς ὁ εὐφραίνων με, εἰ μὴ ὁ λυπούμενος ἐξ ἐμοῦ?
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Γάρ ἐγώ λυπῶ ὑμᾶς καί τίς ὁ εὐφραίνων μέ εἰ μή ὁ λυπούμενος ἐξ ἐμοῦ)
Paul does not ask this question because he is looking for information. Rather, he asks it to involve the Corinthians in what he is arguing. The question implies that the answer is “there is no one else.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea by using a strong negation. Alternate translation: [then there is no one cheering me up, except the one being grieved by me.]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun
τίς ὁ εὐφραίνων με, εἰ μὴ ὁ λυπούμενος
who_‹is› ¬which gladdening (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Γάρ ἐγώ λυπῶ ὑμᾶς καί τίς ὁ εὐφραίνων μέ εἰ μή ὁ λυπούμενος ἐξ ἐμοῦ)
Here the author uses the singular form the one to refer in general to people, particularly to the Corinthians. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a form that refers in general to people. Alternate translation: [who are those cheering me up, except those being grieved] or [who are those cheering me up, except you who are being grieved]
Note 6 topic: grammar-connect-exceptions
τίς ὁ εὐφραίνων με, εἰ μὴ ὁ λυπούμενος ἐξ ἐμοῦ
who_‹is› ¬which gladdening (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Γάρ ἐγώ λυπῶ ὑμᾶς καί τίς ὁ εὐφραίνων μέ εἰ μή ὁ λυπούμενος ἐξ ἐμοῦ)
If it would appear in your language that Paul was making a statement here and then contradicting it, you could reword this question to avoid using an exception clause. Alternate translation: [is it not the one being grieved by me who is the only one cheering me up] or [is there any one cheering me up besides the one being grieved by me]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
ὁ λυπούμενος ἐξ ἐμοῦ
¬which the_‹one› ˓being˒_sorrowed by me
If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [the one whom I have grieved]
OET (OET-LV) For/Because if I am_sorrowing you_all, also who is which gladdening me, except not/lest the one being_sorrowed by me?
OET (OET-RV) because if I’m making you all upset, who would be left to cheer me up except for the people that I would’ve just upset?
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.