OET interlinear 2COR 3:3

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

φανερούμενοι

/being/_revealed

Here, the phrase making known could: (1) indicate that something is well-known or obvious to people. Alternate translation: [being clear] or [so it is evident] (2) state that the Corinthians show or reveal something to others. Alternate translation: [you making it clear] or [you revealing]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐστὲ ἐπιστολὴ Χριστοῦ, διακονηθεῖσα ὑφ’ ἡμῶν, ἐνγεγραμμένη οὐ μέλανι, ἀλλὰ Πνεύματι Θεοῦ ζῶντος, οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶν λιθίναις, ἀλλ’ ἐν πλαξὶν καρδίαις σαρκίναις

˱you_all˲_are /a/_letter ˱of˲_Christ /having_been/_served by us (Some words not found in SR-GNT: φανερούμενοι ὅτι ἐστὲ ἐπιστολὴ Χριστοῦ διακονηθεῖσα ὑφʼ ἡμῶν ἐγγεγραμμένη οὐ μέλανι ἀλλὰ Πνεύματι Θεοῦ ζῶντος οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶν λιθίναις ἀλλʼ ἐν πλαξὶν καρδίαις σαρκίναις)

Here Paul continues to speak as if the Corinthians were a letter. Here, he states that this letter was written by Christ and administered by Paul and his fellow workers. He means that Christ is the one who enabled the Corinthians to believe, and Christ worked through Paul and his fellow workers to do that. Paul then contrasts a letter written with ink and on tablets of stone with a letter written by the power of the Spirit and on hearts of flesh. What he means by this is that the letter is the Corinthians, not some written document, and that the message is communicated by the Spirit, not by letters written with ink. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea with a simile or in some other natural way. Alternate translation: [you are like a letter of Christ having been administered by us, not written with ink but as if with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but as if on tablets of hearts of flesh] or [you are a message from Christ having been administered by us, not communicated by ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not presented on tablets of stone but on tablets of hearts of flesh]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

ἐπιστολὴ Χριστοῦ

/a/_letter ˱of˲_Christ

Here Paul uses the possessive form to indicate that the letter is from or written by Christ. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: [a letter from Christ] or [a letter written by Christ]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

διακονηθεῖσα ὑφ’ ἡμῶν

/having_been/_served by us

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: [that we have administered]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

διακονηθεῖσα ὑφ’ ἡμῶν

/having_been/_served by us

Here, the phrase having been administered by us could indicate that: (1) “we” delivered the letter. Alternate translation: [having been delivered by us] or [having been sent by us] (2) “we” helped Christ compose the letter. Alternate translation: [having been composed with our help] or [that we wrote down]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive

ἡμῶν

us

Here, just as in 3:1–2, the word us does not include the Corinthians. It could refer to: (1) Paul and those who proclaim the gospel with him. Alternate translation: [us who preach the gospel] (2) just Paul. Alternate translation: [me]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

ἐνγεγραμμένη οὐ μέλανι, ἀλλὰ Πνεύματι Θεοῦ ζῶντος, οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶν λιθίναις, ἀλλ’ ἐν πλαξὶν καρδίαις σαρκίναις

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: φανερούμενοι ὅτι ἐστὲ ἐπιστολὴ Χριστοῦ διακονηθεῖσα ὑφʼ ἡμῶν ἐγγεγραμμένη οὐ μέλανι ἀλλὰ Πνεύματι Θεοῦ ζῶντος οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶν λιθίναις ἀλλʼ ἐν πλαξὶν καρδίαις σαρκίναις)

If your language would not put the negative statements before the positive statements, you could reverse them. Alternate translation: [written with the Spirit of the living God, not with ink, on tablets of hearts of flesh, not on tablets of stone]

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

ἀλλὰ Πνεύματι Θεοῦ ζῶντος, οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶν λιθίναις, ἀλλ’ ἐν πλαξὶν καρδίαις σαρκίναις

but ˱with˲_/the/_Spirit ˱of˲_God /the/_living not on tablets stone but on tablets ˱of˲_hearts fleshy

These phrases leave out some words that many languages might need to be complete. If it would be helpful in your language, you could supply the word written from earlier in the sentence in some or all of the phrases. Alternate translation: [but written with the Spirit of the living God, not written on tablets of stone but written on tablets of hearts of flesh] or [but with the Spirit of the living God, not written on tablets of stone but on tablets of hearts of flesh]

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ἐνγεγραμμένη οὐ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: φανερούμενοι ὅτι ἐστὲ ἐπιστολὴ Χριστοῦ διακονηθεῖσα ὑφʼ ἡμῶν ἐγγεγραμμένη οὐ μέλανι ἀλλὰ Πνεύματι Θεοῦ ζῶντος οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶν λιθίναις ἀλλʼ ἐν πλαξὶν καρδίαις σαρκίναις)

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. If you must state who did the action, Paul implies that Christ did it. Alternate translation: [which Christ wrote not]

Note 10 topic: translate-unknown

μέλανι

˱in˲_ink

Here, the word ink refers to colored liquid that people in Paul’s culture used to write letters and words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use whatever term naturally refers to what people use to write letters and words. Alternate translation: [with a pen]

Note 11 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

Θεοῦ ζῶντος

˱of˲_God /the/_living

Here, the phrase living God identifies God as the one who “lives” and possibly as the one who gives life. The primary point is that God actually lives, unlike inanimate idols and other things that people may call gods. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that emphasizes that God really lives. Alternate translation: [of the God who lives] or [of the true God]

Note 12 topic: translate-unknown

(Occurrence -1) ἐν πλαξὶν

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: φανερούμενοι ὅτι ἐστὲ ἐπιστολὴ Χριστοῦ διακονηθεῖσα ὑφʼ ἡμῶν ἐγγεγραμμένη οὐ μέλανι ἀλλὰ Πνεύματι Θεοῦ ζῶντος οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶν λιθίναις ἀλλʼ ἐν πλαξὶν καρδίαις σαρκίναις)

Here, the word tablets refers to thin, flat pieces of stone on which people would write words, especially important words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that refers to the surface on which people write something important. Paul may be referring here to the tablets on which Moses wrote God’s commandments (See: Exodus 34:1–4), so, if possible, use a word that could refer to those tablets. Alternate translation: [on flat pieces … on flat pieces] or [on plaques … on plaques]

Note 13 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

πλαξὶν λιθίναις

tablets stone

Here Paul uses the possessive form to describe tablets that are made out of stone. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: [stone tablets]

Note 14 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

πλαξὶν καρδίαις σαρκίναις

tablets tablets ˱of˲_hearts fleshy

Here Paul uses the possessive form to describe tablets that refer to hearts that are made of flesh. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: [tablets that are fleshly hearts] or [tablets that are hearts made of flesh]

Note 15 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

καρδίαις σαρκίναις

˱of˲_hearts fleshy

In the Paul’s culture, hearts are the places where humans think and plan. Here Paul states that these hearts are made of flesh, meaning that they are live, functional body parts. If it would be helpful in your language, you could refer to the place where humans think in your culture or express the idea plainly. Alternate translation: [of living people] or [of what we think and do]