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OET (OET-LV) And what agreement exists by_the_temple of_god with idols?
for we the_temple of_god are the_living, as said the god, that I_will_be_dwelling in them, and I_will_be_walking_among them, and I_will_be of_them god, and they will_be of_me a_people.
OET (OET-RV) What agreement can God’s temple have with idols, because we are the temple of the living God? As God said,
⇔ ‘I will live with them
⇔ and I will walk among them.
⇔ I will be their god
⇔ and they will be my people.’
In this section, Paul told the believers in Corinth that he loved them completely (6:11), but the believers did not love him completely (6:12). He urged them to love him completely (6:13).
Then he urged them to avoid partnerships with unbelievers (6:14a) and used five rhetorical questions (6:14b–16a) to support this exhortation. He also supported this exhortation with quotes from the Old Testament (6:16b–18). On the basis of these quotes, he then urged them to live pure lives (7:1).
He again urged them to love him (7:2a) and explained that he had not wronged anyone (7:2b). He explained that his love was complete (7:3) and he was very confident in them and very happy for them (7:4).
Other examples of headings for this section are:
Open your hearts to us, and live holy lives
Love us as we love you and live pure lives
What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols?
Can the temple of God have a mutual agreement with idols?
Another example: the temple of God and idols cannot make a mutually agreeable pact.
What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols?: This clause uses the image of God’s temple being completely separate from idol worship. It is improper for them to be mixed together. Other ways to translate this clause are:
what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? (NLT)
what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? (NET)
The temple of God cannot compromise with false gods…. (NJB)
The metaphor of the temple of God is explained in 6:16b.
agreement: This is a different Greek word from the Greek word that the BSB translates “harmony” in 6:15a, but the meaning is similar. The Greek word here includes the meaning of an agreement that both groups like.
For we are the temple of the living God.
For we(incl) are like the temple of the living God.
For the living God dwells among/in us like he did in the temple.
For: This conjunction introduces an explanation of the way Paul used the phrase “the temple of God” in 6:16a.
we are the temple of the living God: There is a textual issue in 6:16b. (1) Many Greek manuscripts have the pronoun we (BSB, RSV, NIV, GNT, NJB, NASB, NLT, GW, CEV, NET, JBP, REB, ESV, NCV). (2) Some Greek manuscripts have the pronoun you (KJV only). It is recommended that you follow option (1). This clause indicates that all believers are like a temple of God. Long ago, God’s presence dwelt in the temple (1 Kings 8:10–13). In the same way, God lives with believers by means of the Holy Spirit. If it is not natural to refer to people as a temple, you may want to:
Translate the metaphor as a simile. For example:
we are like the temple of the living God
Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:
The living God dwells in us as he did in the temple Then you may want to give the literal words. An example footnote is:
Literally “we are the temple of the living God.”
Translate literally and explain the meaning in a footnote. For example:
This clause indicates that all believers are like a temple of God. Long ago, God’s presence dwelt in the temple (1 Kings 8:10–13). In the same way, God lives with believers by means of the Holy Spirit.
temple: The word temple refers to a building where people go to worship. Some ways to translate the word temple are:
Use a descriptive phrase. For example:
house/place of worship
holy/sacred house
If your language has a word for temple, consider using it. But in some languages the word temple may have meaning that the readers of your translation would want to avoid. In that case, consider the descriptive phrases above.
Be sure to use a different term than the one you have chosen for “synagogue.” There was only one temple, but there were many synagogues throughout the land of Israel where the Jews met regularly for worship.
the living God: The word living here refers to God being alive, as opposed to idols, which are not alive. Some other examples for translating are:
the alive God
the God who lives forever
This phrase should not imply in your language that he is one of many “gods.”
I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people: This quote combines Leviticus 26:12, Jeremiah 32:38, and Ezekiel 37:27. If you footnote the locations of words from the Old Testament, you may want to do so here.
As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them,
As God said long ago, “I will live and move among them,
That is what God meant when he said in the Scriptures, “I will live in their midst and accompany them,
As God has said: This clause introduces a quotation from the Old Testament. God spoke these words, and someone wrote them down. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that God had spoken but that these words are not in Scripture. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain in your translation. For example:
As God has said in Scripture
As God said long ago in his word
This clause indicates that the quote explains 6:16b. For example:
That is what God meant when he said
God indicated that when he said
I will dwell with them: This clause probably indicates that God will live in the midst of his people. Other ways to translate this clause are:
I will live…among them (GW)
I and they will live together
walk among them: This clause indicates that God will have a close relationship with his people and help them. Other ways to translate this clause are:
move among them (RSV)
live among them (GNT)
will accompany them
and I will be their God, and they will be My people.”
I am the God that they will serve and I will make them my people.”
and I will be like a father to them, and I will acknowledge that they belong to me.”
I will be their God: Here the pronoun their indicates that God will have a relationship with his people. In some languages the word God cannot have a possessive pronoun such as their connected to it. If that is the case in your language, explain the meaning in your translation. For example:
I will have a relationship with them
I will be their leader as God
they will be My people: This clause also indicates that the people will have a relationship with God.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
τίς δὲ συνκατάθεσις ναῷ Θεοῦ μετὰ εἰδώλων?
what (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Δέ συγκατάθεσις ναῷ Θεοῦ μετά εἰδώλων ἡμεῖς γάρ ναός Θεοῦ ἐσμέν ζῶντος καθώς εἶπεν ὁ Θεός ὅτι Ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς καί ἐμπεριπατήσω καί ἔσομαι αὐτῶν Θεός καί αὐτοί ἔσονται μού λαός)
Here, just as in [6:14–15](../06/14.md), Paul is using the question form to deny that something could be true. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could express the idea by using a strong negation. Alternate translation: [And the temple of God has no agreement with idols!]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
τίς & συνκατάθεσις ναῷ Θεοῦ μετὰ εἰδώλων
what & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Δέ συγκατάθεσις ναῷ Θεοῦ μετά εἰδώλων ἡμεῖς γάρ ναός Θεοῦ ἐσμέν ζῶντος καθώς εἶπεν ὁ Θεός ὅτι Ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς καί ἐμπεριπατήσω καί ἔσομαι αὐτῶν Θεός καί αὐτοί ἔσονται μού λαός)
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of agreement, you could express the idea by using a verb such as “agree.” Alternate translation: [does the temple of God agree with idols]
Note 3 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases
γὰρ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Δέ συγκατάθεσις ναῷ Θεοῦ μετά εἰδώλων ἡμεῖς γάρ ναός Θεοῦ ἐσμέν ζῶντος καθώς εἶπεν ὁ Θεός ὅτι Ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς καί ἐμπεριπατήσω καί ἔσομαι αὐτῶν Θεός καί αὐτοί ἔσονται μού λαός)
Here, the word For introduces an explanation of what Paul said about the temple of God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different word or phrase that introduces an explanation. Alternate translation: [Now] or [As a matter of fact,]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive
ἡμεῖς
we
Here, the word we refers to everyone who believes in Jesus.
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἡμεῖς & ναὸς Θεοῦ ἐσμεν ζῶντος
we & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Δέ συγκατάθεσις ναῷ Θεοῦ μετά εἰδώλων ἡμεῖς γάρ ναός Θεοῦ ἐσμέν ζῶντος καθώς εἶπεν ὁ Θεός ὅτι Ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς καί ἐμπεριπατήσω καί ἔσομαι αὐτῶν Θεός καί αὐτοί ἔσονται μού λαός)
Here Paul speaks as if we were a temple. He follows this metaphor with a quotation which illustrates how God dwells with his people as their God. Since the temple is an important building in Paul’s culture, if possible you should preserve the language. If necessary, you could express the idea by using a simile form. Alternate translation: [we are like the temple of the living God] or [the living God dwells with us as if we were his temple]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ναὸς Θεοῦ ἐσμεν ζῶντος
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Δέ συγκατάθεσις ναῷ Θεοῦ μετά εἰδώλων ἡμεῖς γάρ ναός Θεοῦ ἐσμέν ζῶντος καθώς εἶπεν ὁ Θεός ὅτι Ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς καί ἐμπεριπατήσω καί ἔσομαι αὐτῶν Θεός καί αὐτοί ἔσονται μού λαός)
Here, the phrase the living God identifies God as the one who lives and possibly as the one who gives life. The primary point is that God is actually alive, unlike idols and other things that people call their gods. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that emphasizes that God really lives. See how you translated the similar phrase in [3:3](../03/03.md). Alternate translation: [are the temple of the God who lives] or [are the temple of the true God]
Note 7 topic: writing-quotations
καθὼς εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Δέ συγκατάθεσις ναῷ Θεοῦ μετά εἰδώλων ἡμεῖς γάρ ναός Θεοῦ ἐσμέν ζῶντος καθώς εἶπεν ὁ Θεός ὅτι Ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς καί ἐμπεριπατήσω καί ἔσομαι αὐτῶν Θεός καί αὐτοί ἔσονται μού λαός)
The phrase just as God said introduces a quotation that supports what Paul has said about how we are the temple of the living God. The words Paul quotes could come from [Leviticus 26:12](../lev/26/12.md); [Jeremiah 31:33](../jer/31/33.md); and [Ezekiel 37:27](../ezk/37/27.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could clarify that the words that God speaks are from the Scriptures. Alternate translation: [just as God spoke through the prophets] or [as God spoke in the Old Testament]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism
ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐνπεριπατήσω
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Δέ συγκατάθεσις ναῷ Θεοῦ μετά εἰδώλων ἡμεῖς γάρ ναός Θεοῦ ἐσμέν ζῶντος καθώς εἶπεν ὁ Θεός ὅτι Ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς καί ἐμπεριπατήσω καί ἔσομαι αὐτῶν Θεός καί αὐτοί ἔσονται μού λαός)
These two clauses mean basically the same thing. The second emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. Hebrew poetry was based on this kind of repetition, and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. However, if the repetition might be confusing, you could connect the phrases with a word other than and in order to show that the second phrase is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternate translation: [I will dwell among them; yes, I will walk among them]
Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἐνπεριπατήσω
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Δέ συγκατάθεσις ναῷ Θεοῦ μετά εἰδώλων ἡμεῖς γάρ ναός Θεοῦ ἐσμέν ζῶντος καθώς εἶπεν ὁ Θεός ὅτι Ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς καί ἐμπεριπατήσω καί ἔσομαι αὐτῶν Θεός καί αὐτοί ἔσονται μού λαός)
Here the author of the quotation speaks as if God would walk among his people. He means that God will be as close to his people as if he were walking around with them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [spend time with them] or [be close to them]
Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / rpronouns
αὐτοὶ ἔσονταί
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Δέ συγκατάθεσις ναῷ Θεοῦ μετά εἰδώλων ἡμεῖς γάρ ναός Θεοῦ ἐσμέν ζῶντος καθώς εἶπεν ὁ Θεός ὅτι Ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς καί ἐμπεριπατήσω καί ἔσομαι αὐτῶν Θεός καί αὐτοί ἔσονται μού λαός)
Here, the word translated themselves switches focus from God to they. Consider using a natural way to switch the focus to they in your language. Alternate translation: [it is they who will be]
6:16 Believers together are the temple of the living God, indwelt by the Holy Spirit and thus holy (1 Cor 3:16; 1 Pet 2:1-10).
OET (OET-LV) And what agreement exists by_the_temple of_god with idols?
for we the_temple of_god are the_living, as said the god, that I_will_be_dwelling in them, and I_will_be_walking_among them, and I_will_be of_them god, and they will_be of_me a_people.
OET (OET-RV) What agreement can God’s temple have with idols, because we are the temple of the living God? As God said,
⇔ ‘I will live with them
⇔ and I will walk among them.
⇔ I will be their god
⇔ and they will be my people.’
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.