OET interlinear 2 COR 6:17

6:17a–b

Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you: This quote uses parts of Isaiah 52:11 and Ezekiel 20:34, 41. If you footnote the locations of quotes from the Old Testament, you may want to do so here.

6:17a

Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord: God says this to his people, not to everyone. Moreover, these words are also from the Old Testament. If people think that the saying here refers to all people, you may want to explain in your translation. For example:

Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord to his people in Scripture.

Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord to us in his holy word.

come out from among them and be separate: In the Old Testament context, these commands were to separate physically from nations that practiced idolatry. Here Paul uses these clauses to command the believers in Corinth to follow ways that honor God. Believers are to avoid practices that lead to following idols. The two commands emphasize the meaning. Other ways to translate this are:

come out from them, and be separate from them (RSV)

Leave those people, and be separate (NCV)

These words are used as a metaphor. It refers to following God only and not following the ways of people of the world. (John 17:15–18 shows that this verse must be understood as a metaphor.) In some languages a literal translation would wrongly refer only to physically leaving. If that is true in your language, explain in a footnote. An example footnote is:

This verse refers to following God only and not following the ways of people of the world. This verse does not refer to physical separation.

says the Lord: Paul has actually added this clause to indicate that God is the speaker. It is not found in the material that he is quoting. The BSB follows the Greek order by placing the clause says the Lord in the middle of what God said. But to show that it is not part of the original quote, you may want to put it at the beginning. For example:

And so the Lord says, “You must leave them and separate yourselves from them. Have nothing to do with what is unclean, and I will accept you.” (GNT)

Place this clause where it is most natural in your language.

Also, following the Greek word order literally, the BSB places the verb says before the phrase the Lord. This is acceptable but alternate English style. Other versions follow more common English word order. For example:

The Lord says (GW)

the Lord: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Lord means “the one in authority over (something)” or “master.” The word Lord refers to God here. In some languages it is more natural to include “God” in this phrase. For example:

the Lord God

6:17b

Touch no unclean thing: In the Old Testament context of this quote, unclean thing probably referred mainly to idols and the practices of worshiping them.In other places in the Old Testament, the phrase “unclean thing” usually referred to anything improper to use or touch in regard to religious purity. Such things included touching taboo food or animals or being involved with evil spirits or immoral practices. The Jews were to worship God only. In the context of this letter, Paul used this saying to command believers to avoid wickedness, anything associated with Satan, idol worship, and anything that might cause a believer to follow such practices. In some languages a literal translation would have the correct meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain in a footnote. For example:

This saying refers to avoiding idols and idol worship as well as other types of wickedness.

Touch no: Here the phrase Touch no refers figuratively to avoiding something. God wants his people to avoid such things as idols and idol worship. For example:

Have nothing to do with (GNT)

unclean thing: In the Old Testament, if someone touched something unclean, God prohibited that person from going to the temple and worshiping him for a period of time. God indicated that a dead body was unclean, and people with certain skin diseases or sores were unclean. God indicated that other things were also unclean. The word unclean does not refer to having dirt on you and needing to wash.

In some languages the word unclean only means “having dirt on the skin.” If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Translate in a way that indicates the correct meaning of the word here. For example:

  thing that causes a person to become religiously corrupt/unacceptable

  thing that I have prohibited

• Translate literally and explain the meaning in a footnote. Some example footnotes are:

  This word refers to being religiously “unclean” or unacceptable in God’s sight.

  In the Old Testament, if someone touched something unclean, God prohibited that person from going to the temple and worshiping God for a period of time. Similarly, idols and idol worship are unclean, because God has prohibited believers from following them. The word unclean does not refer to having dirt on you and needing to wash.

I will receive you: The Greek word here translated receive means “show hospitality” or “welcome.” God will accept into his presence the people who avoided idol worship. Other ways to translate this clause are:

I will welcome you (RSV)

I will bring you into my presence