OET interlinear YAC (JAM) 1:23

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / hypo

ὅτι εἴ τις ἀκροατὴς λόγου ἐστὶν, καὶ οὐ ποιητής, οὗτος ἔοικεν ἀνδρὶ κατανοοῦντι τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὅτι εἰ τὶς ἀκροατής λόγου ἐστίν καί οὒ ποιητής οὗτος ἔοικεν ἀνδρί κατανοοῦντι τό πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ)

James is using a hypothetical situation to teach. Alternate translation: [Suppose someone is a hearer of the word and not a doer. Then he is like a man beholding the face of his birth in a mirror]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

ἀκροατὴς λόγου ἐστὶν, καὶ οὐ ποιητής

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὅτι εἰ τὶς ἀκροατής λόγου ἐστίν καί οὒ ποιητής οὗτος ἔοικεν ἀνδρί κατανοοῦντι τό πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ)

At the end of this clause, James is leaving out some of the words that it would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from earlier in the clause. Alternate translation: [is a hearer of the word and not a doer of the word]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

ἀκροατὴς λόγου ἐστὶν, καὶ οὐ ποιητής

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὅτι εἰ τὶς ἀκροατής λόγου ἐστίν καί οὒ ποιητής οὗτος ἔοικεν ἀνδρί κατανοοῦντι τό πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ)

See how you translated these expressions in the previous verse. Alternate translation: [just listens to the word but does not obey it]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

λόγου

˱of˲_˓the˒_word

James is using term word to describe the message about Jesus that was conveyed by using words. Alternate translation: [of the message about Jesus]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

οὗτος ἔοικεν ἀνδρὶ κατανοοῦντι τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ

this_‹one› ˓is˒_like (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὅτι εἰ τὶς ἀκροατής λόγου ἐστίν καί οὒ ποιητής οὗτος ἔοικεν ἀνδρί κατανοοῦντι τό πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ)

Here James begins a simile, an illustrative comparison, that continues through the next two verses.

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

ἀνδρὶ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὅτι εἰ τὶς ἀκροατής λόγου ἐστίν καί οὒ ποιητής οὗτος ἔοικεν ἀνδρί κατανοοῦντι τό πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ)

James is using the term man in a generic sense that includes both men and women. Alternate translation: [a person]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὅτι εἰ τὶς ἀκροατής λόγου ἐστίν καί οὒ ποιητής οὗτος ἔοικεν ἀνδρί κατανοοῦντι τό πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ)

This is an idiom that refers to the face a person was born with, that is, that person’s natural or physical face. Since the term “face” had many figurative meanings at this time, James is using this idiomatic expression to clarify that he means the hypothetical person’s literal, physical face. You may not need to make this clarification in your language. Alternate translation: [his physical face] or [his face]

Note 8 topic: translate-unknown

ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ

in ˓a˒_mirror

A mirror is a flat object made of some reflective material, such as glass or polished metal, that people use to see what they look like. If your readers would not be familiar with what a mirror is, you could use the name of something else that serves this purpose in your culture. Alternate translation: [reflected in the water]