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OET (OET-LV) Therefore is what the additional thing of_the Youdaios, or what is the benefit of_ the _circumcision?
OET (OET-RV) So what advantage is it in being a Jew and what’s the benefit of circumcision?
In chapter two, Paul spoke about some wrong ideas that the Jews had. In this section, Paul spoke to someone, probably a Jew, who might think that Paul implied that God was unfaithful to his covenant with the Jews. Paul showed that regardless of how God’s people had behaved, God was always faithful to what he said.
Keep in mind that Paul himself was a Jew. He knew how Jews thought, and he knew how to answer their objections.
Here are other possible headings for this section:
God is faithful to his covenant even if his people are not
God keeps his word and does what is right
What, then, is the advantage of being a Jew?
¶ So, what added benefit does a Jew have?
¶ Then what privilege/bonus is there in being a Jew rather than being a Gentile/non-Jew?
What, then, is the advantage of being a Jew?: This is a rhetorical question. It causes the reader to think about what the answer might be. Paul answered this question in 3:2.
then: This conjunction introduces something more that Paul wanted to say about circumcision (2:25–29). Based on what he said there, he now has another question for his readers. For example:
So (NCV)
But the connection is not introducing a logical conclusion. Your translation should not introduce a logical conclusion here. Additionally, the BSB places this word after “What.” Place this connecting word in a place that is natural for your language.
advantage: The Greek word that the BSB translates as advantage means “something greater.” Jews have their covenant with God and his words. This is more than what the Gentiles have. Here are other ways to translate this word:
benefit (NJB)
privilege/bonus
Or what is the value of circumcision?
Or/Also, what value/worth is there for someone who is circumcised?
And does the fact that someone is circumcised benefit him?
Or: This word introduces another question similar in meaning to the question in 3:1a.
what is the value of circumcision?: In 2:25 Paul wrote “circumcision…is of value.” Here the clause is a what question. If possible, translate it using similar words to that verse. For example:
is circumcision valuable?
what is the worth of circumcision?
what is the use/benefit of being circumcised?
what good is circumcision?
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
τί οὖν
what (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν τό περισσόν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου ἤ τίς ἡ ὠφέλεια τῆς περιτομῆς)
Here, then indicates that what follows is a response to what Paul said in the previous chapter, especially what he said in [2:28–29](../02/28.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: [If these things are true, then what is]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
τί οὖν τὸ περισσὸν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου, ἢ τίς ἡ ὠφέλια τῆς περιτομῆς?
what (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν τό περισσόν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου ἤ τίς ἡ ὠφέλεια τῆς περιτομῆς)
This verse contains two rhetorical questions connected by or. Paul is not asking for information, but here he is using these two questions to express the objections that a Jew might have to what Paul said in the previous chapter, especially what he said in [2:28–29](../02/28.md). If you would not use a rhetorical question for this purpose in your language, you could translate his words as a statement or an exclamation and communicate the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: [Then the Jew certainly has no advantage, and circumcision certainly has no benefit!]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / quotemarks
τί οὖν τὸ περισσὸν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου, ἢ τίς ἡ ὠφέλια τῆς περιτομῆς
what (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν τό περισσόν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου ἤ τίς ἡ ὠφέλεια τῆς περιτομῆς)
In this verse Paul is speaking as if he were a non-Christian Jew arguing against Paul. It may be helpful to your readers to indicate this by setting off all of this material with quotation marks or with whatever punctuation or convention your language uses to indicate a quotation.
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
τί οὖν τὸ περισσὸν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου, ἢ τίς ἡ ὠφέλια τῆς περιτομῆς
what (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν τό περισσόν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου ἤ τίς ἡ ὠφέλεια τῆς περιτομῆς)
If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of advantage or benefit, you could express the same ideas in another way. Alternate translation: [How then is being a Jew advantageous, or how is being circumcised beneficial]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / possession
τοῦ Ἰουδαίου
˱of˲_the Jew
Paul is using the possessive form of the Jew to describe for whom there is the advantage. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: [for the Jew]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / possession
τῆς περιτομῆς
¬the ˱of˲_circumcision
Paul is using the possessive form of the circumcision to describe from where the benefit comes. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: [that comes from circumcision] or [from being circumcised]
OET (OET-LV) Therefore is what the additional thing of_the Youdaios, or what is the benefit of_ the _circumcision?
OET (OET-RV) So what advantage is it in being a Jew and what’s the benefit of circumcision?
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.