1COR 1:28 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are,

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT and God chose the base things and the despised things of the world, and the things that are not, in order that he might bring to nothing the things that are,

UST God decided to use what seems unimportant to people and what people look down on. It is as if these things do not even exist, but God decided to use them to make the things that everyone knows about insignificant.

BSB He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are,

BLB and the low-born of the world, and the things being despised, God also chose--the things not being--that He might annul the things being,

AICNT God chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things, the things that are not, to nullify the things that are,

OEB and God chose what the world counts poor and insignificant – things that to it are unreal – to bring its “realities” to nothing,

WEBBE God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that don’t exist, that he might bring to nothing the things that exist,

WMBB (Same as above)

NET God chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something,

LSV and God chose the base things of the world, and the things despised, and the things that are not, that He may make useless the things that are—

FBV He chose the things that are unimportant and despised by the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,[fn]

1:28 This complicated verse is really saying that God uses things and people not viewed as important by this world to demonstrate what really is important.

TCNT God chose what is lowly and despised in the world, things that are regarded as nothing, to nullify the things that are regarded as something,

T4T It was usually those who are despised and considered {whom unbelievers despise and consider} worthless whom God chose, in order to make completely ineffective what unbelievers consider to be important.

LEB and the insignificant of the world, and the despised, God chose, the things that are not, in order that he might abolish the things that are,

BBE And the low things of the world, and the things without honour, did God make selection of, yes, even the things which are not, so that he might make as nothing the things which are:

Moff No Moff 1COR book available

Wymth and the things which the world regards as base, and those which it sets utterly at nought—things that have no existence—God has chosen in order to reduce to nothing things that do exist;

ASV and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, yea and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are:

DRA And the base things of the world, and the things that are contemptible, hath God chosen, and things that are not, that he might bring to nought things that are:

YLT and the base things of the world, and the things despised did God choose, and the things that are not, that the things that are He may make useless —

Drby and the ignoble things of the world, and the despised, has [fn]God chosen, [and] things that are not, that he may annul the things that are;

1.28 Elohim

RV and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, yea and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are:

Wbstr And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are:

KJB-1769 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
(And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath/has God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: )

KJB-1611 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are,
(And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath/has God chosen, yea and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are,)

Bshps And vnnoble thynges of the worlde, & thinges which are despysed, hath God chosen, yea and thinges which are not, to bryng to naught thynges that are:
(And unnoble things of the world, and things which are despised, hath/has God chosen, yea and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are:)

Gnva And vile things of the worlde and thinges which are despised, hath God chosen, and thinges which are not, to bring to nought thinges that are,
(And vile things of the world and things which are despised, hath/has God chosen, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are, )

Cvdl And the vyle and despysed before the worlde hath God chosen, yee and that which is nothinge, that he mighte destroye that which is oughte,
(And the vyle and despised before the world hath/has God chosen, ye/you_all and that which is nothing, that he might destroy that which is oughte,)

TNT And vile thinges of the worlde and thinges which are despysed hath God chosen yee and thinges of no reputacion for to brynge to nought thinges of reputacion
(And vile things of the world and things which are despised hath/has God chosen ye/you_all and things of no reputacion for to bring to nought things of reputacion )

Wyc and God chees the feble thingis of the world, to confounde the stronge thingis; and God chees the vnnoble thingis `and dispisable thingis of the world, and tho thingis that ben not, to distruye tho thingis that ben;
(and God chees the feble things of the world, to confounde the strong things; and God chees the unnoble things `and dispisable things of the world, and those things that been not, to distruye those things that ben;)

Luth und das Unedle vor der Welt und das Verachtete hat GOtt erwählet, und das da nichts ist, daß er zunichte machte, was etwas ist,
(and the Unedle before/in_front_of the/of_the world and the Verachtete has God chosen, and the there nothing is, that he zunichte machte, what/which etwas is,)

ClVg et ignobilia mundi, et contemptibilia elegit Deus, et ea quæ non sunt, ut ea quæ sunt destrueret:
(and ignobilia mundi, and contemptibilia elegit God, and ea which not/no are, as ea which are destrueret: )

UGNT καὶ τὰ ἀγενῆ τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τὰ ἐξουθενημένα ἐξελέξατο ὁ Θεός, τὰ μὴ ὄντα, ἵνα τὰ ὄντα καταργήσῃ,
(kai ta agenaʸ tou kosmou kai ta exouthenaʸmena exelexato ho Theos, ta maʸ onta, hina ta onta katargaʸsaʸ,)

SBL-GNT καὶ τὰ ἀγενῆ τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τὰ ἐξουθενημένα ἐξελέξατο ὁ θεός, ⸀τὰ μὴ ὄντα, ἵνα τὰ ὄντα καταργήσῃ,
(kai ta agenaʸ tou kosmou kai ta exouthenaʸmena exelexato ho theos, ⸀ta maʸ onta, hina ta onta katargaʸsaʸ,)

TC-GNT καὶ τὰ ἀγενῆ τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τὰ ἐξουθενημένα ἐξελέξατο ὁ Θεός, [fn]καὶ τὰ μὴ ὄντα, ἵνα τὰ ὄντα καταργήσῃ·
(kai ta agenaʸ tou kosmou kai ta exouthenaʸmena exelexato ho Theos, kai ta maʸ onta, hina ta onta katargaʸsaʸ; )

1:28 και ¦ — NA SBL TH

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

τοῦ κόσμου & ἐξελέξατο ὁ Θεός, & ἵνα

˱of˲_the world & chose ¬the God & in_order_that

In this verse, Paul repeats many of the words from the parallel parts of the previous verse. He does this because, in his culture, repeating the same idea with different examples was more convincing than using just one example. If possible, translate these words the same way that you translated them in 1:27. You could remove or change some of the words if it makes the sentence sound more convincing. Alternate translation: “he chose … of the world … in order that”

Note 2 topic: translate-unknown

τὰ ἀγενῆ

the insignificant

Here, base things is the opposite of the word translated “of noble birth” in 1:26. Paul uses it to refer to things and people that were not considered important or powerful in his culture. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express base things with a word or phrase that refers to people and things that have low status or low importance. Alternate translation: “the marginalized things”

Note 3 topic: translate-unknown

τὰ ἐξουθενημένα

the the_‹things› /having_been/_scorned

While base things refers to a person’s status or a thing’s status, the word translated despised things refers to how people treat other people or things that have low status. Usually, people badly treat others whom they consider to be of lower status, ignoring them or mocking them. That is what Paul means when he says despised. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express despised things with a word or phrase that refers to how people mistreat others of lower status. Alternate translation: “the scorned things” or “the things people treat with contempt”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

τὰ ἀγενῆ τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τὰ ἐξουθενημένα

the insignificant ˱of˲_the world and the_‹things› /having_been/_scorned

Here Paul uses of the world to describe both the base things and the despised things. As in 1:27, he uses the possessive form to clarify that base things and the despised things are only base and despised from the perspective of the world. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind of the worldwith a phrase such as “according to the world.” Alternate translation: “the base things and the despised things according to the world”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

τοῦ κόσμου

˱of˲_the world

When Paul uses the world in this context, he is not referring primarily to everything that God has made. Rather, he uses the world to refer to human beings. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the world with an expression that refers to human beings in general. Alternate translation: “of people”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / hyperbole

τὰ μὴ ὄντα

the the_‹things› the_‹things› not being

Here Paul further describes the base things and the despised things as if they were things that are not. He does not mean that the base and despised things do not exist. Instead, he is identifying how people often ignore the base and despised things, just as if they did not exist at all. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the things that are not with a comparable phrase or express the idea plainly. Alternate translation: “the things that people ignore”

Note 7 topic: grammar-connect-logic-goal

ἵνα

in_order_that

Here, in order that could introduce: (1) the purpose for which God chose the base things and the despised things of the world, the things that are not. Alternate translation: “so that” (2) what happened when God chose the base things and the despised things of the world, the things that are not. Alternate translation: “with the result that”

Note 8 topic: translate-unknown

καταργήσῃ

˱he˲_/may/_nullify

Here, he might bring to nothing refers to making something ineffective, useless, or irrelevant. What Paul means is that God has made the things that are unimportant and without function because he instead worked through the things that are not. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express bring to nothing with a word or phrase that indicates that a person has acted so that something else is no longer important, useful, or effective. Alternate translation: “he might tear down” or “render ineffective”

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

τὰ ὄντα

the the_‹things› the_‹things› the_‹things› being

In this context, the things that are does not refer primarily to things that exist. Rather, it refers primarily to things that are important in society and culture. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the things that are with a comparable phrase that refers to important or significant things and people in your culture. Alternate translation: “the things that people care about”

Parallel 1COR 1:28