1 COR 3:3 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—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). 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 to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) because you’re still worldly, because seeing the jealousy and dissension among you tells us that you’re all still worldly and just living by human values.

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

ULT For you are still fleshly. For where there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and walking according to men?

UST I know that you are not ready for complex teachings, because you are still people who think only in human ways. Some of you are jealous of each other, and some of you are fighting with each other. When you do these things, it proves that you are people who think only in human ways and who act only in human ways.

BSB for you are still worldly. For since [there is] jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? [ Are you not ] walking in the way of man?

MSB for you are still worldly. For since [there is] jealousy and dissension and division[fn] among you, are you not worldly? [ Are you not ] walking in the way of man?

BLB for you are still fleshly. For where jealousy and strife are among you, are you not fleshly, and are walking according to man?

AICNT for you are still of the flesh. For where there is jealousy and strife [[and divisions]][fn] among you, are you not of the flesh and walking according to human ways?

3:3, and divisions: Later manuscripts add. BYZ TR

OEB While there exist among you jealousy and party feeling, is it not true that you are worldly, and are acting merely as other people do?

WEBBE for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions amongst you, aren’t you fleshly, and don’t you walk in the ways of men?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET for you are still influenced by the flesh. For since there is still jealousy and dissension among you, are you not influenced by the flesh and behaving like unregenerate people?

LSV for yet you are fleshly, for where [there is] among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are you not fleshly, and walk in the manner of men?

FBV Even now you're not ready for it, because you're still worldly. Since you're still jealous and argumentative, doesn't that show you're worldly, behaving just like ordinary people do?

TCNT for you are still of the flesh. For where there is [fn]jealousy, strife, and division among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving like mere men?

3:3 jealousy, strife, and division 91.2% ¦ jealousy and strife CT 4.8%

T4T because you are still controlled by your self-directed nature. Some of you are jealous and quarreling. ◄That shows that your self-directed nature is controlling you!/Does not that prove your self-directed nature is controlling you?► [RHQ] It shows that you are acting like unbelievers act.

LEB for you are still fleshly. For where there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and do you not live like unregenerate people?[fn]

3:3 That is, like people who do not possess the Spirit at all

BBE Because you are still in the flesh: for when there is envy and division among you, are you not still walking after the way of the flesh, even as natural men?

Moff you are still worldly. For with jealousy and quarrels in your midst, are you not worldly, are you not behaving like ordinary men?

Wymth you are still unspiritual. For so long as jealousy and strife continue among you, can it be denied that you are unspiritual and are living and acting like mere men of the world?

ASV for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men?

DRA For, whereas there is among you envying and contention, are you not carnal, and walk according to man?

YLT for yet ye are fleshly, for where [there is] among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not fleshly, and in the manner of men do walk?

Drby for ye are yet carnal. For whereas [there are] among you emulation and strife, are ye not carnal, and walk according to man?

RV for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and walk after the manner of men?
(for ye/you_all are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye/you_all not carnal, and walk after the manner of men? )

SLT For yet are ye carnal: for wherefore envy in you, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk according to man?

Wbstr For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

KJB-1769 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
(For ye/you_all are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye/you_all not carnal, and walk as men? )

KJB-1611 For ye are yet carnall: for whereas there is among you enuying, and strife, and [fn]diuisions, are ye not carnall, and walke [fn]as men?
(For ye/you_all are yet carnall: for whereas there is among you enuying, and strife, and divisions, are ye/you_all not carnall, and walk as men?)

3:3 Or, factions

3:3 Gr. according to man.

Bshps For ye are carnal. Seing then, there is among you enuying, & stryfe, and sectes, are ye not carnall, and walke as men?
(For ye/you_all are carnal. Seing then, there is among you enuying, and strife, and sectes, are ye/you_all not carnall, and walk as men?)

Gnva For yee are yet carnall: for whereas there is among you enuying, and strife, and diuisions, are ye not carnall, and walke as men?
(For ye/you_all are yet carnall: for whereas there is among you enuying, and strife, and divisions, are ye/you_all not carnall, and walk as men? )

Cvdl For seynge there is enuyenge, stryfe, and discencion amonge you, are ye not fleshly, & walke after ye maner of men?
(For seeing there is enuyenge, strife, and discencion among you, are ye/you_all not fleshly, and walk after ye/you_all manner of men?)

TNT For ye are yet carnall. As longe verely as ther is amonge you envyige stryfe and dissencion: are ye not carnall and walke after the manner of men?
(For ye/you_all are yet carnall. As long verily/truly as there is among you envyige strife and dissencion: are ye/you_all not carnal and walk after the manner of men? )

Wycl For while strijf is among you, whether ye ben not fleischli, and ye gon aftir man?
(For while strife is among you, whether ye/you_all been not fleshli, and ye/you_all going after man?)

Luth dieweil ihr noch fleischlich seid. Denn sintemal Eifer und Zank und Zwietracht unter euch sind, seid ihr denn nicht fleischlich und wandelt nach menschlicher Weise?
(meanwhile you(pl)/their/her still fleshly/carnal are. Because since zeal and quarrel(n) and Zwietracht under you are, are you(pl)/their/her because/than not fleshly/carnal and transforms after humaner way/manner?)

ClVg Cum enim sit inter vos zelus, et contentio: nonne carnales estis, et secundum hominem ambulatis?
(Since because be between you(pl) zealous/jealous, and contentio: isn't_it carnal you_are, and after/second man he_walksis? )

UGNT ἔτι γὰρ σαρκικοί ἐστε. ὅπου γὰρ ἐν ὑμῖν ζῆλος καὶ ἔρις, οὐχὶ σαρκικοί ἐστε καὶ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε?
(eti gar sarkikoi este. hopou gar en humin zaʸlos kai eris, ouⱪi sarkikoi este kai kata anthrōpon peripateite?)

SBL-GNT ἔτι γὰρ σαρκικοί ἐστε. ὅπου γὰρ ἐν ὑμῖν ζῆλος καὶ ⸀ἔρις, οὐχὶ σαρκικοί ἐστε καὶ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε;
(eti gar sarkikoi este. hopou gar en humin zaʸlos kai ⸀eris, ouⱪi sarkikoi este kai kata anthrōpon peripateite;)

RP-GNT ἔτι γὰρ σαρκικοί ἐστε· ὅπου γὰρ ἐν ὑμῖν ζῆλος καὶ ἔρις καὶ διχοστασίαι, οὐχὶ σαρκικοί ἐστε, καὶ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε;
(eti gar sarkikoi este; hopou gar en humin zaʸlos kai eris kai diⱪostasiai, ouⱪi sarkikoi este, kai kata anthrōpon peripateite;)

TC-GNT ἔτι γὰρ σαρκικοί ἐστε· ὅπου γὰρ ἐν ὑμῖν ζῆλος καὶ ἔρις [fn]καὶ διχοστασίαι, οὐχὶ σαρκικοί ἐστε, καὶ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε;
(eti gar sarkikoi este; hopou gar en humin zaʸlos kai eris kai diⱪostasiai, ouⱪi sarkikoi este, kai kata anthrōpon peripateite; )

3:3 και διχοστασιαι 91.2% ¦ — CT 4.8%

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:1–23: Christian workers serve the Lord by building his church together

In this section Paul told the believers in Corinth that they had not become spiritually mature. That was why they were dividing into separate groups and arguing with one another about teachers. They needed to learn about God’s plan for Christian workers and leaders. Christian workers and leaders all belong to God and are all building God’s church together.

Other possible section headings include:

Paul and all the other apostles were the Lord’s servants

All believers belong to the Lord and should remain united

Paragraph 3:1–4

Paul introduced the problem by pointing out to the Corinthians that they were not acting like people controlled by God’s Holy Spirit. They were quarreling among themselves and being jealous of one another. They were behaving just like unbelievers.

3:3a

for you are still worldly.

You still live as the people of this world live.
You are still influenced by your human/evil nature.
I say that because you are still controlled by your fleshly/natural desires.

for: The word that the BSB translates as for introduces the grounds for Paul’s statement in 3:2d that the Corinthians were still not ready for solid food. Some English versions do not translate this word. You should translate the connection in a way that is natural in your language. You may wish to follow the CSB and say:

because (CSB)

you are still worldly: The Greek word that the BSB translates as worldly is almost the same as the word used in 3:1b. It literally means “fleshly”; that is, characterized by flesh. Here it probably refers to people who want to live as they please, obeying their own desires instead of obeying the Holy Spirit. The Corinthians were still willing to be controlled by their natural human impulses. Other ways to translate this verse part include:

you are still of the flesh (RSV)

you are still influenced by the flesh (NET)

you’re still influenced by your corrupt nature (GW)

you still live as the people of this world live (GNT)

3:3b

For since there is jealousy and dissension among you,

You are envious/jealous of one another, and you argue with each other.
I know that this is true about you for you are jealous and quarrelsome.

For: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as For introduces a further step in Paul’s argument. It introduces the grounds for saying they are worldly. Some English versions such as the GNT do not explicitly translate this conjunction here. You may leave it implicit if that is natural in your language.

since there is jealousy and dissension among you: There are several ways of understanding the Greek word that the BSB translates as since:

It means since and introduces a logical reason: the Corinthians’ jealousy and quarreling proved that they were still worldly. For example:
since there is jealousy and dissension among you (NET) (NIV, KJV, NASB, NET, NLT, CEV, NCV)
It means while or when and refers to a time span. For example:
As long as there are jealousy and rivalry among you (NJB) (NJB, RSV, GNT, ESV, REB, GW)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This verse part indicates how Paul knew that the Corinthian believers were still worldly. Some of them were acting jealously, and some of them argued among themselves.

there is jealousy and dissension among you: In some languages it may be natural to translate the abstract nouns jealousy and dissension as adjectives or verbs.There is a textual problem here. (1) Some Greek manuscripts say “jealousy and quarreling.” These manuscripts are followed by the BSB, CEV, RSV, NIV, GNT, NJB, ESV, GW, NLT, and NCV. (2) Some other manuscripts say “jealousy and quarreling and strife.” The KJV follows these manuscripts. It is recommended that you follow option 1. This is supported by the UBS Greek NT, which gives it a B rating, indicating that the text is almost certain. For example:

you are jealous/envious and contentious

you envy one another and you quarrel with one another

you are jealous of one other and quarrel with each other (NLT)

3:3c

are you not worldly?

Does this not mean/show that you are living/just like the people of this world?
Does this not prove that you are influenced/controlled by your human/evil nature?
This/That shows that you are still obeying/following your own fleshly/natural desires.

are you not worldly?: This is a rhetorical question. Paul was rebuking the Corinthians. He was stating strongly that the Corinthians were worldly. They were not behaving as believers should. The Greek word translated worldly here is the same as in 3:3a. See the note there.

There are several ways to translate this rhetorical question:

as a question with the answer implied. For example:
doesn’t this prove that you belong to this world…? (GNT)
as a statement. For example:
This shows that you are still not spiritual. (NCV)
as an exclamation. For example:
How worldly/fleshly you are!

You should translate this in a way that is natural in your language for showing a strong rebuke.

General Comment on 3:3b-c

In some languages it may be natural to indicate the logical connection between the verse parts at the beginning of 3:3c, as the NLT does:

^3bYou are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. ^3cDoesn’t that prove that you are controlled by your sinful nature? (NLT)

3:3d

Are you not walking in the way of man?

Are you not behaving like people who do not know God?
You are acting no differently from the people of this world.

Are you not walking in the way of man?: This is a second rhetorical question. It emphasizes Paul’s rebuke. He was making a strong statement that the Corinthians were not acting like spiritual people. They were acting just like all human beings do in their natural state without the Holy Spirit. They were acting selfishly rather than for God’s glory. So there are at least three ways to translate this verse part:

as a rhetorical question. For example:
are you not…behaving like ordinary men? (RSV)
as a statement. For example:
you are acting like people of this world (CEV)
as an exclamation. For example:
You are acting just like ordinary people!
You should translate this in a way that is natural in your language for making a strong statement about what someone is doing wrong.

walking: The Greek word that the BSB translates as walking is an idiom that refers to the way one lives and behaves in normal everyday life. The same word is used in Romans 6:4, 8:4, Galatians 5:16, and Ephesians 4:1. Refer to the notes on these passages. You may be able to use the same word or phrase here.

in the way of man: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as in the way of man is literally “according to man/human.” It does not refer only to males. Paul was saying that the Corinthians were behaving like unbelieving people. Here is another way to translate this:

like people of this world (CEV)

General Comment on 3:3c-d

In the Greek these two questions form one sentence connected by a preposition meaning “and.” The RSV follows the Greek and says:

are you not of the flesh and behaving like ordinary men? (RSV)

You may translate these questions as one sentence or as two sentences, whichever is more natural in your language.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

(Occurrence -1) σαρκικοί

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔτι γάρ σαρκικοί ἐστέ ὅπου Γάρ ἐν ὑμῖν ζῆλος καί ἔρις οὐχί σαρκικοί ἐστέ καί κατά ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε)

Paul is using the adjective fleshly as a noun in order to describe a group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this adjective with a noun phrase. Alternate translation: [fleshly people … fleshly people]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ὅπου & ἐν ὑμῖν ζῆλος καὶ ἔρις

where & among you_all_‹is› jealousy (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔτι γάρ σαρκικοί ἐστέ ὅπου Γάρ ἐν ὑμῖν ζῆλος καί ἔρις οὐχί σαρκικοί ἐστέ καί κατά ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε)

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas behind jealousy and strife, you can express the ideas by using verbs such as “being jealous” and “fighting.” Alternate translation: [where you are jealous and fight with one another]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

ὅπου

where

The word where often refers to space. However, here Paul uses it to indicate that something exists without focusing on exactly where in space that thing is. Instead of identifying a specific location, it identifies existence. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind whereby using a word that refers to whether something exists or not. Alternate translation: [if there is]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

οὐχὶ σαρκικοί ἐστε καὶ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε?

Paul does not ask this question because he is looking for information or for agreement or disagreement. Rather, he asks it to involve the Corinthians in what he is arguing. The question assumes that the answer is “yes.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind this question with a statement that draws a conclusion from the jealousy and the strife. Alternate translation: [you are fleshly and walking according to men]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / hendiadys

(Occurrence 2) καὶ

Here Paul uses and to introduce a definition of what fleshly means. It means walking according to men. If you cannot use and to introduce a definition or explanation, you could use another word or phrase that does introduce a definition or explanation. If you use one of the following alternate translations, you may need to add a comma before it. Alternate translation: [that is, are you not] or [which means]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε

Paul speaks of behavior in life as if it were walking. If walking would not be understood as a description of a person’s way of life in your language, you could express the idea with a comparable metaphor or plainly. Alternate translation: [behaving as men do]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

κατὰ ἄνθρωπον

Here Paul speaks of behavior that is according to men. He uses this phrase to refer to behaviors done by people who think and act in only human ways. These people do not have God’s Spirit, so they “walk” according to the values and goals of this world. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind according to menby using a word or phrase that refers to things and behaviors valued by people who do not believe. Alternate translation: [according to what mere humans value] or [according to this world]

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

ἄνθρωπον

human_origin

Although men is masculine, Paul is using it to refer to anyone, whether man or woman. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express men with a non gendered word or refer to both genders. Alternate translation: [humans]

Parallel 1 COR 3:3