1 COR 3:5 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) Indeed, who’s Apollos? Who’s Paul? We’re just servants who brought you all the message when you believed, each one as the master led them.[fn]

3:5 (NEEDS MORE RESEARCH BUT) It seems unclear here who the final part of the verse is referring to: a/ those who brought the message, or b/ those who received it. (We’ve chosen b/ in the OET-RV rendering.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, pink:genitive/possessor, 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 Who then is Apollos? And who is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to each one.

UST You need to realize that Apollos and I, Paul, are just people who serve the Messiah. Each of us does what the Lord has assigned us to do. When we told you about the Messiah, you trusted in him, not in us.

BSB What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? [They are] servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each [ his role ].

MSB Who then is Paul? And who [is] Apollos?[fn] [They are] servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each [ his role ].

BLB Who then is Apollos? And who is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord has given to each.

AICNT {What}[fn] then is Apollos? {What} is Paul? [[But]][fn] Servants through whom you believed, and to each as the Lord has given.

3:5, what: ℵ(01) A B(03) NA28 SBLGNT THGNT ‖ Some manuscripts read “who” in two places. P46 C(04) D(05)

3:5, But: Later manuscripts add. BYZ TR

OEB What, I ask, is Apollos? Or what is Paul? Servants through whom you were led to accept the faith; and that only as the Lord helped each of you.

WEBBE Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants through whom you believed, and each as the Lord gave to him?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET What is Apollos, really? Or what is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, and each of us in the ministry the Lord gave us.

LSV Who, then, is Paul, and who Apollos, but servants through whom you believed, and to each as the LORD gave?

FBV Who is Apollos, anyway? And who is Paul? We're just servants through whom you believed. Each of us does the work God gave us to do.

TCNT [fn]Who then is [fn]Paul, and who is Apollos, [fn]but servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each?

3:5 Who ¦ What CT

3:5 Paul, and who is Apollos 87.5% ¦ Apollos, and what is Paul CT 3%

3:5 but servants … each? ¦ Servants … each. CT {Note: The reading of CT would change the immediately preceding punctuation from a comma to a question mark.}

T4T So what you really ought to think about Apollos and me [RHQ] is that we(dl) are merely men who serve God. As a result of our telling you the message about Christ, you trusted in him. Both of us (dl) are merely doing the work that the Lord appointed us to do.

LEB Therefore, what is Apollos and what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, and to each as the Lord gave.

BBE What then is Apollos? and what is Paul? They are but servants who gave you the good news as God gave it to them.

Moff Who is Apollos? Who is Paul? They are simply used by God to give you faith, each as the Lord assigns his task.

Wymth What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are just God's servants, through whose efforts, and as the Lord granted power to each, you accepted the faith.

ASV What then is Apollos? and what is Paul? Ministers through whom ye believed; and each as the Lord gave to him.

DRA The ministers of him whom you have believed; and to every one as the Lord hath given.

YLT Who, then, is Paul, and who Apollos, but ministrants through whom ye did believe, and to each as the Lord gave?

Drby Who then is Apollos, and who Paul? Ministering servants, through whom ye have believed, and as the Lord has given to each.

RV What then is Apollos? and what is Paul? Ministers through whom ye believed; and each as the Lord gave to him.
(What then is Apollos? and what is Paul? Ministers through whom ye/you_all believed; and each as the Lord gave to him. )

SLT Who then is Paul, and who Apollos, but servants by whom ye believed, and to each as the Lord gave?

Wbstr Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

KJB-1769 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
(Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye/you_all believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? )

KJB-1611 Who then is Paul? and who is Apollo? but ministers by whom ye beleeued, euen as the Lord gaue to euery man.
(Who then is Paul? and who is Apollo? but ministers by whom ye/you_all believed, even as the Lord gave to every man.)

Bshps What is Paul? what is Apollo? Only ministers are they by whom ye beleued, euen as the Lorde gaue to euery man.
(What is Paul? what is Apollo? Only ministers are they by whom ye/you_all believed, even as the Lord gave to every man.)

Gnva Who is Paul then? and who is Apollos, but the ministers by whome yee beleeued, and as the Lord gaue to euery man?
(Who is Paul then? and who is Apollos, but the ministers by whom ye/you_all believed, and as the Lord gave to every man? )

Cvdl What is Paul? What is Apollo? Eue mynisters are they, by whom ye are come to the beleue, and the same, acordinge as the LORDE hath geuen vnto euery man.
(What is Paul? What is Apollo? Eve ministers are they, by whom ye/you_all are come to the believe, and the same, according as the LORD hath/has given unto every man.)

TNT What is Paul? What thinge is Apollo? Only ministers are they by who ye beleved even as the Lorde gave every man grace.
(What is Paul? What thing is Apollo? Only ministers are they by who ye/you_all believed even as the Lord gave every man grace. )

Wycl Thei ben mynystris of hym, to whom ye han bileuyd; and to ech man as God hath youun.
(They been ministers of him, to whom ye/you_all have bileuyd; and to each man as God hath/has given.)

Luth Wer ist nun Paulus? Wer ist Apollo? Diener sind sie, durch welche ihr seid gläubig worden, und dasselbige, wie der HErr einem jeglichen gegeben hat.
(Who is now Paulus? Who is Apollo? servant are they/she/them, through which you(pl)/their/her are religious/faithful been, and the_same, as/like the/of_the LORD on anyone given has.)

ClVg ministri ejus, cui credidistis, ut unicuique sicut Dominus dedit.
(ministers his, to_whom you_believe, as to_each_one like Master he_gave. )

UGNT τί οὖν ἐστιν Ἀπολλῶς? τί δέ ἐστιν Παῦλος? διάκονοι δι’ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε, καὶ ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν.
(ti oun estin Apollōs? ti de estin Paulos? diakonoi di’ hōn episteusate, kai hekastōi hōs ho Kurios edōken.)

SBL-GNT ⸀Τί οὖν ἐστιν ⸂Ἀπολλῶς; τί δέ ἐστιν Παῦλος⸃; ⸀διάκονοι διʼ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε, καὶ ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ κύριος ἔδωκεν.
(⸀Ti oun estin ⸂Apollōs; ti de estin Paulos⸃; ⸀diakonoi diʼ hōn episteusate, kai hekastōi hōs ho kurios edōken.)

RP-GNT Τίς οὖν ἐστιν Παῦλος, τίς δὲ Ἀπολλώς, ἀλλ' ἢ διάκονοι δι' ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε, καὶ ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ κύριος ἔδωκεν;
(Tis oun estin Paulos, tis de Apollōs, all' aʸ diakonoi di' hōn episteusate, kai hekastōi hōs ho kurios edōken;)

TC-GNT [fn]Τίς οὖν ἐστι [fn]Παῦλος, τίς δὲ Ἀπολλώς, [fn]ἀλλ᾽ ἢ διάκονοι δι᾽ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε, καὶ ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν;
(Tis oun esti Paulos, tis de Apollōs, all aʸ diakonoi di hōn episteusate, kai hekastōi hōs ho Kurios edōken; )

3:5 τις ¦ τι CT

3:5 παυλος τις δε απολλως 87.5% ¦ απολλως τι δε εστι παυλος CT 3%

3:5 αλλ η ¦ — CT

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 3:5–9

Paul told why the Corinthians should not divide into groups and following their favorite Christian workers. It was because all Christian workers are working for God. He and Apollos were not important in themselves. They were just servants of God whom God sent to help the Corinthians to believe.

3:5a

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul?

¶ And besides that, consider what/who Apollos and I are.
¶ As for Apollos and myself, let me tell you about us.
¶ Now I want you to remember what kind of people Apollos and I are.

What…is Apollos? And what is Paul?: These are rhetorical questions. Paul used them to introduce a new topic that he wanted his readers to think about. He wanted them to think about the status of Apollos and Paul (that is, himself). He was not asking for information. So there are several ways to translate these questions:

as rhetorical questions. For example,
And besides that, who do you think Apollos and I are?
Why do you think that Apollos and I are so important?
Who is Apollos, and who is Paul, that we should be the cause of such quarrels? (NLT)
as questions with the answer supplied. For example:
Is Apollos important? No! Is Paul important? No! (NCV)
as statements. For example:
Consider Apollos and me.

What: There is a textual problem here.

Some Greek texts say what. For example:
What is Apollos, really? Or what is Paul? (NET) (BSB, NIV, REB, RSV, NJB, NET, ESV, NASB)
Some Greek texts say who. For example:
After all, who is Apollos? And who is Paul? (GNT) (KJV, NLT, GNT, GW)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), as does the UBS Greek text. Some of the English versions that say “who” are almost certainly doing so for reasons of English style and naturalness.

The Greek word that the BSB translates as What is a neuter form, usually used for speaking of things, objects, rather than people. It is a low-status word, indicating that Paul and Barnabas were instruments, not important for their own sake or in their own selves. In some languages it will not be possible to refer to men by a neuter pronoun. In that case, you should consider using an expression that makes it clear that the questions deal with how important the people are. For example, the NCV translated this as:

Is Apollos important? (NCV)

Or you could use a word or expression in your language that implies a low status person such as a servant.

then: The Greek word that the BSB translates as then is usually translated as “therefore” or “so then.” In this context it introduces a further step in Paul’s argument concerning Christian workers. Here he began to talk about Apollos and himself and how the Corinthians should think about them and their other teachers.

3:5b

They are servants

We^(excl) are only God’s workers/servants.
We^(excl) are merely ones who do the work that God orders us^(excl) to do.

They are servants: The pronoun They refers to Apollos and Paul. In many languages it may be more natural to use the first-person plural pronoun and say:

we^(excl) are only servants

servants: Paul was indicating that he and Apollos were servants of God. As servants they were not important because of who they were themselves but only because they served God.

General Comment on 3:5a-b

In some languages it may be natural to combine the rhetorical question in 3:5a and the answer in 3:5b into one statement. For example:

^5aApollos and I are ^5bmerely servants. (CEV)

3:5c

through whom you believed,

We^(excl) helped you to believe in the Lord Jesus.
God gave us^(excl) the work of leading/causing you to trust in Jesus.
We^(excl) both told you the good news about Christ so that you began to trust him.

through whom you believed: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as through whom you believed means that both Paul and Apollos helped the Corinthians to believe in Christ. They preached the gospel in Corinth and taught the people there about Jesus Christ.

3:5d

as the Lord has assigned to each his role.

We^(excl) each/both do the work that the Lord gave us^(excl).
The Lord gave to each/both of us^(excl) a job to do.

as the Lord has assigned to each his role: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as as the Lord has assigned to each his role indicates that the Lord had given both Paul and Apollos a task to do. He had given them both a role in helping the Corinthians to trust Christ. Different ways to translate this include:

Each of us performed the task which the Lord assigned to him. (REB)

Each did what the Lord gave him to do. (GW)

Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. (NLT)

each: Paul was speaking primarily of himself and Apollos, so in some languages it will be natural to use a word meaning “both.”

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

οὖν

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐστίν Ἀπολλῶς τί Δέ ἐστίν Παῦλος Διάκονοι διʼ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε καί ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν)

Here, then introduces a further stage in Paul’s argument. He has argued in [3:4](../03/04.md) that Paul and Apollos should not be treated as leaders of groups. In this verse, he goes on to explain how he thinks that Paul and Apollos should be treated, which is as servants of Christ. Thus, the word translated then introduces who Paul and Apollos really are. If it would be helpful in your language, you could leave then untranslated or use a word that introduces the next step in an argument. If you use the following alternate translation, you may need to add a comma before it. Alternate translation: [therefore,]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

τί οὖν ἐστιν Ἀπολλῶς? τί δέ ἐστιν Παῦλος? διάκονοι

what what (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐστίν Ἀπολλῶς τί Δέ ἐστίν Παῦλος Διάκονοι διʼ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε καί ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν)

Here Paul uses these questions to do two things. First, the questions imply that Apollos and Paul are not very important. Therefore, an implied answer to these questions would be that Apollos and Paul are “not very much.” Second, Paul uses the questions to introduce his own answer to these questions. After using the questions to imply that he and Apollos are not much, he then states that they are servants. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind these questions as a statement about the status of Apollos and Paul as servants, and you could use a word such as “only” or “merely” to express the idea that they are not very important. Alternate translation: [Apollos and Paul are merely servants]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person

ἐστιν Παῦλος?

In this verse, Paul speaks of himself in the third person. This could sound like he is speaking about a different Paul than himself. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this use of Paul by clarifying that Paul is naming himself. Alternate translation: [am I, Paul]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

διάκονοι δι’ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε

Here Paul omits several words that may be required in your language to make a complete thought. If your language needs these words, you could include words such as “we are” or “they are.” Alternate translation: [We are servants through whom you believed] or [They are servants through whom you believed]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

διάκονοι δι’ ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε

When Paul says that he and Apollos are those through whom the Corinthians believed, he is implying that the Corinthians believed in someone other than Paul and Apollos. That is, they believed in Christ. If your readers would not make this inference about whom the Corinthians believed in, you could make it explicit by including what the Corinthians believed in, which is “Christ” and not Apollos or Paul. Alternate translation: [Servants through whom you believed in Christ] or [Servants through whom you believed in Christ, not in us]

Note 6 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

καὶ & ὡς

Here, the words translated even as introduce the way in which Apollos and Paul act as servants. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this connection with a word or phrase that would introduce the ways in which Apollos and Paul are servants. Alternate translation: [who do what] or [serving just as]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

καὶ ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν

Here Paul omits what the Lord gave because it would be clear that he means that the Lord gave a specific job or task to each one of them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could add a word or phrase to the Lord gave to each one to indicates that the Lord gave a specific job or task. Alternate translation: [even as the Lord gave a task to teach one]

Note 8 topic: writing-pronouns

ἑκάστῳ

˱to˲_each

Here, to each one directly refers back to Apollos and Paul. However, it also probably refers to everyone who serves the Lord. If you can refer to multiple individuals considered separately in your language, you could use that form here. Alternate translation: [to each and every one who serves him]

Parallel 1 COR 3:5