1 COR 4:19 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=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) but if the master allows it, I’ll come and visit you all again soon. Then I won’t just see what any puffed-up people are saying, but I’ll also see what power they have,

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, red:negative.
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 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not merely the word of the ones having been puffed up, but their power.

UST However, I will visit you very soon, as long as the Lord wants me to do so. I already know what these people who say great things about themselves claim. When I visit you, I will learn whether they are actually powerful or not.

BLB But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of those being puffed up, but their power.

AICNT But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power.

OEB But come to you I will, and that soon, if it please the Lord; and then I will find out, not what words these people use who are so puffed up, but what power they possess;

WEBBE But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing. And I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET But I will come to you soon, if the Lord is willing, and I will find out not only the talk of these arrogant people, but also their power.

LSV but I will come quickly to you, if the LORD may will, and I will not know the word of those puffed up, but the power;

FBV But I am coming to visit you soon, if that's what the Lord wants. Then I'll find out what these arrogant people are saying, and what kind of power they have.

TCNT But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of those who have become puffed up, but their power.

T4T But if the Lord wants me to come, I will come to you soon. Then I will not pay any attention to what those proud people say. Instead, I will find out whether they have God’s power.

LEB But I am coming to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will know not the talk of the ones who have become arrogant, but the power.

BBE But I will come to you in a short time, if it is pleasing to the Lord, and I will take note, not of the word of those who are full of pride, but of the power.

Moff I will come to you before long, if the Lord wills, and then I will find out from these puffed up creatures not what their talk but what their power amounts to.

Wymth But, if the Lord is willing, I shall come to you without delay; and then I shall know not the fine speeches of these conceited people, but their power.

ASV But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will; and I will know, not the word of them that are puffed up, but the power.

DRA But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will: and will know, not the speech of them that are puffed up, but the power.

YLT but I will come quickly unto you, if the Lord may will, and I will know not the word of those puffed up, but the power;

Drby but I will come quickly to you, if the Lord will; and I will know, not the word of those that are puffed up, but the power.

RV But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will; and I will know, not the word of them which are puffed up, but the power.

SLT And I will come to you swiftly, if the Lord will, and I shall know not the word of those puffed up, but the power.

Wbstr But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them who are puffed up, but the power.

KJB-1769 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.

KJB-1611 But I wil come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will knowe, not the speach of them which are puffed vp, but the power.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps But I wyll come to you shortly, if the Lorde wyll, & wyll knowe, not the wordes of the which swell, but the power.
(But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the words of the which swell, but the power.)

Gnva But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will knowe, not the wordes of them which are puffed vp, but the power.
(But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the words of them which are puffed up, but the power. )

Cvdl But I wil come to you shortly ( yf the LORDE wyl) and wyl knowe, not the wordes of the that are puft vp, but ye power.
(But I will come to you shortly ( if the LORD wyl) and will know, not the words of the that are puffed up, but ye/you_all power.)

TNT But I will come to you shortely yf God will: and will knowe not the wordes of the which swell but the power:
(But I will come to you shortely if God will: and will know not the words of the which swell but the power: )

Wycl but Y schal come to you soone, if God wole; and Y schal knowe not the word of hem that ben blowun with pride, but the vertu.
(but I shall come to you soon, if God wole; and I shall know not the word of hem that been blowun with pride, but the power/strength.)

Luth Ich will aber gar kürzlich zu euch kommen, so der HErr will, und erlernen nicht die Worte der Aufgeblasenen, sondern die Kraft.
(I will but even kürzlich to/for you coming, so the/of_the LORD will, and erlernen not the words the/of_the Aufgeblasenen, rather the strength/power.)

ClVg Veniam autem ad vos cito, si Dominus voluerit: et cognoscam non sermonem eorum qui inflati sunt, sed virtutem.[fn]
(I_cameam however to you(pl) quickly, when/but_if Master wanted: and cognoscam not/no conversation their who/which inflati are, but virtue. )

4.19 Si Dominus voluerit. Ideo dicit, ut ostenderet, quod si non iret, Deum noluisse, causa utique indignitatis illorum.

4.19 When/But_if Master wanted. Therefore/For_that_reason he_says, as would_show, that when/but_if not/no iret, God I_didn't_want_tosse, cause certainly indignitatis of_them.

UGNT ἐλεύσομαι δὲ ταχέως πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἐὰν ὁ Κύριος θελήσῃ, καὶ γνώσομαι, οὐ τὸν λόγον τῶν πεφυσιωμένων, ἀλλὰ τὴν δύναμιν.
(eleusomai de taⱪeōs pros humas, ean ho Kurios thelaʸsaʸ, kai gnōsomai, ou ton logon tōn pefusiōmenōn, alla taʸn dunamin.)

SBL-GNT ἐλεύσομαι δὲ ταχέως πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἐὰν ὁ κύριος θελήσῃ, καὶ γνώσομαι οὐ τὸν λόγον τῶν πεφυσιωμένων ἀλλὰ τὴν δύναμιν,
(eleusomai de taⱪeōs pros humas, ean ho kurios thelaʸsaʸ, kai gnōsomai ou ton logon tōn pefusiōmenōn alla taʸn dunamin,)

RP-GNT Ἐλεύσομαι δὲ ταχέως πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἐὰν ὁ κύριος θελήσῃ, καὶ γνώσομαι οὐ τὸν λόγον τῶν πεφυσιωμένων, ἀλλὰ τὴν δύναμιν.
(Eleusomai de taⱪeōs pros humas, ean ho kurios thelaʸsaʸ, kai gnōsomai ou ton logon tōn pefusiōmenōn, alla taʸn dunamin.)

TC-GNT Ἐλεύσομαι δὲ ταχέως πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἐὰν ὁ Κύριος θελήσῃ, καὶ γνώσομαι οὐ τὸν λόγον τῶν πεφυσιωμένων, ἀλλὰ τὴν δύναμιν.
(Eleusomai de taⱪeōs pros humas, ean ho Kurios thelaʸsaʸ, kai gnōsomai ou ton logon tōn pefusiōmenōn, alla taʸn dunamin. )

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 4:1–21: The Corinthians should respect Paul as a servant of Christ

Paul continued to talk about how the Corinthian believers should think about their Christian leaders, especially himself. He said that Christian leaders are servants of Christ and should be judged only by Christ. Some Corinthian believers were saying that they did not have to listen to Paul’s teaching. Paul encouraged the Corinthians to respect and obey him as their spiritual father.

Other possible section headings include:

Paul encouraged the Corinthians to respect him and Apollos

Paul and Apollos deserved respect as Christ’s servants

Paragraph 4:14–21

Paul wanted the Corinthians to change the way they were thinking about him and accept his authority again. So he used another metaphor—that of a father with his children—to help them understand how they should respect and obey him.

4:19

Some of the believers in Corinth had been saying bad things about Paul because he did not use fine talk like this world’s people do (see 2:1–5). So Paul began to write about changing the way they think about him. He planned to come and visit them again soon. Then he would be able to find out if they had stopped bragging and had started helping people to follow Christ’s ways.

4:19a

But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing,

However, I will be coming to visit you in a short time, if the Lord makes it possible,
But I will come to Corinth. I will come soon if the Lord allows me to do so.
But in spite of what some of you say, I will come visit you. It will not be long before I come, if that is what the Lord wants.

But: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as But here introduces a contrast with what the Corinthians appear to have thought.

I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing: Although the Corinthians thought he would not come, Paul was planning to come soon. This probably meant that within the next several months Paul would visit them. It was a long journey from Ephesus (where Paul was when he wrote this letter) to Corinth. Such a journey would take at least two or three weeks, and perhaps longer if Paul stopped to visit other churches on his way.

if the Lord is willing: The phrase if the Lord is willing indicates that Paul was willing to change his plans if the Lord wanted him to.

the Lord: In this context the phrase the Lord could refer to either the Lord Jesus or the Lord God. It is best to leave your translation ambiguous if you can.

4:19b

and then I will find out not only what these arrogant people are saying,

and then I will learn whether those arrogant people are just talking
At that time I will discover for myself not only what those proud people are saying,
When I come I will not be interested in hearing what those boastful people claim.

4:19c

but what power they have.

or if they really do have power.
but if they have power/authority from from God.
I want to know what they can do with God’s power helping them.

4:19b-c

and then: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as and then here introduces what would happen when Paul arrived at Corinth. In some languages it may be natural to start a new sentence here and say simply:

Then (NCV)

I will find out not only what these arrogant people are saying, but what power they have: In these verse parts Paul indicated that he was more interested in learning about the power of the arrogant people in Corinth than he was in what they were saying. He did not really care about what they claimed about themselves. He wanted to see whether they acted in the power of God through the Holy Spirit. Other ways to translate these verse parts include:

I shall find out not what these self-important people say, but what power they have. (NJB)

I will find out if the ones who are doing all this bragging really have any power (CEV)

I will find out not only what these arrogant people are saying: The Greek words that the BSB translates as I will find out not only what these arrogant people are saying is literally “I will know not the speech of those who are arrogant.” Paul’s real interest was in knowing whether these people were acting in the power of God. It did not matter to him very much what these people were actually saying. The BSB has supplied the word only. Consider whether or not this is necessary in your language.

but what power they have: There are at least two ways to interpret this:

It refers to the power that God’s Spirit gives believers to do God’s work. People would see this in the way they use the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives them (1 Corinthians 12:4–11). Believers should use those special abilities to help people know God and become strong to follow Christ’s ways.
It refers to the power that God’s Spirit uses to cause believers to become like Christ in their character and actions. People would see this in the lives of the believers, their love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness (Galatians 5:22–23).

Both are part of the work of God’s kingdom, his rule over the lives of believers. In this context Paul was expecting to see God’s power at work in their lives during a short visit to Corinth. So he was probably referring to the way people were using their special abilities to work for God instead of just talking proudly about having them.

General Comment on 4:19b-c

In some languages it may be natural to reverse the order of 4:19b and c. For example:

^19cI will find out for myself the power which these proud people have, and not just what they say. (GNT)

^19cI will see for myself whether those braggarts can really do anything, ^19bor whether it is all talk.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

δὲ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐλεύσομαι Δέ ταχέως πρός ὑμᾶς ἐάν ὁ Κύριος θελήσῃ καί γνώσομαι οὒ τόν λόγον τῶν πεφυσιωμένων ἀλλά τήν δύναμιν)

Here, But introduces a contrast with what some people are thinking in the previous verse, that is, that Paul is not going to visit them. In this verse, he says that he will visit them soon. Use a word or phrase in your language that introduces a strong contrast. Alternate translation: [Despite what they think,]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

ἐλεύσομαι & ταχέως πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἐὰν ὁ Κύριος θελήσῃ

˱I˲_˓will_be˒_coming & quickly (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐλεύσομαι Δέ ταχέως πρός ὑμᾶς ἐάν ὁ Κύριος θελήσῃ καί γνώσομαι οὒ τόν λόγον τῶν πεφυσιωμένων ἀλλά τήν δύναμιν)

If your language would put the if statement first, you could rearrange these two clauses. Alternate translation: [if the Lord wills, I will come to you soon]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / go

ἐλεύσομαι & πρὸς ὑμᾶς

˱I˲_˓will_be˒_coming & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐλεύσομαι Δέ ταχέως πρός ὑμᾶς ἐάν ὁ Κύριος θελήσῃ καί γνώσομαι οὒ τόν λόγον τῶν πεφυσιωμένων ἀλλά τήν δύναμιν)

Here Paul is speaking about his plan to visit the Corinthians at some point. Use a form in your language that indicates future travel plans to visit someone. Alternate translation: [I will arrive where you live]

Note 4 topic: grammar-connect-condition-hypothetical

ἐὰν ὁ Κύριος θελήσῃ

Here Paul says that he will only visit the Corinthians if the Lord wills. He is not sure whether the Lord will “will” or not. Use a form in your language that indicates a true hypothetical. Alternate translation: [only if the Lord wills, of course]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

τὸν λόγον & τὴν δύναμιν

The contrast between word and power was well known in Paul’s culture. The contrast states that people can say many things, but they cannot always do what they say they can. If your language has a way to express this contrast between “talk” and “action,” you could use it here. Alternate translation: [the talk … their deeds]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

τὸν λόγον τῶν πεφυσιωμένων

Here, word represents what someone says in words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express word with an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: [what these who have been puffed up say]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

τῶν πεφυσιωμένων

˱of˲_the_‹ones› ˓having_been˒_arrogant

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you must state who does the action, Paul implies that the people “puff” themselves up. Alternate translation: [of these people who have puffed themselves up]

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

τὴν δύναμιν

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind power, you can express the idea by using an adjective such as “powerful.” Alternate translation: [how powerful they are] or [their powerful deeds]

Parallel 1 COR 4:19