2 COR 10:8 Parallel Verse View

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

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 For even if I might boast somewhat excessively about our authority, which the Lord gave for building up and not for your tearing down, I will not be ashamed,

UST Indeed, I do not disgrace myself when I say many great things about how the Lord Jesus has empowered us to represent him. He did that so that we could encourage and help you to trust God more, not so that we could discourage you from trusting God.

BSB For even if I boast somewhat excessively about the authority the Lord gave us for building [you] up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed.

MSB For even if I boast somewhat excessively about the authority the Lord gave us for building [you] up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed.

BLB For even if I should boast somewhat more abundantly concerning our authority, which the Lord has given us for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be ashamed,

AICNT For {if indeed}[fn] I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave [[us]][fn] for building up and not for tearing you down, I will not be ashamed.

10:8, if indeed: NA28 SBLGNT THGNT BYZ TR ‖ Later manuscripts read “even if.” TR

10:8, us: Later manuscripts add. BYZ TR

OEB Even if I boast extravagantly about our authority – which the Lord gave us for building up your faith and not for overthrowing it – still I have no reason to be ashamed.

WEBBE For even if I boast somewhat abundantly concerning our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for casting you down, I will not be ashamed,

WMBB (Same as above)

NET For if I boast somewhat more about our authority that the Lord gave us for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of doing so.

LSV for even if I will also boast anything more abundantly concerning our authority, that the LORD gave us for building up, and not for casting you down, I will not be ashamed,

FBV Even though I may seem to be boasting a little too much about our authority, I'm not embarrassed about it. The Lord gave this authority to us to build you up, not to knock you down.

TCNT For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority (which the Lord has given [fn]us for building you up and not for tearing you down), I will not be ashamed.

10:8 us ¦ — CT

T4T I say that because the authority that the Lord gave me as his apostle is to help you to become mature believers, not to cause you to stop trusting in Christ. So even if I were to boast a little more than I have already done (OR, proudly talk a little more than I have already talked about the authority the Lord gave me as his apostle), no one would be able to make me ashamed by proving that Jesus has not given me that authority.

LEB For even if I boast somewhat more about our authority that the Lord gave us _⌊for building you up and not for tearing you down_⌋[fn], I will not be put to shame,

10:8 Literally “for building up and not for tearing down of you”

BBE For though I might take pride in our authority (which the Lord gave for building you up, and not for your destruction), it will not be a cause of shame to me:

Moff Even supposing I were to boast somewhat freely of my authority (and the Lord gave it to me for building you up, not for demolishing you), I would feel quite justified.

Wymth If, however, I were to boast more loudly of our Apostolic authority, which the Lord has given us that we may build you up, not pull you down, I should have no reason to feel ashamed.

ASV For though I should glory somewhat abundantly concerning our authority (which the Lord gave for building you up, and not for casting you down), I shall not be put to shame:

DRA For if also I should boast somewhat more of our power, which the Lord hath given us unto edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed.

YLT for even if also anything more abundantly I shall boast concerning our authority, that the Lord gave us for building up, and not for casting you down, I shall not be ashamed;

Drby For and if I should boast even somewhat more abundantly of our authority, which the Lord has given [to us] for building up and not for your overthrowing, I shall not be put to shame;

RV For though I should glory somewhat abundantly concerning our authority (which the Lord gave for building you up, and not for casting you down), I shall not be put to shame:

SLT For if I also boast something more abundantly of our power, which the Lord gave us for the building up, and not for your taking down, I shall not be ashamed:

Wbstr For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:

KJB-1769 For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:
(For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath/has given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed: )

KJB-1611 For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority (which the Lord hath giuen vs for edification, and not for your destruction) I should not be ashamed:
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps For though I shoulde boast my selfe somwhat more of our auctoritie, which the Lorde hath geuen to vs for edification, and not for your destruction, it shal not be to my shame:
(For though I should boast myself somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath/has given to us for edification, and not for your destruction, it shall not be to my shame:)

Gnva For though I shoulde boast somewhat more of our authoritie, which the Lord hath giuen vs for edification, and not for your destruction, I should haue no shame.
(For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath/has given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should have no shame. )

Cvdl And though I shulde boast my selfe somwhat more of oure auctorite which ye LORDE hath geue vs to edifye and not to destroye, it shulde not be to my shame.
(And though I should boast myself somewhat more of our authority which ye/you_all LORD hath/has give us to edifye and not to destroy, it should not be to my shame.)

TNT And though I shuld bost my silfe somewhat moare of oure auctorite which the lorde hath geven vs to edifie and not to destroye you it shulde not be to my shame.
(And though I should bost myself somewhat more of our authority which the lord hath/has given us to edifie and not to destroy you it should not be to my shame. )

Wycl for as he is Cristis, so also we. For if Y schal glorie ony thing more of oure power, which the Lord yaf to vs in to edifiyng, and not in to youre distruccioun, Y schal not be schamed.
(for as he is Christis, so also we. For if I shall glory any thing more of our power, which the Lord gave to us in to edifiing, and not in to your(pl) distruccioun, I shall not be shamed.)

Luth Und so ich auch etwas weiter, mich rühmete von unserer Gewalt, welche uns der HErr gegeben hat, euch zu bessern und nicht zu verderben, wollte ich nicht zuschanden werden.
(And so I also something further, me praised from ours violence, which us/to_us/ourselves the/of_the LORD given has, you to/for improve/reform and not to/for spoil/corrupt, wanted I not to_shame become.)

ClVg Nam etsi amplius aliquid gloriatus fuero de potestate nostra, quam dedit nobis Dominus in ædificationem, et non in destructionem vestram, non erubescam.[fn]
(For/Surely even_though more something glorytus I_will_be from/about power our, how he_gave us Master in/into/on buildsionem, and not/no in/into/on destruction your, not/no erubescam. )

10.8 Non erubescam. Quia et verum est, et non ad gloriam meam, sed hoc dicitur ad utilitatem vestram.

10.8 Not/No erubescam. Because and true it_is, and not/no to glory of_mine, but this it_is_said to benefit your.

UGNT ἐάν τε γὰρ περισσότερόν τι καυχήσωμαι περὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας ἡμῶν, ἧς ἔδωκεν ὁ Κύριος εἰς οἰκοδομὴν καὶ οὐκ εἰς καθαίρεσιν ὑμῶν, οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσομαι,
(ean te gar perissoteron ti kauⱪaʸsōmai peri taʸs exousias haʸmōn, haʸs edōken ho Kurios eis oikodomaʸn kai ouk eis kathairesin humōn, ouk aisⱪunthaʸsomai,)

SBL-GNT ἐάν ⸀τε ⸀γὰρ περισσότερόν τι καυχήσωμαι περὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας ἡμῶν, ἧς ἔδωκεν ὁ ⸀κύριος εἰς οἰκοδομὴν καὶ οὐκ εἰς καθαίρεσιν ὑμῶν, οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσομαι,
(ean ⸀te ⸀gar perissoteron ti kauⱪaʸsōmai peri taʸs exousias haʸmōn, haʸs edōken ho ⸀kurios eis oikodomaʸn kai ouk eis kathairesin humōn, ouk aisⱪunthaʸsomai,)

RP-GNT Ἐάν τε γὰρ καὶ περισσότερόν τι καυχήσωμαι περὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας ἡμῶν - ἧς ἔδωκεν ὁ κύριος ἡμῖν εἰς οἰκοδομήν, καὶ οὐκ εἰς καθαίρεσιν ὑμῶν - οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσομαι·
(Ean te gar kai perissoteron ti kauⱪaʸsōmai peri taʸs exousias haʸmōn - haʸs edōken ho kurios haʸmin eis oikodomaʸn, kai ouk eis kathairesin humōn - ouk aisⱪunthaʸsomai;)

TC-GNT Ἐάν τε γὰρ [fn]καὶ περισσότερόν τι καυχήσωμαι περὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας ἡμῶν—ἧς ἔδωκεν ὁ Κύριος [fn]ἡμῖν εἰς οἰκοδομήν, καὶ οὐκ εἰς καθαίρεσιν ὑμῶν—οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσομαι·
(Ean te gar kai perissoteron ti kauⱪaʸsōmai peri taʸs exousias haʸmōn—haʸs edōken ho Kurios haʸmin eis oikodomaʸn, kai ouk eis kathairesin humōn—ouk aisⱪunthaʸsomai; )

10:8 και ¦ — CT

10:8 ημιν ¦ — CT

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 10:1–18: Paul defended his ministry

In this section, Paul asked the believers in Corinth to live in obedience to their faith, or he might have to rebuke or discipline some (10:1–2). He explained how a believer fights against those who oppose God (10:3–4) and how to rebuke them as well as correct a disobedient believer (10:5–6).

He told them to understand their situation, including Paul’s authority (10:7–8). He explained that he was forceful in his letters, and that he would be forceful in person if he had to be (10:9–11).

He told them that people who commend themselves are not wise (10:12). He explained that he boasted only in proper ways. One of those ways was boasting about the faith of people whom he had helped become believers, which included those in Corinth (10:13–15a). He told them that he hoped to preach the gospel in more regions (10:15b–16a). He explained further about proper things to boast about (10:16b–17). Lastly, he told them that God approves of people according to what God himself says in favor of them and not what a person boasts about himself (10:18).

Other examples of headings for this section are:

Paul’s reply to accusations of weakness (NJB)

Paul Describes Himself (NASB)

Paul responded to some who had criticized him

10:8a

For even if I boast somewhat excessively about the authority the Lord gave us

For if I indeed might talk proudly a little too much about our^(excl) authority, which the Lord gave
Perhaps some of you think that I talk/boast a bit too much about the authority that the Lord Jesus gave to us.

For: This conjunction introduces an explanation of something about Paul and the others belonging to Christ. In some languages it is more natural to allow the context to indicate the connection and omit the conjunction.

even: Here the word even emphasizes the words that follow. Another way to translate this word is:

if I indeed boast

if I boast: The word if is used rhetorically. Paul wanted the believers in Corinth to think about whether Paul boasted about the authority that Jesus gave to him as an apostle. Paul probably expected that some of the Corinthians believed that he boasted too much about that. But Paul indicated that those people had to realize that he did that to strengthen the believers, not to belittle them (10:8b). Here is another way to translate this phrase:

Maybe I brag (CEV)

In some languages translating literally would imply that Paul did not know or was unsure whether he boasted freely about his authority. If that is true in your language, indicate the correct meaning. For example:

when I boast

some of you may think that I boast

I boast: Here the word boast refers to talking about the things that God did through Paul and the others. Paul felt he needed to boast to encourage the believers in Corinth (10:8b). He did not boast for selfish reasons.

In some languages, the word boast only refers to talking big about oneself in a selfish way. A person often boasts to make others think well of him. Paul would boast, but he would do so in this letter to encourage the believers in Corinth. So if the word boast only refers to selfish talk in your language, you may want to translate using a different word or phrase. For example:

I talk about my good deeds

somewhat excessively: There are three ways to interpret the Greek phrase that the BSB translates as somewhat excessively:

The Greek phrase refers to boasting somewhat too much. For example:
a little too much (RSV) (BSB, RSV, GNT, NJB, NABRE, NLT, GW, CEV, REB, ESV)
The Greek phrase refers to boasting much but not too much. For example:
freely (NCV) (NIV, NCV)
The Greek phrase refers to boasting somewhat more. For example:
somewhat further (NASB) (NASB, NET, KJV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).Harris (p. 664) translates as in the RSV. Kistemaker (p. 327) translates the text as “somewhat excessively.” Hughes (on TW) translates it as “somewhat abundantly.”

the authority the Lord gave us: This phrase refers to the authority as apostles and evangelists that Jesus had given to Paul and the others. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

our authority, which the Lord gave (RSV)

the authority given to us by the Lord (NLT)

the authority that the Lord Jesus gave to us

10:8b

for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed.

to build your^(plur) faith rather than destroy it, I will not be ashamed of doing that.
I do so/that in order to help you to become mature believers rather than hindering the way you believe. But no one can make me feel shame about such boasting.

for: Here the word for introduces the purpose for Paul’s authority.

building you up: The verb phrase building…up refers figuratively to encouraging the believers so that they believe, love, and obey Jesus well. If the verb phrase building…up does not have that figurative meaning in your language, you may want to:

Explain the metaphor in your translation. For example:
to build your faith (REB)
Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:
to help you (CEV)
to help your faith grow

tearing you down: The verb phrase tearing…down usually refers to destroying something. The BSB translates this Greek word as “demolish” in 10:4b. Here it refers figuratively to discouraging the believers from believing, loving, and obeying Jesus well. If the verb phrase tearing…down does not have that figurative meaning in your language, you may want to:

Explain the metaphor in your translation. For example:
pull your faith down, making it ineffective/useless
Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:
to hurt you (CEV)
to make your faith ineffective/useless

I will not be ashamed: The Greek words are literally “I will not be put to shame.” Paul would not accept the effort of anyone trying to shame him about this boast.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

γὰρ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐάν Τέ Γάρ περισσότερον τὶ καυχήσωμαι περί τῆς ἐξουσίας ἡμῶν ἧς ἔδωκεν ὁ Κύριος εἰς οἰκοδομήν καί οὐκ εἰς καθαίρεσιν ὑμῶν οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσομαι)

Here, the word For introduces a further explanation of Paul’s claim that he and his fellow workers are of Christ (See: [10:7](../10/07.md)). If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different word or phrase that introduces further explanation. Alternate translation: [In fact,] or [I say that because,]

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-condition-fact

ἐάν τε

if (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐάν Τέ Γάρ περισσότερον τὶ καυχήσωμαι περί τῆς ἐξουσίας ἡμῶν ἧς ἔδωκεν ὁ Κύριος εἰς οἰκοδομήν καί οὐκ εἰς καθαίρεσιν ὑμῶν οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσομαι)

Here Paul could be using even if to introduce: (1) something that he thinks really is true. In other words, Paul really is going to boast in a way that he thinks is excessive. Alternate translation: [even when] (2) something that he thinks might be true. In other words, he thinks that the Corinthians might consider his boasting to be excessive. Alternate translation: [even supposing that]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

περισσότερόν τι

Here, the phrase somewhat excessively could mean that Paul is boasting: (1) more than some people would consider proper. Alternate translation: [somewhat more than what is proper] (2) a great deal. Alternate translation: [very much] (3) more than he already has. Alternate translation: [somewhat more than I have already]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

τῆς ἐξουσίας ἡμῶν, ἧς ἔδωκεν ὁ Κύριος

the authority ˱of˲_us which gave the Lord

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of authority, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [how we have been authorized by the Lord]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

εἰς οἰκοδομὴν καὶ οὐκ εἰς καθαίρεσιν ὑμῶν

for for (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐάν Τέ Γάρ περισσότερον τὶ καυχήσωμαι περί τῆς ἐξουσίας ἡμῶν ἧς ἔδωκεν ὁ Κύριος εἰς οἰκοδομήν καί οὐκ εἰς καθαίρεσιν ὑμῶν οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσομαι)

Here, Paul is speaking of the Corinthian believers as if they were a building. If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a more natural metaphor for this or you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [to help you become more faithful to Christ and not to make you want to forsake him]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσομαι

not not ˱I˲_˓will_be_being˒_ashamed

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [I will not let people shame me] or [I will not feel shame]

Parallel 2 COR 10:8

Section 10:1–18: Paul defended his ministry

10:8a

10:8b

Parallel 2 COR 10:8