2 COR 1:8 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, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object, magenta:vocative, 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 we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning the tribulation having happened to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our ability, so that we despaired even of life.

UST For example, fellow believers, we want you to know about the bad things that happened to us in the province of Asia. They were so difficult that we felt that we could not endure them. We felt certain that we were going to die.

1:8 Literally in Asia; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey.

MSB We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in [the province of] Asia.[fn] We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.

1:8 Literally in Asia; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey.

BLB For we do not want you to be ignorant brothers, as to our affliction having happened in Asia, that we were weighed against excessively, beyond our power, so as for us to despair even to live.

AICNT For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning our affliction that happened [[to us]][fn] in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living.

1:8, to us: Later manuscripts add.

OEB We want you, friends, to know that, in the troubles which befell us in Roman Asia, we were burdened altogether beyond our strength, so much so that we even despaired of life.

WEBBE For we don’t desire to have you uninformed, brothers,[fn] concerning our affliction which happened to us in Asia: that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, so much that we despaired even of life.

1:8 The word for “brothers” here and where context allows may also be correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.”

WMBB (Same as above including footnotes)

NET For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, regarding the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living.

LSV For we do not wish you to be ignorant, brothers, of our tribulation that happened to us in Asia, that we were exceedingly burdened above [our] power, so that we even despaired of life;

FBV Brothers and sisters, we won't keep you in the dark about the trouble we had in Asia. We were so overwhelmed that we were afraid we wouldn't have the strength to continue—so much so we doubted we would live through it.

TCNT We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.

T4T Our fellow believers, we (exc) want you to know [LIT] about the trouble that we suffered in Asia province. That trouble was so very great that it was much more than we were able to endure. As a result, we (exc) thought that we would certainly die.

LEB For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning our affliction that happened in the province of Asia,[fn] that we were burdened to an extraordinary degree, beyond our strength, so that we were in despair even of living.

1:8 A reference to the Roman province of Asia (modern Asia Minor)

BBE For it is our desire that you may not be without knowledge of our trouble which came on us in Asia, that the weight of it was very great, more than our power, so that it seemed that we had no hope even of life:

Moff Now I would like you to know about the distress which befell me in Asia, brothers. I was crushed, crushed far more than I could stand, so much so that I despaired even of life;

Wymth For as for our troubles which came upon us in the province of Asia, we would have you know, brethren, that we were exceedingly weighed down, and felt overwhelmed, so that we renounced all hope even of life.

ASV For we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning our affliction which befell us in Asia, that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

DRA For we would not have you ignorant, brethren, of our tribulation, which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure above our strength, so that we were weary even of life.

YLT For we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, of our tribulation that happened to us in Asia, that we were exceedingly burdened above [our] power, so that we despaired even of life;

Drby For we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, as to our tribulation which happened [to us] in Asia, that we were excessively pressed beyond [our] power, so as to despair even of living.

RV For we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning our affliction which befell us in Asia, that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
(For we would not have you ignorant, brethren/brothers, concerning our affliction which befell us in Asia, that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, insomuch that we despaired even of life: )

SLT For we wish you not to be ignorant, brethren, of our pressure having been to us in Asia, that we were exceedingly loaded, above strength, so that we were in utter perplexity even to live:

Wbstr For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life:

KJB-1769 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
(For we would not, brethren/brothers, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: )

KJB-1611 For we would not, brethren, haue you ignorant of our trouble which came to vs in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, aboue strength, in so much that we dispaired euen of life.
(For we would not, brethren/brothers, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, in so much that we dispaired even of life.)

Bshps For we woulde not brethren haue you ignoraunt of our trouble, whiche came vnto vs in Asia: For we were greeued out of measure, passyng strength, so greatly, that we dispayred euen of lyfe.
(For we would not brethren/brothers have you ignorant of our trouble, which came unto us in Asia: For we were grieved out of measure, passing strength, so greatly, that we dispayred even of life.)

Gnva For brethren, we woulde not haue you ignorant of our affliction, which came vnto vs in Asia, howe we were pressed out of measure passing strength, so that we altogether doubted, euen of life.
(For brethren/brothers, we would not have you ignorant of our affliction, which came unto us in Asia, how we were pressed out of measure passing strength, so that we altogether doubted, even of life. )

Cvdl Brethren we wolde not haue you ignoraunt of oure trouble, which happened vnto vs in Asia, for we were greued out off measure passynge strength, so that we euen dispared of life,
(Brethren we would not have you ignorant of our trouble, which happened unto us in Asia, for we were grieved out off measure passing strength, so that we even dispared of life,)

TNT Brethren I wolde not have you ignoraunt of oure trouble which happened vnto vs in Asia. For we were greved out of measure passynge strength so greatly that we despeared even of lyfe.
(Brethren I would not have you ignorant of our trouble which happened unto us in Asia. For we were greved out of measure passing strength so greatly that we despeared even of life. )

Wycl For, britheren, we wolen that ye wite of oure tribulacioun, that was don in Asie; for ouer maner we weren greued ouer myyt, so that it anoiede vs, yhe, to lyue.
(For, brethren/brothers, we woollen that ye/you_all wit/know of our tribulation, that was done in Asie; for over manner we were grieved over might, so that it annoyed us, yea/yes, to live.)

Luth Denn wir wollen euch nicht verhalten, liebe Brüder, unsere Trübsal, die uns in Asien widerfahren ist da wir über die Maßen beschweret waren und über Macht, also daß wir auch am Leben verzagten
(Because we/us want you not behave, love(v) brothers, our gloom/sorrow/afflictions, the us/to_us/ourselves in Asien happen is there we/us above the dimensions beschweret were and above power(n), also that we/us also in/at/on_the life despairedn)

ClVg Non enim volumus ignorare vos, fratres, de tribulatione nostra, quæ facta est in Asia, quoniam supra modum gravati sumus supra virtutem, ita ut tæderet nos etiam vivere.
(Not/No because we_want to_ignore you(pl), brothers, from/about tribulation our, which facts it_is in/into/on Asia, since/because above way gravati we_are above virtue, so/thus as tæderet us also to_live. )

UGNT οὐ γὰρ θέλομεν ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, ὑπὲρ τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν τῆς γενομένης ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ, ὅτι καθ’ ὑπερβολὴν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἐβαρήθημεν, ὥστε ἐξαπορηθῆναι ἡμᾶς καὶ τοῦ ζῆν.
(ou gar thelomen humas agnoein, adelfoi, huper taʸs thlipseōs haʸmōn taʸs genomenaʸs en taʸ Asia, hoti kath’ huperbolaʸn huper dunamin ebaraʸthaʸmen, hōste exaporaʸthaʸnai haʸmas kai tou zaʸn.)

SBL-GNT Οὐ γὰρ θέλομεν ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, ⸀ὑπὲρ τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν τῆς ⸀γενομένης ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ, ὅτι καθʼ ὑπερβολὴν ⸂ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἐβαρήθημεν⸃, ὥστε ἐξαπορηθῆναι ἡμᾶς καὶ τοῦ ζῆν·
(Ou gar thelomen humas agnoein, adelfoi, ⸀huper taʸs thlipseōs haʸmōn taʸs ⸀genomenaʸs en taʸ Asia, hoti kathʼ huperbolaʸn ⸂huper dunamin ebaraʸthaʸmen⸃, hōste exaporaʸthaʸnai haʸmas kai tou zaʸn;)

RP-GNT Οὐ γὰρ θέλομεν ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, ὑπὲρ τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν τῆς γενομένης ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ, ὅτι καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἐβαρήθημεν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν, ὥστε ἐξαπορηθῆναι ἡμᾶς καὶ τοῦ ζῇν.
(Ou gar thelomen humas agnoein, adelfoi, huper taʸs thlipseōs haʸmōn taʸs genomenaʸs haʸmin en taʸ Asia, hoti kath' huperbolaʸn ebaraʸthaʸmen huper dunamin, hōste exaporaʸthaʸnai haʸmas kai tou zaʸn.)

TC-GNT Οὐ γὰρ θέλομεν ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, [fn]ὑπὲρ τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν τῆς γενομένης [fn]ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ, ὅτι καθ᾽ ὑπερβολὴν [fn]ἐβαρήθημεν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν, ὥστε ἐξαπορηθῆναι ἡμᾶς καὶ τοῦ ζῇν.
(Ou gar thelomen humas agnoein, adelfoi, huper taʸs thlipseōs haʸmōn taʸs genomenaʸs haʸmin en taʸ Asia, hoti kath huperbolaʸn ebaraʸthaʸmen huper dunamin, hōste exaporaʸthaʸnai haʸmas kai tou zaʸn. )

1:8 υπερ ¦ περι TH

1:8 ημιν 90.1% ¦ — CT 8.2%

1:8 εβαρηθημεν υπερ δυναμιν ¦ υπερ δυναμιν εβαρηθημεν CT

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:3–11: Paul praised God for comforting him

In this section Paul told how he and his companions had suffered persecution in the Roman province of Asia (the southwestern part of what is now the country of Turkey). But God comforted and encouraged them during that time. Here Paul praised God for that (1:3). Paul also taught that those who receive comfort can comfort others (1:4–7). He explained his hardships in the province of Asia, how he felt during them, and his trust in God to deliver him from them (1:8–10). He acknowledged the prayers of the believers in Corinth and indicated that God’s answer to those prayers would result in thanks to God (1:11).

Other examples of headings for this section are:

Paul’s Thanksgiving after Affliction (NRSV)

God comforted Paul and the Corinthians

1:8a

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers,

¶ Brothers and sisters, we^(excl) do not want you^(plur) to be unaware/uninformed
¶ Our fellow believers, we want you to clearly know

1:8 begins with a Greek conjunction that is often translated as “for” or “because.” In this context it introduces an explanation of some of Paul’s suffering (1:5a,7b). For example:

For (RSV)

In some languages it is more natural to omit the conjunction and allow the context to indicate the connection. The BSB has not translated this conjunction.

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers: Here the term of address, brothers, comes after Paul begins saying something to the Corinthians. In some languages it is more natural to have the term of address first. For example:

Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed

We do not want you to be unaware: This clause indicates that Paul wanted the believers to know about his hardships. Other ways to translate this clause are:

we do not want you to be ignorant (RSV)

we want you to know (NCV)

brothers: Here the word brothers refers to fellow believers. The Greek word refers to both men and women here. Other ways to translate this word are:

Brothers and sisters (NCV)

siblings in our^(incl) faith

fellow believers

1:8b

of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia.

about how we suffered in the province of Asia.
about the big trouble which happened to us in the territory of Asia.

hardships: This is the same Greek word that the BSB translates as “troubles” in 1:4a–b and the Greek verb form translated “afflicted” in 1:6a. Other ways to translate this word are:

difficulties

adversity

the suffering we experienced (GW)

province: The BSB adds the word province to indicate that the name “Asia” refers to the Roman province called “Asia.” The word province refers to a large region. The Romans conquered a number of small countries and grouped them into the province of Asia.

Asia: The province of Asia included most of the land in what is now western Turkey. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly refer to the modern-day region of the world that includes China and India. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain in a footnote. For example:

At that time, the name “Asia” referred to a province that included most of the land in what is now southwestern Turkey.

1:8c

We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure,

We were burdened with troubles/difficulties to the extreme, beyond our strength to cope/endure,
Excessive burdens/difficulties/hardships came upon us, which were more than we could bear/stand-against.

We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure: The Greek word that the BSB translates as far refers to an excess of something. Here it indicates an excessive amount of pressure. The difficulties were worse than anything Paul and the others could stand against by their own power or abilities. For example:

we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength (NASB)

The burden of it was far too heavy for us to bear (REB)

we were completely overwhelmed, the burden was more than we could bear (JBP)

We were under a burden: The Greek clause is literally “we were burdened excessively” (as in the NASB). The difficulties they had were figuratively like carrying a great weight. Paul and the other evangelists often faced much persecution and opposition (as in Acts 19:23–41). Translate in a way that includes such things as persecution and opposition. Other ways to translate this clause are:

The burdens laid upon us were so great (GNT)

We were crushed and overwhelmed (NLT)

Our sufferings were so horrible (CEV)

1:8d

so that we despaired even of life.

so that we did not think we could continue to live.
It was so bad, we thought we could not live beyond them.

we despaired even of life: The Greek phrase is literally “to despair us even to live.” These difficulties were so great that Paul and the others thought that the difficulties might cause their death. Other ways to translate this clause are:

we despaired of life itself (RSV)

we gave up all hope even of surviving (NJB)

we thought we would never live through it (NLT)

we did not think we could continue to live

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives

οὐ & θέλομεν ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὒ Γάρ θέλομεν ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν ἀδελφοί ὑπέρ τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν τῆς γενομένης ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ ὅτι καθʼ ὑπερβολήν ὑπέρ δύναμιν ἐβαρήθημεν ὥστε ἐξαπορηθῆναι ἡμάς καί τοῦ ζῆν)

If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a positive expression to translate this double negative that consists of the negative particle not and the negative word ignorant. Alternate translation: [we want you to know]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ὑπὲρ τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν τῆς γενομένης

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of tribulation, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [concerning the time when people caused us to suffer]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

καθ’ ὑπερβολὴν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἐβαρήθημεν

against (Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὒ Γάρ θέλομεν ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν ἀδελφοί ὑπέρ τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν τῆς γενομένης ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ ὅτι καθʼ ὑπερβολήν ὑπέρ δύναμιν ἐβαρήθημεν ὥστε ἐξαπορηθῆναι ἡμάς καί τοῦ ζῆν)

Here, Paul is speaking of tribulation as if it were a heavy weight that they had to carry. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [we were suffering so much that we thought that we could not endure it]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ὑπερβολὴν & ἐβαρήθημεν

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you could state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [it was excessively difficult for us]

Note 5 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

ὥστε

so_as

Here, so that introduces the result of what came before. Use a natural way to introduce a result in your language. Alternate translation: [with the result that]

Parallel 2 COR 1:8

Section 1:3–11: Paul praised God for comforting him

1:8a

1:8b

1:8c

1:8d

Parallel 2 COR 1:8