2 COR 3:8 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.)

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).

UST So then, when people act on behalf of the new agreement that gives the Holy Spirit, that is even more glorious.

AICNT how will the ministry of the Spirit not be even more glorious?

OEB will not the religion that confers the Spirit have still greater glory?

WEBBE won’t service of the Spirit be with much more glory?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET how much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be?

LSV how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more in glory?

FBV If that was so, shouldn't the new way of relating to God in the Spirit come with even greater glory?

TCNT will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?

T4T So, since God showed in such a wonderful way that those laws that condemned the people to die were from him, surely when we (exc) teach people about how God’s Spirit will change their lives, God will show in an even more wonderful way that it is his message. [RHQ]

LEB how will the ministry of the Spirit not be even more with glory?

BBE Will not the operation of the Spirit have a much greater glory?

Moff surely the administration of the Spirit must be invested with still greater glory.

Wymth will not the service of the Spirit be far more glorious?

ASV how shall not rather the ministration of the spirit be with glory?

DRA How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather in glory?

YLT how shall the ministration of the Spirit not be more in glory?

Drby how shall not rather the ministry of the Spirit subsist in glory?

RV how shall not rather the ministration of the spirit be with glory?

SLT How shall not rather the service of the Spirit be in glory?

Wbstr How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious?

KJB-1769 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?

KJB-1611 How shall not the ministration of the spirit, be rather glorious?
(Same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Howe shall not the ministration of the spirite be much more in glorie?
(How shall not the ministration of the spirit be much more in glory?)

Gnva Howe shall not the ministration of the Spirite be more glorious?
(How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be more glorious? )

Cvdl how shal not ye mynistracion of ye sprete be moch more glorious?
(how shall not ye/you_all mynistracion of ye/you_all spirit be much more glorious?)

TNT why shall not the ministracion of the sprete be moche more glorious?
(why shall not the ministracion of the spirit be much more glorious? )

Wycl hou schal not the mynystracioun of the spirit be more in glorie?
(how shall not the mynystracioun of the spirit be more in glory?)

Luth wie sollte nicht viel mehr das Amt, das den Geist gibt, Klarheit haben?
(as/like should not many more the office/authority, the the spirit gives, Klarheit have?)

ClVg quomodo non magis ministratio Spiritus erit in gloria?
(how not/no more servesio Spirit will_be in/into/on glory? )

UGNT πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἡ διακονία τοῦ Πνεύματος ἔσται ἐν δόξῃ?
(pōs ouⱪi mallon haʸ diakonia tou Pneumatos estai en doxaʸ?)

SBL-GNT πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἡ διακονία τοῦ πνεύματος ἔσται ἐν δόξῃ;
(pōs ouⱪi mallon haʸ diakonia tou pneumatos estai en doxaʸ;)

RP-GNT πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἡ διακονία τοῦ πνεύματος ἔσται ἐν δόξῃ;
(pōs ouⱪi mallon haʸ diakonia tou pneumatos estai en doxaʸ;)

TC-GNT πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἡ διακονία τοῦ πνεύματος ἔσται ἐν δόξῃ;
(pōs ouⱪi mallon haʸ diakonia tou pneumatos estai en doxaʸ; )

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

TTN Tyndale Theme Notes:

God’s New Covenant

God had promised to establish a new covenant with his people (Jer 31:31-34). This new covenant was initiated by Christ (see Luke 22:19-20), who removes the veil associated with the old covenant (2 Cor 3:14). Using the creation story of Genesis 1–2, Paul explains how the God of creation is also the God of the new creation (2 Cor 4:4-6; 5:17). God is now revealed in Christ, who brings God close to us.

In the new covenant, God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is also our Father because he has enabled us to be adopted as his children (2 Cor 1:3; Gal 3:26–4:7). He is the faithful God whose Old Testament promises are fulfilled in the Messiah (2 Cor 1:18-22). And he is the author of reconciliation (5:18-21), as Christ became the means by which God won the sinful world back to himself. Jesus Christ became one with sinful humankind (see 8:9) and released God’s saving power and righteousness to restore the broken relationship between God and the world.

Under the new covenant, God sends his Spirit to dwell among his people. The Spirit gives believers life, freedom, and the ability to conform to Christ (3:6, 17-18). The Spirit unites us to Christ and serves as the guarantee of our complete salvation in the resurrection (1:22; 5:1-5), when believers’ mortal bodies will be transformed into glorified bodies (1 Cor 15:42-57). Paul gives a full account of this hope in 2 Cor 5:1-10. This will be the final outcome of the new covenant that God has established for his people.

Passages for Further Study

Gen 9:1-17; 12:1-9; 15:1-21; Exod 19:3-6; 2 Sam 7:5-16; 1 Chr 10:13-14; Isa 59:20-21; 65:17-25; Jer 2:1–3:10; 31:31-34; Matt 26:27-29; Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 11:23-32; 2 Cor 3:4-18; 4:4-6; Heb 8:6-13; 9:11-28; 10:1-25; 12:18-24

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:1–4:6: Confidence in the gospel of Jesus

The false teachers in Corinth were Jews (11:22). In this section, Paul wrote about some of the false teachings of these men. Since they were Jews, Paul referred to people and events in the Old Testament, such as the tablets of stone (3:3), Moses (3:7), and Moses’ veil (3:13). They probably brought letters from other false teachers who said the false teachers in Corinth taught truthfully (3:1–3). The false teachers taught that believers must obey the Jewish laws. But Paul said that believers follow the new covenant with Jesus and not the old covenant with the Jews (3:14). He also spoke against their secret and shameful ways and said that they corrupted God’s word (4:2). Throughout this section Paul also encouraged the believers to follow Jesus.

Other examples of headings for this section are:

The Ministry That Comes From Christ Is Greater Than Moses’ Ministry (GW)

The new covenant is greater than the law of Moses

3:8

will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?

If that is true, will not the ministry led by the Spirit be even more glorious/full-of-splendor?
So surely the work of serving in/under the new covenant as the Holy Spirit guides will be even more full of glory/radiance!

will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?: This is a rhetorical question. It emphasizes the fact that the ministry of the Spirit will be even more glorious. Translate this clause with that meaning. Some ways are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
won't the agreement the Spirit brings to us be even more wonderful? (CEV)
can we not see that the ministry of the Spirit will be even more glorious?
As a statement. For example:
the ministry of the Spirit will certainly be even more glorious!
so surely the ministry of the Spirit will have even more glory.

the ministry of the Spirit: The word of may indicate that:

The Holy Spirit directs the ministry.
The ministry of believers is characterized by the Holy Spirit leading them to do the right thing.
The ministry brings the Holy Spirit.

Each interpretation is acceptable, but probably interpretation (1) is most in focus here.Thrall (p. 237) translates this text as “the agency of the Spirit.” She also says that the phrase “may be shorthand for ‘the agency which mediates a covenant characterized by the Spirit’” (p. 244). Translate in a way that allows one or more of the above interpretations. Many English versions use the phrase “the ministry of the Spirit,” as in the BSB, which allows for all of the above interpretations. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

the activity of the Spirit (GNT)

the ministry led by the Spirit

the ministry based on the Holy Spirit

ministry: Paul compared the ministry of the old covenant (3:7a) to the ministry of the new covenant here. The word ministry is the key word here. Translate this word as you did in 3:7.

be even more glorious: The word glorious refers to the power, majesty, and splendor of God and is represented by the mighty acts of God during this time of the new covenant. Paul compared this glory to the glory of the old covenant (3:7a–b). If possible, translate this word in a similar way to “glory” in 3:7b. For example:

be even more splendor-filled

be even more full of radiance

bring even more glory to God

General Comment on 3:7a–8

3:7b,c,d are information that is extra to the main point (3:8) and the comparison (3:7a,b). In some languages it is more natural to have the extra information either before or after the main point and comparison. For example:

^7aNow the ministry that brought death, ^7bwhich was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, ^7cso that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses ^7dbecause of its glory, fading though it was. So if it came with glory, ⁸will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?

Now ⁸will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious than ^7athe ministry that brought death, ^7bwhich was engraved in letters on stone and came with glory, ^7cso that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses ^7dbecause of its glory, fading though it was?

The second example would need a combined verse reference (^7–8) at the beginning.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἡ διακονία τοῦ Πνεύματος ἔσται ἐν δόξῃ?

how (Some words not found in SR-GNT: πῶς οὐχί μᾶλλον ἡ διακονία τοῦ Πνεύματος ἔσται ἐν δόξῃ)

Paul does not ask this question because he is looking for information. Rather, he asks it to involve the Corinthians in what he is arguing. The question implies that the answer is “yes, it has much more glory.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea by using a strong affirmation. Alternate translation: [then the ministry of the Spirit will certainly be with much more glory.]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / pastforfuture

οὐχὶ & ἔσται

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: πῶς οὐχί μᾶλλον ἡ διακονία τοῦ Πνεύματος ἔσται ἐν δόξῃ)

Here Paul could use the future tense because: (1) he is stating an inference from something in the past, so the inference is future. Paul does not mean that the ministry will only have glory in the future. Alternate translation: [then is … not] (2) he is stating that the ministry will have glory in the future. He could mean that it only has glory in the future, or he could mean that it has glory in the present and will also have glory in the future. Alternate translation: [will … in the future not be]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

ἡ διακονία τοῦ Πνεύματος

the service ˱of˲_the Spirit

Here Paul uses the possessive form to describe the ministry that could: (1) lead to people receiving the Spirit. Alternate translation: [the ministry that provides the Spirit] or [the ministry that leads to the Spirit] (2) be accomplished by the Spirit. Alternate translation: [the ministry worked by the Spirit] or [the ministry accomplished by the Spirit]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἡ διακονία τοῦ Πνεύματος

the service ˱of˲_the Spirit

Here, the word ministry could refer primarily to: (1) the action of ministering. In this case, the word refers to how Paul and his fellow workers administered the new covenant. Alternate translation: [the service of the Spirit] or [the act of ministering that leads to the Spirit] (2) the system of ministry. In this case, the word refers to the new covenant or its principles. Alternate translation: [the system of the Spirit] or [the principles that lead to the Spirit]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

τοῦ Πνεύματος

˱of˲_the Spirit

Here, the word Spirit could refer to: (1) the Holy Spirit. Alternate translation: [of God’s Spirit] (2) the “spirit” of a person, or their mind or heart. Alternate translation: [of the spirit] or [of the heart]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

μᾶλλον & ἐν δόξῃ

more & in glory

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of glory, you could express the idea by using an adjective such as “glorious” or “great.” Alternate translation: [much more great]

Parallel 2 COR 3:8

Section 3:1–4:6: Confidence in the gospel of Jesus

3:8

General Comment on 3:7a–8

Parallel 2 COR 3:8