COL 2:21 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal Speaker(s)=Narrator (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
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 “You may not handle, nor taste, nor touch!”

UST These rules include commands like these: “Do not feel certain things!” “Do not try certain foods!” “Do not take hold of certain things!”

BSB & MSB “{Do} not handle, {do} not taste, {do} not touch!”?

BLB "You should not handle! You should not taste! You should not touch!"?--

AICNT Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch,

OEB to such ordinances as “Do not handle, or taste, or touch”?

WEBBE & WMBB “Don’t handle, nor taste, nor touch”

NET “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”

LSV you may not touch, nor taste, nor handle—

FBV Things like: don't handle that, don't taste that, don't touch that!

TCNT “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch”?

T4T such as ‘Do not handle certain things’, ‘Do not taste certain things’, ‘Do not touch certain things’, as if you still had to obey such regulations/rules.

LEB “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch,”

BBE Which say there may be no touching, tasting, or taking in your hands,

Moff "Hands off this!" "Taste not that!" "Touch not this!" —

Wymth "Do not handle this;" "Do not taste that;" "Do not touch that other thing" —

ASV Handle not, nor taste, nor touch

DRA Touch not, taste not, handle not:

YLT — thou mayest not touch, nor taste, nor handle —

Drby Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch,

RV Handle not, nor taste, nor touch

SLT (Touch not; neither taste; neither shouldest thou handle;

Wbstr (Touch not; taste not; handle not;

KJB-1769 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;

KJB-1611 (Touch not, taste not, handle not:
(Same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Touche not, taste not, handle not?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Gnva As, Touch not, Taste not, Handle not.

Cvdl Touch not this, taist not that, handle not that.
(Touch not this, taste not that, handle not that.)

TNT Touche not tast not handell not:
(Touch not tast not handlel not:)

Wycl That ye touche not, nether taaste,
(That ye/you_all touch not, neither taaste,)

Luth Die da sagen: Du sollst das nicht angreifen, du sollst das nicht kosten, du sollst das nicht anrühren,
(The there say: You(sg) should the not angreifen, you(sg) should the not cost(v), you(sg) should the not touch,)

ClVg Ne tetigeritis, neque gustaveritis, neque contrectaveritis:
(Don’t touchedis, nor gustaveritis, nor contrectaveritis:)

UGNT μὴ ἅψῃ! μηδὲ γεύσῃ! μηδὲ θίγῃς!
(maʸ hapsaʸ! maʸde geusaʸ! maʸde thigaʸs!)

SBL-GNT Μὴ ἅψῃ μηδὲ γεύσῃ μηδὲ θίγῃς,
(Maʸ hapsaʸ maʸde geusaʸ maʸde thigaʸs,)

RP-GNT Μὴ ἅψῃ, μηδὲ γεύσῃ, μηδὲ θίγῃς -
(Maʸ hapsaʸ, maʸde geusaʸ, maʸde thigaʸs -)

TC-GNT Μὴ ἅψῃ μηδὲ γεύσῃ μηδὲ θίγῃς
(Maʸ hapsaʸ maʸde geusaʸ maʸde thigaʸs)

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:6–23: Behave as God’s people should behave and do not follow false teaching

Theme: Paul told the Colossians to behave correctly because they belong to Christ. They should not follow those who teach a false message. He also reminded them that God had accepted them completely because they belong to Christ.

In 1:13–2:5 Paul had reminded the Colossians what is true about Christ and had told them that God had always planned to make them his people. Beginning in 2:6, Paul urged them to continue to believe in Christ. He assured them that this was the same message that Epaphras and others had taught them. Therefore, they should continue to trust in Christ more and more and act in ways that honor God. They should not believe any other message.

Paragraph 2:20–23

Theme: Paul warned the Colossians that they should not obey once more all those regulations that were based only on human ideas. They had abandoned that old way of living.

2:21

In this verse Paul summarized the Jewish rules in a very general way. He may have only been referring to the Jewish food laws, but it is more likely that he also meant other rules that said that touching certain things caused a person to be ceremonially unclean. You do not need to specify details of the laws in your translation.

2:21a

“Do not handle,

These rules include rules like: “Do not handle this kind of thing!
Those who teach these things say, “You must not hold that thing in your hand!

Do not handle: This means not to hold something in one’s hands, not to use it.

2:21b

do not taste,

Do not eat/taste this kind of food!

do not taste: This means not to eat even a little of something.

2:21c

do not touch!”?

Do not even touch this kind of thing!”

do not touch!: This is similar to 2:21a, but it is stronger. It means not even to touch something. For example, the law of Moses commanded Jews not to touch the dead bodies of people or animals.

General Comment about 2:21

If it is necessary in your language to say what sort of things should not be handled, tasted, or touched, you should use very general words, like “these things”. For example:

Do not handle these things. Do not eat these foods. Do not touch these things.

General Comment about 2:21

In this verse, Paul was quoting the words of the false teachers. You must clarify this in your translation so that your readers do not think that Paul was commanding the Colossian believers not to touch or taste certain things. The BSB shows this by using quote marks, but it may be better in your language to begin the verse with an introductory phrase like:

There are people who teach you rules like this: “Do not handle…”

You do not have to follow rules that say, “Do not handle…”

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

μὴ ἅψῃ! μηδὲ γεύσῃ! μηδὲ θίγῃς

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Μή ἅψῃ Μηδέ γεύσῃ Μηδέ θίγῃς)

This verse gives three commands that are not from Paul, but rather they are examples of the “decrees” from [2:20](../02/20.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could introduce these commands with a phrase, such as “for example,” to show that they connect to the “decrees” in the previous verse. Alternate translation: [for example, “You may not handle, nor taste, nor touch]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

μὴ ἅψῃ! μηδὲ γεύσῃ! μηδὲ θίγῃς

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Μή ἅψῃ Μηδέ γεύσῃ Μηδέ θίγῃς)

Paul does not express what these commands say not to handle, taste, or touch, but it is clear that only certain things would be included, not all things. If your language would make this information explicit, you could add a generic phrase such as “certain things” or use words that match each command. Alternate translation: [You may not handle certain objects, nor taste certain foods and drinks, nor touch certain people]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / yousingular

ἅψῃ & γεύσῃ & θίγῃς

˱you˲_˓may˒_touch & ˱you˲_˓may˒_taste & ˱you˲_˓may˒_touch

These commands are addressed to You in the singular. Most likely, Paul refers to specific commands given to one person in a specific situation. However, he does intend these to be taken as examples of commands that might be given to any person among the Colossians. If your language can use a command in the singular as a generic example, you could do so here. If this does not make sense in your language, you could use plural commands here. Alternate translation: [You all may … handle … taste … touch]

Parallel COL 2:21

Section 2:6–23: Behave as God’s people should behave and do not follow false teaching

Paragraph 2:20–23

2:21

2:21a

2:21b

2:21c

General Comment about 2:21

General Comment about 2:21