In a series of brief rhetorical questions, Paul makes the point that he is no way inferior to his opponents. Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation are rather literal translations and fail to capture the dynamics of the situation. Paul’s opponents were making claims about their own credentials in order to establish their authority in the church at Corinth. Martin expresses well the sense of Paul’s questions: “Do they claim to be Hebrews…? Do they claim to be Israelites…?”

Hebrews were persons who were full-blooded Jews. The term may also imply that they spoke Hebrew or Aramaic. One’s ethnic background is prominent in this word.

Israelites were persons who belonged to God’s chosen covenant people. One’s religious background is prominent in the word Israelite.

It is legitimate to highlight in the receptor language the fact that Paul is talking here about race, religion, and lineage in this series of questions. It should also be made clear that these were in fact the claims being made by the false apostles to establish their credibility. One possible model is “Do they claim to belong to the Hebrew race? So do I. Do they claim to belong to the Israelite [or, Jewish] religion? So do I. Do they say they are members of the family of Abraham? So am I.” Another possible structure is “With regard to race, do they say they are Hebrews? So am I. With regard to religion, do they say they are Israelites? So am I. With regard to family [or, lineage], do they say they are descendants of Abraham? So am I.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .