The words mourn and rejoice suggest the noisy expression of inner feelings. Therefore mourning refers to “weeping and wailing,” not to silently shedding tears; rejoice probably means “making a joyful noise.” Paul is possibly thinking that there is so little time left that such things as being married, mourning for someone who has died, or celebrating the birth of a child are simply unimportant. Thus he could tell his readers who have reason to weep that they should behave as though they were not sad.

The constructions in Good News Bible, “… weep, as though,” “… laugh, as though,” are too abrupt in many languages. One may render these as “… weep, let them act (or, behave) as though,” and so on.

The clause as though they had no goods can be translated as “as though they did not possess goods” or “as though the things that they have bought do not belong to them.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, 2nd edition. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1985/1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .