complete verse (1 Corinthians 13:3)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 13:3:

  • Uma: “If we give all our stuff to the poor, and if we choose to die being-burned because of our following of the Lord Yesus, but if we don’t have love for others, our life has no use.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Even if for example I would give all my possessions/wealth to the poor and even if I would submit my body to be burned because I follow Isa, if I don’t have love for my companions I don’t have any reward.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Even though that I give every one of my possessions to the poor, and I permit that my body be burned, but if my companions are not precious in my breath, there is no value to these things that I do.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Even though I give all my possessions to the poor and even though I permit my body to be burned, yet if it doesn’t stem-from my love for my companions, I will gain nothing from my doing that.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Or if I now give away all my possessions to feed the poor, and give my body to my enemies for them to burn because of my belief, if I really don’t value like this, there is nothing good that these (acts) could gain for me.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Although we might take all that we own and give it to help the poor, or we might even go so far as to give up ourselves to be burned, yet if we do not love our fellow men, then we are of no value.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Corinthians 13:3

The verb translated give away is related to the noun used in John 13.26, 27, 30 to mean a small piece of bread. The meaning of the verb may vary according to the context between “feed” and “distribute,” implying the distribution of food to the poor. In this verse the idea of selling possessions and distributing the proceeds seems to predominate. With this in mind, one may translate all I have as “all my possessions.”

And if I deliver my body to be burned: as the Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible footnotes show, the text of this clause is uncertain and so is its meaning. All modern translations that we consulted, except An American Translation, and most commentators prefer the text to be burned. Any translation that indicates any variations in the Greek should give this variation in a footnote. In languages that do not favor passives, one may translate “even let them burn my body.”

I gain nothing: Bijbel in Gewone Taal has “it helps me nothing”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “all is useless.” Another possible rendering is “it is of no use to me at all.”

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 .