1 Cor 16:2 hO TI EAN EUODWTAI

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Sun Jun 9 14:30:20 EDT 2002


At 1:57 PM -0400 6/9/02, Ron Daly wrote:
>Most translations render hO TI EAN EUODWTAI" in 1 Corinthians 16:2 with the
>phrase "as you have been prospered" (cf. KJV,ASV, RSV, NASB). The NRSV says
>"whatever extra you earn." Is anyone aware of the linguistic rationale
>underlying the NRSV's translation of this phrase? Is there lexical or
>syntactical data that warrants the interpretation "whatever extra you earn?"
>
>Thanks for the benefits of your research,

We had something of a discussion on this last December. On Dec 17 I wrote
as follows:

At 9:44 AM -0600 12/17/01, Carl W. Conrad wrote:
>At 8:58 AM -0600 12/17/01, Frazier Conley wrote:
>>1 Corinthians 16:2 KATA MIAN SABBATOU hEKASTOS HUMWN PAR' hEAUTWi TIQETW
>>QHSAURIZWN hO TI EAN EUODWTAI, hINA MH hOTAN ELQW TOTE LOGEIAI GINWNTAI.
>>
>>The phrase hO TI EAN EUODWTAI has been rendered in the versions:
>>
>>"as he may prosper" (the traditional)
>>"In proportion to his gains" (NEB, similarly NIV, Phillips, NLT);
>>"part of what you have earned" (CEV, similarly Beck);
>>"whatever he has been able to save" (NAB);
>>"whatever he can afford" (REB, similarly Knox);
>>"whatever extra you earn" (NRSV);
>>"something from his profits" (Transl NT);
>>"all that he can (as much as possible)" (TDNT Michaelis, 5:113-114)
>>
>>I cannot see anything in it except "whatever he may prosper."
>>Is there any justification for the "imaginative" renderings from the above
>>examples.
>
>I think that there's a simple and reasonable assumption in the way hO TI
>EAN EUODWTAI has been understood in these versions: it is that "prosper" or
>"gain a good income" (understanding hODOS in one of its common ancient
>Greeks senses, "ways and means") means gaining income above and beyond what
>one needs for sustenance. Since you can't save what you have to spend to
>stay alive, you can only save the surplus of what you've earned. I think
>that's what's being expressed in all these versions.
>--

In further defense of that understanding, I wrote later on the same day:

At 1:55 PM -0600 12/17/01, Carl W. Conrad wrote:
>At 10:04 AM -0600 12/17/01, Frazier Conley wrote:
>>Carl,
>>I am not able to document the definition "gaining income above and beyond
>>what
>>one needs for sustenance." Can you guide me further on that usage?
>>Reasonably speaking of course, Paul cannot be saying, "save and contribute
>>your whole income." My suggestion is that this is one reason why PAR'
>>hEAUTWi earlier in the verse should be taken as "according to his own
>>judgment." This would be the principle of how much to donate as one is being
>>"prospered."
>
>And what you learn is right. Nevertheless I'll stand by what I said: I
>don't think those versions (which you seem to think are misinterpreting)
>are wrong; I think that QHSAURIZWN PAR' hEAUTWi means "storing up
>individually" and that hO TI EAN EUODWTAI must mean "whatever he has gained
>prosperously"--and understand that last phrase to imply: "whatever he's
>gained that he hasn't had to spend on sustenance." I don't think you can
>"prosper" unless you gain MORE than you need to eke out a living.
>--

-- 

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
Most months:: 1647 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu OR cwconrad at ioa.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/



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