[B-Greek] Phil 2:17 genitive PISTEWS

RRedden604 at aol.com RRedden604 at aol.com
Wed Mar 1 13:11:50 EST 2006


Ivers says
 
NIV talks about the sacrificial service "coming from your faith". If anyone  
can explain to me what that is supposed to 
mean, I'll be grateful.
Most  versions keep the unclear genitive "sacrifice and service of your 
faith", even  though an English genitive does not 
work here.
TEV says "an offering on  the sacrifice that your faith offers to God." I 
have no idea what that is  intended to mean.
 
UBS Handbook seems to grasp the connection and possible meaning of these  
translations.
 
"The identification of the subject of the offering depends on the analysis  
of the genitive construction "offering of your faith." The ambiguity of this  
construction is reflected in the various translations. It is interpreted by 
some  as "the offering is your faith"; thus JB has "offering—which is your faith" 
(cf.  NEB "that sacrifice which is the offering up of your faith"). Mft 
provides a  variation of this interpretation by identifying the agent as "you," 
thus "the  sacred sacrifice of faith you are offering to God." These renderings 
regard  "faith" as the thing offered. Another possibility, adopted by TEV, is 
to take  the construction in the sense of "your faith offers something 
(sacrifice). The  context makes it clear that it is not Paul who is offering the 
sacrifice, but  the Philippians. Furthermore, what the Philippians offer is not 
their faith;  rather their new-found faith is the source or the impulse for that 
offering. The  sacrifice which their faith offers is probably their gifts to 
Paul, for these  constitute a sacrifice on their part (cf. Phil 2:30 and 
especially  4:18)"   (UBS Translator Handbook Series)
 
Rob Redden
 
 
 





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