[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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