Saturday 9 July 2011

Colossians 2:12

I am surprised by this verse, because I would translate it quite differently to the usual way.
συνταφεντες αὐτῳ ἐν τῳ βαπτισματι, ἐν ῳ και συνηγερθητε δια της πιστεως της ἐνεργειας του Θεου του ἐγειραντος αὐτον ἐκ νεκρων.

συνταφεντες - present participle, plural. (Having been) or Being buried with (συν is a prefix meaning together with)
αὐτῳ - him. dative case required by verb with συν.
ἐν - in
τῳ βαπτισματι - the baptism. dative case required by ἐν.
ἐν - in
ῳ - which (I've lost the smooth breathing with iota subscript on the keyboard!)
και - also (or and)
συνηγερθητε - passive voice, 2nd person plural, aorist (past tense) you were raised with (συν again)
δια - through - meaning determined by the following noun being in genitive case.
της πιστεως - faith or faithfulness (genitive case, because of the δια)
της ἐνεργειας - of the working (genitive case supplying the of)
του Θεου -of God (genitive case supplying the of)
του ἐγειραντος - present participle, genitive case, singular of the raising.
αὐτον - him
ἐκ - from
νεκρων - dead ones (genitive case, following ἐκ).

My translation would thus be:
Having been buried with him in baptism you were also raised together, through the faithfulness of the working of God of the raising him from dead ones.

The NIV translation that I have says:
having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

The first change I made (God's faithfulness, rather than your faith) is a common change. The second (trying to keep the genitive string going by saying God of the raising) may just be me being stubborn. But I'm not sure why translators prefer the relative clause (who raised) other than because it is less clumsy.

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