As I contemplated which degree to pursue in seminary, I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t take the languages – both Hebrew and Greek. I haven’t taken a class in either one yet, though I plan to tackle Hebrew in the fall (Pray for me!), but I was exposed to a little bit of Greek this past semester. In my class on Paul’s epistles (all the books Paul wrote, except Romans), my professor made reference to the Greek many times. That benefitted those in the class who already had a working knowledge of it, but even for people like myself, who have no knowledge, there was one thing in particular that I was able to understand and has changed how I understand some familiar passages:

You sometimes means y’all.

Let me explain. In English, apart from context, there’s no way of distinguishing between the singular and plural form of ‘you’. So when we read our English translations, it’s difficult to know whether the author is addressing a single person or a group. Sometimes translators help us by giving a footnote, but many times we’re left to ourselves.

You might not think this is a big deal, but reflect on our American culture for a minute and how individualistic it is. It’s all about self-actualization. And if we’re not careful, we bring this mindset into our Bible reading and study. We may unintentionally assume that the author is addressing us as individuals and not groups.

The importance of this hit home for me in class when we were looking at 1 Corinthians 3. I had memorized verse 16 when I was a new believer, way back in the early 90s. I was involved in the Navigators campus ministry and they had a topical Bible memory system. 1 Corinthians 3:16 was a verse we were to memorize as it related to relying on God’s resources. Let me quote it here:

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”

For decades I had understood this verse in a very individual way, assuming that the ‘you’ in the verse was singular. It’s not. It’s plural. Yes, God’s Spirit dwells in each individual believer. We see this in the book of Acts (see Acts 2:1-4; 10:44-48) and in other places in the New Testament. But the Spirit also dwells in us, corporately. As my professor explained this, he might have seen a huge light bulb over my head! All of a sudden, I realized how I’d misunderstood this verse. Not only had I understood it in a very individualistic way – “Wow Meredith! You are God’s temple, and God’s Spirit dwells in you!” – in a way that kind of isolated myself within my own religious experience – but I’d divorced the verse from the context. In chapter 3, Paul is rebuking the Corinthians for their disunity and tribalism. They had divided themselves according to which teacher they followed – “I follow Paul!”, or, “I follow Apollos!”. To combat this, Paul uses two metaphors – one that is agricultural and another that’s architectural. He and Apollos and the other apostles are just servants, workers in God’s field – which is the Corinthians. Switching metaphors in verse 9-10, he says they, like master builders, laid a foundation and others were building on it. What were they building? They were building them! The Corinthians are God’s building!

So when he writes in verse 16 that they are God’s temple, he is speaking of them in a corporate sense, not individually. I now understand this verse in its full context – we are God’s temple. (See also Ephesians 2:19-22) And shouldn’t that have implications for how we treat one another? Do we serve the church in a way that contributes to the growth of the whole, or just ourselves? Do we love the church which is the temple of God’s Spirit? Do we pray for the church?

Because my professor did it, I think it’s ok to share with you what he would call the Southern translation of 1 Corinthians 3:16:

“Do y’all not know that y’all are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in y’all?”

For those of us who will never take Greek, or haven’t yet, keep this in mind when you read and study Paul’s epistles. Many times, Paul is addressing the group, not the individual. Be aware of the individualistic mindset you might be bringing to your Bible study. And here’s a couple tips to help – the KJV translation uses the word ye for the plural form of you. So if you aren’t sure whether the ‘you’ you’re reading is plural or singular, first check the context and then try reading the KJV translation.