1 Corinthians 3:12-13

3:12 If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, ¹  3:13 each builder’s ²  work will be plainly seen, for the Day ³  will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire ⁴  will test what kind of work each has done.

Revelation 3:18

3:18 take my advice ⁵  and buy gold from me refined by fire so you can become rich! Buy from me ⁶  white clothing so you can be clothed and your shameful nakedness ⁷  will not be exposed, and buy eye salve ⁸  to put on your eyes so you can see!

[3:12]  ¹ sn The various materials described here, both valuable (gold, silver, precious stones) and worthless (wood, hay, or straw) refer to the quality of work built on the foundation, or possibly to the motivation of those doing the building. The materials themselves have been understood (1) as deeds or (2) as people (since ultimately the passage is addressing those who minister to others).

[3:13]  ² tn Grk “each one’s.” Here “builder’s” is employed in the translation for clarity.

[3:13]  ³ tn In an attempt to clarify the referent, some translations add “of Christ” after “Day” (so TEV); others specify this as “judgment day” (NLT) or “the day of judgment” (CEV).

[3:13]  ⁴ tc ‡ αὐτό (auto) is found at this point in v. 13 in a number of significant witnesses, including A B C P 33 1739 al. But Ì⁴⁶ א D Ψ 0289 1881 Ï latt lack it. The pronoun could be a motivated reading, designed to intensify Paul’s statement. On the other hand, it could have been deleted because the article alone made the reference already clear. In this instance, the possibility of scribal addition seems more likely than scribal deletion, although a decision is difficult. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[3:18]  ⁵ tn Grk “I counsel you to buy.”

[3:18]  ⁶ tn Grk “rich, and.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation, repeating the words “Buy from me” to make the connection clear for the English reader.

[3:18]  ⁷ tn Grk “the shame of the nakedness of you,” which has been translated as an attributed genitive like καινότητι ζωῆς (kainothti zwh") in Rom 6:4 (ExSyn 89-90).

[3:18]  ⁸ sn The city of Laodicea had a famous medical school and exported a powder (called a “Phrygian powder”) that was widely used as an eye salve. It was applied to the eyes in the form of a paste the consistency of dough (the Greek term for the salve here, κολλούριον, kollourion [Latin collyrium], is a diminutive form of the word for a long roll of bread).