Translations
KJVPrimary
King James VersionWhich things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
F.O.G.Secondary
The F.O.GThese things have a reputation for wisdom—in self-chosen worship, false humility, and the harsh treatment of the body—but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh.
F.O.G.M.
F.O.G MessageThese things carry the appearance of wisdom—with their self-made religion, false humility, and the severe treatment of the body—yet they offer no real power to restrain fleshly indulgence.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleSuch restrictions indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-prescribed worship, their false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body; but they are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
Footnotes
ἐθελοθρησκίᾳ (ethelothrēskia) is a hapax legomenon—found nowhere else in extant Greek literature—apparently coined by Paul to describe worship that is self-willed rather than God-commanded: religion by personal choice rather than divine calling. The closing clause is among the most grammatically contested in the New Testament; the best reading is Paul's devastating punchline: all this impressive-looking asceticism achieves precisely nothing against the fleshly impulses it claims to subdue. FOG renders "no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh"; FOG Message renders "no real power to restrain fleshly indulgence."
