Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

Yea, we are found false witnesses of God; because we witnessed of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead are not raised.

Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God: because we have given testimony against God, that he hath raised up Christ; whom he hath not raised up, if the dead rise not again.

And we are found also false witnesses of God; for we have witnessed concerning God that he raised the Christ, whom he has not raised if indeed those that are dead are not raised.

And indeed we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified concerning God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not, if in truth the dead rise not.

and we also are found false witnesses of God, because we did testify of God that He raised up the Christ, whom He did not raise if then dead persons do not rise;

Nay more, we are actually being discovered to be bearing false witness about God, because we have testified that God raised Christ to life, whom He did not raise, if in reality none of the dead are raised.

Yes, and we are seen to be false witnesses of God; because we gave witness of God that by his power Christ came again from the dead: which is not true if there is no coming back from the dead.

Then, too, we would be found to be false witnesses of God, because we would have given testimony against God, saying that he had raised up Christ, when he had not raised him up, if, indeed, the dead do not rise again.

Yes, and we are being proved to have borne false testimony about God; for we testified of God that he raised the Christ, whom he did not raise, if, indeed, the dead do not rise!

We are also found to be false witnesses. The other disadvantages, it is true, which he has just now recounted, were more serious, as regards us -- that faith was made vain -- that the whole doctrine of the gospel was useless and worthless, and that we were bereft of all hope of salvation. Yet this also was no trivial absurdity -- that the Apostles, who were ordained by God to be the heralds of his eternal truth, were detected as persons who had deceived the world with falsehoods; for this tends to God's highest dishonor. The expression, false witnesses of God, we may understand in two ways -- either that by lying they used the name of God under a false pretext, or that they were detected as liars, in testifying what they had received from God. The second of these I rather prefer, because it involves a crime that is much more heinous, and he had spoken previously as to men. [1] Now, therefore, he teaches that, if the resurrection of Christ is denied, God is made guilty of falsehood in the witnesses that have been brought forward and hired by him. [2] The reason, too, that is added, corresponds well -- because they had declared what was false, not as from themselves, but from God. I am at the same time well aware that there are some that give another rendering to the particle kata The old interpreter renders it against. [3] Erasmus, on the other hand -- concerning. [4] But, as it has also among the Greeks the force of apo, (from,) this signification appeared to me to be more in accordance with the Apostle's design. For he is not speaking here of the reputation of men, (as I have already stated, [5] ) but he declares that God will be exposed to the charge of falsehood, inasmuch as what they publish has come forth from him.

Footnotes

1 - "Et aussi il auoit desia parle du deshonneur qui en reuindroit aux hommes, c'est a dire aux Apostres et autres prescheurs;" -- "And besides, he had spoken previously of the dishonor that resulted from it to men -- that is to say, to the Apostles and other preachers."

2 - "Comme subornez;" -- "As it were hired."

3 - In accordance with this Wiclif (1380) renders the words thus -- "We haw seide witnessynge agens God." -- Ed.

4 - Raphelius adduces two instances of Tauta men de kata panton Person echomen legein -- being employed by classical writers in the sense of concerning. "And these are things that we may affirm concerning all the Persians." -- (Xen. Cyrop., Book 1 page 6, line 33.) O kata ton technon kai epostemen legein eio'thamen tauton kai kata tos aretos phateon estin "What we are accustomed to say in reference to the arts and sciences, may also be said in reference to virtue." -- (Plutarch, chapter 4.) Bloomfield suggests that the Apostle probably employed kata in the "very rare" sense of concerning, "as wishing to include the sense -- to the prejudice of -- which falsification would occasion, inasmuch as it would almost imply a want of power in God to raise the dead, for the Gentile philosophers denied it." -- Ed.

5 - See [5]p. 19.

Yea, and we are found - We are; or we shall be proved to be. It will follow, if the Lord Jesus was not raised up, that we have been false witnesses.
Of God - Respecting God. It will be found that we have affirmed that which is not true of God; or have said that he has done that which he has not done. Nothing could be regarded as a greater crime than this, whatever might be the immediate subject under consideration. To bear false witness of a man, or to say that a man has done what he has not done, is regarded as a grievous crime. How much more so to bear false testimony of God!
Because we have testified of God - Or rather "against" God (κάτα τοῦ θεοῦ kata tou theou). Our evidence has been "against" him. We have affirmed that which is not true; and this is "against" God. It is implied here that it would be a "crime" to testify that God had raised up the Lord Jesus if he had not done it; or that it would be affirming that of God which would be "against" his character, or which it would be improper for him to do. This would be so:
(1) Because it would he wrong to bear any false witness of God, or to affirm that he had done what he had not done;
(2) Because "if" the Lord Jesus had not been raised up, it would prove that he was an "impostor," since he had declared that he would be raised up; and to affirm of God that he had raised up an impostor would be against him, and would be highly dishonorable to him.
If the dead rise not - If there is, and can be no resurrection. If this general proposition is true that there can be no resurrection, then it will apply to Christ as well as any others, and must prove that he did not rise. The "argument" in this verse is this:
(1) If it was denied that Christ was raised, it would prove that all the apostles were false witnesses of the worst character; false witnesses against God.
(2) this the apostle seems to have presumed they "could not" believe. They had had too many evidences that they spoke the truth; they had seen their uniform respect for God, and desire to bear witness of him and in his favor; they had had too conclusive evidence that they were inspired by him, and had the power of working miracles; they were too fully convinced of their honesty, truth, and piety, ever to believe that they could be false witnesses against God. They had had ample opportunity to know whether God did raise up the Lord Jesus; and they were witnesses who had no inducement to bear a false witness in the case.

Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God,.... The apostles were chosen to be witnesses of the resurrection of Christ; he appeared to them, and was seen by them for this purpose; and they were sent into all the world, to bear their testimony to this truth, which they accordingly did: now if Christ is not risen, they have bore a false testimony; and what greater scandal, or a more odious character can be fixed upon a man, than to be a false witness? but God forbid that such an imputation should be fastened upon the holy apostles of Christ, who cannot be thought to have any sinister end in publishing such a falsehood; who were sure on account of declaring it, and abiding by it, to meet with nothing but hatred, reproach, persecution, poverty, and death; but this is not all, nor the worst; for if they are false witnesses, they are false witnesses of God; they are of his suborning; he selected them as witnesses; he must put this lie into their mouths, and send them into the world under his authority to publish it; than which to say nothing can be thought of more blasphemous and execrable; and yet this must follow, upon a denial of the resurrection of Christ:
because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ, whom he raised not up, if so be the dead rise not; it may be read, "we have testified against God", as the Vulgate Latin does; for as it must be bringing a false testimony from God, so it must be bearing a false testimony against him, to say that he raised Christ from the dead, when he is not risen; which must be the case, if there is no resurrection of the dead.

testified of God--that is, concerning God. The rendering of others is, "against God" [Vulgate, ESTIUS, GROTIUS]: the Greek preposition with the genitive implies, not direct antagonism (as the accusative would mean), but indirect to the dishonor of God. English Version is probably better.
if so be--as they assert. It is not right to tell untrue stories, though they are told and seem for the glory of God (Job 13:7).

If the dead rise not - If the very notion of a resurrection be, as they say, absurd and impossible.