Some online commentators are sniggering at Trump for reading “2 Corinthians 3:17” as “Two Corinthians three seventeen”, instead of the more formal and conventional way of saying it as “Second Corinthians three seventeen”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EIgHsGZAmk
Krauthammer says of Trump: “ …thereby betraying a risible lack of familiarity with biblical language and usage.”
Except that “2 Corinthians”, whether you read it as “Two” or “Second” is not biblical language. Not one person in the Bible refers to this book by the name it’s now known. The title “2 Corinthians” was given outside of the Bible; we probably don’t even know who first coined it and when.
It’s genuinely easy for people to refer to it as “Two Corinthians” because it is written as “2 Corinthians” rather than “2nd Corinthians” But it’s such a minor gaffe, I don’t even think it merits criticism. Certainly it’s not ‘wrong’. (Although it’s very clear from the video Trump was not at all, or no longer is, familiar with reading scripture)
I bet many people refer to those books that have numbers in front of their names as “Two Chronicles”, or “Two Kings”, especially in informal settings. I know I do, even though I am familiar enough and interested enough to have learned to read Koine Greek at some point.
