Translation & Sermon by
Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 10 August
2025
Underlined words in Scripture quotes indicate words that
are in common with the Greek text of
2 Cor. 1:12-17. Otherwise,
underlining indicates words to emphasize when reading this transcript
out loud.
Omitting greyed-out text should
reduce read-aloud time to around 40 minutes.
We know from the books of Acts, Philippians, and Titus that Paul appointed elders to govern and teach the churches in Lystra, Iconium, Derbe, Ephesus, Philippi, and Crete, but the Bible never mentions any pastors or elders at the church in Corinth. (The closest it comes is a mention in 1 Corinthians 16:15 of Stephanus providing an unexplained “service” to the church.)
From what we read in 2 Corinthians, it seems that Paul considered himself still in a pastoral role with the Corinthian church, even after he moved across the sea from Corinth to Ephesus. In other words, I would say that he was not only an Apostle who went all over the world planting churches, he also pastored those new churches until he could hand them off to dedicated pastors like Epaphrus, Timothy, and Titus.
Since Paul instructed Titus that “setting a church in order” mean “appointing elders in every city” (1:5), I suspect that Paul intended to hand off the pastoring of the Corinthian church to local elders but that he just hadn’t yet found enough men in Corinth ready to be ordained to that role, and that would be a reason why he kept making visits back to Corinth to check up on them.
So this passage has a lot to say about the relationship between a pastor and the members of a church.
Read my translation of this passage, starting at verse 11:
Y’all
are also collaborating together on behalf of us by means of prayer,
in order that this gift from many persons to us might be
given-thanks-for by many on account of us. For this is our cause for
celebration - the testimony of our conscience, that in
single-mindedness and integrity from God we conducted ourselves –
not in fleshly wisdom but rather – in the grace of God in the
world and even moreso toward y’all, for we are writing no other
things to y’all except the things that y’all are picking up from
Bible-reading or y’all already acknowledge, and I hope that y’all
will [also] acknowledge until the end, just as y’all also came to
know us somewhat, such that we are your cause for celebration (just
as y’all also are ours), in the day of the Lord Jesus. Now, it was
under this impression that I was wanting to come to y’all first
(in order that y’all might have a double grace), that is, to pass
through y’all into Macedonia, then to come again from Macedonia to
y’all, and then to be sent forth by y’all into Judea. So, when I
was wanting that, was I using dishonor? Or is it according to the
flesh that I want what I want, such that [saying] “Yes, yes!”
AND “No, no!” might be the case with me?
Our passage opens in v.12 with Paul and Timothy declaring what their “boasting/rejoicing/ glorying/proud confidence” is – the thing they celebrate most – what gets them excited enough to tell other people about (and to thank God for)1.
This thing that prompted their “boasting/rejoicing/pride” is corroborated by their conscience as a morally-good thing and something which truly happened and is not a falsehood2.
We
should indeed be “holding the mystery of the faith with a
pure conscience.”
~1 Tim.
3:9, NKJV, cf.
Acts
23:1, Rom.
9:1, 1
Tim.
1:5&19)
So, if your conscience is bothering you about something, pay attention! Find out from God’s word and godly counsel if your conscience is giving you an accurate warning, and then follow through with the appropriate response: if you have been in walking in sin, die to that sin, or, if your conscience has been messed up by a lie, free your conscience by informing it with the truth of God’s word.
Anyway, that thing which the apostles were “celebrating” and which their “conscience” commended had to do with how they “behaved/conducted themselves… in the world and especially toward” the church in Corinth.
Paul looks back on his earlier stay in Corinth – how it went and how God used him, and he is filled with good memories and joyful hope and reassurance in God’s calling, and most importantly, he is filled with enthusiasm to keep sharing the good news of Jesus.
Romans 15:15-17 “...because of the grace given to me by God, that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles... Therefore I have reason to glory[boast/celebrate] in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God.” (NKJV)
Paul and Timothy are particularly excited about four things that have characterized their ministry over the years. These four things are listed in verse 12 in the form of prepositional phrases, all starting with the word “in.” Let’s look at each one of these four things that caused the apostles to “celebrate:”
First, they celebrate that they were able to conduct themselves “in simplicity/holiness.”
In the majority of Greek manuscripts, this word is a form of the Greek word for the number “one,” but in the five oldest-known manuscripts a change of two letters in the word makes it the word for “holiness.” The English translations which place a higher value on the most widely-used manuscripts read “simplicity,” while the English versions which place a higher value on the oldest manuscripts read “holiness,” although I will note in passing that both the ESV3 and the NIV changed their previous editions which had read “holiness,” so that they now read “simplicity.”
Both holiness and simplicity are good things from God. I already did a study on holiness in my first sermon on 2 Corinthians, so let me just comment on “simplicity” here:
it does not mean “simple” as in “foolish,” nor does it mean “simplicity” as in a monastic vow of poverty, rather, it means that they consistently lived their life to fulfill one single objective. (Remember this word is based on the Greek word for the number “one.”4)
Paul was “single-minded” – he always came back to the good news about Jesus. And that’s why uses this same word to express his fear later on in 2 Corinthians 11:3 that the Corinthians might lose their single-minded focus on Jesus: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (NKJV)
Now, in the books of Romans and Corinthians – especially in 2 Corinthians 8-11, this word carries an additional component of meaning, and that is the meaning of “generosity/liberality” in financial giving.
We don’t really have a word in English which combines these two ideas of single-mindedness and generosity, but that word exists in Greek,
and it was thrilling to Paul and Timothy to be able to look back and see that they had been able to stay centered on one message about Jesus and to give it out with generous love toward the Corinthian church.
Does your life revolve around Jesus? And are you generous in sharing Him with others?
The second characteristic that the apostles were able to “celebrate” was that they conducted themselves in “godly sincerity/integrity from God.”
This word for “sincerity” only occurs two other places in the entire Greek Bible, and both of them are in the letters to the Corinthians:
1 Cor. 5:8 “In this way let us keep the feast – not with old leaven and not with leaven of malice and wickedness, but rather with what is unleavened, of sincerity and truth.” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 2:17 “For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.” (NKJV)
The Geneva Bible, KJV, NASB, and ESV render the Greek genitive noun for “God” as the English adjective “godly,” but the NIV and NET Bibles, and many of the classic commentaries render this Greek word more literally as “from God,” indicating that the pureness of their motives and lack of duplicity are not an achievement by the apostles but rather a result of God’s work5 - this is “from God.”
Do you ever look back on your life and think, “Wow, I didn’t realize at the time how much integrity that decision had – I was just trying to do the little bit that I understood God calling me to do, but now I am so glad at what a solid foundation that decision laid in my life, and I am seeing so many long-term blessings as a result!” That is reason to praise God for His guidance in giving you integrity!
The third thing that the apostles celebrate is a negative one: they did not conduct themselves “in fleshly/earthly/worldly wisdom.”
This was a major theme of the first two chapters of First Corinthians, so I’ll just let Paul speak for himself: Notice how many times the words “wise” and “wisdom” show up and how single-minded Paul is about the gospel!
1 Corinthians 1:17-24 “For Christ did not commission me to baptize, but rather to evangelize – [and that] not by sophistication of words, so that the cross of Christ would not be nullified. [Did you get that? If you use worldly wisdom, you nullify the cross of Christ!] For the message – the one about the cross – to those who are being destroyed is stupidity, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God, for it has been written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise men, and the intelligence of the intelligent I will replace.’ Where is the wise man? Where is the lettered man? Where is the rhetorician of this age? Hasn't God made the wisdom of the world stupid? For since in the wisdom of God, the world though its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased though the stupidity of what was preached to save those who believe. Since Jews are also requiring signs, and Greeks are seeking wisdom, but, as for us, we are preaching a Christ who has been crucified – to Jews a stumbling-block, and stupidity to Gentiles, but to them – the called ones (both Jews and Greeks) – Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (NAW)
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 “And when I came to you, brothers, I came not with preeminence of words or wisdom, proclaiming to you God's mystery, for I did not decide to know anything among y'all except Jesus Christ – and Him having been crucified [There’s that simple, single-mindedness again!]. And as for me, I came to y'all in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my word and my preaching were not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but rather in a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, in order that your faith might not exist in the wisdom of men, but rather in the power of God… 12-13 Now, as for us, we received – not the spirit of the world, but rather – the Spirit, the one which [came] out of God, in order that we might know the things freely given to us by God. These are also what we are uttering, not in learned words of human wisdom, but rather in learned spiritual things from the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things.” (NAW, cf. James 3:13-17)
Are you finding that that some decisions in life are hard because they go against the flow of the world and against the grain of your sinful flesh? That’s a good sign, if you are following Christ!
A word of caution however: Christian maturity is not about simply being anti-establishment and different. There are actually some things that both worldly wisdom and godly wisdom agree on, like the stupidity of doing drugs or of climbing high cliffs without a safety harness. One of the hardest things for me to figure out has been when to accept common-sense advice (that is actually a grace of God) and when to go against the flow of conventional wisdom as an act of faith in obedience to God. May God give you grace and wisdom in making those determinations!
The fourth and final characteristic that the apostles celebrate is in contrast to fleshly wisdom: they conducted themselves “in the grace of God.”
The first time we see this phrase in Paul’s life is when his sending church in Antioch, Syria, laid hands on him (and on his missionary team) and commended them “to the grace of God”!6
This is important to recognize: the grace of God wasn’t intrinsically in the super-apostle Paul, it came to him as the result of the prayers of a normal church congregation like ours. You are able to bless gospel workers by commending them to the grace of God too!
Part of operating “in the grace of God” for the apostles was that they talked about the grace of God when they shared the good news about Jesus:
Acts 20:24 “...the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (NKJV, cf. Gal. 2:21, Col. 1:6, Heb. 2:9)
Romans 5:15 “...For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.” (NKJV)
Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” (NKJV)
Furthermore, Paul sought to live his life according to the grace which He received from God by faith, relying on God’s love and power to minister to others7.
1 Corinthians 3:10 “According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.”
1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
Ephesians 3:2-7 “if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you… of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.”
So, when a ministry project comes together well (be it a weekly worship service, or a fellowship meal, or an evangelism outreach, or a Bible study, or helping someone with a need, or a breakthrough in your child’s character you’ve been working on, or even a cross-cultural mission project), and you feel good about how God used you, and you are excited about how it resulted in people becoming Christians or in Christians growing spiritually – or generally in God being glorified, and you see that it was God who gave you the resources to do it, it is good to celebrate these good things! Celebrate them!
In verse 13, Paul and Timothy deny that they are hiding any of their written teachings from the Corinthians, as perhaps the false apostles had insinuated to the Corinthian church after Paul and Timothy had moved to Ephesus8.
There is no hidden agenda – no secret knowledge for elites – in the doctrine of the Biblical apostles.
Paul had already laid out all the essentials of his doctrine during his first visit to Corinth, and what the apostles are writing now in their epistle only reinforced the basic gospel message they had preached and which the Corinthians had already understood and believed.
This second epistle is not intended to add any new information to that fundamental gospel message.
The Greek word which Paul uses for “read” here, is based on the Greek word for “knowing,” and all 33 times that this Greek word occurs in the New Testament, it refers to knowledge that comes through the reading of the Bible9,
for instance in 2 Corinthians 3:15 “But even to this day, when Moses is read…” He’s talking about when somebody would read aloud in the synagogue every sabbath out of the first five books of the Bible which were compiled by Moses.
The epistemological significance of this statement must not be overlooked.
The first thing on Paul’s list of what the Corinthians should be comparing his preaching to is: the Word of God already written in their Bibles – the Old Testament part of the Bible being the only part those believers had at that time (except for the letters and gospels they got from the apostles).
This falls right in line with Jesus’ use of this same Greek word for “reading” in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus said: “Did you not read what David did because He was hungry…? And did y'all not read in the Law that on the Sabbaths the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath yet continue to be innocent?” (12:3-5), “Didn't y'all read that from the beginning The Maker made them male and female…?” (19:4), “...haven't you ever read that, 'out of the mouth of babies and breast-feeding [children] you have fixed up praise for yourself?'” (21:16), “...haven't you ever read in the scriptures, 'This stone which the builders rejected, became the corner-stone ...'?" (21:42), “...have you not read God's word to you, where He says, 'I myself am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?…” (22:31-32), “Therefore... let the one who reads [the book of Daniel] be understanding…” (24:15 , NAW10) Do you hear how Jesus consistently appealed to the authority of the Bible?
This models for us the basis for evaluating the truth of any message spoken or written by anybody. Everything we hear should be compared to what we have read in the Bible, and any message that does not agree with what we’ve read in the Bible should be rejected.
Now, in the case of Paul and Timothy, their preaching was carefully developed to be faithful to all of holy Scripture, so they were confident that the Corinthians would not find any contradictions between their preaching and the Corinthians’ Bible reading.
Let me also add, that since this Greek verb for “reading” is in the present tense, Paul and Timothy indicate that reading the Bible is not a one-and-done thing, but a lifelong, continuing process of taking-in God’s word. There is always more to learn every time we read our Bibles!
The second point of comparison in Paul and Timothy’s list in verse 13 (after the Bible) is what these Christians already know and understand well, and that is: the Gospel message which Paul had preached previously to them (and which they had believed).
This is described with a specialized word for “knowledge” in the Greek text, focusing on knowledge as the result of the discovery of new information. In this context, it describes the process of believing the gospel message after hearing it.
2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not fully understand yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?...” (NKJV)
Colossians 1:5-6 “...the good news which is present in you, just as also in all the world it is bearing fruit and being increased just as also in y'all, from the day you heard and came to know the grace of God in truth.” (NAW)
And, Paul adds at the end of verse 13, he hopes that the Corinthian church will continue to grow to “fully understand”/“acknowledge until the end” this gospel message because it is essential to salvation.
The NIV, NET, and ESV translate this phrase adverbially (“fully understand the Gospel”) as a contrast to their “partial” knowledge about Paul (mentioned in v.14). And that is fine, as long as you don’t take it to the extreme of expecting to understand everything about God in this life. (We should expect to keep growing in our understanding.)
Most English translations, however, translate the last phrase of verse 13 as “until the end,” which is the more-literal, word-for-word translation. This traditional interpretation emphasizes continuing to trust Jesus for our salvation “until the end” – that is, as verse 14 puts it, until “the day of our Lord Jesus,” when He returns.
By the way, this is the point at which Paul begins to take the lead over Timothy in the writing of 2 Corinthians.
Verse 13 is the first time that a singular first-person verb (“I hope”) is used, after an introduction with a lot of plural first-person verbs (such as “we are writing”),
and that trend will continue with 147 more first-person verbs expressing Paul’s singular perspective throughout the rest of 2 Corinthians.
God the Holy Spirit, expressing the word of God-the-Son, is still the ultimate source behind 2 Corinthians, but it is interesting to see the interplay of the human authors involved.
All 12 other times that this phrase “in the day” occurs in the New Testament11, the preposition “in” means “at the time of,” so Paul and Timothy are looking forward to “the day” when Jesus will return to judge the world and to begin the heavenly “age to come,”
and they are saying that both they as apostles (who planted the church), as well as those who are the members of the church, will celebrate the victory of their faith in Jesus together and will celebrate each other’s roles in the building and preservation of the church together when they see the consummation of these relationships at the wedding feast with Jesus in heaven12.
In fact, they are already celebrating these things, because the verb in “we are your boast” is present tense, and that is also reflected in the reciprocal phrase, “as y’all are [present tense] ours.”
This theme was already touched-on in 1 Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 1:4-8 “I am thanking my God always concerning y'all, on account of the grace of God which was given you by Jesus Christ, so that in everything, y'all were enriched by Him in every word and in every [piece of] knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed by you, so that y'all don't miss out on any [spiritual] gift as you are eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who will also make you firm until the end – so as not to be called-down in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NAW)
Paul also mentioned this in his letters to the churches in Philippi and Thessalonica:
Philippians 2:16 “holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.” 4:1 “Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.” (NKJV)
1 Thess. 3:13 “so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” 2:19-20 “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy.” (NKJV)
The book of 2 Corinthians showcases for us the love and loyalty that should exist between a church minister and a church congregation. It also highlights the grief and sorrow that result when that church relationship is dishonored and people begin to think the worst of each other. We also see here in verse 14 that there is a healthy place for celebrating these church relationships which God has given us.
In our day and age, however, many Christians have reacted against old, legalistic church traditions by running to the opposite extreme of overemphasizing freedom, abandoning the Biblical idea of membership in a local church and avoiding accountability to local church pastors.
An exacerbating factor is the recent technological developments, which enable, for the first time in history, anyone who wants to broadcast their ideas, to be able to do so, without any specialized equipment, and without any editorial staff, directly to the cellular phones of millions of listeners or viewers in real-time video.
This technological development creates artificial relationships where the listner-viewers come to feel as though they have a relationship with the influencers, while they know nothing more about these influencers than what these influencers choose to reveal about themselves in their broadcasts, and, of course, it is natural to show only one’s best side in public, so, most of the time, the consumers of this content don’t have an accurate knowledge of the person who is generating the content they are consuming.
Furthermore, the internet influencer has no personal relationship with the listener-viewer. Social media is rigged in such a way that content-providers are motivated to invest less-and-less in personal relationships in order to get more-and-more followers. And they learn to avoid publishing content that would cause them to lose followers in this numbers-game.
Of course, it is possible to find great information and encouragement from these broadcasters, but we must be careful not to expect more from those relationships than they are actually capable of delivering.
The relationships which Scripture teaches us to celebrate in Corinthians are the face-to-face ones which we experience in the context of church life, and here in 2 Corinthians, particularly the relationship between a church pastor and members of the congregation. In this particular relationship, if both parties are conducting themselves in a godly manner, the pastor really gets to know what is going on in the life of each parishioner, and he wisely and incisively addresses the important issues that each individual needs to work on in their relationships with God and others13, and, likewise, the parishioner studies the pastor – warts and all, to pick up everything he/she can learn about how to live the Christian life, finding ways to show “double honor” to him (1 Tim. 5:17).
The development of personal knowledge and relationship between church pastor and church member is touched-on in verse 14 where Paul and Timothy write, “y’all also came to know us in part/somewhat,” speaking of the 18 months Paul had spent in Corinth previously14, and the further development of that relationship is the reason why Paul is trying to get back to Corinth to see them again a couple more times.
The state of this pastoral relationship between Paul and the Corinthian church is illustrated very practically in verses 15-17 by explaining Paul’s travel itinerary and his rationale for organizing it the way he did.
The nature of this “grace/benefit” that Paul intended to “double” “towards” the Corinthian church is explained more in chapter 8, in terms of mutual giving and encouragement as well as the joy of bonding in relationship.15
Apparently, even before he wrote 1 Corinthians, Paul had wanted to “double” that opportunity for relational bonding and mutual giving and encouragement in Corinth by making two visits during his next itinerary around the Aegean sea16. That initial plan was to travel from Ephesus across the sea to Corinth, then by land north to the Macedonian cities of Thessalonica and Philippi, then back south to Corinth, and finally by ship out to Judea (cf. Acts 19:21).
Later in 2 Corinthians, we will read a fuller explanation of what Paul meant by the Corinthians sending/bringing/helping him on his way to Judea. Paul was raising money from these Gentile churches around the Aegean Sea to give as a gift to the persecuted Christians in Jerusalem, and he wanted the Corinthian church to help with that.
Anyway, Paul must have told the Corinthian church of that initial plan while he was with them in Corinth or perhaps in the first letter he sent them – the letter before 1 Corinthians.17
However, by the time he wrote 1 Corinthians 16:5-8, his original plan had changed: “Now, I will come to y'all [and he added that it would be “soon” in 1 Cor. 4:19] whenever I go through Macedonia – for I am going through Macedonia, but for y'all maybe I will stick around or even spend the winter, in order that y'all might send me forward wherever I'm going, for I do not merely want to see y'all along the way, for I am hoping to remain some time with y'all – if the Lord makes it turn out. Now I will stay on in Ephesus, because a door has opened up for me…” (NAW) [Show map]
Apparently, some folks in Corinth had harshly criticized Paul for telling them one plan and then following through with a different plan. So, in order to defend his reputation and to build goodwill with these people he is trying to pastor, Paul gives an explanation here for why he changed his travel plans18.
But at the beginning of verse 15, he explains that this travel plan had been based “In the confidence/under the impression/with the assumption” that you are (as he said in verses 11-14) with us in prayer, that you are celebrating our success in godliness, and that you are persevering in the faith we taught you.19
Now, when Paul realized that things were not going that swimmingly in Corinth, he realized he needed to spend a bigger chunk of time there in Corinth working through problems rather than just breezing through quickly. In order to do that, he had to go through Macedonia first, which meant arriving in Corinth later, but having more time to spend there before he had to take off for the holiday season he was trying to hit in Jerusalem.
In verse 17, the false accusations that started flying about Paul are implied:
“Aha! Paul wasn’t thinking very carefully when he made those plans!”
“He’s so flippant about things that are important to us.”
“He changed plans just to make light of you and ‘dis’ you.”
“He’s so fickle and vacillating. You never know what he’s going to say next. You can’t believe anything he says!”
“He just wants to make things convenient for himself.”
“He says both yes and no so he doesn’t have to make a commitment and he can do whatever his flesh desires20. You can’t trust a guy like that.”
“If he were a truly spiritual man, he would know the future and wouldn’t have to resort to telling you one thing and then changing it on you.”
Can you see how all these kinds of criticisms resulted in what Paul writes in verse 17?
Now, in Greek, there is a way to let the reader know whether the author thinks the answer to a question is yes or no, and here Paul uses Greek grammar that signals that these accusations are false. Greek grammarian A.T. Robertson commented, “An indignant negative answer is called for by [the Greek word] mēti.”
Was I being flippant? You know me well enough to know that’s not what I was doing; I love y’all and am pouring my life out for what is best for you! (Phil. 2:17)
Do I walk according to the flesh?
2 Corinthians 10:2 “...I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.” (NKJV)
Romans 8:1 There is... no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (NKJV)
Do I say “Yes” and “No” at the same time to mislead people? NO! I follow Christ who said, “But let your word ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes;’ ‘No,’ ‘No.’ …” (Matt. 5:37, NAW, cf. Jas. 5:12)
Paul’s detractors say that Paul puts an “and” in-between the “yes’s” and the “no’s,” but that “and” is not in Jesus’ command; it’s not “yes and no” (to try to please everybody or manipulate them); rather we should stick by the truth, whether it be “yes” or “no,” and that doesn’t change.
So those who knew Paul and Timothy knew that none of these slanderous things were true, so there was no solid reason to reject Paul’s leadership, as Paul worked to bring order and development to their church.
Too many times we imagine bad motives behind what our leaders are doing, rather than thinking the best of them.
Too many times I have looked down on my pastor because of some shortcoming that I saw in him, so I wasn’t willing to look to him to lead me spiritually.
Too often I have talked with other people about things I didn’t like about my church elders.
So, even though I am a church pastor now and am on the other end of those things, I remember how easy it was to complain and criticize and gossip rather than to celebrate the good things God is doing and build up the people in the church.
So let us conduct ourselves in simplicity and holiness, in sincerity & integrity from God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, and let us celebrate these things when we see them in our church.
Let us uphold the authority of the Bible and keep growing in our understanding of it.
Let us continue to trust Jesus for our salvation “until the end” – until Jesus returns.
And let us embrace the face-to-face interaction and accountability in relationships that we can have in our local church, thinking the best of each other, and celebrating each other’s roles in the building and preservation of the church.
ByzantineB |
NAW |
KJVC |
RheimsD |
MurdockE |
11 συνυπουργούντωνF καὶ ὑμῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τῇ δεήσει, ἵνα ἐκ πολλῶν προσώπων τὸG εἰς ἡμᾶς χάρισμα διὰ πολλῶνH εὐχαριστηθῇ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶνI. |
11 Y’all are also collaborating together on behalf of us by means of prayer, in order that this gift from many persons to us might be given-thanks-for by many on account of us. |
11 Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us [by the means] of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf. |
11
You helping
withal
in prayer for
us. That for this gift [obtained]
|
11
|
12 ῾Η γὰρK καύχησις ἡμῶν αὕτη ἐστί, τὸ μαρτύριον τῆς συνειδήσεωςL ἡμῶν, ὅτι ἐν ἁπλότητιM καὶ εἰλικρινείᾳN ΘεοῦO, οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ σαρκικῇP, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν χάριτι Θεοῦ ἀνεστράφημενQ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, περισσοτέρως δὲ πρὸς ὑμᾶςR· |
12 For this is our cause for celebration - the testimony of our conscience, that in single-mindedness and integrity from God we conducted ourselves – not in fleshly wisdom but rather – in the grace of God in the world and even moreso toward y’all, |
12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but byS the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. |
12 For our glory is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity [of heartT] and sincerity of God, and not in carnal wisdom, but in the grace of God, we have conversed in [this] world: and more abundantly towards you. |
12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and purity, [and] by the grace of God, and not in the wisdom of the flesh, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially towards you. |
13 οὐ γὰρ ἄλλα γράφομεν ὑμῖν, ἀλλ᾿ ἢ ἃ ἀναγινώσκετε ἢ καὶ ἐπιγινώσκετε, ἐλπίζω δὲ ὅτι Uκαὶ ἕως τέλουςV ἐπιγνώσεσθε, |
13 for we are writing no other things to y’all except the things that y’all are picking up from Bible-reading or y’all already acknowledge, and I hope that y’all will [also] acknowledge until the end, |
13 For we write none other things unto you, than what ye read or X acknowledge; and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end; |
13
For we write no other things to you than what you |
13 We write no other things unto you, than those which ye know X and acknowledge. And I trust, ye will acknowledge [them] to the end: |
14 καθὼς καὶ ἐπέγνωτε ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ μέρουςW, ὅτι καύχημα ὑμῶν ἐσμεν, καθάπερ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἡμῶν, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ ΚυρίουX ᾿ΙησοῦY. |
14 just as y’all also came to know us somewhat, such that we are your cause for celebration (just as y’all also are ours), in the day of the Lord Jesus. |
14 As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus. |
14 As also you have known us in part, that we are your glory: as you also are ours, in the day of [our] Lord Jesus [Christ]. |
14
as ye have
also partially acknowledged
|
15 Καὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πεποιθήσει ἐβουλόμην πρὸς ὑμᾶς Zπρότερον ἐλθεῖν, ἵνα δευτέραν χάριν AAἔχητε, |
15 Now, it was under this impression that I was wanting to come to y’all first (in order that y’all might have a double grace), |
15 And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit; |
15 And in this confidence I had a mind to come to you before, that you might have a second grace: |
15 And in this confidence, I was before disposed to come to you, that ye might receive the grace doubly; |
16 καιAB̀ δι᾿ ὑμῶν διελθεῖν εἰς Μακεδονίαν, καὶ πάλιν ἀπὸ Μακεδονίας ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ ὑφ᾿ ὑμῶν προπεμφθῆναιAC εἰς τὴν ᾿Ιουδαίαν. |
16 that is, to pass through y’all into Macedonia, then to come again from Macedonia to y’all, and then to be sent forth by y’all into Judea. |
16 And to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you to be brought [on my way] toward Judaea. |
16 And to pass by you into Macedonia: and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be brought [on my way] towards Judea. |
16
and to pass by you into Macedonia,
and again to come to you from Macedonia,
and so
X ye |
17 τοῦτο οὖν βουλADόμενος μήτι ἄρα τῇ ἐλαφρίᾳ AE ἐχρησάμην; ἢ ἃ βουλεύομαι, κατὰ σάρκα βουλεύομαι, ἵναAF ᾖ παρ᾿ ἐμοὶ τὸ ναὶ ναὶ καὶ τὸ οὒ οὔAG; |
17 So, when I was wanting that, was I using dishonor? Or is it according to the flesh that I want what I want, such that [saying] “Yes, yes!” AND “No, no!” might be the case with me? |
17 When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay? |
17 Whereas then I was thus minded, did I use lightness? Or, the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that there should be with me, It is X X, and It is not X X? |
17
When
therefore I
thus purposed,
did I
purpose X
|
1The
word “confidence” occurs more often in 2 Corinthians than in any
other book of the Bible.
Calvin held a somewhat
different interpretation of this passage in which he saw it as Paul
defending his own honor.
2“teaching them... if so be they have a pure conscience, even to be proud of them; and at the same time quietly though gently hitting at the false Apostles… And... by employing the words, ‘not in [fleshly]wisdom...’ here too striking at the[m]...” ~Chrysostom
3I am counting the Revised Standard Version of 1952 as the previous edition of the ESV, and the 1984 NIV as the previous edition of the 2011 NIV.
4Calvin seems to have been off-base when he defined “simplicity” as “the glory of God.”
5Cf. Hughes: “of God, that is, they have their origin in God, not in himself.” G. Wilson: “Paul thus freely attributes the ‘moral purity’ (Arndt-Gingrich) of his conduct and the sincerity of his motives to the grace of God.” Barnes: “that sincerity which God produces and approves,” Vincent “sincerity of God” A.T. Robertson argued in the other direction, “the God-kind (genitive case) of sincerity.”
6Acts 14:26 "From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed… 15:40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God.” (NKJV)
7cf. Chrysostom: “What is, ‘in the grace of God?’ Displaying the wisdom that is from Him, the power from Him given unto us…” Calvin: “….everything that transcends man’s nature and capacity, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which openly manifested the power of God in the weakness of the flesh.”
8cf. 2 Cor. 5:12 “For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart." (NKJV)
9Ambrose, Chrysostom, Vincent, Robertson, G. Wilson, and Hughes agreed that this means “read,” and Chrysostom noted the harmony between Paul’s actions, his writings, and testimony of the Corinthian church. Calvin had a different interpretation: “to acknowledge” and “own,” apparently based on Classical Greek usage of the term (His English editor, Pringle, cited Xenophon and Bloomfield in support).
10This is every instance of the verb anaginwskw in the Gospel of Matthew.
11Luke 4:16, 10:12, 14:5, 17:24, 19:42, John 11:9, 1 Cor. 1:8, 5:5, Eph. 6:13, 2 Thess. 1:10, Heb. 4:4, & 1 John 4:17
12cf. Chrysostom: “that day of fear and shuddering in the which all things are revealed... then, all men as well will learn both our doings and yours: and shall behold us glorified through each other.” Calvin: “the last day which will put an end to all the fleeting glories of this world.” All other commentators agreed.
13cf. Colossians 1:28 “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” (NKJV)
14cf. 1 Cor. 9:1-2 “...Aren't you yourselves my work in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, nevertheless I still am to you, for you yourselves are my seal of apostleship in the Lord!” (NAW)
15“Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift/[grace] and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. But as you abound in everything-- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us-- see that you abound in this grace also.” (2 Cor. 8:1-7, NKJV)
16Commentators are not all agreed. Vincent agreed with me (“Not a mere pleasurable experience through Paul's visit, but a divine bestowal of grace. Compare Rom. 1:11. ‘Second’ refers to his original plan to visit Corinth twice, on his way to Macedonia and on his return.”). cf. Robertson: “two visits” and G. Wilson (& Hughes): “double visit.” Chrysostom interpreted the two benefits (which he also called “pleasures”) as 1) his “letter” and 2) his “visit;” Calvin interpreted the “second benefit” as a second season of ministry in addition to that first 18 months, and Henry concurred (“a second benefit, that is, a further advantage by his ministry”).
17“Possibly during the second visit or possibly in this lost letter he had intimated to them his hope of being able to pay them a double visit by seeing them both on his way to and on his return from Macedonia.” ~Hughes
18Chrysostom noted that Paul had not actually gone back on his word because he had merely expressed his “desire/ wish” in the first plan, and that did not constitute a promise.
19cf. Chrysostom: “What confidence? In relying exceedingly on you, glorying over you, being your glorying, loving you exceedingly, being conscious to myself of nothing evil, being confident that all is spiritual with us, and having you as witnesses of this.” Calvin: “they had, by their ingratitude, hindered, to some extent, his coming to them, by depriving him of that confidence.” Hughes: “that is, in the confidence that he was their glorying, their trusted and loyally acknowledged Apostle, Paul had formulated the plan of paying the Corinthians a double visit...”
20cf. Chrysostom: “...it was not from lightness, that is, fickleness in me that I came not, but that being subject to the Spirit I obeyed Him… That by which they thought to prove that ‘he purposed according to the flesh,’ namely, the non-fulfilment of his promise, he uses as the special proof that he purposed according to the Spirit...”
AWhen
a translation adds words not in the Greek text, but does not
indicate it has done so by the use of italics or greyed-out text, I
put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a
wording which is different from all the other translations, I
underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my
opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Greek
word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text,
I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word
which is in the original text, I insert an X. I also place an X at
the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English
translation is singular. I occasionally use colors to help the
reader see correlations between the various editions and versions
when there are more than two different translations of a given word.
NAW is my translation. My original chart includes annotated copies
of the NKJV, NASB, NIV, and ESV, but I erase them from the online
edition so as not to infringe on their copyrights.
BThis Greek New Testament is the 1904 "Patriarchal" edition of the Greek Orthodox Church. As published by E-Sword in 2016. The Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine majority text of the GNT and the Textus Receptus are very similar. The Westcott-Hort, Nestle-Aland, and UBS editions, however, are a slightly-different family of GNTs developed in the modern era, focusing on the few manuscripts which are older than the Byzantine manuscripts. Even so, the practical differences in the text between these two editing philosophies are minimal.
C1769 King James Version of the Holy Bible; public domain. As published by E-Sword in 2019.
DRheims New Testament first published by the English College at Rheims, A.D. 1582, Revised and Diligently Compared with the Latin Vulgate by Bishop Richard Challoner, Published in 1582, 1609, 1752. As published on E-Sword in 2016.
EJames Murdock, A Literal Translation from the Syriac Peshito Version, 1851, Robert Carter & Brothers, New York. Scanned and transcribed by Gary Cernava and published electronically by Janet Magierra at http://www.lightofword.org and published on E-Sword in 2023.
FHapax Legomenon. The simpler form ‘upergw (without the syn- prefix) does not occur in the Greek Bible, but synergw (without the ‘upo- prefix) does occur 5x in the GNT (Mk. 16:20 – the Lord collaborated with the Apostles; Rom. 8:28 - God works together all things for good; 1 Cor. 16:16 – Paul’s co-laborer Stephanus; 2 Cor. 6:1 – Apostles are co-laborers with Christ; Jas. 2:22 – faith was collaborating with Abraham’s works) and 2x in the Apocrypha (1 Es. 7:2; 1 Ma. 12:1). The additional prefix here in 2 Cor. 1:11 emphasizes the team spirit in what was already good collaboration.
GThis is a simple definite article in Greek, matching “gift/favor,” but, a Greek definite article can be interpreted pronominally, so the Peshitta and Vulgate translated it “his gift,” and I translated it “this gift.” Calvin, however interpreted it as an “adversative particle” such as “Notwithstanding” or “Nonetheless” (“En lieu de quelque article adversative qu’on appelle, comme Toutesfois ou Neantmoins”)
HHanna connected “by many” with “the gift” (“the gift which reached us by the agency of many”) rather than with “might be thanked,” reasoning that “an anarthrous prepositional phrase generally modifies a verb rather than a noun.” All the standard English versions connect “by many” with “give thanks” (i.e. KJV “thanks may be given by many”). The Greek is ambiguous, and Moule’s Idiom Book of New Testament Greek notes that there are technical grammar irregularities in either interpretation.
I“our” is the reading of the Textus Receptus Greek New Testament (GNT), the traditional Patriarchal GNT, and of the modern critical GNT editions (and therefore of all English versions), but a slim majority of Greek manuscripts read, with the change of one letter, “on your behalf” instead of “our,” and this variant is in about half of the oldest-known manuscripts as well, so it has been debated for a long time. This kind of variant is common and doesn’t substantially change the meaning, because the difference between “y’all” and “us” is merely in whether the author is including himself or not.
JAll the English translations of this verse in the Peshitta make the word for “prayer” plural, but the word ܕ݁ܒ݂ܳܥܽܘܬ݂ܟ݂ܽܘܢ is labeled as singular at http://dukhrana.com/peshitta/analyze_verse.php?lang=en&verse=2Corinthians+1:11, matching the singularity of this word in all the Greek manuscripts.
KAGNT labeled this conjunction with Louw & Nida Semantic domain #91.1 “markers of a new sentence,” and this seems to be the consensus among English versions, since they all capitalize it as the first word of the sentence.
LNowhere else in the Greek Bible are “conscience” and any form of the word for “witness/testify/testimony” paired in the same verse.
MLit.
“singleness,” thus “simpleness” in the KJV, but this could
be misleading because we use this word to describe mentally
handicapped people and to describe the monastic practice of
renouncing ownership of possessions, neither of which are what Paul
intends. Singlemindedness – being the sort of person who always
comes back to a certain topic (in Paul’s case, the gospel) is more
likely what is in view. This word is used in the O.T. and Apocrypha
to mean “integrity, sincere piety” (2 Sam. 15:11; 1 Chr. 29:17;
1 Ma. 2:37, 60; 3 Ma. 3:21; Wis. 1:1; Sus. 1:63). Five out of the 8
GNT instances have to do with “generosity/liberality” in giving
(Rom. 12:8; 2 Cor. 8:2; 9:11, 13; 11:3), and the other two have to
do with “serving” a master (Eph. 6:5; Col. 3:22). I can’t
think of an English word which combines all these meanings, but it
should be noted that 2 Cor. contains over half the instances of this
word in the GNT and that all the rest of the instances of this word
in 2 Cor. mean “generousness.”
A dozen or so manuscripts,
including the 5 oldest-known, read ἁγιότητι
(“holiness”)
instead of ἁπλότητι.
The Tischendorf and Tregelles editions of the GNT followed that
reading, and a number of English versions followed them (RV,
ASV/NASB, NLT, and 1984 NIV – but 2011 NIV corrected to the
traditional reading of “integrity”). Surprisingly, the
Nestle-Aland and UBS editions of the GNT sided against Tischendorf
and Tregelles and with the traditional reading in the Byzantine
majority, Patriarchal editions, and Textus Receptus.
NThis
root only occurs two other places in the entire Greek Bible: 1 Cor.
5:8 and 2 Cor. 2:17.
Chrysostom seems to give only one
definition for both words: “...that is to say, having no deceitful
thing, no hypocrisy, no dissimulation, no flattery, no ambush or
guile, nor any other such thing, but in all frankness, in
simplicity, in truth, in a pure and unmalicious spirit, in a
guileless mind, having nothing concealed, no festering sore.”
cf.
Calvin: “an open and upright way of acting, such as makes a
man’s heart as it were transparent.” Calvin’s English editor,
Pringle “denotes properly – clearness”
OThis is the reading of the majority of Greek manuscripts and of the Greek Orthodox and Textus Receptus editions. About 20 manuscripts (including about 2/3 of the pre-9th-century ones) insert the definite article του (“of THE God”), so contemporary critical editions incorporate that, but it doesn’t change the meaning, because Paul only taught the existence of one God of this class. The Geneva Bible, KJV, NASB, and ESV render “God” (in the genitive case) as “godly,” almost as though it were an achievement by the apostles to be like God, but the NIV, and NET Bibles render more literally “from God,” indicating that the pureness of their motives and lack of duplicity are a result of God’s work. This word for “God” is different in form from “fleshly” which has a Greek adjective ending (); theos does not appear with that adjectival ending anywhere in the Greek Bible.
PCuriously, this is the only place in the Greek Bible where the phrase “fleshly wisdom” occurs (although a “wisdom” related to the “flesh” does occur in Colossians 2:23). The phrases “wisdom of man” (1 Cor. 2:4,5&13) or “worldly wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:20-21; 3:19) occur more often, and are not essentially different in meaning. cf. M. Henry “carnal politics and worldly views”
QATR: “the passive is used as in late Greek as if middle”
RCalvin, ATR, and Hughes attempted to explain “abundant” in terms of the greater amount of time Paul spent in Corinth, but it makes no sense to me to say that Paul spent more time in Corinth than he did in the world. NASB/NIV “especially” makes more sense. (ESV’s “supremely” seems like overkill.) Hughes also suggested that “more abundantly” meant that “against the dark background of all the vice and wickedness... [of Corinth, Paul’s] conduct had stood out...”
SThe Greek prepositions are the same (εν), so the KJV shouldn’t have used two different English prepositions. The translation should be “not by fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God” (ESV) or “not in fleshly wisdom, but in the grace of God” (NASB). The NIV “according to” doesn’t match this Greek preposition (it would be a rendering of the different Greek preposition κατα). AGNT labels this preposition throughout this verse with L&N semantic domain # 89.84 “a marker of the manner in which an event occurs” – although this label was erroneously copied onto the final “in the world” which should have been labeled 89.5.
TThis appears to be added by Rheims; “of heart” is not in the Latin.
UThis is the reading of the the majority of Greek manuscripts and of the Greek Orthodox and Textus Receptus editions of the GNT, but this “and” doesn’t appear until the 9th century in any manuscript. All five of the known pre-6th century manuscripts are among the 15 manuscripts which omit the “and,” so this και is not in the contemporary critical editions of the GNT. As usual, it does not change the meaning of the text; it just makes for smoother reading.
VThe traditional English translation of this phase (in Chrysostom, Calvin, Wycliffe, the Geneva Bible, KJV, RV, ASV, NASB, NKJV, and even NLT and Hughes) has been literal “to the end” (which finds its parallel at the end of the next verse “in the day of the Lord” – although Hughes objected to that), but the NIV, NET, and ESV (perhaps following Louw & Nida’s semantic domain unit #78.47) departed from tradition to translate this phrase adverbially (“fully”), contrasting with the phrase “in part” in the next verse. However, if they were consistent, they would have translated the other instances of this phrase in Dan. 7:26 and 1 Cor. 1:8 as “fully destroyed” and “fully confirm,” but they didn’t; they translated the same Greek phrase in those places as “to the end” or “forever.” There is only one other place that the phrase occurs in the Greek OT, but there it is a translation of the Hebrew adverbial phrase ad me’od “to a great extent,” so, while it could perhaps be used to prove that this Greek phrase can have an adverbial meaning, it could just as well be an inaccurate translation. Since all its other uses work as a prepositional phrase “to the end,” it should be questioned whether the exception should be made the rule.
WThe
7 instances of this phrase in the LXX are used to indicate a
geographic border (Num. 34:3; Jos. 18:15, 20), to indicate partial
extent (1 Ki. 6:24 “from the tip/end of the wing”), and
part of a whole (Neh. 7:70 “some of the chiefs”; Jda.
18:2 || Dat. 1:2 “some of the utensils”). The four other
GNT instances are Rom. 11:25 (“hardening in part of the
Jews”), Rom. 15:15 (“written on some points”), Rom.
15:24 (“enjoyed your company for a while”), and 2 Cor.
2:5 (“grieved all of you to some degree/extent/measure”).
Chrysostom merely explained it as Paul being “humble.”
Vincent explained it as “Referring to the partial
understanding of his character and motives by the Corinthians.”
G.
Wilson: “Paul here contrasts
‘the imperfect estimate of his sincerity which the Corinthians now
have with that which will be theirs when the secrets of all hearts
are revealed at the Last Day’ (Chrysostom).” cf.
M. Henry: “[T]hey
had acknowledged in part already, and he doubted not but they would
still do so to the end, that is, that they would never have any good
reason to think or say otherwise of him, but that he was an honest
man.” Hughes,
on the other hand interpreted “in part” to mean that only part
of the church in Corinth was convinced of Paul’s integrity, then
he re-defined “in part” to mean that their knowledge of Paul was
only partial, as “there were still things for them to learn
concerning him, for example, the truth about his ‘thorn in the
flesh’...”
XOn the basis of 17 manuscripts (including 2 of the 6 oldest-known manuscripts: Vaticanus and Sinaiticus) and the Vulgate, Old Latin versions, Coptic, and Syriac versions, contemporary critical editions (with the notable exception of Tregelles) insert hemas here, thus the ASV/NASB and RV/ESV “our Lord.” However, 4 of the 6 oldest-known manuscripts, including the oldest (P46, Alexandrinus, Ephraemi, and Bezae) support the overall majority of Greek manuscripts without “our,” so that is the traditional reading of the Greek Orthodox, Textus Receptus, and Tregelles GNT editions, as well as most English versions. In the NKJV, “the Lord” appears 27 times, and “our Lord” only 3 times in Paul’s writings, so the simpler form (without “our”) is to be expected as Paul’s preferred nomenclature. Ultimately it doesn’t make a difference in theology, since “our” is predicated of “Lord” indisputably elsewhere in this epistle (2 Cor. 1:3; 8:9; 11:31).
YThis is the reading of the Greek Orthodox, Textus Receptus, and critical editions of the GNT, but 17 Greek manuscripts (the oldest being the 6th century Bezae) and the Vulgate and Peshitta add “Christ/Messiah.” Since this title has been used of Jesus undisputedly in the first verse, its presence or non-presence here does not change any point of doctrine.
ZThis is not the reading of any Greek manuscript, but it is the reading of the Greek Orthodox and Textus Receptus editions. The Byzantine majority of manuscripts (the oldest of which is dated in the 9th century) insert a definite article here (το) which makes the word “first” more of a substantive adjective (“the first time”). The rest of the words in this verse are in all the manuscripts, but in various orders, but this word (“first”) is put next to (“to come”) in 19 manuscripts (including the 6 oldest-known ones) and thus in the critical editions of the GNT, calling for it to be interpreted more as an adverb. Vincent argued that it should be translated “come to you first,” but his protegé Robertson argued that it should be translated “before,” as in, it “was his former plan.”
AAThis
is the reading of the majority of Greek manuscripts (the oldest of
which is the 6th century Bezae) and the Greek
Orthodox and Textus Receptus editions. 14 Greek manuscripts
(including the 4 oldest-known) and the critical editions of the GNT
spell this word with a different first letter σ-,
which changes the tense from Present to
Aorist, making no substantial difference in meaning except perhaps
that the Aorist focuses on the possession at that particular point
in time, whereas the Present would focus on the continuing
possession of the thing, but neither meaning excludes the other, and
the KJV translation (which follows the Textus
Receptus) is identical to the ESV
(which follows the UBS critical text) with “you might
have.”
Chrysostom (and, according
to Pringle, “the ancient Commentators” and “Wold and Shleus”
and the English versions of Tyndale and
Cranmer – and he mistakenly added Geneva, so
I shall remove it from his list and add A.T. Robertson and Westcott
instead) translated xarin
as “joy/pleasure/gratification,” and Calvin said he wouldn’t
“much object” to that.
ABLit. “and” (KJV). The NKJV, NIV, and ESV interpreted it as L&N semantic domain #91.1 (“markers of a new sentence, but often best left untranslated”). But I like the NASB’s interpretation that it is an explanatory parenthesis “that is to say” (which is L&N#89.106a in Smith’s Supplement to the L&N Greek-English Lexicon Index).
ACcf.
Rom. 15:24 “for the same service by the Roman Christians on his
proposed trip to Spain.” ~ATR
“[H]e means that they were to
provide companions to escort him on his way, which was then a common
practice among friends (cf. I Cor. 16:6, 11; Acts 15:3; 20:38; 21:5;
Rom. 15:24; Tit. 3:13; III Jn. 6).” ~Hughes
ADThis
is the reading of 18 manuscripts (including the five oldest-known)
and of the Greek Orthodox and contemporary critical editions of the
GNT. The majority of Byzantine manuscripts (the oldest of which is
the 6th century Bezae) and the
Robinson-Pierpont and Textus Receptus editions of the GNT
insert ευ here,
changing the middle voice to passive, although, with a deponent verb
like this, it doesn’t necessarily change the meaning at all – it
could just be that spelling
conventions changed over the centuries and
were edited in to the manuscript.
Either
way, this participle is temporally connected in the present tense to
the main verb in the Aorist “I used.”
AEHapex Legomenon. “Lightness” is the general consensus of meaning. Here it is figurative – not enough weight put on the decision, thus made with levity, flippantly, inconsiderately. NASB & ESV render “vacillating,” following Arndt & Gingrich’s Lexicon, which lists “light” as the first meaning of the word, but found this word used for “fickleness” in Polybius and Homer (who also used it to mean “impetuous”) ; curiously those meanings are not listed in any other lexicon I consulted (including Pershbacher, Strong, Thayer, Friberg, Danker, Liddel-Scott, and Louw & Nida. L&N came closest with 88.99 “caprice and instability.”)
AFHanna noted comments about this hina clause from E. D. Burton, Moods and Tenses of New Testament Greek (“expresses the concerned result of an action”) and J. H. Moulton, A Grammar of New Testament Greek (“...final; Paul is disclaiming the mundane virtue of unsettled convictions, which aims at saying yes and no in one breath”), then offered his opinion that “result and purpose are not to be distinguished, which may be the case here (cf. Rom. 5:20).”
AGThe Vulgate, following P46 (the oldest-known manuscript) and one 10th century manuscript, removed the reduplication and just rendered it “yea and nay.” cf. Calvin: “[T]he reiterating of the affirmation and negation will not have the same meaning as in Matthew 5:37 and in James, but will bear this meaning — ‘that yea should with me be in this instance yea, and on the other hand, when it pleases me, nay, nay’” and Hughes: “It is not an emphatic yes which may be expected to turn into an equally emphatic no (this is the force of the repetition in the expression...)”
AHThe Peshitta uses a 3rd plural suffix, but in Greek it is a 1st singular pronoun.