2 Corinthians 6:8-10 – Christian Living In Paradoxes

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 18 Jan. 2026
Underlined words in Scripture quotes indicate words that are in common with the Greek text of the sermon passage. Otherwise, underlining indicates words to emphasize when reading this transcript out loud.

Introduction

Read my translation of the passage, starting at 2 Corinthians 6:4
...but, in everything recommending ourselves as ministers of God, in much perseverance, in stresses, in forced circumstances, in restrictions, in wounds, in imprisonments, in upheavals, in labours, in night-watches, in fastings, by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by practicality, by the Holy Spirit, by un-hypocritical love, using the word of truth, using the power of God, using the armaments of righteousness for the right hand and for the left, through adulation and dishonor, through being spoken-ill-of and being spoken-well-of, as being in error yet true, as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet see, we are alive, as being punished yet not put to death, as grieving yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all!
At the beginning of ch. 6, Paul and Timothy introduced us to three conditions for the Gospel to spread, and in verses 6-7, the apostles listed nine positive attitudes and tools for this.
Now in verses 8-10, we find a list of nine paradoxes in which Christians live their lives and through which the kingdom of God advances.
- A paradox is when two things are happening, but they seem to be mutually exclusive of each other.
- It’s hard to understand how both can be happening at the same time until you get close enough to understand the situation. Living in paradox is uncomfortable because opposite forces are pushing on both sides of us at the same time.
- Popular songs fantasize about living in “paradise,” but, for the Christian, we don’t expect to experience paradise until after Jesus returns; right now we are living for Jesus in these paradoxes that Paul and Timothy describe in verses 8-10.
There seem to be three different ways that these paradoxes can be understood and applied.

The first is what I might call “a Defence against deceivers.” It interprets the negative circumstance in the nine paradox statements in verses 8-10 as labels which false teachers put on Paul and Timothy – false labels intended to turn the Corinthian church away from following Paul and Timothy. The positive circumstance in each of the paradox statements then, is a correction to that false impression – contradicting the falsehood with truth to encourage the Corinthian church to keep following the true apostles.
The second interpretation is what we might call “a testimony of the apostles to encourage believers.” In this scenario, Paul and Timothy are saying that both the positive and the negative circumstances in each statement have been true in their experience, and so Christians can expect to experience both ups and downs and should be faithful to God no matter what, just like the apostles were.
The third interpretation of this passage is that this list is primarily about contrasts. In this scenario, each of the paradox statements on the list is contrasting a present, difficult reality in human experience with a positive, spiritual reality which is true in God’s eyes, but which won’t be realized in human experience until the future when Jesus returns. This contrast perspective focuses more on encouraging struggling Christians to look away from this world to Christ and heaven.

Each one of these three interpretations is consistent with the rest of Scripture, and most of the Bible commentators I read seemed to shift from one to another of these perspectives without even realizing they were looking at it from different interpretive angles.
So, with those three interpretive perspectives in mind, let’s step briefly through the nine paradoxes and then consider how they apply to us.

1)v.8a διὰ δόξης καὶ ἀτιμίας “through/by¹ glory/honor/adulation and dishonor”

In 1 Corinthians 4:10-11, Paul used the same Greek root word for “dishonor” in a way that seems to indicate that other people were indeed considering him dishonored: “We are stupid on account of Christ; but y'all are smart in Christ. We are weak, but y'all are strong. Y'all are illustrious, but we are dishonored. Even up to this very hour we continue to be hungry and thirsty, and we are poorly-dressed and beaten up and we are vagrants...” (NAW),
and in 2 Corinthians 11:21, Paul uses the same Greek root word in a way that seems to acknowledge that he had actually felt that “dishonor/reproach².”
In Matthew 5:11 Jesus used synonymous terms to say that dishonor will be normal experience for Christians: “Y'all are being blessed whenever liars reproach³ you…” (NAW)
“So now,” the writer of Hebrews wrote, using another synonym, “let's keep going out to [Christ Jesus] outside the camp, bearing ridicule [ὀνειδισμὸν] for Him...” (Heb. 13:13, NAW)
“[T]here have been few men of heroism that have not fallen back, on being irritated by insults... We must, it is true, have a regard to good character, but it must be only in so far as the edification of our brethren requires it, and in such a way as not to be dependent on reports — nay more, so as to maintain in the same, even course in honor and in dishonor.” ~J. Calvin
We are also to be faithful in serving God when we are being “honored/praised” – when people smile at you and their faces light up when you walk into the room and they listen to what you have to say. Paul and Timothy continue...

2)v.8b διὰ δυσφημίας καὶ εὐφημίας “through being spoken-ill-of/evil/bad report/ slander and being spoken-well-of/good report/praise”

Again, I think we can establish from scripture that Paul had indeed been “slandered:”
- He said in 1 Corinthians 4:13 “When we are slandered⁴ we continue to exhort. We have become like trash swept off the earth - everybody's scapegoat until now.” (NAW)
- Using a close synonym, Paul says in Romans 3:8 “...[It is] slanderously reported⁵… that we say… ‘Let us do evil that good may come’....” (NKJV)
And Paul wasn’t the only one who experienced biased negative reporting:
- The leaders of the Jewish community in Rome said in Acts 28:22 that Christianity “is spoken against⁶ everywhere.” (NKJV)
- But Jesus said in Matthew 5:11 “Y'all are blessed whenever liars... speak every evil⁷ against you for my sake.” (NAW)
We may also note that people “spoke well” of Jesus and called Him “Master and Lord” (in John 13:13), and a “good speaker” (in Luke 20:39), but their human evaluations of Him had no influence on Him. His identity was not based on what other people thought of Him; it was based on what His Heavenly Father thought. The next paradox is...

3)v.8c ὡς πλάνοι καὶ ἀληθεῖς “as being in error/deceivers/impostors yet true/genuine”

Again, this negative word was used by the Jewish leaders to criticize Jesus in Matt. 27:63 “...that erratic man said while He was still living, ‘After three days I am being resurrected.’” (NAW)
It appears that the same criticism was levelled at Paul and Timothy, prompting them to defend themselves against the charge of error by asserting that they were “genuinely” of the “truth” in 2 Corinthians 1:18 “But God is true, so our message to y'all was not ‘Yes’ AND ‘No’ ... 4:2 ...we renounced the shameful secrets, not walking in craftiness or misleading⁸ with the word of God, but rather using the revelation of the truth...” (NAW)
[T]he Clementine Homilies and Recognitions (produced by a Jewish sect in the 2^nd century) preached against a certain Christian apostle, calling him “a deceiver” and “unknown” while leaving him unnamed, and it’s generally agreed that the unnamed peron was Paul.⁹
Contemporary commentator Phillip Hughes noted, “It has always been the work of Satan and his servants to attempt to overthrow the truth of God by calling it falsehood [deception].”
The fourth paradox might hearken back to the matter in chapter 3 of whether or not Paul and Timothy needed letters of recommendation – endorsements from well-known apostles – in order to be listened-to:

4)v.9a ὡς ἀγνοούμενοι καὶ ἐπιγινωσκόμενοι “as unknown, yet well-known”

But, no matter how much the false apostles may have painted Paul as a “dark horse,” the truth is, he was a known quantity to the Corinthian Christians, as he said in 2 Corinthians 11:6 “...we have been thoroughly manifested¹⁰ among you in all things.” (NKJV)
Furthermore, as Phillip Hughes observed, no matter how unknown they were to men, they were well-known to God. “It is true that the same verb is used in 1:13f. in the sense of ‘knowledge’, but its proper force here is indicated by its use in I Cor. 13:12: ‘Now I know in part, but then I shall know fully¹¹ even as also I am fully known (sc. by God)’. Thus we understand Paul to mean here that, though unknown and unacknowledged in the world, he is fully known by God. This accords well with what he subsequently wrote to Timothy: ‘The firm foundation of God standeth, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His’ (II Tim. 2:19… [cf.] Jn. 10:14).”

5)v.9b ὡς ἀποθνῄσκοντες καὶ ἰδοὺ ζῶμεν “as dying yet Behold, we are alive!”

We have already seen in the first few chapters of 2 Corinthians how Paul and Timothy characterized the hardship and persecution they endured in service to God as a kind of “dying”:
Indeed, the Jews thought they had stoned Paul to death earlier in Lystra (Acts 14:19), so the “Behold” may be a reflection of their surprise when he walked back into town the next day!
Another way of interpreting the apostles being “dead... yet alive” is more figurative, in the sense of what the new super-apostles might have said of Paul when they moved into Corinth after Paul had moved out to Ephesus. “We have something newer and better! Paul is a ‘dead letter;’ his ideas are passé. Anyone who follows Paul is going to be ‘dead in the water;’ his cause is dying. We super-apostles are the ones you ought to follow; our movement is alive and kicking!” “But behold,” thousands of years later, it’s Paul’s theology that a billion Christians all over the world are studying in their Bibles, and we don’t even know what the names of those so-called super-apostles were anymore!
This is typical of the way God’s kingdom works. It’s not the superstars who do the most for God’s kingdom but the ones who obey Him in obscurity while the world sees no importance to what they’re doing. It often takes decades before God brings to light the enormous importance of our little acts of faithfulness.

6)v.9c ὡς παιδευόμενοι καὶ μὴ θανατούμενοι “as being punished/chastened, yet not put to death/killed”

Paul’s critics probably highlighted the fact that Paul had been publicly beaten or whipped by civil authorities on three different occasions (2 Cor. 11:25, Acts 16:22).
In 1 Corinthians 11:32, however, Paul explained, “But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.” (NAW)
In other words,“If God were punishing me as an evildoer, I would have perished by now. I would be in hell by now! But I’m not. This was only training given to me by my heavenly Father because He loves me, because, ‘It is the one whom the Lord loves that He disciplines...’” (Heb. 12:6, NAW).
Paul probably had Psalm 118:17-18 in mind: “I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the LORD. The LORD has chastened me severely, But He has not given me over to death.” (NKJV)
The next paradox is sorrow and joy:

7)v.10a ὡς λυπούμενοι ἀεὶ δὲ χαίροντες “as sorrowful/grieving yet always rejoicing”

Jesus told His disciples in
- John 16:22 “Therefore you now have sorrow...” (NKJV)
- and then in Matthew 5:12 “Keep rejoicing and leaping for joy...” (NAW)
- “Have sorrow… keep rejoicing!” How does that work?
As we read about Paul in the N.T., we see both sorrow and joy going on in his life simultaneously:
- 2 Corinthians 7:4 “...I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation¹³.” (NKJV)
- Colossians 1:24 “I now rejoice in my sufferings¹⁴ for you... the church...” (NKJV)
- Acts 16:23-25 gives us an example of that that looked like: “... And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison… But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God...” (NKJV)
Furthermore, the apostles teach us that this paradox of suffering and joy is to be the normative experience for all Christians:
- James 1:2 “Start considering it to be all joy, my brothers, whenever you happen to encounter various trials¹⁵...” (NAW)
- 1 Thessalonians 1:6 “And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction¹⁶, with joy of the Holy Spirit...” (NKJV)
The Roman culture of Paul’s day (like American culture today) was addicted to winning, to status, and to fame, so, for Paul to posture himself as a no-name, dishonored, man of sorrows – or for the false apostles to portray him like that – was automatically to become a loser that nobody would want to listen to. How could Paul rejoice in that context? 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 is the key: “...we do not fault-out, but rather, even though our outer person is decaying, the inner one is being renewed day by day, for the lightness of our stress currently fashions an eternal weight of glory in us beyond measure to the extreme!” (NAW) Receiving that renewal – passively being renewed by God – day by day, rejoicing not only in God’s grand promises of ultimate glory but also in the one or two little things we see Him do today, that is what will enable you to “rejoice” in the midst of the “sorrows” of this world.¹⁷

8)v.10b ὡς πτωχοὶ πολλοὺς δὲ πλουτίζοντες “as poor, yet making many rich”

In Acts 3:6, Peter and John told the lame man who was begging at the temple that they didn’t have any money to give him, and that may have been literally true of Paul and Timothy as well, but the Bible speaks of another kind of wealth that doesn’t have to do with money:
In Revelation 2:9, Jesus told the church in Smyrna, “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich)...” (NKJV) In what sense was this poor church rich? James 2:5 explains: “God chose those who are destitute in regards to the world to be rich in faith and to be those who inherit the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him.” (NAW)
Paul also spoke of these spiritual riches in:
- Romans 2:4 “...the riches of [God’s] goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering... that... leads you to repentance…” (NKJV)
- 2 Cor. 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” (NKJV)
- 1 Corinth. 1:5 “...so that in everything, y'all were enriched by Him in every word and in every bit of knowledge...” (NAW) So, when the apostles made people rich, it was with the riches of the “word” and “knowledge” of the good news of salvation through Jesus.
And this is a wealth which can be given away generously without making you any poorer – the “knowledge” of “God’s goodness” and the “grace of our Lord Jesus Christ”!
The final paradox is:

9)v. 10c ὡς μηδὲν ἔχοντες καὶ πάντα κατέχοντες “as having nothing, yet possessing all things”

Hebrews 10:34 describes believers who experienced this same paradox: “...y'all accepted the robbery of your possessions with joy, knowing to have for yourselves a possession¹⁸ that is better and lasting.” (NAW)
Commentator Albert Barnes explained, “In the possession of pardon and peace; of the friendship of God and the knowledge of the Redeemer, we have the possession of all things. This comprises ‘all.’ He that has this, what need has he of more? This meets all the desires; satisfies the soul; makes the man happy and blessed. He that has God for his portion, may be said to have all things, for he is ‘all in all.’ He that has the Redeemer for his friend has all things that he needs, for ‘he that spared not his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?’ Rom. 8:32.”

Conclusion

Can you see how all these things – on both sides of the paradoxes – could have been experienced simultaneously by Jesus and the apostles, and therefore could be your experience?

I might mention that in order to interpret the list in this way, we would have to translate the Greek word πλάνοι in v.8 (from which we get the English word “planet”) as “wandering” rather than as “deceiving.” (Both “wandering” and deceiving” are definitions of that word in Greek lexicons, so either could be the case.)
Paul and Timothy certainly did endure “slander,” “dishonor,” “death” threats, persecution, and “poverty” as they pressed into new parts of the world where they “didn’t know” anybody, and preached the Gospel. And yet they found the joy of people to whom they could impart the riches of the knowledge of Christ, who became beloved brothers and sisters in the faith who honored them and spoke well of them. It was those people who preserved Paul’s letters and gave us the New Testament!
The application then would be that we too, like the apostles, should endure through the hardships that God allows in our lives, letting neither those hardships nor the paradoxical joys distract us from serving God as He has called us to.
Conversely, when you are “praised” and “spoken well-of,” that too should be merely more circumstances in which to serve Christ.

2 Corinthians is also clearly concerned with correcting the slanderous criticism which had been leveled against Paul and Timothy by the false teachers in Corinth.

Your reality and identity should not be defined by other people, but rather by God’s word to you.

If people say you are “despicable” and God says you are “beloved,” which are you going to believe?
If people say you are a hero and God says you are committing abominations, which are you going to believe?
The religion of Secular Humanism will reject God’s word and believe what men say.
The religion of Biblical Christianity will believe God’s word when it contradicts what man says, and that will make all the difference.
Once again, let me quote from Albert Barnes: “It is a fine field for a Christian minister, or any other Christian, to do good when his name is unjustly slandered. It gives him an opportunity of showing the true excellency of the Christian spirit; and it gives him the inexpressible privilege of being like Christ - like him in his suffering and in the moral excellence of character. A man should be willing to be anything if it will make him like the Redeemer - whether it be in suffering or in glory…”

There is a place for defending your integrity with logical argument like Paul and Timothy did here, but ultimately, God can take care of your reputation if other people abuse it.

Psalm 37 reminds us, “About evil men don't heat yourself up; don't be jealous about those who commit injustice, because, quick as grass, they will wither, and like sprouts of greenery they will wilt. Believe Yahweh and do what is good. Settle down on the land and associate with faithfulness, and delight yourself over Yahweh. Then He will give to you the things your heart asks for. Commit your way to Yahweh and believe on him, so it is He who will operate, and He will bring forth your righteousness like the daylight and your justice like the noonday.” (NAW)
1 Peter 4:11-14 “When someone speaks, let it be like God's words; when someone serves, let it be like it's out of the strength which God stages, in order that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ... Loved ones, don't keep being weirded-out by the fire coming among y'all to test you, as though it were something strange coming among y'all, but rather, just as y'all have fellowship with the sufferings of Christ, keep rejoicing, in order that also in the unveiling of His glory, y'all may rejoice while jumping for joy. When y'all are being taunted using the name of Christ, you are [happily] blessed because the Spirit of glory – even the [Spirit] of God is resting upon y'all. [According to them He is being blasphemed, but according to y'all He is being glorified!])” (NAW)

Appendix: Chart of Interpretations of 2 Cor. 6:8-10

Perspective	Negative condition	Positive condition	Application
Combatting Adversary	Alleged, but untrue	Actual, true	Your reality is defined by God, not men.
Giving Testimony	True	True	Don’t let circumstances affect faithfulness to God.
Teaching Contrast	True now (or in man’s eyes), but not in future (or in God’s eyes)	True in the future (or in God’s eyes), but not now (or in man’s eyes)	Combination of both of the above.

2 Corinthians 6:4-10 – Comparison of Textual Traditions & Versions^A

Byzantine^B	NAW	KJV^C	Rheims^D	Murdock^E	Coptic^F
4 ἀλλ᾿ ἐν παντὶ συνιστῶντες^G ἑαυτοὺς ὡς Θεοῦ διάκονοι, ἐν ὑπομονῇ πολλῇ, ἐν θλίψεσιν, ἐν ἀνάγκαις, ἐν στενοχωρίαις,	4 but rather, in everything recommending ourselves as ministers of God, in much perseverance, in stresses, in forced circumstances, in restrictions,	4 But in all thing[s] approving ourselves as [the] ministers of God, in much ~~pat~~~~ience~~, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,	4 But in all thing[s] let us exhibit ourselves as [the] ministers of God, in much patience, in tribulation^H, in necessities, in distresses,	4 But we, in all thing[s], would show ourselves to be [the] ministers of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in necessity^I, in distresses,	4 but in everything [we^B] are commending ourselves as ministers of God, in great patience, in tribulations, in necessities, in ~~pain~~s^B/ ~~anguish~~X^S,
5 ἐν πληγαῖς, ἐν φυλακαῖς, ἐν ἀκαταστασίαις, ἐν κόποις, ἐν ἀγρυπνίαις^J, ἐν νηστείαις,	5 in wounds, in imprisonments, in upheavals, in labours, in night-watches, in fastings,	5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;	5 In stripes, in prisons, in seditions, in labours, in watchings, in fastings,	5 in scourgings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in toilX, in watchingX, in fastingX;	5 in stripes, in prisons, in tumults^B/XX^S, in toils, in [nights of^S] watchings, in fastings,
6 ἐν^K ἁγνότητι^L, ἐν γνώσει, ἐν μακροθυμίᾳ, ἐν χρηστότητι, ἐν Πνεύματι ῾Αγίῳ^M, ἐν ἀγάπῃ ἀνυποκρίτῳ,	6 by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by practicality, by the Holy Spirit, by un-hypocritical love,	6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,	6 In chastity, in knowledge, in longsuffering, in sweetness, in the Holy Ghost, in charity unfeigned,	6 by purity, by knowledge, by long suffering, by benignity, by the Holy Spirit, by love unfeigned,	6 in pureness, ~~and~~ knowledge^N, in long-suffering, in kindness, in holy spirit, in love without pretence,
7 ἐν λόγῳ ἀληθείας^O, ἐν δυνάμει Θεοῦ, διὰ^P τῶν ὅπλων τῆς δικαιοσύνης τῶν δεξιῶν^Q καὶ ἀριστερῶν,	7 using the word of truth, using the power of God, using the armaments of righteousness for the right hand and for the left,	7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,	7 In the word of truth, in the power of God: by the armour of justice on the right hand and on the left:	7 by the speaking of truth, by the energy of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left;	7 in word of the truth, in power of God; through the weapons of the righteousness (those) which are on (the) right hand and those which are on (the) left hand;
8 διὰ^R δόξης καὶ ἀτιμίας, διὰ δυσφημίας^S καὶ εὐφημίας^T· ὡς^U πλάνοι^V καὶ ἀληθεῖς,	8 through adulation and dishonor, through being spoken-ill-of and being spoken-well-of, as being in error yet true,	8 By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;	8 By honour and dishonour: by evil report and good report: as deceivers and yet true:	8 amid honor and dishonor, amid praise and contumely; as deceivers, and yet true;	8 through glory and dishonour; in blaspheming and blessing^W; as deceivers, and (being) the [men of] truth;
9 ὡς ἀγνοούμενοι καὶ ἐπιγινωσκόμενοι, ὡς ἀποθνῄσκοντες καὶ ἰδοὺ ζῶμεν, ὡς παιδευόμενοι^X καὶ μὴ θανατούμενοι,	9 as unknown, yet well-known, as dying yet, see, we are alive, as being punished, yet not put to death,	9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;	as unknown and yet known: 9 As dying and behold we live: as chastised and not killed:	9 as not known, and yet we are well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chastised, yet not killed;	9 as being ~~forgotten~~^S/unknown^B, and being known; as^B/X^S dying^S/ about to die^B, and^S/X^B behold we are alive; as being chastised, and not put to death;
10 ὡς λυπούμενοι ἀεὶ δὲ χαίροντες, ὡς πτωχοὶ πολλοὺς δὲ πλουτίζοντες, ὡς μηδὲν ἔχοντες καὶ πάντα κατέχοντες^Y.	10 as grieving yet always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing, yet possessing all!	10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.	10 As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing: as needy, yet enriching many: as having nothing and possessing all things.	10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as indigent, yet enriching many; as possessing nothing, yet having all things.	10 as grieving, but rejoicing always; as poor, but making many rich; as having not anything, but laying hold on all things.

1“The word rendered ‘by’ (διὰ dia) does not here denote the means by which they commended the gospel, but the medium. In the midst of honor and dishonor…” ~Albert Barnes, 1885 AD

2“I speak as concerning reproach…” (KJV) cf. 2 Cor. 12:10 “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches [ὕβρεσιν], in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (NKJV)

3ὀνειδίσωσιν, a synonynym to ἀτιμίας in 2 Cor. 6:8.

4The Greek New Testaments edited by Tischendorf, Nestle, Aland, and the UBS, following half a dozen Greek manuscripts (including four from the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th centuries AD and none copied after the 10^th century) read with the “dys-” prefix here, but the Majority, Greek Orthodox, Textus Receptus, and Tregelles editions read with the “blas-” prefix (which is supported by four manuscripts from the 4^th, 6^th, and 7^th centuries, and others all the way into the 15^th century). At the very least, it is safe to say that these are synonyms with no significant difference in meaning.

5βλασφημουμεθα

6αντιλεγεται, a synonym to δυσφημίας in 2 Cor. 6:8.

7εἴπωσιν πᾶν πονηρὸν, a synonymous phrase to δυσφημίας in 2 Cor. 6:8.

8δολοῦντες, a synonym to πλάνοι in 2 Cor. 6:8.

9“In the Clementines St. Paul is expressly described by his adversaries as planos and as disseminating deceit (planēn)” ~A.T. Robertson, 1933 AD (quoting “Bernard,” cf. Vincent in Endnotes.)

10φανερω-, a somewhat-synonynous root to γινωσκό- in 2 Cor. 6:8.

11Paul added the prefix epi- to the verb ginoskw here and in the next phrase, and this is carried over into English with the word “fully.”

12νέκρωσιν, the root of which is synonymous with the root of ἀποθνῄσκοντες in 2 Cor. 6:9.

13θλίψει, a synonym to λυπούμενοι in 2 Cor. 6:10.

14παθήμασί, a synonym to λυπούμενοι in 2 Cor. 6:10.

15πειρασμοις, synonymous with the ideas behind both παιδευόμενοι and λυπούμενοι in 2 Cor. 6:9-10.

16ditto

17This paragraph is a condensation of Gunner Gunderson’s talk at the 2025 CCEF conference and published at https://www.ccef.org/products/sorrowful-yet-always-rejoicing-the-roots-of-pauls-mysterious-joy/ .

18υπαρχοντων… υπαρξιν, focusing on ownership as basically αρχω (“control”), synonymous with ἔχοντες… κατέχοντες, focusing on ownership as basically εχω (“have”).

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.

FThis is my conflation of the English translations of the Northern Bohairic and Southern Sahidic traditions published by Oxford Clarendon Press in 1905 and 1920 respectively, neither of which named the translator or editor. Superscript “S” is for Sahidic or “B” for Bohairic.

GThis verb is spelled four different ways in the Greek manuscripts:

συνιστωντες (in the majority of Greek manuscripts, the oldest of which are dated to the 9^th century AD, and reflected in the Textus Receptus and Greek Orthodox editions of the Greek New Testament),
συνισταντες (in 9 Greek manuscripts, the oldest of which are dated to the 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th centuries respectively, and are reflected in the Nestle-Aland, UBS, Tischendorf, and Tregelles editions of the GNT)
συνιστάνοντες (in 4 Greek manuscripts, the oldest of which is the 4^th century Vaticanus, and is reflected in Westcott & Hort’s edition of the GNT), and
συνιστοντες (found in one Greek manuscript, the 10^th century miniscule number 1874).

All of these, however are spelling variants of the same word in the same grammatical form of present active participle in the nominative masculine plural form, so there is no difference in meaning; this likely only reflects a change in spelling conventions over the course of hundreds of years.

HThe Latin is plural here, like the Greek is, so the switch to singular is the error of Rheims, not of Jerome.

IThe Syriac is plural here, like the Greek is, so the switch to singular is the error of Murdoch and Etheridge, not of the Peshitta. (Lamsa translated it plural.)

JThis noun, an alpha privative of hypnia (“sleep”) occurs only here and 11:27 in the Greek Bible, although it occurs 9 times in the apocryphal book of Sirach and once in 2 Maccabees 2. Its cognate verb occurs in the GNT in Mark 13:33, Luke 21:36, Eph. 6:18 (praying instead of sleeping), and Heb. 13:17 (church leadership’s “watching” over souls).

KAlthough the Greek preposition remains the same as the one used in the previous two verses, its meaning changes from “in/with the attendant circumstance of” (Louw & Nida Semantic domain #89.80) to “by means of” (L&N#89.76, or AGNT labeled it #89.84 “in the manner of”), and in the next verse we will see yet another meaning of the same preposition where it is used instrumentally (L&N#90.10 “using the instrument of”).

LThis is a hapex legomenon, not occurring anywhere else in the Greek Bible (unless you count the 10 manuscripts which insert it into 2 Cor. 11:3, alongside haplotatos (“simplicity/singleness/sincerity”). The root of this word, however, which means “pure” – especially in a moral sense, is used 21 times in the Greek Bible.

MIt may also be noted that this phrase is used many times in the context of baptism: Matt. 3:11, Mk. 1:8, Lk. 3:16, Jn. 1:33, Acts 1:5, 11:16.

NThis is the reading of the Sahidic. The Bohairic switches the order of this word and the next in the list.

OCf. Ps. 119:43; Prov. 22:21; Eccl. 12:10; Psalm of Solomon 16:10; Zech. 8:16; Jer. 23:28; 33:15; Jn. 1:14; 17:17; 2 Cor. 4:2; Eph. 1:13; Col. 1:5; 1 Jn. 3:18.

PHere a new Greek preposition appears, but, as Robertson observed in his Grammar, “Δια with the genitive here has an instrumental sense, ‘by means of the weapons.’”

Q“Right-hand and left-hand weapons. Offensive, as the sword, in the right hand, defensive, as the shield, in the left.” ~Marvin Vincent, 1886 AD

RHere the previously-used Greek preposition takes on a slightly different meaning. Moule and Hanna suggested it meant “passing through glory” (Louw & Nida semantic domain #84.29), while AGNT labeled it “during time of” (L&N#67.136), and Turner labeled it “with attendant circumstances” (L&N Supplement #89.79a). Robertson commented in his Word Pictures: “dia is no longer instrument, but state or condition.”

SCompound of dys (“bad”) + phaimi (“speech”), found in the Greek Bible only here and in the Apocrypha (1 Mac. 7:38; 3 Mac. 2:26).

THapex legomenon. Curiously, the Vulgate and the Bohairic Coptic Bibles switch the order of this point and the next point on this list. No known Greek manuscript does that. It makes no difference in meaning, however.

UA new preposition for this list appears here. Burton commented that “‘ως is used with adjectival participles in vv. 9ff. to express the notion of manner (indicating the way in which they are treated).” There is no such entry as a semantic domain for this preposition in Louw & Nida or the L&N Supplement. Most translations either understand this preposition as expressing a belief contrary to fact (“as though” – also not in L&N or Supplement), or temporally (“while” L&N #67.139) as an actual condition endured by the apostles.

VCf. Mt. 27:63 regarding Jesus. “The opinions concerning Paul as a ‘deceiver’ are mirrored in the Clementine Homilies and Recognitions, spurious writings, ascribed to Clement of Rome, but emanating from the Ebionites, a Judaizing sect, in the latter half of the second century. In these Paul is covertly attacked, though his name is passed over in silence. His glory as the apostle to the Gentiles is passed over to Peter. The readers are warned, in the person of Peter, to beware of any teacher who does not conform to the standard of James and come with witnesses (compare 2 Cor. 3:1, 5:12, 10:12-18). Paul is assailed under the guise of Simon Magus, and with the same words as those in this passage, deceiver and unknown.” ~M. Vincent, Word Studies In The New Testament, 1886 AD.

WThis is the order of the Sahidic, which follows the order of the Greek and Latin. The Bohairic and Peshitta, on the other hand, switch the order of this and the next point on the list.

XCuriously, three uncials from the 6^th and 9^th centuries read instead πιραζομενοι (“We are good-looking” ?).

Y“The contrast is twofold: between having and not having, and between temporary and permanent having, or having and keeping.” ~M. Vincent