Translation & Sermon by
Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 22
March
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.
Read my translation of the passage: Starting at 2 Cor.
8:24
Therefore display to them in front of the churches the
display of your love (and of our bragging about y’all). Now, on
the one hand, it is excessive for me to write to y’all about this
ministry to the saints, since I know y’all’s eagerness.
(Concerning this I am bragging about y’all to the Macedonians that
Achaia has been prepared since a year ago, and y’all’s zeal
provokes competitiveness among more and more of them!) But, on the
other hand, I sent the brothers so that our bragging about y’all
might not be voided-out in this part: in order that y’all might be
prepared, just as I have been saying that you are. Otherwise, if
Macedonians happen to come with me and find y’all unprepared, we
ourselves might be shamed, so that we might not say that y’all
were [prepared] in this confidence [of boasting]. Therefore, I
decided it was necessary to urge the brothers so that they might go
ahead to y’all so they might prepare in advance for this
previously-promised blessing of yours to be ready thus as a blessing
and not as a confiscation. Now, there is this: “The one who sows
sparingly will reap sparingly as well," and "the one who
sows on the basis of blessings will reap on the basis of blessings
as well." Each [should give] just as he decides in advance in
his heart, not as a result of grief or of necessity, for God loves a
cheerful giver, and God is able to make all grace abound among
y’all, in order that in everything, always, having all
sufficiency, y’all may abound in every good work.
Following Paul’s fundraising project for the poor Christians in Jerusalem, from the beginning of chapter 8,
He started in verses 1-5 by relating how the Macedonian churches had donated unexpectedly-large amounts with great eagerness, despite their poverty and persecution,
Then he reminds the Corinthian church of their previous commitment to give, encouraging them that giving will be a great way to show their love, in verses 6-11,
He brings up the example of Christ who graciously gave away His riches that we might receive eternal riches in verse 9,
Then He reminds the Corinthians that God will be pleased with whatever they give in v.12,
He reassures them that it won’t create dependency, but will provide needed help in vs. 13-15,
And he reassures them in verses 16-23, that diligent and praiseworthy guys are running this ministry – Titus is the lead man, and he will have appropriate accountability from delegates chosen by the churches,
so, finally in v.24, Paul makes “the ask,”
and then he follows up in chapter 9 with arrangements to make sure the Corinthians are well-prepared to give generously and also reminding them of the law of sowing and reaping.
So we start with the last verse in chapter 8, where Paul challenges the church in Corinth to give generously.
He gives two reasons: One is to “show/give proof/display love to them.”
Words are cheap. You can promise to do something nice all day long, but it isn’t until you actually do it that you show somebody that you really love them.
The church in Corinth had promised a year ago to give a generous donation, but so far they hadn’t actually put their money where their mouth was, so Paul is gently challenging them to follow through and openly display their love for their brothers and sisters in Christ by actually making donations.
2 Corinthians 8:8 “It is… giving proof1 through the diligence of others and the genuineness of your love for each other.” (NAW)
Hebrews 6:10-11 says something very similar to the poor saints back in Jerusalem: “for God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love which y'all displayed in His name, y'all having ministered to – and continuing to minister to – the saints. Now we desire for each one of y'all to display the same diligence2 toward the full assurance of the hope until the end…” (NAW)
The second reason for giving that Paul brings out in verse 24 is to show to the other churches in Macedonia (to whom Paul has bragged that the Corinthians are generous) that they actually are generous.
Matthew Henry commented that, “The good opinion others entertain of us should be an argument with us to do well.”
Now it’s possible that Paul shouldn’t have boasted about the Corinthians, but Phillip Hughes commented that, “Paul's glorying [boasting] here is neither in men nor in human achievements as such, but in the grace of God manifested in and through the lives of men… To conclude that what Paul writes here is in any sense at variance with his injunction given to the Corinthians in the earlier epistle (I Cor. 1:31) and soon to be repeated in this epistle (10:17), that ‘he who glories should glory only in the Lord’ (cf. Jer. 9:23), would be to misunderstand the situation, for ... Paul's glorying concerning the Corinthians is essentially a glorying in the goodness of God.”
Paul explained later in 2 Corinthians 10:13 “We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us – a sphere which especially includes you.” (NKJV)
I think Paul was working on redeeming the reputation of the Corinthians. If they made good on their pledge, not only would the saints in Jerusalem be blessed, but the Macedonian churches would gain a new level of respect for the church in Corinth that they did not have before.
Paul apparently decided to risk his reputation by bragging openly about the church in Corinth in front of the Macedonians in order to forge a deeper level of love and respect among the churches in the region of the Aegean Sea. He wanted the Macedonian Christians to know that there was a hub of believers on whom they could depend only 300 miles away.
We’ve already read about this boasting that Paul did about Corinth when he was in Thessalonica and Philippi, and how he had bragged on the Corinthians to Titus: 2 Corinthians 7:14 “For though I had bragged about something to him concerning y'all, I was not ashamed, but rather, just as we uttered all things in truth to y'all, thus also it was with our bragging: for Titus it was realized to be the truth…” (NAW)
And we’ll read a little later on in 2 Corinthians 11:10 where Paul says, “As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting...” (NKJV)
So as we move on into chapter 9, we see Paul setting the Corinthians up to make good on his boast to the Macedonian church and to make good on their pledge to give to the church in Jerusalem.
The grammar in the first paragraph of chapter 9 is what Greek grammarians call a “men… de construction,” which in English is often expressed in the words, “on the one hand [this], but on the other hand [that].”
So the thing on the one hand is that Paul feels a little sheepish about writing this reminder to the Corinthians to get ready to give, since he knows they are already excited about it and they’ve already made a commitment about it, and Titus has already been talking to them about it. So it seems a little “over-the-top/superfluous to write” any more about it.
But on the other hand, Paul had done so much bragging to the Macedonian churches about the Corinthian church’s pledges to give, that if the actual collection from Corinth turned out to be at all disappointing, Paul would lose credibility with the churches in Macedonia, and so would the church in Corinth.
Boasting about the future is risky, and the reality of that has begun to sink in with Paul, and it’s making him anxious, so he is sending Titus and the other brothers (who are not from Macedonia) ahead to Corinth to make good and sure that, when Paul arrives later-on in Corinth with representatives from the Macedonian churches, there will be a nice, fat donation from Corinth in the ministry account.
He tells the Corinthian Christians, “Y’all’s zeal has stirred/provoked… most of the Christians in Macedonia!”
This Greek verb “stirred/provoked” is only ever used to describe competitive situations like battles. This is more than a simple encouragement to do something nice; Paul is laying down the gauntlet, as it were, challenging the Christians in Corinth to step up the competition.
The Corinthians’s zeal in pledging to give had inspired the Macedonians to give way more than expected, and now Paul is using the Macedonian’s actual giving to inspire the Corinthians to ‘up the ante.’
Perhaps this could be considered an application of the exhortation in Hebrews 10:24 “Let us also take cognizance of one another towards the provocation3 of love and of good works...” (NAW, cf. 2 Cor. 8:10-12)
It is appropriate to set up friendly competition in doing good works.
Life Choice Ministries offers a prize to the person who raises the most money at the annual Walk for Life.
Sometimes I try to encourage more engagement with singing the hymns in the worship service by getting the adults and children (or the men and women) to sing separately and commenting on who is louder.
I’ve also noticed cooks trying to outdo each other in preparing great food for church fellowship lunches.
I like how the ESV translated Romans 12:10 “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”
We don’t want to turn the church service into a competitive brawl, but there is a place for a little healthy competition in doing what is good!
So Paul says to the church in Corinth, “Be prepared/ready4… Don’t let this opportunity to give to the poor catch you un-prepared!”
When we “prepare/make ready” a meal, it involves planning a menu, shopping for the items, cooking, getting the timing right, and serving it up.
Similarly, wars also require literally tons of preparation in advance, as thousands of troops, weapons, vehicles, supplies, and support structures have to all be put in just the right places at just the right times: 1 Corinthians 14:8 mentions the importance of sounding an alarm for battle early enough – and clearly enough – that each soldier can “prepare himself for battle.” Those who go into battle unprepared will probably lose.
So Paul encourages the Corinthians not to be lackadaisical or spontaneous about giving but rather to be “prepared” – thinking ahead, gathering resources, and mobilizing people towards the goal of providing for the needs of the saints who are suffering.
This points back to what Paul wrote back in 1 Corinthians 16:2 “On the first day of the week, each one of y'all should continue to deposit next to himself, saving up some of whatever (if any) he is being prospered, in order that whenever I come, a collection [λογειαι] will not happen then.” (NAW)
In 2 Corinthians 8:6 Paul and Timothy “...urged Titus that, just as he had previously started [προενήρξατο] it, so he might also bring to completion [ἐπιτελέσῃ] this grace [gift]....” (NAW)
and in 8:17 and 12:17, it says that Titus went when they “urged” him. He took some brothers with him and went ahead of Paul back to Corinth to organize the giving.
And Acts 20 tells us that Paul and Timothy did indeed travel to Corinth shortly after Titus, staying there for three months. When they left Corinth, it mentions the names of several Macedonians who were there in Corinth with Paul: “... Sopater of Berea … and Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians...” So Paul really did bring Macedonian Christians to Corinth to see the generosity of the church in Corinth.
In verse 6, Paul turns from the somewhat-competitive motivation of not looking lame next to the Macedonians, to another, more-positive motivation for giving generously, and that is...
If I go out into my garden and plant one watermelon seed this spring, what should I expect to grow there by this summer?
Should I expect to see a bunch of grapes growing there? No! I didn’t plant grapes, I planted a watermelon seed.
So should I expect a whole bunch of watermelons this summer? No, because I only planted one seed.
So, what I should expect is to get one watermelon plant because I only planted one seed, and that was a watermelon seed.
That’s the “Law of Sowing and Reaping”: You get what you plant, and you only get as much as you plant.
So if you want a bunch of grapes, what should you do? Plant a bunch of grape seeds!
The Bible states this principle in many other ways in addition to 2 Corinthians 9:6:
Proverbs 11:24-25 “There is one who scatters5, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. The generous6 soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.” (NKJV) God says that holding on to what you own leads to poverty, but giving leads to increase!
Proverbs 22:9 “He who sows iniquity7 will reap sorrow [κακα]... He who has a generous eye8 will be blessed, For he gives of his bread to the poor.” (NKJV)
The Greek Old Testament reads a little differently from the Hebrew in this verse. Instead of “He who sows iniquity...,” the Septuagint reads “He who sows a paltry amount...,” using a synonym for the word “sparingly” in 2 Corinthians 9:6, so perhaps that’s where Paul got the idea from.
But whatever the case, you get bad results both from investing in evil and from not being charitable toward the poor.
Ecclesiastes 11:1&6 “Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days… In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold9 your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good.” (NKJV) The more you invest, the more of a return you’re likely to get!
That’s true not only in business but also spiritually, although God only asks for 10%: Malachi 3:10 “‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.’” (NKJV) Do you want to be blessed just a little bit or a lot?
Luke 6:38 Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same meas-ure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (NKJV)
Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap… And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (NKJV)
The principle works, not only with plant seeds but also with human actions.
God says that when we are generous in blessing others, He will see to it that we are generously blessed in return, but if we are selfish and stingy, we’re not going to see much in the way of blessing.
John Calvin commented, “[W]henever fleshly reason calls us back from doing good through fear of loss, we should immediately oppose it with this shield: ‘But the Lord declares that we are sowing’.”
But what if I make that gift and then I find I need that extra money or that extra thing in the future? “But the Lord declares that I am sowing.”
Conversely, if we do what is evil, then God will see to it that evil befalls us.
God is big into being fair and just, although, when it comes to pouring out blessings, He tends to give us more than we deserve. (Matt. 10:42, Prov. 19:17)
I should mention, however, that His blessings are not always financial.
Sowing generously is certainly speaking of giving money here in 2 Corinthians 9, but the whole counsel of Scripture clues us in to the fact that money is not the only resource God has given us to share; we can also be generous with our time, with our encouraging words, and with our acts of service – employing whatever spiritual gifts God has given us to bless others.
And being blessed also consists in more than just getting money; it also consists in having friends, being at peace, knowing the truth, being free from guilt, having family, having influence on others, having something meaningful to do, being able to be content, and having eternal life, to name a few, so don’t think about “reaping” only in terms of getting money.
Verses 7-8 teach us a corollary to to the Law of Sowing and Reaping, and that is that: God gives grace for doing good works to those who give purposefully, voluntarily, and cheerfully.
Our heart attitude is important, and God’s word says that our heart attitude in giving should be characterized by “cheerful” - ness:
The Greek word for “cheerful” is ἱλαρὸν, from which we get the English words “hilarious” and “exhilarating.” God loves10 it when we think giving is fun!
I pay taxes to the government, but it’s not fun for me. I pay them out of obligation, because if I don’t pay them, the government will punish me.
Sometimes we get to thinking the same way about God. “Well, there goes my 10%. I wish I wasn’t under this obligation. I’d really rather spend the money on some nicer clothes or an upgrade for my car, but I’d feel kinda guilty if I did, so … (Sigh)”
When our heart isn’t in it, duty can replace love and make it no fun.
Imagine a wife saying to her husband, “Well, I don’t feel like showing you any respect or doing anything for you, but I will force myself to sit and watch the sunset with you because I feel like I ought to, and besides, I’d feel kinda guilty if I left and went to a friend’s house.” That’s not going to make the husband feel loved! He won’t even be able to enjoy watching the sunset with her because he knows she’s doing it out of duty and not out of love.
Now, don’t get me wrong, sometimes we don’t feel like doing what we should, and we have to just push through and do those things out of duty, but that is not a long-term solution. Duty won’t work as a permanent replacement for love in a marriage, and it won’t work as a long-term replacement for love in your relationship with God either.
That may also be what Paul was getting at at the end of verse five, where some English versions have the word “covetousness.” The idea is that they want to keep their blessings and not give them away, so their heart is reluctant to give. This is also the opposite of that “cheerful” giving out of a desire to “bless,” which is pleasing to the One to whom we want to show love.
From the beginning, God has let us know that He cares about our heart attitude:
He stated in the law of Deuteronomy 15:7-11 “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend [δάνειον δανιεῖς] him sufficient [ἐπιδέεται] for his need, whatever he needs. Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying,`The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,' and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the LORD against you, and it become sin among you. You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying,`You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.'” (NKJV)
Later on, David prayed in 1 Chronicles 29:17 “I also know, my God, that You probe the heart, and righteous ones are what You delight-in. As for me, in the rightness of my heart I have made a freewill-offering...” (NAW)
One of the ways to guard your heart against regrets or bad attitudes is to plan your giving in advance, as Paul says to do in verse 7. “Purpose/decide in advance,” privately before God in prayer (and in discussion with your family – if applicable) what you believe God wants you to give, and then, when it comes to the moment of giving, you can’t be manipulated by guilt or peer pressure or fickle emotions or second-guesses; you can give deliberately, confidently, and cheerfully what you have already come to a settled conviction before the Lord to give.
Now, in verse 8, Paul reminds us that God is the source and giver of “all grace:”
Peter also called God “...the God of all grace…” in 1 Peter 5:10 “And after y'all have suffered a few [things], the God of all grace who called y'all into His eternal glory in Christ Jesus will Himself renew [y'all], He will confirm, strengthen, [and] establish.” (NAW)
This doctrine is in the Old Testament too: Psalm 84:11 “Because Yahweh-God is sun and shield; Yahweh will give grace and glory. He will not withhold good toward those who walk with integrity.” (NAW, cf. Prov. 10:22, Philip. 4:19, Luke 22:35)
2 Corinthians 8:7 details what “all grace” is: “Moreover, just as y'all abound in everything (in faith and in word and in knowledge and in all diligence and in love that is from us among yourselves), that y'all should abound also in this grace.” (NAW) God gives us His word and knowledge from the Bible and His diligence and love – that’s what “all grace” is.
That reminds me of the second verse of Samuel Stone’s hymn, “The Church’s One Foundation:” “...One holy Name she blesses, Partakes one holy food. And to one hope she presses, With ev'ry grace endued.”
According to verse 8, God lavishes His grace upon us not only to give us all that we need to to any good deed, but also in order that, by God’s power, we will actually be abundant in good works, spilling out blessings because we have plenty to share, because we are connected to God’s inexhaustible supply!
And, according to v.8, “God has the power (He is able) to make all grace abound to you...”
The Greek word for “able” at the beginning of v.8 is dyna-tos, from which we get the English word “Dyna-mite.” God’s power and ability are formidable!
David prayed to the LORD in 1 Chronicles 29:12 “Both the wealth and the honor are from Your presence, and you are governing in everything. Also, in Your hand are power and might, and it is in Your control to increase and to strengthen anyone.” (NAW)
And Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:20 that God is the one “who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us...” (NKJV) God’s power is immense!
And what is all that power and ability from God doing? It’s making you “abound in every good work!”
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand11 that we should walk in them.” (NKJV)
Paul later told Titus in Titus 3:8 “...I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works...” (NKJV, cf. 2 Tim. 3:17, Acts 9:36)
2 Thess. 2:16-17 “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.” (NKJV)
“God's giving of His grace [to us] is the complete opposite of grudging and forced. In responding to it by generous and cheerful giving the Christian finds not only that, contrary to human probability, he yet has a sufficiency for his own needs, but, far more, that he is so enriched by divine grace as to be able constantly to abound in every kind of good work.” ~P. E. Hughes
May you find that to be true in your own life as you appropriate God’s grace and “show the proof of your love” through giving purposefully and voluntarily with a cheerful heart!
ByzantineB |
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KJVC |
RheimsD |
MurdockE |
CopticF |
8:24 Τὴν οὖν ἔνδειξινG τῆς ἀγάπης ὑμῶν καὶ ἡμῶν καυχήσεως ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐνδείξασθεH εἰς πρόσωπον τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν. |
24 Therefore display to them in front of the churches the display of your love (and of our bragging about y’all). |
24 Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the church-es, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf. |
24 Wherefore shew ye to them, in the sight of the churches, the evidence of your charity and of our boasting on your behalf. |
24
Therefore exhibit
ye to them, in
the presence of all the
churches, |
24 The manifestation then of your love and our boast [which we make] about you, manifest it toB/XS them before the churches. |
9:1 Περὶ μὲν γὰρI τῆς διακονίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους περισσόν μοί ἐστι τὸ γράφειν ὑμῖν. |
1 Now, on the one hand, it is excessive for me to write to y’all about this ministry to the saints, |
1 For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: |
1 For concerning the ministry [that is done] towards the saints, it is superfluous for me to write unto you. |
1
And
concerning
the ministration |
1 For indeedB /XS concerning the ministration [which they do] for the saints, this is superfluous for meB/XS to write to you : |
2 οἶδα γὰρ τὴν προθυμίαν ὑμῶν ἣν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν καυχῶμαι Μακεδόσιν, ὅτι ᾿Αχαΐα παρεσκεύασταιJ ἀπὸ πέρυσι· καὶ ὁK ὑμῶν ζῆλος ἠρέθισεL τοὺς πλείοναςM. |
2 since I know y’all’s eagerness. (Concerning this, I am bragging about y’all to the Macedonians that Achaia has been prepared since a year ago, and y’all’s zeal provokes competitiveness among more and more of them!) |
2
For I know the forwardness
of your
mind, for which I boast
of you to [them
of] Macedonia,
that Achaia was
ready a year ago; and your zeal
hath provoked
|
2
For I know your forward
mind: for which I boast
of you to the Macedonians,
that Achaia [also]
is
ready from the year past. And
your emulation
hath provoked
|
2
for I know the |
2 for I know your readiness, [this] of which I make boast about you to [them of] Macedonia, that they of Achaia prepared themselves a year ago; but your zeal gave zeal to [very] many of them. |
3 ἔπεμψα δὲ τοὺς ἀδελφούς, ἵνα μὴ τὸ καύχημα ἡμῶν τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν κενωθῇ ἐν τῷ μέρειN τούτῳ· ἵνα, καθὼς ἔλεγον, παρεσκευασμένοι ἦτε, |
3 But, on the other hand, I sent the brothers so that our bragging about y’all might not be voided-out in this part: in order that y’all might be prepared, just as I have been saying that you are. |
3 Yet [have] I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready: |
3 Now I [have] sent the brethren, that the thingX which we boast of concerning you be not made void in this behalf, that (as I have said) you may be ready: |
3
Yet I sent the brethren, lest the glorying
[with which]
|
3
But |
4 μήπως ἐὰν ἔλθωσιO σὺν ἐμοὶ Μακεδόνες καὶ εὕρωσιν ὑμᾶς ἀπαρασκευάστους, καταισχυνθῶμεν ἡμεῖς, ἵνα μὴ λέγωμενP ὑμεῖς, ἐν τῇ ὑποστάσει ταύτῃ [τῆς καυχήσεωςQ]. |
4 Otherwise, if Macedonians happen to come with me and find y’all unprepared, we ourselves might be shamed, so that we might not say that y’all were [prepared] in this confidence [of boasting]. |
4 Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, X ye) should be ashamed in this [same] confident boasting. |
4
Lest,
|
4
|
4
lest |
Byzantine |
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KJV |
Rheims |
Murdock |
Coptic |
5 ἀναγκαῖον οὖν ἡγησάμηνR παρακαλέσαι τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἵνα προέλθωσιν εἰς ὑμᾶς καὶ προκαταρτίσωσιS τὴν προκατηγγελμένηνT εὐλογίανU ὑμῶν, ταύτην ἑτοίμην εἶναι, οὕτως ὡς εὐλογίαν καὶ μὴ ὡςV πλεονεξίαν. |
5 Therefore, I decided it was necessary to urge the brothers so that they might go ahead to y’all so they might prepare in advance for this previously-promised blessing of yours to be ready thus as a blessing and not as a confiscation. |
5
Therefore I thought it necessary
to exhort
the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make
up beforehand your bounty,
whereof
|
5 Therefore I thought it necessary to desire the brethren that they would go to you before and prepare this blessing before promised X X, to be ready, so as a blessing, not as covetousness. |
5
Therefore I was careful
to request
[these my]
brethren, to go before [me]
unto you, that they might
make up this benefaction,
of
which |
5 I thought it necessary then to exhortB/beseechS the brethren, that they should come before to you, and prepare before your blessing, which [ye] X promised beforehand, that it might be prepared, [but] thus as a beneficence and not (as) extortionB/injuryS. |
6 ΤοῦτοW δέ, ὁ σπείρων φειδομένωςX φειδομένως καὶ θερίσει, καὶ ὁ σπείρων ἐπ᾿ εὐλογίαιςY ἐπ᾿ εὐλογίαις καὶ θερίσει. |
6 Now, there is this: “The one who sows sparingly will reap sparingly as well,” and “the one who sows on the basis of blessings will reap on the basis of blessings as well.” |
6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. |
6
Now this [I
say]: He who
soweth sparingly shall also reap sparingly:
and he who soweth |
6 And this I say: He that soweth sparingly, shall also reap sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully, shall also reap bountifully. |
6 But this it is, that he who is sparing (in) sowing shall reap also sparingly; and he who soweth beneficently shall reap alsoB/XS beneficently: |
7 ἕκαστος καθὼς προαιρεῖταιZ τῇ καρδίᾳ, μὴAA ἐκ λύπης ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης· ἱλαρὸν γὰρ δότην ἀγαπᾷ ὁ Θεός. |
7 Each [should give] just as he decides in advance in his heart, not as a result of grief or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver, |
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. |
7
Every one as he hath
determined
in his heart, not |
7
Every man, according
to h |
7
each one according asB/ |
8 δυνατὸςAB δὲ ὁ Θεὸς πᾶσαν χάριν περισσεῦσαι εἰς ὑμᾶς, ἵνα ἐν παντὶ πάντοτε πᾶσαν αὐτάρκειανAC ἔχοντες περισσεύητε εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθόν, |
8 and God is able to make all grace abound among y’all, in order that in everything, always, having all sufficiency, y’all may abound in every good work. |
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: |
8 And God is able to make all grace abound in you: that ye always, having all sufficiently in all thing[s], may abound to every good work, |
8
For it is [in
the] power
|
8
But |
1δοκιμάζων (testing for genuineness); compare with 2 Cor. 8:24 ἐνδείξασθε (proving by displaying evidence).
2Σπουδη, also found in 2 Cor. 8:7,8,16.
3παροξυσμὸν, perhaps synonymous with ἠρέθισε in 2 Cor. 9:2.
4Cf. Alfred Plummer’s commentary: “He is not afraid that they will refuse to give, but he is afraid that they may be dilatory for want of organization. It will produce a bad impression if the money is not ready when it is wanted. He carefully limits his anxiety to this ‘particular’.”
5The Hebrew word is not the specific one for “sowing seed” (זורע) but is the more general word for “scattering/distributing” (מְפַזֵּר). The Vulgate translated it literally (dividunt), but the LXX interpreted it as “sowing seed” (σπείροντες).
6Both the Hebrew and Greek use the word for “blessing” here.
7φειδομένως in 2 Cor. 9:6 is closer to the meaning of this word in the LXX (φαῦλα - “small/worthless things”) than to the word in the Masoretic Hebrew (עַוְלָה - “iniquity”).
8MT = טוֹב־עַיִן (“a good eye”), but LXX = ἐλεῶν πτωχὸν (“who is merciful to the needy”), and Vulgate = pronus est ad misericordiam (“is inclined toward mercy”).
9LXX= ἀφέτω
10In His Moods And Tenses Of New Testament Greek, E. D. Burton explains that the tense of “God loves” here is a “gnomic present” which belongs to the category of proverbs and general aphorisms. In other words, this is not a specific good work which you can perform in order to make God love you and thus earn your way into heaven.
11προητοίμασεν – the prefix of this word and the root of this word appear in separate words in 9:5.
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, UBS, and Tregelles 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. The beginnings and ends of multiple-word variants are marked out with brackets, with a superscript “S” for Sahidic or “B” for Bohairic.
GThis noun only occurs in the Greek Bible here and in Rom. 3:25-26 & Phil. 1:28. Its verb form is the verb of this verse.
HThis aorist imperative without a conjunction following it is the reading of the Majority of Greek manuscripts (including one from the 4th century and one from the 5th century AD) and of the Greek Orthodox and Textus Receptus editions of the GNT. The Vulgate and Peshitta also have imperative forms, although the Vulgate spells it in the present tense. However, 5 Greek manuscripts (including one from the 4th century and one from the 6th century AD, followed by all the contemporary critical editions of the GNT) spelled this as a present participle instead. A participle can carry imperative force, but, in the present tense, would indicate continuing to do something which they were already doing rather than beginning to do the action (as the aorist tense would indicate). English, however, does not make this distinction in verbs (nor does Aramaic), so the translation does not come out differently in the English versions (or the Peshitta). The Textus Receptus also inserted a και (“and”) after this word, which made it into the Geneva and King James English versions, but no Greek, Latin, Syriac, or Coptic manuscript supports this.
IMultiple commentators I read objected to breaking the chapter here. The gar certainly connects this verse with the previous material. For a refutation of the theory that this first part of chapter 9 is an insertion of another letter, see P. E. Hughes’ commentary.
JThis word, which also occurs in some form in the next two verses, is used in the context of either serving a meal or preparing for war in all its other instances in the Greek Bible.
KThis is the reading of the 1904 Patristic edition, following 4 Greek manuscripts (including the 5th Century Ephraemi Rescriptus). The reading of the contemporary critical editions is το (“the” – in the neuter gender), following five manuscripts, including the three oldest-known, the oldest of which dates to the 3rd century.) This is essentially the same as the Patristic tradition, counting “zeal” as neuter instead of masculine, which is apparently possible, and both meaning “Your zeal.” This seems to be the reading of the ancient versions too. The reading of the majority of Greek manuscripts, however (the oldest of which is the 6th century Bezae manuscript) and of the Textus Receptus GNT editions adds εξ (“out of”), adding the nuance that it was “what came out of your zeal” that stirred up the majority. Since the Corinthians’ zeal was not directly observed by the Macedonians, but rather they heard about it through Paul, this less-direct way of saying it is just as true, but it is so nuanced, that no English version picked up on it: they all say “your zeal.” Turner noted that “your” is in the emphatic position here.
LIn every other instance that this word is used in the Greek Bible, it is negative, provoking punishment, strife, war, and the like (Deut. 21:20; 1 Ma. 15:40; 2 Ma. 14:27; Prov. 19:7; 25:23; Dan. 11:10, 25; Col. 3:21).
MNKJV followed Robertson’s recommendation (also supported by Moule) that this means “majority,” although literally, as the comparative of “many,” it means “more.”
NThe only other place that this phrase “in this part” occurs in the Greek Bible, is in the Textus Receptus of 1 Peter 4:16, reflecting a large set of Greek manuscripts from the 9th-16th centuries, and therefore in the Geneva, KJV, and NKJV. However, all the pre-9th century manuscripts, as well as all the Latin, Syriac, and Coptic manuscripts, as well as all the English versions translated since 1850 read “name” instead of “part” in that passage, so I think this is a unique idiom in the Bible here.
OContemporary English versions render the subjunctive-ness of this verb in terms of uncertainty about how many Macedonians might come, but that would normally be expressed with an indefinite pronoun. This 3rd class conditional subjunctive verb, however, expresses uncertainty as to whether or not Macedonians “might come” with Paul.
P“We [plural] might not say” is the reading of the majority of Greek manuscripts (including the 4th Century Vaticanus and Sinaiticus) and of the Greek Orthodox, Textus Receptus, Tischendorf, and Tregelles New Testament editions, as well as of all the ancient versions. The Nestle-Aland/UBS editions (and the NLT English version) however, read, “I [singular] might not say,” based on 5 manuscripts (including the oldest-known from the 3rd century and others from the 5th and 6th centuries). It should also be noted that the subject of this verb “say” is not “you” (as many English versions imply), and that it is the verb which is negated here (“we might not say”), not the subjects (“we/you”). It is also significant that “you /y’all” is nominative. The grammar is unique here with no equivalent anywhere else in the Greek Bible (Some have suggested a parallel in Philemon 1:19, but there the trailing “you” is dative, not nominative ...αποτισω ινα μη λεγω σοι… resulting in a totally different sense: “I will repay so that I may say to you…”). In order to come up with the wording in most English versions, “...We (not to mention you too) will be ashamed...,” the Greek word hina has to be omitted, and the verb has to be changed from its original first person subjunctive spelling to an infinitive. KJV renders hina as “that” (L&N#90.22), but I think it is actually resultative here (L&N#89.49), listing a result of being found unprepared, namely that Paul wouldn’t be able to brag on them anymore. I suggest that the verb which has occurred three times in the last three verses be supplied as the predicate for the nominative plural “y’all” (“y’all [were prepared]”), and that is the thing which Paul would not be able to say if they weren’t actually prepared. Blass & Debrunner approached this grammatical conundrum similarly, but suggested that “shamed” should the understood verb instead, and thus that Paul was saying, “...We will be ashamed. (I’m wording [this] so as not [to say] that YOU [will be ashamed – but we all know you will be!])” And that seems to have been Robertson’s position also. But I think that involves adding too many words.
Q“of boasting” is the reading of the majority of Greek manuscripts (the oldest of which dates to the 9th century), and therefore of the Textus Receptus GNT edition and of the Peshitta and all the English versions printed before the year 1850. But 12 Greek manuscripts (including all 5 of the oldest-known – although two of them have marginal corrections to the majority text) omit the last two words, and with this truncated text the Vulgate and Coptic versions agree, so the contemporary critical editions of the GNT and English versions published after 1850 read without it. Because it is redundant to statements made in previous verses that Paul boasted about them, it doesn’t add or subtract any meaning. (This word is incorrectly spelled καυχήχεως in the 2016 e-sword edition of the 1904 Patriarchal Greek text.)
REpistolary aorist (Robertson)
SHapex legomenon, but the simpler form without the pro- prefix is found in the Greek Bible in Ezr. 4:13, 16 & 5:3, 9 (concerning walls), Ps. 17:34 (concerning feet), 28:9 (concerning deer), Matt. 4:21 & Mk. 1:19 (concerning nets), and Gal. 6:1, Eph. 4:12, 1 Thess. 3:10, Heb. 13:21, & 1 Pet. 5:10 (concerning persons).
TThis is the reading of the majority of Greek manuscripts (the oldest of which is dated to the 9th century) and therefore of the Textus Receptus and Greek Orthodox editions of the GNT. All the contemporary critical editions of the GNT, however, read προεπηγγελμένην (note underlined difference in spelling), based on a dozen manuscripts – including all five of the oldest-known, dated from the 3rd to 7th century. But since both words practically mean the same thing (“previously-declared” vs. “previously-promised”), there is no hermeneutical problem with this variant. The majority spelling with -κατ- is not found anywhere else in the Greek Bible, whereas the spelling with -επ- is found in Rom. 1:2 (but nowhere else, making it distinctly Pauline). Perhaps the spelling in the older manuscripts fell out of use by the 9th century and was edited to a more recognizable word? It is a perfect passive participle with a singular spelling, so it is not “y’all promised,” but rather, “which was promised” (if the participle be translated as a relative adjectival clause), or more simply “previously-promised/declared” (to translate the participle as an adjective, which is what Vincent also did).
UOutside of this passage, this word is translated “blessing” everywhere else in the New Testament it occurs (Rom. 15:29; 1 Cor. 10:16; Gal. 3:14; Eph. 1:3; Heb. 6:7; 12:17; Jas. 3:10; 1 Pet. 3:9; Rev. 5:12-13; 7:12), except for Rom. 16:18, where it is translated “flattery.” Nowhere else does any English Bible translate “blessing” as “bounty/generosity/gift” except for here.
VThe Textus Receptus spells this word in its long form (ωσπερ), even though no known Greek manuscript spells it that way. It makes no difference in meaning, though.
WNo Greek manuscript and no ancient version has a verb here, but it has been a long-standing tradition of English versions to add one. Wycliffe added “say” in the 14th century, followed by KJV in the 17th century. (Blass & Debrunner even attempted to find it in the grammar of the Greek in 1961, but I remain unconvinced.) The Geneva Bible added “remember” in the 16th century (followed by NIV in the 20th), and in the 21st Century, NET & ESV added “the point is.”
XHapex legomenon, but the verb form of this adverb is found in 2 Chr. 36:15; Est. 3:13; Prov. 10:19; 21:14; Job 16:13; 42:3; Wis. 12:18; Ps. Sol. 5:13; Jer. 17:17; Acts 20:29; and 2 Cor. 1:23.
YPerhaps this recalls Israel’s blessing upon Joseph in Genesis 49:26 εὐλογίας πατρός σου καὶ μητρός σου ὑπερίσχυσεν ἐπ᾽ εὐλογίαις ὀρέων μονίμων καὶ ἐπ᾽ εὐλογίαις θινῶν ἀενάων… Although it is technically a prepositional phrase with a preposition and a plural noun, all the standard English versions (except for Douay-Rheims) rendered it as an adverb.
ZThis present-tense spelling is in the majority of Greek manuscripts (the oldest of which is dated to the 6th century) and therefore in the Textus Receptus and Greek Orthodox editions of the GNT. It’s also the reading of the ancient Syriac Peshitta version. All the contemporary critical editions of the GNT, however, change the diphthongs to eta’s to read in the Perfect tense προῄρηται, based on half a dozen manuscripts – including all three of the oldest-known, dating to the 4th and 5th centuries (and supported by the ancient Vulgate and Coptic versions). Although both variants would hold the condition to be something arranged in advance and true at the present time, the latter would emphasize that the decision was made in the past, whereas the former would emphasize the present resolve, but that is a fine nuance and does not affect the basic meaning. This is the only time this word appears in the GNT, but it shows up several times in the LXX (Gen. 34:8; Deut. 7:6-7; 10:15; Jdt. 13:15; 2 Ma. 6:9; 3 Ma. 2:30; 6:10; 7:2; Prov. 1:29; 21:25; Wis. 7:10; 9:7), and notably paralleled with the verb for “choose” in Isa. 7:15 ...προελέσθαι πονηρὰ ἐκλέξεται τὸ ἀγαθόν. “...refuse evil – choose the good.” Its simpler form without the pro- prefix shows up in Philip. 1:22; 2 Thess. 2:13; Heb. 11:25, and is consistently translated “choose” in English versions.
AARobertson pointed out in his Word Pictures that, since the negative is mē (rather than the negative of the indicative case - ou), the understood verb (“give”) is not indicative but imperative, and that is how all the English versions render it. Geoffrey Wilson added that, “The omission of the verb in the original adds force to the sentence.”
ABThis predicate nominative adjective spelling is in the majority of Greek manuscripts (the oldest of which is dated to the 9th century) and therefore in the Textus Receptus and Greek Orthodox editions of the GNT. It’s also the reading of the ancient Latin Vulgate which dates to around the year 400, and the Coptic versions also seem to support it. All the contemporary critical editions of the GNT, however, spell it as a verb (δυνατεῖ), based on half a dozen Greek manuscripts – including all five of the oldest-known, dating from the 3rd - 6th centuries (and supported by the ancient Peshitta version). But both mean the exact same thing and translate the exact same way into English.
ACAlthough all English versions translate this word “sufficient,” they all translated it “contentment” in the only other place it appears in the Bible: 1 Tim. 6:6, and it appears that the only Apocryphal citation of this Greek word (Psalm of Solomon 5:16) leans in favor of “content” rather than “sufficient.” Another approach might be to consider what would complement “all things” and “all times.” Vincent identified this as a term borrowed from the Greek Stoics, and Robertson explained, “Paul takes this word of Greek philosophy and applies it to the Christian view of life as independent of circumstances. But he does not accept the view of the Cynics in the avoidance of society.”