Translation & Sermon by
Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 29
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. 9:8
...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, as it has been written, “He distributed – he
gave to those in penury; his righteousness remains for ever.” Now,
He who fully-supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will
supply and proliferate your seed and will grow the things produced
by your righteousness, as y’all are enriched with everything for
all generosity, which works out thanksgiving to God through us! For
the ministry of this service is not only filling-to-the-brim the
things that are lacking among the saints but it is also abounding in
terms of many thanksgivings to God: they are glorifying God because
of the successful-execution of this ministry on the basis of [your]
submission to what was confessed by y’all (concerning the good
news of the Anointed One) and the basis of the generosity of [your]
sharing among them (and among all), and the basis of their
petitioning on y’all’s behalf, since they are
highly-affectionate toward y’all, as a result of the exceeding
grace of God which is in y’all. Thanks be to God for His
inexplicable gift!
In chapter 8, Paul and Timothy began focusing on fundraising among the Corinthian Christians toward a special gift from the Gentile churches to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. At the end of chapter 8, they made the outright ask, but before and after that, they offered reasons for giving. They opened chapter 9 with arrangements to make sure the Corinthians are well-prepared to give generously and then reminded them of the law of sowing and reaping.
In verses 8 and following, the Apostles turn to focus on the power of God, not only to reward cheerful givers, but also to supply cheerful givers with the grace and the means to abound in more good works.
In verse 9, the Apostles quote Psalm 112:9 to prove that God gives grace to those who worship Him through cheerful giving.
Note that this promise is from the Old Testament, yet Paul uses it as proof that God will bless Gentile givers in the New Testament!
The Psalmist is describing a “righteous” man, and the second phrase, “he gave to the poor,” narrows down what was meant by the first phrase, “He dispersed/scattered/distributed” – specifically speaking of aid given to the poor.
The first verb also tells us that the righteous man’s giving is not only to one person, nor is it a one-and-done action, but he gives to many different people in need.
God had, in fact, commanded in the Law that His people give to the poor:
Deuteronomy 15:11 “[T]he poor1 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, cf. Lev. 25:35)
This was reinforced in the wisdom literature:
Proverbs 14:21 “He that dishonours the needy sins: but he that has pity on the poor2 is most blessed.” (Brenton)
Proverbs 31:20 “She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.” (NKJV)
And it was brought up again and again in the prophets – especially by Amos3 – when the Jews disobeyed and disenfranchised the poor, and God called them to repent.
God’s promise is that this “righteousness remains/endures forever.” What does this mean?
One thing we can say from Matthew 25:40 is that Jesus will remember these acts of kindness on Judgment Day as though they had been given to Him personally4, so they will endure forever in our Lord’s memory.
That reminds me of the relationship I had with an old missionary who was a friend of my parents. John Kyle would occasionally come from out-of-town and speak at our church’s world missions conferences, and sometimes my parents would invite him to our house afterwards for lunch. On one such occasion (many years ago when I was still in grade school), my brother and I had just learned to make Valentine cards in school that week by pasting heart-shaped candies onto construction paper with wheat-flour paste, so of course, we enthusiastically made candy Valentine cards for our special guest while he was at our house for lunch. Years later, as I was finishing college and considering becoming a missionary myself. My Dad recommended that I call Mr. Kyle for some vocational advice, and when I did so, he said, “Nate, I’ve got to tell you a story! Not long ago, I was fishing in my coat pocket for a pen, and out came this little heart-shaped candy, and I said to myself, ‘Where could that have possibly come from? I don’t ever remember buying a candy like that!’ and then I remembered! Years ago, you and your brother gave me Valentine cards with candy pasted on them. Do you remember that? I put your cards into my coat pocket and forgot all about it, but now, all these years later, there it was still!” Not only was Mr. Kyle happy to give me advice, he actually got me my first full-time job with InterVarsity Missions (which he had recently retired from directing). As the years went on, I occasionally got chances to see him again, and every time, he would pull me aside and say, “Have I ever told you the story about the little Valentine candies I found in my coat pocket?” It’s been many years since the last time I saw him, but one of my grown sons ran into him at a missions conference not too long ago. My son related the encounter to me and said, “The funniest thing happened. As soon as Mr. Kyle found out that I was your son, he said, ‘I’ve got to tell you this story about your Dad.’” I said, “Wait, I bet I know exactly what he said! It was about him finding my Valentine candy in his coat pocket, wasn’t it?” And we just laughed! Dr. Kyle has passed on to glory by now, but I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if, when I get to heaven, there’s Dr. Kyle, saying, “Oh Nate, have I ever told you the story about what I found in my coat pocket?” That one act of kindness stuck in his mind, and that’s what he thought of, every time he thought of me!
So, what is it that sticks in Jesus’ mind when He thinks of you? This is one way that our righteousness can endure forever.
Around the year 400, John Chrysostom preached a sermon on this passage in Constantinople, and his exhortation is eerily contemporary. He said, “Let us not therefore nicely calculate, but sow with a profuse hand. Seest thou not how much others give to entertainers and harlots? Give at any rate the half to Christ, of what they give to dances. As much as they give of ostentation to those upon the stage, so much at any rate give thou unto the hungry. For they indeed even clothe the persons of the wanton with untold gold; but thou not even with a threadbare garment the flesh of Christ…” He went on in his sermon to recommend figuring out how much you need to live at a sustenance level so that you can give the rest of your income to the poor.
But remember what “righteousness” means in the Bible: not that we did something good to make us right with God, but that everything was made right in our relationship with God when Jesus died on the cross to justify us. Jesus makes us right with God (that is, righteous), and then we do what is consistent with a right relationship with God (that is, righteousness).
T. W. Chambers, the pastor who translated Chrysostom’s Homilies on 1 & 2 Corinthians into English, commented that, “A parallel use of the term (‘righteousness’) is found in the Sermon on the Mount where (Matt. vi. 1.) ... our Lord in giving general directions about alms... begins with the injunction, ‘Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to be seen of them.’ When therefore it is said in the Psalm that the liberal man’s ‘righteousness’ or ‘beneficence shall continue forever,’ the implication is that he shall always have the means to continue his liberality5. This is sustained by the tendency of things and by the general course of Divine Providence.”
So, when we do righteousness, it is because God has supplied us with the opportunities, grace, and resources to do righteousness.
So much in life is beyond our control.
We can’t control the weather, so we can’t control whether the crops we planted will wither from drought or flourish in high yields.
We can’t control the economy, so we can’t control whether our financial investments will skyrocket or plummet or stay the same next year.
And we can’t control other people, so we can’t control whether a good deed we have done will be received well and applied wisely or not.
Sometimes people get upset and criticize you when you’re trying to do something nice for them, like when one of my sons held a door open for a group of girls and then they yelled at him for being chauvinistic.
Sometimes people don’t use the money they’ve been given wisely, like the proverbial alcoholic who, after a day of panhandling, squanders it all at the local bar and sleeps in the street again that night.
But God claims control over all these things.
He is the One who makes crops grow to provide seeds for the next year’s planting.
He is the One who gives us the means to grow food and to have food to eat. (Deut. 8:18 “But remember Yahweh your God, for it is He that gives you power to get wealth...” ~NAW)
He is the One who can make your supplies dwindle or increase.
And He is also the One who “will grow/increase the fruits/harvests/lit. ‘the things produced’ by your righteousness.”
I believe that the “fruits produced by [our] righteousness” that we “harvest” are the secondary results from what we have “sown” – the results that come from giving or from doing an act of service.
Once we have given, we no longer have control over how that gift is used, but God promises to make it productive so that it will bear fruit that can be harvested in the future – much like Jesus multiplied the bread and fish that the boy gave Him in John 6, so that 5,000 families were fed!
God causes the children or disciples that we have poured our lives into, to grow in maturity and to become parents and disciple-makers themselves.
God causes the TentMaker Project loan to a pastor in Uganda to keep him pastoring his church faithfully and providing for his family’s needs, so that Jesus is worshiped generations from now in that African village.
God causes the meal we cooked for a local family with health needs to nourish them to praise God and to do His will for a little while longer until they are well enough to make a meal for someone else in crisis later on.
God causes the effort we put into teaching our little children a new hymn during family devotions to grow in their lives so that they sing a phrase of that song on endless repeat all day long, drilling some truth about God so deeply into their heart that they will still be singing that song on their deathbed 80 years later!
These are the sorts of things God does with the gifts we cheerfully offer Him.
Not only is God controlling the after-effects of our giving, He is also there on the other end as the source of our giving! He is the source of all your gifts and good works. God is the One who “supplies” you with something to give in the first place.
I love the way Hosea pictured it in Hosea 10:12 “...Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” Then you can “Sow for yourselves righteousness [and] Reap in mercy.” (NKJV)
Peter used the same word for “supply” to state the same concept in 1 Peter 4:11 “...when someone serves, let it be like it's out of the strength which God supplies, in order that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ...” (NAW) If we know that God was the one who supplied the strength for our righteous deed, He’s the one we will praise for it.
So let us look to God to fill us with grace and righteousness and love, so we can do this! “...pray that your love may abound still more and more… being filled with the fruits6 of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philip. 1:9-11, NKJV)
“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all...” (1 Thess. 3:12, NKJV)
Verses 11-12 reiterate that if God is the One who provides the supply, and we are merely the conduits of His grace, then God is the one who should get the thanks at the end, not us!
This, of course, need not be applied so woodenly as to rebuke people for saying “Thank you” to us when we have given them something, but it does make a huge difference in our attitude as givers and ministers: whether we are doing acts of liberality/generosity/bountifulness in order to get the affirmation of people thanking us, or if we are doing charity to others as an act of worship and service to Christ in hopes that people will thank God.
And if the recipient thanks you and doesn’t quite understand how this connects to God, you can explain that God provided this gift for you to pass along to them and that you thank God that He gave you this opportunity.
Any charitable organization which calls itself Christian but does not do this, is not properly balancing mercy ministry with gospel ministry. As 20th century commentator Philip Hughes put it, “Christian giving… has a twofold effect: first, material – it fills up what is lacking to their poorer brethren of the necessities of life; but, second, there is a spiritual overflow of praise and gratitude to God.”
Paul certainly did this in his letters to the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 1:4-5 “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 all knowledge...” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 1:11 “Y'all are... collaborating together... in order that this gift from many persons to us might be given-thanks-for by many on account of us.” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 4:15 “For it's all for your sakes, in order that much grace might multiply the thanksgiving by the many to the glory of God.” (NAW)
Paul and Timothy were teaching the Corinthian Christians that, not only are God’s blessings to be shared generously (instead of being hoarded), but also that their acts of charity were to be aimed at God’s glory rather than their own.
When Paul delivered the Gentile churches’ donation to the Church in Jerusalem7, it was not Paul’s goal for them to build a statue of him to commemorate his philanthropy; Paul just wanted them to thank God.
Is that your goal when you give or serve? “I just want them to thank God.”
Paul crows in v.12 that this gift will not only meet the “needs” of the saints in Jerusalem, it will also result in “many thanksgivings to God”! In fact, he says that these things are already happening in the present tense as though the giving project were already completed. I think he did this to dangle the results vividly before the eyes of the Corinthians so they would want even more to give.
Here’s another thought. When you give, is it to “fully-supply the things that are lacking”?
The Greek participle for “supply” in the first half of v.12 is a rare compound of the Greek words for “up to” and “above” and “fill,” so it pictures not merely providing some supply but rather emphatically “filling up to the brim and above.”
Secondly, it was to fill specifically “what was lacking” – their “needs,” the things they actually “wanted.”
So often charity does not take into account what is actually needed on the ground or what amount is best. For instance:
When American soldiers were deployed into Iraq during the war surge of 2007, a well-meaning group of ladies donated about a hundred hand-knitted ear-muffs to warm the solders’ ears. The number of soldiers deployed in the surge, however, was on the order of 20,000 (200 times the number of ear-muffs), and the destination was a hot desert environment where the soldiers would have no need for ear-muffs.
Often when a disaster occurs, well-meaning people in our country end up donating to charities the sorts of things they needed to get rid of (such as stuffed animals and outdated electronic gadgets) rather than the sorts of things the victims actually need. It’s just human nature.
But, as we plan our giving, let’s make sure that we are seeking God for wisdom and resources, and actually supplying what is needed, in an amount that will actually cover the need.
Verse 13 adds that not only will this giving bring thanksgiving to God, it will also bring glory to God, not only by sharing resources but also by corroborating the Gospel.
Remember that Paul has been using the word “ministry/service” to describe a donation from the Gentile churches. And in verse 13, he calls it a δοκιμῆς, which English versions translate “proof/experiment/approval.” This Greek word has to do with “testing” something and finding it to be genuine and therefore something which can be depended-upon in the future. I think that, in this case, the actual delivery of a financial gift would prove concretely that the Corinthian Christians really did love their brothers and sisters in Christ across the ocean and that such love can be depended-upon as a characteristic of fellow-believers.8
Interestingly, a letter has been discovered, written by a pastor named Clement from Rome to the church in Corinth about 50 years after Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, and Clement’s letter confirms that the Christians in Corinth did indeed gain a reputation for generosity, because Clement praises them for being “ more willing to give than to receive,” for their “insatiable desire for doing good,” and for their being “ready to every good work.9”
The rest of verses 13-14 lists three things by which God will be glorified by the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem (as a result of the successful delivery of this gift), all three of which are introduced by a Greek word in the dative case.
The first word is ὑποταγῇ, which is translated in most English versions, “for/because of [your] subjection/submission/obedience,” and this “subordination” is specifically “in reference to the good news about Jesus Christ” which the Corinthians had “confessed.”10
By actually giving to the poor, the Corinthian Christians would be upholding what they had said was true in the Gospel, that Jesus is the “Christ” – the One anointed to be our divine prophet, priest, and king (to give us God’s word, to reconcile us personally to God, and to provide for us and lead us eternally)11. Jesus died to save sinners from every ethnic group and to form us all into one spiritual household under His leadership. That’s what they (and we) “profess” to believe.
Giving to Jews halfway around the world would require the Corinthians to put down their national pride and their personal selfish interests and make those things “subservient” to Jesus’ agenda of saving the world through the proclamation of the Gospel. This would be the first and most important way God would be “glorified” by the successful execution of this “ministry.”
This is actually reflected in an earlier event in the book of Acts when a different form of proof of God’s work among a group of Gentiles led a group of Jews to “glorify” God: Acts 11:18 “When they [the Christian leaders in Jerusalem] heard these things [from Peter, that as soon as he had ‘started’ preaching the gospel at the home of Cornelius, a Roman army captain, the Holy Spirit had come upon everybody in the house with supernatural signs] they [that is, the Jerusalem council] became silent; and they glorified God, saying, ‘Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.’” (NKJV)
Hebrews 4:14 “Therefore, since we have Jesus, the Son of God, the Great High Priest who has crossed into the heavens, let us keep carrying through on our confession of faith in Him.” (NAW)
The second reason God will be glorified through the successful execution of this ministry of giving is introduced by the second dative noun in v.13, which is ἁπλότητι – “for/on the basis of the liberality/generosity of your sharing/distribution/contribution…” This gift of a huge sack of silver coins would encourage those poor Christians in Jerusalem, not only spiritually – that genuine Christian faith was flourishing around the world, but also physically, with a very concrete demonstration that God still loved them and was providing for their needs, giving them even more reason to praise God.
Isaiah 32:8 “[A] generous man has devised generous12 things, and he stands firm upon generosity.” (NAW)
Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 “Start shining your light like that before people, so that they might see your good works and might glorify your Father in the heavens.” (NAW, cf. 1 Pet. 4:11)
Note also the very end of v.13, where Paul writes as though this fundraiser for the poor in Jerusalem isn’t the only act of charitable giving the Corinthians will be known for. They are going to give, not only to “them” (in Jerusalem), but “to all” – to many other Christians in need in other parts of the world as well!13
The third way in which God will be glorified by the successful completion of this giving project, shows up in verse 14, with a third Greek dative: δεήσει “and in/by their prayer/ petitioning for you/on your behalf.”
This isn’t the generic word for “prayer,” but rather the specific word for petition/supplication/requesting God for something. In this case, it’s the saints in Jerusalem praying for God to bless the church in Corinth!
Why? Because the Corinthians gave this wonderful gift to them, and the Jewish Christians are happy that God gave them the grace14 to do that, and they “yearn/long” for more fellowship with these brothers and sisters in Christ (“their hearts go out to them”), so they pray for God’s blessing upon those Gentile churches!
These “prayers” bring “glory” to God because they recognize His glory in building His church and they are asking God to keep expanding and blessing His church!
And we know that the Christians in Jerusalem aren’t going to be the only ones praying; the Corinthians are praying too, according to 2 Corinthians 1:11 “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.” (NAW)
Submission to the gospel, generosity in sharing, and affectionate prayer all bring glory to God in the context of cheerful giving,
so when you give:
do it as an expression of the good news about Jesus Christ,
draw on the overflowing grace of God to share generously,
and bathe it in prayer,
and when you are the recipient of such giving,
recognize it as a way of reminding you of the good news of God’s grace in Christ,
receive it graciously,
and pray to God affectionately for those who gave to you15.
This will bring glory to God!
Finally, verse 15 brings this message to a close by repeating that God is the source of giving and God as the one who should be praised. It is thus in relationship with God that giving reaches its highest joy and purpose.
The Greek word for “unspeakable/indescribable/inexpressible” is, like our English translations, the word for speakable/describable/expressible with a negative prefix in front of it.
That same Greek word without the negative prefix is found in the Greek Bible in Ps. 117:1716, Job 12:8, Hab. 1:5, and Acts 13:41, in every case declaring that the works and words of God CAN be expressed/described to some extent.
So, considering the whole counsel of Scripture, this word here cannot mean that God’s gift is “completely impossible (or even inappropriate) to describe;” it must mean something more like it is “impossible to describe exhaustively/unable to explain fully.”
For another thing, Paul has described what the “gift” of God is, elsewhere in his epistles:
Romans 6:23 “...the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NKJV)
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace y'all are saved through faith, and this gift is God's; it is not from you.” (NAW)
“Salvation” and “eternal life” are indeed the foundation of God’s giving to us, and they are things that theologians have written mountains of books about without exhausting the topic. But I think that, in the context of 2 Corinthians 9, Paul is looking at God’s giving in an even broader sense, to also include the giving of this financial gift for the poor saints, among the many other gifts and graces God lavishes upon His people17, as Paul wrote in Romans 8:32 “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (NKJV)
Paul says that we can give “thanks to God” for His “gift,” and he has already modeled that in 1 Corinthians 15:57 “but thanks be to God, the Giver of the victory to us through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NAW)
So let us conscientiously give thanks to God, the Giver of every good gift, the Supplier of all we need to be able to give to others, the Controller of the results of all giving, and most of all, the Giver of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
ByzantineB |
NAW |
KJVC |
RheimsD |
MurdockE |
CopticF |
8 δυνατὸςG δὲ ὁ Θεὸς πᾶσαν χάριν περισσεῦσαι εἰς ὑμᾶς, ἵνα ἐν παντὶ πάντοτε πᾶσαν αὐτάρκειανH 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 |
9 καθὼς γέγραπταιI· ἐσκόρπισενJ, ἔδωκε τοῖς πένησινK· ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. |
9 as it has been written, “He distributed – he gave to those in penury; his righteousness remains for ever.” |
9 (As it is written, He [hath] dispersed [abroad]; he [hath] given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. |
9 As it is written: He [hath] dispersed [abroad], he [hath] given to the poor: his justice remaineth for ever. |
9
As it is written, He [hath]
dispersed
[and]
given to the poor; and his righteousness
|
9 according as it is written: 'He distributedB/scatteredS, he gave to the poor; his righteousness abideth for ever.' |
10 ὁ δὲ ἐπιχορηγῶνL σπέρμαM τῷ σπείροντι καὶ ἄρτον εἰς βρῶσιν χορηγήσαιN καὶ πληθύναιO τὸν σπόρον ὑμῶν καὶ αὐξήσαι τὰ γενήματαP τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὑμῶν· |
10 Now, He who fully-supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and proliferate your seed and will grow the things produced by your righteousness, |
10
Now he that |
10
And he that |
10
Now he that |
10
But he who supplieth
[the] seed to him who soweth shall supply
the bread also [to himB] for an eating; and he shall
cause your
plantsB/sowingS to
growB/multiplyS;
X he shall cause [themB]
to grow, namelyB/ |
11 ἐν παντὶ πλουτιζόμενοιQ εἰς πᾶσαν ἁπλότηταR, ἥτις κατεργάζεται δι᾿ ἡμῶν εὐχαριστίαν τῷ Θεῷ. |
11 as y’all are enriched with everything for all generosity, which works out thanksgiving to God through us! |
11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. |
11 [That] being enriched in all things, [you may abound] unto all simplicity which worketh through us thanksgiving to God. |
11
so that in every thing, ye may
be
enriched unto all liberality,
|
11 ye being X rich in everything, in all singleness, this [virtueS] which worketh through us a thanksgiving to God. |
Byzantine |
NAW |
KJV |
Rheims |
Murdock |
Coptic |
12 ὅτι ἡ διακονία τῆς λειτουργίαςS ταύτης οὐ μόνον ἐστὶ προσαναπληροῦσαT τὰ ὑστερήματαU τῶν ἁγίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ περισσεύουσα διὰ πολλῶν εὐχαριστιῶν τῷ Θεῷ· |
12 For the ministry of this service is not only filling to the brim the things that are lacking among the saints but it is also abounding in terms of many thanksgivings to God: |
12 For the administration of this service not only supplieth the wantX of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; |
12
Because the administration
of this office
doth not only supply the wantX
of the saints, but aboundeth
also by
many thanksgivings
in |
12 For the performance of this ministration, not only supplieth the wantX of the saints, but is also rich in many thanksgivings to God. |
12
Because th |
13 διὰ τῆς δοκιμῆς V τῆς διακονίας ταύτης δοξάζοντεςW τὸν Θεὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ὑποταγῇX τῆς ὁμολογίας ὑμῶν εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἁπλότητι τῆς κοινωνίας εἰς αὐτοὺς καὶ εἰς πάντας, |
13 they are glorifying God because of the successful-execution of this ministry on the basis of [your] submission to what was confessed by y’all (concerning the good news of the Anointed One) and the basis of the generosity of [your] sharing among them (and among all), |
13
Whiles by the experiment
of this ministration
they glorify God for your profess |
13 By the proof of this ministry, glorifying God for the obedience of your confession unto the gospel of Christ and for the simplicity of [your] communicating unto them and unto all. |
13
For on account of the test
of this ministration,
weY
glorify God, |
13 XB/AndS through the proof of this ministration. YeB/ weS are glorifying God for the subjection of your confession unto the Gospel of Christ, and the singleness of the fellowship with them and X all; |
14 καὶ αὐτῶνZ δεήσει ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, ἐπιποθούντωνAA ὑμᾶς διὰ τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσανAB χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐφ᾿ ὑμῖν. |
14 and the basis of their petitioning on y’all’s behalf, since they are highly-affectionate toward y’all, as a result of the exceeding grace of God which is in y’all. |
14 And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. |
14 And in their praying for you, being desirous of you, because of the excellent grace of God in you. |
14 and they put up prayer for you, with much love, because of the abundance [of the] grace of God that is upon you. |
14
and their prayer [which they makeB] for you, {being
in hearty loveB/wishingS}to
you, because of the grace of God, which
abound |
15 χάρις AC τῷ Θεῷ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνεκδιηγήτῳAD αὐτοῦ δωρεᾷ. |
15 Thanks be to God for His inexplicable gift! |
15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. |
15 Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift. |
15 Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift. |
15 [ButB] thanks be given to God for his [freeB] gift unspeakableB/which we shall not be able to sayS. |
1Ἐνδεὴς, a synonym to the word πένησιν in 2 Cor. 9:9, emphasizing impoverished status whereas the latter emphasizes menial labor status.
2Πτωχοὺς, synonymous with the word πένησιν in 2 Cor. 9:9, emphasizing lowly, beggar status whereas the latter emphasizes menial labor status. The same is true of the last word of Prov 31:20.
3Amos 2:6, 4:1, 5:12, 8:4; cf. Zech. 7:10, Isa. 10:2, Ezek. 16:49, 18:12, & 22:29.
4Matthew 25:40 “And, in answer, the King will say to them, 'Really, I'm saying to y'all, as much as you did it for one of the least of these brothers of mine, it was to me that you did it.'” (NAW)
5Cf. John Calvin: “...the gushing forth of his liberality will be unceasing.”
6καρπὸν, a more-specific kind of γενήματα (2 Cor. 9:10). The same is true of the word “fruit” in the next few citations.
7P. E. Hughes: “By saying that the liberality of the Corinthians produces ‘through us’ thanksgiving to God Paul would seem to have in mind his particular function as a kind of middle-man through whom the collection was to be conveyed from Greece to Jerusalem. Somewhat similar is his earlier reference (in 8:19f.)...”
8“From the first there had been the obstacle of an ingrained reluctance on the part of Jewish converts to accept the genuineness of the response of Gentiles to the gospel... For Gentile converts to come to the aid of Jewish converts would be a tangible and compelling proof to the latter of the genuineness of the former in their Christian profession... The deed of the Good Samaritan... would be seen by the believers in Jerusalem to have been carried a stage further by the believers in Greece, so as to become the merciful action of the ‘Good Gentile’”. ~P. E. Hughes, 1962
9https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1010.htm (chapter 2)
10“Submissive confession of the gospel means single-minded fellowship with all the saints, all of whom so confess and all of whom are in fellowship. The one is never separated from the other. The one is the basis, the other the result. Confession means fellowship; fellowship means confession.” ~G. Wilson quoting Lenski
11Hebrews 3:1 “In view of which, holy brothers, companions of a calling from heaven above, nail down in your minds that the One so commissioned and the High Priest whom we confess is the Messiah Jesus.” 10:23 “Let's hold onto the unrelenting confession of our hope, because the One who promised is faithful.” (NAW, cf. 2 Cor. 2:12)
12The LXX interpretation is εὐσεβεῖς συνετὰ which focuses more on his “godliness” and “intelligence,” but the Hebrew words וְנָדִיב נְדִיבוֹת focus more on his “nobility/generosity/liberal giving.”
13Hughes seems to have committed a part-to-whole fallacy when he wrote, “They minister, it is true, to the believers in Jerusalem, but in doing so they minister to all believers everywhere.”
142 Corinthians 8:1 “Now brothers, let us make known to y'all God's grace which has been distributed among the churches of Macedonia...” (NAW)
15Matthew Henry noted that often prayer, “is the only recompense the poor can make, so it is often greatly for the advantage of the rich.”
16That’s Psalm 118:17 in English Bibles.
17Chrysostom, Plummer, and Barrett (and perhaps Lenski and Garland) agreed, but Matthew Henry, Tasker, Hodge, Héring, Thrall, Hughes, Kistemaker, Bernard, Martin, and Walton disagreed with expanding the meaning of the “gift” beyond that of salvation. The singularity of the “gift” speaks in favor of that view, while the context in which the word “gift” means “financial donation” 2 Corinthians 8-9 speaks against that view, so divergence of opinions is not unreasonable on this point.
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. The editor of the Sahidic compilation did not have manuscripts for vs. 1-4 and 6-8, and I have not discovered a published English translation of the subsequently-discovered manuscripts, so variants in that section for that tradition are not listed.
GThis 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.
HAlthough 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.”
IThis is word-for-word from the LXX of Psalm 111:9a (English Psalm 112), describing the blessings and characteristics of the man who fears and obeys Yahweh.
JThis
Greek word is used almost exclusively in the Bible in a bad sense of
chasing away undesirable things, but the Hebrew word (פזר)
that it was used to translate, has a balance between that bad sense
and the good sense of distribution of good things to others.
Notably, the same Hebrew word is in Prov. 11: 24 “There is one who
scatters, yet increases…,” and there, the Greek
translation is σπείροντες
(“sows”).
Concerning the tense, Hebrew and Aramaic did not
have distinctions in spelling between past and perfect tense, but
Greek and English do, and the Greek here is not perfect but Aorist
[simple past] tense (as the NASB and Coptic versions rendered it),
nevertheless, the Latin and English versions rendered this (and the
next verb) perfect tense, and the NLT oddly rendered it present
tense!
KThis is the only occurrence of this noun in the Greek New Testament. It is found throughout the LXX of the Old Testament, however (See esp. Deut. 15:11, Prov. 14:21, 31:20). Its adjectival form is found in the N. T. only once, describing the widow who gave two mites in Luke 21:2. A. T. Robertson distinguished between this level of poverty (in which “working for a living” and periodic “hunger” are characteristic) and the level of “abject poverty” represented in the word ptochos (in which “begging” was the only way to keep body and soul together).
LOnly occurs in the Greek Bible here and Col. 2:19 “...the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God” (NASB), and Gal. 3:5, and 2 Pet. 1:5 & 11. The simpler form of this word without the epi- prefix occurs later on in this same verse.
MThe reading of the majority of Greek manuscripts (the oldest two being from the 4th and 5th centuries AD) and of the Greek Orthodox and Textus Receptus editions of the GNT, is the more-common word for “seed” σπερμα, occurring 322 times in the Greek Bible, but the contemporary critical editions of the GNT use the less-common word for “seed” σπορον which is found in 5 Greek manuscripts (including one from the 3rd century and one from the 4th century) and occurs only 17 times in the Greek Bible, all but this time describing actual plant seeds, whereas the more-common word is used to describe not only plant seeds but also other kinds of seed, such as human descendants. But since they are synonyms, as is evidenced by the fact that the manuscripts are all agreed on sporon later on in this verse, there is no difference in English translation.
NThis simpler form of the verb that opened this verse is found in the GNT only here and 1 Peter 4:11 “...when someone serves, let it be like it's out of the strength which God stages…,” and in the Greek Old Testament in 1 Ki. 4:7, 5:1, and Dan. 4:12 (+14 citations in the Apocrypha).
OThese three verbs joined by “and” are spelled this way as aorist active optatives (“He wills to supply… multiply… increase”) in the majority of Greek manuscripts (the oldest being from the 9th century) and in the Patriarchal and Textus Receptus editions of the GNT. Contemporary critical editions, following 9 Greek manuscripts (among which are all four of the oldest-known ones from before the 6th century), spell the verb endings -ει instead of -αι, which is a future active indicative spelling (“He will supply… multiply… increase”). The distinction is a fine one between Him doing what He wants to do (Optative) and predicting what He will do (Future). It seems likely that this spelling change has more to do with changes in preferred grammar forms over the course of centuries than any change of meaning. Calvin commented “I rather prefer [the optative] reading, both because it is the more generally received one, and because Paul is accustomed to follow up his exhortations with prayers entreating from God what he had previously comprised in his doctrine...”
PBased on only three Greek manuscripts from the 12th and 14th centuries AD, the Textus Receptus doubled the nun in this word. The doubled form would associate this word with the root gennaō (“to beget”), whereas the spelling with one nun associates this word with the root ginomai (“to become”). The meanings are close enough not to make a difference, however.
QI interpreted this present participle as comparative (“you are enriched to the extent that God supplies”), and the NKJV took a similar approach but from a temporal angle (“while you are being enriched”). Most English versions, however, (encouraged by Plummer perhaps) translated it as a regular verb instead of a participle and threw it into the future tense (“You will be enriched”), which connects with the previous verse as a result of God’s supply, but not as directly as a comparative or temporal participle. Turner, on the other hand, following Moulton, interpreted it as imperative, but since we are powerless to enrich ourselves, that doesn’t make sense to me. Meanwhile, the Vulgate and Peshitta seem to have interpreted this participle causally as a statement of purpose (“God supplies so that you will be enriched…”). These are all legitimate functions of Greek participles.
RLiterally “singularity.” We encountered this in 1:12, regarding the heart of the Apostles, and in 8:2 regarding the giving of the Macedonians, and it will show up again in v.13.
SThis noun occurs only 5 other times in the Greek Bible: Lk. 1:23, Phil. 2:17 & 30, and Heb. 8:6 & 9:21, generally describing acts of service done in worship to God.
TThis participle with a double prefix only occurs two other places in the Greek Bible: in the apocryphal Wisdom of Solomon 19:4 and in 2 Cor. 11:9. Its simpler form without the pros- prefix occurs 19 times, including twice in 1 Corinthians, so this form with the double prefix should be considered emphatic. Vincent rendered it, “fill up by adding to,” and Robertson expounded: “The Corinthians simply added to the total from others.”
UPaul
uses this phrase “fill what is lacking” elsewhere in:
1
Corinthians 16:17 “I am delighted over the visit of Stephanas
and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because these men filled up the
absence of y'all…” (NAW) and
Philippians 2:30
“...risking his life in order that he might fill in for
your absence of ministry to me.” (NAW)
- both
times using a simpler form of the verb here without the pros-
prefix.
VVincent: “Commentators differ as to the interpretation; the difference hinging on the question whether the trial (experiment) applies to the service itself, or to those who render it: hence either ‘the proving of you by this ministration,’ as Rev., or the tried character of this ministration. Δοκιμή may mean, either the process of proving or the state of being approved, approved-ness. The difference is immaterial.” I would add that since the text doesn’t say “you” or anything more about earning “approval,” that adds too much to the text.
WThe plural form of this participle leaves the subject open to interpretation. The Peshitta and Sahidic interpreted it as the Apostles, the Bohairic interpreted it as the Corinthians, but most versions interpreted it as the saints in Jerusalem. I interpreted it as epexegetical, explaining the “abounding in thanksgivings” from the previous verse, but the KJV interpreted it temporally (“while”), and most other versions interpreted it as a main verb (“they will glorify”).
XThis noun appears in only three other places in the Greek Bible: Gal. 2:5 and 1 Tim. 2:11 & 3:4, but its verb form appears 40 times in the GNT.
YThe Greek participle is plural but has no person, so “we,” “y’all,” or “they” could possibly be correct. The Peshitta ܡܫܒܚܝܢ appears to be a third plural “they glorify” (which was Lamsa’s translation), but for some reason, Etheridge and Murdoch both rendered it “we glorify.”
ZThe RV/ESV and ASV/NASB interpreted this as a genitive absolute – as the subject of the participle, but all other English versions translated it as a possessive pronoun modifying “prayers/petitions.”
AAI translated this participle causally, but the KJV interpreted it adjectivally (“they… who long”), the NIV & NET as a main verb (“they long/their hearts go out”), and the NASB & ESV temporally (“while they long/yearn”). All are legitimate interpretations for a Greek participle.
ABThis word occurs only 6 other times in the Greek Bible: Job 15:11, 2 Cor. 3:10, 11:23, Eph. 1:19, 2:7, & 3:19.
ACThe majority of Greek manuscripts insert δε (“but/and”) here, followed by the Textus Receptus and Greek Orthodox edition of the GNT and the Bohairic Coptic version. (Although the St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox text in BibleWorks and the 1904 Patriarchal text at the The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America website include the de, the edition of the 1904 Patriarchal text on the e-sword module does not.) Ten Greek manuscripts do not include the de, including all five of the oldest-known, dating before the 8th century (although, in 4 of them, the de has been added by correctors from the 6th-9th centuries), and the reading without the de was carried on by the Vulgate, Peshitta, Sahidic Coptic, and all the English versions (except the Geneva Bible, which rendered it “therefore”). It doesn’t make any difference in meaning; it merely would add a stronger connection to the previous verse if it were kept.
ADHapex legomenon. But without the alpha privative, it occurs in the LXX Ps. 117:17, Job 12:8, and Hab. 1:5 (quoted in Acts 13:41) and 10 times in the apocryphal book of Sirach. The instances without the alpha privative make it clear that these things CAN be described to some extent, so the meaning of this word must mean “impossible to describe exhaustively” rather than “impossible (or inappropriate) to describe at all.”