Translation & Sermon by
Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 20 Sept.
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.
The passage that we’re going to look at describes how to maintain a church in good condition. Please take it to heart. Churches don’t happen spontaneously; they require care and work to develop and maintain. As we study these disciplines of maintaining a church in good condition, consider what God is calling you to do for the sake of His church.
Read
my translation of the passage, starting
at 2 Cor. 13:7
Now, we pray wistfully to God that y’all don’t
practice evil at all, not that we ourselves might appear seemly, but
rather that y’all might be doing what is good, despite us being as
unseemly.
However, we are not powerful enough for anything against the truth,
but rather we are for the truth. Indeed we rejoice whenever, on our
part, we happen to be weak but, for your part, you happen to be
powerful, and this we also pray wistfully for: the good-condition of
yourselves. On account of this, I am writing these things while not
present in order that, when I am present, I may not use severity
according to the authority which the Lord gave me for the purpose of
building up and not for the purpose of tearing down. As for the
rest, brothers, Cheers, let yourselves be kept in good condition,
keep letting yourselves
be comforted, keep being smart about the same thing, continue to be
peaceful, and the God of love and peace will be with y’all!
Our passage opens in verse 7 with the Apostles knowing that they appear “reprobate/disqualified/to have failed the test” of human approval1 in the eyes of the Corinthians because the Corinthians have been listening to the teaching of false apostles. Nevertheless, what are the Apostles doing? They are “praying” for the Corinthians to “do what is good/honest/honorable/right” instead of what is “wrong/evil.” (This same prayer is mentioned again in v.9.)
There are two textual traditions which go back as far as you can go in the New Testament manuscript record:
One has only Paul speaking, saying “I pray,”
and the other includes Timothy, saying, “We pray.”
Neither tradition is logically wrong. For Paul to say that he was praying doesn’t exclude the possibility that Timothy was also praying. It only makes sense to assume that Timothy was praying right along with Paul, whether or not Timothy is mentioned.
Throughout the books of Acts (14:23, 20:36, 21:5) and Paul’s epistles, we see him praying for the churches he knew:
Philippians 1:9 “And this I pray2, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment...” (NKJV)
Colossians 1:3 & 9-11 “We... [are] praying always for you… that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy…” (NKJV)
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 “[W]e also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him...” (NKJV)
Those passages use the standard Greek word for “prayer,” but here in 2 Corinthians 13:7 is a more-obscure verb for praying which, I think, indicates a prayer for something that is not sure to be answered.
One of the other instances of this word is in Romans 9:3, when Paul said he “wished/ prayed” that he could be anathematized to allow more of his kinsmen to be saved. Well, if you look at the rest of Paul’s theological writings, it’s obvious that Paul didn’t actually believe he could lose his salvation or trade-in his salvation for the salvation of a group of relatives in exchange, so his prayer in Romans 9:3 seems to present a raw, unfiltered sentiment, not a well-considered request.
Another instance is when Paul and the sailors in the ship got caught in a storm at night and “prayed that it would become day” (Acts 27:29, NAW). They needed some light to see by, but probably weren’t actually expecting God to fast-forward time just for them.
Similarly, John prayed for “health” and “prosperity” for all the readers of his third epistle. Did he really believe that everybody in the world who ever read Third John would be healthy and prosperous? Of course not, but it was his general sentiment to wish us all the best.
I conclude that this sort of prayer is more like a “hopeful wish” or “wistful prayer.” But here’s my takeaway: It’s okay to to pray a “rough-draft” prayer that you’re not sure is entirely theologically correct, and it’s okay to ask God for more than you think He is actually likely to do. Better to ask too much from God than for nothing at all.
The sentiment of Paul’s wishful prayer is certainly along the lines of what Jesus taught us to pray (“Thy will be done… and deliver us from the evil…” ~Mat. 6:10-13), but it was a stretch for Paul to pray here that these Corinthian Christians, riddled as they were with so many besetting sins, could ever reach a point at which they “didn’t practice any evil whatsoever/did nothing wrong at all.” However, if the Apostles could pray like that, then you can too! And when your five-year-old prays for all the sick people in the hospital to be healed (Jas. 5:16), it’s okay to say “Amen” and hope that more will be healed than you had faith to hope for!
The point is the motive behind Paul’s prayers for this church – the goal that was really on his heart. His main concern was not for everyone to respect him as the Apostle of Apostles; no, his main concern was that the people in the church would “do what is right/honorable/good.” The good spiritual condition of the church was the most important thing on Paul’s mind, and that is what drove his prayers.
Remember Jesus’ characterization of the way the Pharisees prayed? Matthew 6:5 “...they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets in order that they might be put in the limelight by men…” 23:4-6 “[T]hey are doing all of their deeds in order to be watched by men, so they are making their phylacteries bigger and enlarging the tassels on their garments, and they like the principal seats at the dinners…” (NAW) But they “aren’t willing to lift a finger” for anybody else.
This is likely what Paul was up-against in Corinth: Jewish religious leaders who organized their lives around looking impressive and who didn’t give a rip about anyone else.
Jesus said, “…whenever you pray, enter into your closet, and after you have closed your door, start praying to your Father who is in the secret [place], and your Father who sees in secret will reward you…” (Matt. 6:6, NAW)
You want to see a healthy church?
Quit looking in the mirror and worrying what other people think of you, and instead pray for the things you know are God’s will – and even for things you aren’t sure about!
When you read the news, you may feel like praying down curses on the wicked leaders who are highlighted and against the scurrilous movements which are causing confusion and chaos in our country and around the world, but are you praying for the faithful Christians who are not in the headlines – the congressmen who are looking to God to give them wisdom? The teachers who go to the public schools because they see them as a mission field? The soldiers who take advantage of the few opportunities they have to worship God? Let’s pray for God’s people everywhere to do what is right, honorable, and good – that they do God’s will and overcome temptation and evil!
The apostles in v.8 are either objecting to people thinking that they are disqualified failures, or they are explaining the reason why they are praying that the Corinthians will do what’s right.
The contrast words in verse 8 are “against the truth” vs. “for the truth.”
And what do they mean by “the truth”? It’s a synonym for the good news about Jesus3:
2 Corinthians 4:2 “[W]e renounced the shameful secrets, not walking in craftiness or misleading with the word of God, but rather using the revelation of the truth, endorsing ourselves to every person's conscience in the sight of God.” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 6:7-8 “We recommend ourselves ...using the word of truth, using the power of God… as being in error yet true…” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 7:14 “...we uttered all things in truth to y'all, thus also... it was realized to be the truth...” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 11:10 “[T]his bragging is the truth of the Anointed One in me…” (NAW)
Paul and Timothy have not only chosen not to do anything “against what is true,” they literally “lack the power even be able to stand against the truth!” The only thing they can do is to support what is true.
When you see the apostles saying that they “don’t have the power/strength [to fight] against the truth,” using the same Greek word for “power/strength” that the Corinthians have been using as a misguided ideal, the irony comes through clearer when the faithful apostles say they are “weak” while the unfaithful Corinthians are “powerful/strong.”
The world says that you are strong when you make up your own truth and don’t submit yourself to God’s truth. The world encourages you to rely upon your own human strength and make yourself independent from God and from your family and to be your own person. But according to God’s word, that is not real strength. That is not the goal. The goal is to be so unified with Christ that you have no power to do anything but support what He says is the truth.
What does that look like in the church?
For one thing, it means submitting yourself to God’s opinions expressed in the Bible.
For another, it means caring about what is true more than about winning arguments.
And it means supporting what you know is true, even when it is unpopular.
If you love God’s church, you will rejoice like Paul and Timothy did when parts of it are doing well.
Can we rejoice, like v.9 says, when another church grows bigger while our church shrinks in membership? My heart certainly gets clouded with feelings of personal betrayal and feelings of anger over others’ lack of integrity when someone leaves our congregation to join another church in town, but, by God’s grace I can be happy to know that a sheep who was floundering spiritually under my care is moving under the care of another faithful shepherd instead of wandering alone in the wilderness, and I can hope that they will come to thrive spiritually under different pastoring.
Maybe you struggle over different issues where it seems things are unjustly imbalanced,
such as another family in the church that seems to come by wealth a lot more easily than you do,
or another person who seems to make friends more easily – or who has more influence in the church than you.
There may be bad attitudes you have to deal-with in your heart that make it hard to rejoice, but the Holy Spirit can make you glad that they are in a strong position, even when you feel like God has put you in a weak position, and you can pray for them.
Remember what Paul said back in verse 4: “Christ... was crucified as a result of weakness, but He lives as a result of the power of God. Indeed as for us also, we are weak with Him, but we will live together with Him as a result of the power of God among y'all.” (NAW)
Paul and Timothy say at the end of verse 9 that they “pray for the restoration/perfection/ completion/good-condition” of the church in Corinth.
The Greek word κατάρτισιν that describes what they’re praying for
can be a “preparation/equipping” for initial use, as in Matthew 21:16 “out of the mouths of infants you have prepared praise,” and Hebrews 13:21 “a body you have prepared for me,”
or it can be a “restoration” of something previously-used (but damaged) back to a usable state, as in the disciples “mending their nets” in Matthew 4:21, and the promise in 1 Peter 5:10 “after you have suffered, God will renew you.”
The Greek word that actually means “perfect/complete” is a different word (τέλειος); the word here simply means “to be in good, working condition.” As I tried to come up with a word in contemporary English that can include both “preparing” and “restoring,” I settled on the phrase “fix up.”
Later on in the book of Philippians, Paul describes another one of his co-workers named Epaphroditus and how he became bedridden due to a sickness that almost killed him, but even from that weak station of physical illness, Ephaphroditus found strength from God to encourage Paul and to be concerned about his home church. Of this man (or perhaps of another with the same name from the same area), Paul wrote, “[He is] always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete4 in all the will of God.” (Col. 4:12, NKJV) There’s an example that even the weakest Christian can follow!
Matthew Henry commented: “[Paul] not only desired that they might be kept from sin, but also that they might grow in grace, and increase in holiness, and that all that was amiss among them might be rectified and reformed.” To that end he prayed, and to that end he also wrote letters.
Because Paul wants to “build up” the church (as indeed Jesus had commissioned him to do) and doesn’t want to see his beloved church in Corinth struggling with sin which brings spiritual weakness and decreased usefulness in God’s kingdom – because of this, Paul says in v.10 that he wrote this letter of 2 Corinthians, hoping that this written exhortation would be all the impetus the Corinthians would need to turn away from the latest fad of Neo-Judaeism with which they had been flirting and come back to being fully-committed to Jesus as God’s Anointed prophet, priest and king.
That’s what he said back in 2 Corinthians 10:2 “I therefore plead that, when I arrive, I not have to be courageous with the confidence with which I'm reckoning to venture upon some who reckon us to be walking according to flesh.” (NAW, cf. 1 Cor. 4:21)
But there is still the possibility that there might be some folks who would try to keep associating with the church in Corinth in order to keep trying to talk church members out of following Jesus. In such cases, Paul, as an elder with jurisdiction over that local church, certainly has the authority5 and responsibility to “sharply sever” those individuals from the body of the church and to “destroy” the membership relationship which they had previously enjoyed with that congregation.
That’s why Paul wrote back in v.2, “...whenever I come for the follow-up, I will not go easy.” (2 Cor. 13:2, NAW)
No godly church elder enjoys having to implement church discipline like that, and no godly church elder will want to hurry into it, but, as Paul says in v. 10, it is an “authority” which the Lord Jesus has given to the leaders of His church. (Jesus told the leaders of the church that He was entrusting them with the “keys to the kingdom” in Matthew 16:19, and with the authority to “bind” and “release” in the church in Matthew 18:18.)
Here, Paul sets a good example for us in the church (an example which Jesus also set for us)
of being gentle and longsuffering when confronting sin in other persons and calling them to turn away from their sin and obey Jesus.
Harshness and sharpness are not appropriate unless multiple admonitions have been given and the person proves over time to be rebellious and stubbornly opposed to God6.
The way we relate to one another in the church should be organized around a desire to “edify” – to be “constructive” rather than “destructive” with one another.
Hebrews 3:12-13 “Keep watch, brothers, otherwise there will be in some of y'all an evil heart of unbelief in the act of apostatizing from the Living God, rather encourage one another throughout each day – as long as it is called ‘today’ in order that some of y'all might not be hardened by means of the deceitfulness of his sin.” (NAW)
1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another…” (NKJV)
When was the last time you wrote a note to a fellow church member to encourage them?
In verse 11, Paul and Timothy fire off five exhortations in rapid succession (and a sixth one will follow in v.12), the practice of which would lead to the peace and well-being of the church:
χαίρετε – farewell/good-by/Cheers
It’s the same Greek word found in v.9 for “be glad/rejoice,” but it was also a traditional greeting7, so most English versions translate it “Good by” or “Farewell.”
However, Jesus did command His disciples to “rejoice,” using the same Greek word in
Matthew 6:11-12 “Y'all are being blessed whenever liars reproach you and hunt [you] down and speak every evil against you for my sake. Keep rejoicing and leaping for joy, because your reward is bountiful in heaven…” (NAW)
and in Luke 10:20 “... rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (NKJV)
And Paul used the same Greek word in his exhortations to the Philippian and Thessalonian churches:
Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, ‘Rejoice!’” (NAW)
1 Thessalonians 5:16 “Rejoice always” (KJV)
Now, whether this instance in 2 Corinthians 13:11 is the equivalent of saying “farewell” or whether it is a formal command to “rejoice,” its Greek present tense form indicates that the Apostle wants them to experience this joy, not just momentarily but on an ongoing basis.
Do you share Paul’s desire to resist fear and despair and to live in the joy of the Lord continuously? Are you committed to developing a church community that rejoices?
καταρτίζεσθε – Become complete/perfect/Aim for restoration/Let yourselves be kept in good condition,
This is not the standard Greek word for “perfect/complete” (τέλειος); it’s the word used in verse 9 that means “to prepare/equip” or “to restore/fix up.”
20th Century commentator Phillip Hughes wrote, “[I]t implies the need, not so much for individual sanctity (essential though that is), as for a united, properly articulated, and therefore harmoniously functioning together of the members of Christ's body in Corinth.”
It is a command in passive voice, present tense, and plural number,
so it is not a command to condition yourselves for usefulness, but rather a command to passively receive equipping and conditioning from God in order to be useful to Him,
and it is a command to keep on being recipients (in the present tense) of that equipping and conditioning so that you can continue to be useful to God in the future,
and it is a command to so so, not just as individuals, but as a plurality – developing a community which continually receives equipping and restoration from God in order to be of greatest service to God. How does our congregation measure up to that?
It starts with opening our hearts to God to equip us where we are not ready to serve Him yet, and to restore us after we have been hurt by our own sin or the sin of others.
παρακαλεῖσθε – be of good cheer/comforted/encouraged
This takes us back to the beginning of 2 Corinthians – “God... is the One Who comforts us in all our stress in order for us to be empowered to comfort those in any stress, by means of the comfort by which we ourselves are being comforted by God…” (2 Cor. 1:4, NAW)
In 2011, the NIV corrected its 1984 version from “listen” to “encourage,” finally agreeing with all the other English versions, but unfortunately it joined the ESV and NLT in translating this verb as though it were in the middle voice (“encourage one another/comfort yourselves”). This Greek verb, however, is spelled in the passive voice, so it actually means, “Let yourselves continue to be comforted” (and, of course, chapter 1 explains that when we receive comfort from God we are empowered to comfort others as well, but it’s important to keep starting with “being comforted” by God so that we can have the power to reach out to comfort others).
τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖτε – keep minding the same thing/agreeing/being like-minded
This is not a command which Paul has mentioned before in his letters to the Corinthians8. The only way this Greek root word is used in 1 and 2 Corinthians is the three times it is used to describe how smart/intellectual the Corinthians thought they were9:
1 Corinthians 4:10 “We are stupid on account of Christ, but y'all are smart …” (NAW)
1 Corinthians 10:15 “I'm speaking as to intellectual men...” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 11:19 “For y'all, smart as you are, are gladly putting up with those who are silly.” (NAW)
The Corinthians seem to have prided themselves at being intellectuals, so I think Paul is building positively on this by saying, “Look, I know you value the development of your minds, and that’s fine, but
make sure you are going to the same source of wisdom (namely “Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” – Col. 2:3, NIV),
and make sure you’re being smart about the same thing (that is, the good news about Jesus, the only thing worth “knowing” according to Paul in 1 Cor. 2:2).
Paul employed a similar phrase in 1 Corinthians 1:10 “Now I am exhorting you, brothers, on account of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in order that you might keep speaking the same thing and that there might not continue to be divisions among you, but that you might be mended through having the same mind10 and through having the same opinion.” (NAW)
“‘To
be of the same mind’ - does not mean that individual judgment and
opinion should be set aside, but that as fellow-Christians, with
all their diversities of ability and temperament, they should be
united in what is essential, namely, in the love and doctrine of
Christ.”
~P. E. Hughes, 1962 AD
Christ The Redeemer Church was started by a Doctor of Philosophy, a Doctor of Medicine, and a Master of Divinity, so naturally it has an intellectual bent to it, but
we need to keep looking to the same source of wisdom to equip us – the Holy Bible,
and we need to keep prioritizing the same Gospel to evangelize the world.
If we jump onto every popular bandwagon that the marketplace of ideas promotes to us, we will splinter into factions and cease to be a church.
It takes mental discipline to stay focused on what is important and what will still be most important 200 years from now.
εἰρηνεύετε – be at peace/live in peace
Peace is not a theme Paul has addressed directly in 2 Corinthians, but we know
from 1 Corinthians11 that peace was being disturbed in the church by drama over marriage and divorce (7:15), by competition over who got to speak at church (14:33), and by disagreements over who should lead (16:11), so in 1 Corinthians, Paul had written: “God has called us to peace” (7:15), and “He is not the God of instability but rather of peace; so it should be in all the churches of the saints.” (14:33, NAW).
Here in 2 Corinthians, the peace has been disturbed by false prophets spreading slander about Paul and Timothy and trying to turn Christians away from believing in Jesus.
Once again Paul’s exhortation is in the present tense, encouraging Christians to continue keeping the peace among themselves.
Jesus commanded the same thing in Mark 9:50 “...Keep having salt in yourselves, and keep being peaceful with one another.” (NAW)
And Paul echoed it in Romans 12:18 “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” and 1 Thessalonians 5:13 “… Be at peace among yourselves.” (NKJV, cf. Rom. 14:19)
It is a common tendency among intellectuals to explore “odd ideas off of the beaten track12” and to debate things just for the intellectual stimulation of forming arguments, but we need to be careful that this does not threaten the peace and unity of the church, and we need to be careful to support faithful leaders rather than working at cross-purposes to them. Keeping the peace in a Godly way requires wisdom and self-discipline.
At the end of verse 11, Paul points the church toward the source from which they can obtain peace, and that is God: “and the God of love and peace will be with y’all.”
Walking closely with God puts you in touch with the source of love and peace and is what enables you to be at peace, to be unified in thinking, to be comforted, fixed-up, and cheerful, to stand with the truth, and to pray for the well-being of the church.
And while it requires wisdom and self-discipline, this isn’t some complicated, high-falutin’, esoteric feat only for superstar Christians; Paul assures us that God will be with you – with y’all – to connect you to His peace and love and comfort and perfection and joy.
Paul reminds us of that at the beginning and end of almost all his letters. For instance, at the beginning of 2 Corinthians: “May grace be with you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One... He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.” (2 Cor. 1:2-3, NAW)
ByzantineB |
NAW |
KJVC |
NKJVD |
NASBE |
NIVF |
ESVG |
RheimsH |
MurdockI |
CopticJ |
7 εὔχομαιK δὲ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν μὴ ποιῆσαι ὑμᾶς κακὸν μηδέν, οὐχ ἵνα ἡμεῖς δόκιμοιL φανῶμεν, ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα ὑμεῖς τὸ καλὸν ποιῆτε, ἡμεῖς δὲ ὡς ἀδόκιμοιM ὦμεν. |
7 Now, we pray wistfully to God that y’all don’t practice evil at all, not that we ourselves might appear seemly, but rather that y’all might be doing what is good, despite us being as unseemly. |
7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we X should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. |
7 Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we X should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though we may [seem] X disqualified. |
7
Now we pray
to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear
approved,
but that you may do what is |
7
Now we pray
to God that you will not do anything wrong. Not that |
7
But we
pray
to God that you may not do wrong—not
that we X may
appear to have
met the test, but that you may do
what is |
7 Now we pray X God that you may do no evil, not that weN may appear approved, but that you may do that which is good and that we may be as reprobates. |
7
And I
beseech
XO
God, that |
7 But we pray XB/untoS God that ye mayB/ toS not do any evil, not that we (pron.) may be manifest asB/forS chosen [onesS]” but that ye (pron.) may do the good, but that we (pron.) may be as reprobatesB/ not chosenS. |
8 οὐ γὰρQ δυνάμεθά τι κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείαςR, ἀλλ᾿ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας. |
8 However, we are not powerful enough for anything against the truth, but rather we are for the truth. |
8 For we can [do] nothing against the truth, but for the truth. |
8 For we can [do] nothing against the truth, but for the truth. |
8 For we can [do] nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. |
8 For we cannot [do] anything against the truth, but [only] for the truth. |
8 For we cannot [do] anything against the truth, but [only] for the truth. |
8 For we can [do] nothing against the truth: but for the truth. |
8 For we can [do] nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. |
8
For {we |
9 χαίρομεν γὰρ ὅταν ἡμεῖς ἀσθενῶμενS, ὑμεῖς δὲ δυνατοὶ ἦτε· τοῦτο [δὲT] καὶ εὐχόμεθα, τὴν ὑμῶν κατάρτισινU. |
9 Indeed we rejoice whenever, on our part, we happen to be weak but, for your part, you happen to be powerful, and this we also pray wistfully for: the good-condition of yourselves. |
9 For we are glad, when we X are weak, and ye X are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection. |
9 For we are glad when we X are weak and you X are strong. And this also we pray, that you [may be] made complete. |
9 For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you X are strong; this we also pray for, that X you [be] made complete. |
9
X We are glad
whenever we X are
weak but you X are
strong;
and X |
9
For we are glad
when we X are
weak and you X are
strong.
X Your
restoration
is |
9 For we rejoice that weV are weak and you are strong. This also we pray for, your perfection. |
9 And we rejoice, when we X are weak and ye X are strong. And this also we pray for, that X ye [may be] perfected. |
9 For we (pron.) [shallS] rejoice shouldB/wheneverS we [ourselvesS] be weak, but ye [yeS] be powerful. This {very thing also we doB/really is that which we areS}, praying for your perfectionB/ being perfectedS. |
10 Διὰ τοῦτο ταῦτα ἀπὼν γράφω, ἵνα παρὼν μὴ ἀποτόμως χρήσωμαι κατὰ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἣν ἔδωκέ μοι ὁ Κύριος εἰς οἰκοδομὴν καὶ οὐκ εἰς καθαίρεσιν. |
10 On account of this, I am writing these things while not present in order that, when I am present, I may not use severity according to the authority which the Lord gave me for the purpose of building up (and not for the purpose of tearing down). |
10
Therefore
I write these things being absent, lest being present
I should use sharpness,
according
to the |
10
Therefore
I write these things being absent,
lest being present
I should use sharpness,
according
to the authority which the Lord |
10 For this reason I am writing these things while absent, so that when present I need not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down. |
10
This
is why I write these things when
I am absent, that when I |
10
For
this reason I write these things
while I am away
from you, that when I |
10
Therefore
I write these things, being absent, that, being present,
I may not |
10
Therefore,
while absent, I write these things; lest when I come, I should |
10
ThereforeB/
because of thisS
I write these things [to youB] not being with you, that
[being with youB], I may not [come andS] |
11
Λοιπόν, ἀδελφοί, χαίρετε,
καταρτίζεσθε,
παρακαλεῖσθεX,
τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖτε,
εἰρηνεύετε |
11
As
for the rest, brothers, Cheers,
let
yourselves
be
kept
in good condition,
keep
letting yourselves be comforted,
keep being
smart about
the same thing,
continue
to be
peaceful, |
11
Finally, brethren, farewell.
Be perfect,
be of
good comfort, be
|
11
Finally, brethren, farewell.
|
11
Finally, brethren, rejoice,
be made
complete,
be
comforted, be
|
11
Finally, brothers, good-by.
|
11
Finally, brothers, rejoice.
|
11
For the rest, brethren,
rejoice,
be perfect,
take
exhortation,
be of
|
11
Finally, my brethren, rejoice,
and be perfected,
and be
comforted:
and |
11
FinallyB/ now thereforeS, my brethren,
rejoice; be
perfectedB/perfect
yourselvesS;
take courageB/be
consoledS;
beB/
thinkS
(of) |
12 ᾿ΑσπάσασθεZ ἀλλήλους ἐν ἁγίῳ φιλήματι. |
12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. |
12 Greet one another with an holy kiss. |
12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. |
12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. |
12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. |
12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. |
12a Salute one another with a holy kiss. |
12 Salute ye one another, with a holy kiss. |
12 Salute one another in/with a holy kiss. |
13 ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς οἱ ἅγιοι πάντες. |
13 All those who are holy [here] greet y’all. |
13 All the saints salute you. |
13 All the saints greet you. |
13 All the saints greet you. |
13
All the saints
[send]
|
13 All the saints greet you. |
12b All the saints salute you. |
13 All the saints salute you. |
12b All the saints salute you. |
14 ῾Η χάριςAA τοῦAB Κυρίου ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἡ κοινωνία τοῦ ῾Αγίου ΠνεύματοςAC μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. ἀμήνAD. |
14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus – the Anointed One, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of y’all. Amen. |
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. |
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. |
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. |
14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. |
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. |
13 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the charity of God and the communication of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen. |
14
The |
13 (The) grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the holy spirit (be) with you all. |
Προς κορινθιους βAE εγραφη απο φιλιππων δια τιτου και λουκα |
[To the Corinthians - part B, written from Philippi, delivered by Titus and Luke.] |
The second epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, [a city of Macedonia], by Titus and Lucas. |
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{To
Corinth X, written |
1Commentaries by J. Chrysostom, M. Henry, M. Vincent, A. T. Robertson, P. E. Hughes, and G. Wilson explained this as the apostles appearing not to have the power to inflict church discipline on anybody if the Corinthians responded well and the apostles didn’t end up needing to discipline anybody. J. Calvin’s interpretation was more like mine.
2The verb for “pray” in these three verses is προσεύχομαι, a near-synonym to εὔχομαι in 2 Cor. 13:7.
3A number of commentators I read disagreed, saying that “the truth” had to do with whether or not there was sin which the apostles could discipline and thus prove that they had authority. But according to Abernathy’s Exegetical Summaries on 2 Corinthians, the following commentators agreed that “the truth” is “the gospel”: Lenski, Kistemaker, Barrett, Plummer, Bratcher, Kruse, Garland, and Furnish.
4The words for “prayer” (προσευχαις), “perfect” (τελιοι), and “complete” (a compound of πληρω) are different from the ones Paul used in 2 Cor. 13:9, but may be considered synonyms.
52 Cor. 10:8 “Yet even if I were to brag any more concerning our authority (which the Lord gave to us for edification and not for tearing y'all down), I would not be ashamed…” (NAW)
6Cf.
Titus 1:13 “...Therefore rebuke them sharply, that
they may be sound in the faith...”
and Romans 11:22
“Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on
those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you
continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.”
(NKJV)
7Cf. Matt. 26:49; 27:29; 28:9 and 2 Jn. 1:10-11, although, curiously, Vincent commented, “It is somewhat doubtful whether it ever has the meaning farewell in the New Testament.” Hughes didn’t go that far, but asserted that “Rejoice” makes more sense in this context.
8Although he will emphasize it later in Romans 12:16, 15:5-6, Philippians 1:27, 3:16 (Byz), Ephesians 1, etc.
9There is a fourth occurrence in the Byzantine text of 1 Cor. 4:10 which is also in a context of pride and contentiousness.
10Νοι, a synonym to φρονειτε in 2 Cor. 13:11.
111
Cor. 7:15 “But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a
brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has
called us to peace.” (NKJV)
1 Cor. 14:33 “For
He is not the God of instability but rather of peace;
so it should be in all the churches of the saints.” (NAW) 1
Cor. 16:11 “There is not anyone therefore who should make
[Timothy] out to be a nobody, but send him forward in peace…”
(NAW)
12Kerry Livgren, “Life Undercover,” from the album Timeline.
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.
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.
DNew King James Version, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. As published by E-sword in 2016.
EScripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. As published by E-sword in 2016.
FScripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
GScripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. As published by E-sword in 2009.
HRheims 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.
IJames 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.
JThis 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.
KThis singular spelling (“I pray”) is in the majority of Greek manuscripts (the oldest being from the 9th century, although it is also in the Peshitta translation which is much older than the 9th century) and is the reading of the Textus Receptus and Greek Orthodox editions of the Greek New Testament. But 19 Greek manuscripts (including all 5 manuscripts dated before the 9th century, supported by the ancient Vulgate and Coptic versions) read instead with a plural spelling (ευχομεθα “we pray”), so the plural is the reading of contemporary critical editions of the GNT and of English Bibles translated since the 1880’s (with the exception of the NKJV). It is only a minor point whether or not Timothy is joining with Paul in prayer for the Corinthians. The context contains both singular and plural first persons (“I” in verses 1-3, 6, and 10, but “we” in vs. 4, and 6-9.) As to meaning, there are other Greek words for “wish/want/ will” (θελω – 210 instances in the GNT), “hope” (ελπιζω – 31 instances in the GNT), and “pray” (προσεύχομαι – 87 instances in the GNT); this verb is relatively more-rare than those verbs (occurring in the GNT only here and Rom. 9:3, 2 Cor. 13:9, Jas. 5:16, and 3 Jn. 1:2) and may mean something along the lines of a “hopeful wish” or “wishful prayer.”
L“But vain-glory is quite the contrary, by being contemned she is made tame, by being honored she is made savage and is armed against her honorer... Do thou, therefore, if thou desirest to receive glory, repel glory; but if thou pursuest glory, thou shalt miss glory.” ~Chrysostom
MChrysostom, Henry, Vincent, Robertson, Hughes, and G. Wilson interpreted this as meaning “so that we don’t have to prove our apostleship through exercising church discipline,” but that seems to me a stretch. Calvin agreed with me.
NThe first plural subject is emphatic in the Vulgate as it is in the Greek manuscripts.
OThe Peshitta actually has a preposition here: ܡܢ (“from”), which is the opposite of the preposition in Greek (“to/before”).
PThe Peshitta reads with a periphrastic verb phrase composed of the verb of being plus the participle form of the verb for “doing” (“be doing/be doers”) followed by the plural form of the word for “good.” This does not follow the Greek manuscripts which just use the verb for “doing” followed by a definite article and the singular form of the word for “good.”
QIf this gar be truly causal (L&N semantic domain #89.23 “because”), then it makes most sense for it to follow the first verb in v.7 “We pray for you to do good … because we are only able to be in favor of what’s true.” If it relates primarily to the words which immediately precede it, then it would have to be a concessive (for which L&N have no semantic domain for gar, but Arndt & Gingrich allow for it in their definition 1f and Thayer in his definition I.) “we appear to be unseemly, but/nevertheless/however we can only support what is true…” If I’m reading correctly, the commentaries by Hodge, Kruse, and Barrett interpret as though there were no logical connection (L&N semantic domain #91.1). Calvin suggested that it was no big deal which way you interpret it.
RRobertson took the position that the “we” was not referring specifically to the apostles, but was making the generalization that you can’t win against God “in the long-run... by evil deeds,” but that doesn’t comport with the second half of this verse which clearly does refer to the apostles.
SChrysostom interpreted this “weakness” as “Not when we are weak, but when we are thought weak; for they were thought so by their enemies, because they displayed not their power of punishing.” Vincent and Robertson agreed. Henry clarified that it was not so much to be “thought weak by enemies” but to “have no power to censure” because the Corinthians “are strong in faith and fruitful in good works,” although Henry also tipped his hat toward my interpretation of it meaning a relatively-weak position of physical, social and economic status. I find it difficult to believe that Paul would use this term to refer to temporal status throughout the whole epistle (as commentators universally acknowledge) and then suddenly switch in the last chapter to using it to refer to not being able to exercise church discipline. Calvin observed, “weakness means here, as formerly, (2 Corinthians 13:4) contempt. On the other hand, he means that the Corinthians will be strong, if they are full of the power and grace of God.”
TThis compound conjunction (“but also”) is in the majority of Greek manuscripts (the oldest being from the 9th century, although it is in a correction to the 4th century Sinaiticus, and it is in the ancient Syriac version which dates back to the third century) and is the reading of the Textus Receptus and Greek Orthodox editions of the Greek New Testament. But 17 Greek manuscripts (including all five dated before the 9th century, also supported by the ancient Vulgate and Coptic versions) read with just one conjunction (“and”), and that is the reading of contemporary critical editions of the GNT and of contemporary English Bibles translated since 1880 (with the exception of the NKJV and Geneva).
UHapex legomenon - noun. But its verbal form is found in Matt. 4:21 || Mk. 1:19 (“mending nets”), Matt. 21:16 (“out of the mouths of infants you have prepared praise”), Luke 6:40 (“the one who is equipped shall be as his master”), Rom. 9:22 (“vessels of wrath prepared for destruction”), 1 Cor. 1:10 (very similar to this passage in 2 Cor), 2 Cor. 13:11, Gal. 6:1 (“gently restore” sinners), Eph. 4:12 (“equipping for ministry”), 1 Thess. 3:10 (“perfect what is lacking in faith”), Heb. 11:3 (“worlds prepared by the word”), Heb. 13:21 (“equip you in every good work”), Heb. 10:5 (“a body you have prepared”), and 1 Pet. 5:10 (“after you have suffered, God will renew”), as well as in the LXX throughout Ezra and in ten Psalms. It can be a “preparation” for first use (Matt. 21:16, Heb. 13:21, Eph. 4:12) or a “restoration” of something previously-used but damaged, back to a usable state (Matt. 4:21, 1 Pet. 5:10). “Fix up” seems to be used in contemporary English for both of these concepts. This is different from the concept of τέλειος, which is more commonly translated “perfect” and means “actually perfect, having reached the end-goal,” which is not the same as this word, which has more to do with “being in good condition.” Cf. Calvin: “The perfection, of which he speaks, consists in a fit proportion, and sound condition, of all the members.” and Beza: “On comparing, however, this verse with a subsequent one, I am of opinion that Paul by this term [καταρτίζειν] simply means, that it was his design, that those members of the Corinthian Church which had been dislocated, as it were, having been restored to their proper place, the entire body should be renovated by the members being mutually connected together, (as in Gal. 6:1) Hence we might even render the term — readjustment.”
VThe subjects “we” and “y’all” are emphatic in the Vulgate, as they are in the Greek, even though it is not carried through in Rheims’ translation.
WThe Vulgate (followed by the KJV) renders this verb in the perfect tense, but it is aorist tense in Greek. The Coptic accurately reflects this.
XThis
word is used throughout chapter one and chapter seven to mean
“comfort” (1:4, 6, 2:7, 7:6-7, 13), but throughout the rest of
the letter the same word is used to mean “exhort/beseech/urge,”
so the Vulgate rendered it “be exhorted” here,
and Hughes vouched for
that meaning,
so the NIV initially
followed that meaning (“listen to my appeal” – NIV1984).
For
what it’s worth, here are the exhortations which Paul had given in
this letter:
• 2:8 “Wherefore I beseech* you that ye
would confirm your love toward him.” (KJV)
• 5:20
“...as though God did beseech* you by us: we pray you in Christ's
stead, be ye reconciled to God.” (KJV)
• 6:1 “We...
beseech* you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.”
(KJV)
• 8:6 “...we desired* Titus, that as he had
begun, so he would also finish...” (KJV)
• 9:5
“Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort* the brethren, that
they would go before unto you...” (KJV)
• 10:1-2 “Now
I Paul myself beseech* you... that I may not be bold...” (KJV)
In
the 2011 edition, the NIV relented and joined all the other English
versions with “encourage,” but it joined the ESV and NLT in
translating it as though it were in the middle voice (“comfort
yourselves”). This Greek verb, however, is spelled in the passive
voice, so it actually means, “y’all be comforted” (and, of
course, chapter 1 explains that when we receive comfort from God we
are empowered to comfort others as well).
YG. Wilson quoted commentary from C. Hodge: “We have here the familiar Christian paradox: God’s presence produces love and peace, and we must have love and peace in order to have his presence. God gives what he commands. God gives, but we must cherish his gifts…” Wilson added, “Thus the believer becomes actively engaged in doing the will of God through the enabling power of the same Spirit by whom he was first quickened.”
ZAorist tense imperative focuses on simple action, unlike the previous imperatives. It could means “start greeting,” or it could indicate giving one kiss at each greeting rather than giving profuse amounts of kisses at every greeting.
AA“The term ‘grace’ does not here mean unmerited favor, but is taken by metonymy, to denote the whole benefit of redemption.” ~J. Calvin
ABMost Greek manuscripts read “the Lord” (including all the oldest ones from before the 11th century), but all the ancient versions read “our Lord,” a translation which is permissible in Greek grammar (L&N Supplement #92.11a) but not obigatory. There are 11 Greek manuscripts dated between 1000-1500AD which read “our” instead of “the,” but that begs the question of whether they got it from the old foreign-language versions or whether the old versions and younger Byzantine manuscripts got it from an ancient Greek source which has not been preserved.
ACChrysostom commented, “[H]e in another place speaks of ‘the communion of the Son’ [1 Cor. 1:9] and of the ‘love of the Spirit’ ... (Rom. xv. 30.) ... and... whereas the grace is of the Son, it is also of the Father and of the Holy Spirit; for [we read], ‘Grace be to you from God the Father.’ ...Thus the things of the Trinity are undivided ... I say these things, not confounding the Persons, (away with the thought!) but knowing both the individuality and distinctness of These, and the Unity of the Substance.”
ADThe “Amen” is in the majority of Greek manuscripts (the oldest being the 6th century Bezae, but it’s also in a correction in the 4th century Sinaiticus, and also in the ancient Vulgate and Peshitta versions from around the 4th century) and is the reading of the Textus Receptus and Greek Orthodox editions of the Greek New Testament. But 9 Greek manuscripts (including the four oldest-known from before the 6th Century) read without the “Amen,” and that is the reading of contemporary critical editions of the GNT and of contemporary English Bibles translated since the 1880’s (with the exception of the NKJV).
AEThe title “To [the] Corinthians [part] B” is attested by all five manuscripts dated older than the 9th century – all the way back to the year 200. It appears that around the 9th century the rest was added. Barnabas’ name was appended to half a dozen manuscripts after the 10th century. The whole inscription was kept with the Textus Receptus, and the Bohairic Coptic, but not with the Greek Orthodox or contemporary critical editions.