-vi-aon 
 
 
Zf^t Camiiritrse %Mt for ^tj^oolg. 
 
 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE 
 
 CORINTHIANS 
 
eTambrtUge: 
 
 PRINTED BY C. J. CLAY, M.A. 
 AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 
 
te. 
 
 V. 
 
C^e Camiritrse MUt for ^(j^ools* 
 
 General Editor:— J. J. S. PEROWNE, D.D., 
 Dean of Peterborough. 
 
 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE 
 
 CORINTHIANS, 
 
 W/TJI NOTES, MAP AND INTRODUCTION 
 
 BY 
 
 / 
 
 THE REV. J. J. LIAS, M.A., 
 
 PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH HISTORY AND MODERN LITERATURE, 
 ST DAVID'S COLLEGE, LAMPETER, 
 
 EDITED FOR THE SYNDICS OF THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 
 
 AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 
 
 HotttJon: CAMBRIDGE WAREHOUSE, 17, Paternoster Row. 
 CatnirCtifle: DEIGHTON, BELL, AND CO. 
 
 1879 
 
 \All Rights reserved.'] 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 I. Introduction. pages 
 Chapter I. Date, Place of Writing, Character and 
 
 Genuineness of the Epistle 7 — n 
 
 Note A. On the Undesigned Coincidences be- 
 tween the Acts of the Apostles, the First and 
 
 Second Epistles to the Corinthians..... 11 — 13 
 
 Note B. On the Thorn in the Flesh 13—18 
 
 Note C, On the English Versions of the New 
 
 Testament 18 
 
 Chapter II. Analysis of the Epistle. 
 
 Part I. St Paul's Principles of Action 1 9 — 2 1 
 
 Part II. The Collection for the poor Saints at 
 
 Jerusalem i\ 
 
 Part III. St Paul's Vindication of his Apostolic 
 
 authority 21 — 23 
 
 II. Text and Notes 25—138 
 
 III. General Index 139 
 
 IV. Index of Words and Phrases explained 140 
 
THE ISTHMUS OF CORINTH. 
 
jf ,REu AUG ibU 
 
 INTROQUCTldN. ^ 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 DATE, PLACE OF WRITING, CHARACTER AND GENUINENESS 
 OF THE EPISTLE. 
 
 I. Date and place of writing. The Second Epistle to the 
 Corinthians was written not long after the First. We read 
 that St Paul had resolved to visit Macedonia and Achaia, but 
 that he delayed the fulfilment of his purpose for a while, sending 
 two of his disciples, Timotheus and Erastus, to announce his 
 intention and to prepare for his arrival^. Directly after the 
 tumult at Ephesus, and possibly to a certain extent in conse- 
 quence of it, he set out on his journey. He arrived at Troas, 
 and expected there to have met Titus, who had probably been 
 sent to Corinth in charge of the first Epistle 2. The non-arrival 
 of Titus filled him with anxiety^. He found it impossible to 
 take advantage of the opportunity there afforded him of preach- 
 ing the Gospel with success, and hurried on to Philippi, where 
 it seems probable the long-expected tidings at last reached him, 
 and filled his heart with conflicting feelings of joy and disap- 
 pointment. The nature of Titus' report was such that, although 
 much encouraged by what he heard, he felt it necessary to send 
 at once another letter of expostulation, that all might be peace 
 and concord at his arrival*. This letter was probably written 
 at Thessalonica, in the summer of the year 57. It is not 
 
 ^ Acts xix. 21, 22; I Cor. xvi. 8. 
 
 2 See Introduction to First Epistle, p. 14. 
 
 ' Ch. ii. 12, 13. * Ch. x. 2, xii. 20, 21, xiii. 2, 10. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 probable that it was written at Philippi, as some have supposed, 
 because St Paul speaks of the liberality of the Churches of 
 Macedonia^ as though he had visited more than one of them, 
 whereas Philippi would be the first in his way from Asia. 
 
 2. Character and contents of the Epistle. It has been 
 universally remarked that the individuality of the Apostle is 
 more vividly displayed in this Epistle than in any other. 
 Human weakness, spiritual strength, the deepest tenderness of 
 affection, wounded feeling, sternness, irony, rebuke, impassioned 
 self-vindication, humility, self-respect, zeal for the welfare of the 
 weak and suffering, as well as for the progress of the Church 
 of Christ, and for the spiritual advancement of its mem- 
 bers, are all displayed by turns in the course of his appeal, 
 and are bound together by the golden cord of an absolute 
 self-renunciation dictated by love to God and man. The 
 Epistle may be divided into three main portions. The first, 
 consisting of the first seven chapters, is devoted to an exposition 
 of St Paul's principles of action in his dealings with his converts. 
 The second, contained in chapters viii. and ix., treats of the col- 
 lection for the poor saints at Jerusalem. The third, which em- 
 braces the whole of the rest of the Epistle, is an animated vin- 
 dication of his Apostolic authority. There is no particular 
 system in this outpouring of the Apostle's heart. The variety of 
 feelings described above display themselves in the most rapid 
 alternation. But its one object is to place himself on such terms 
 with the Corinthian Church before his arrival, that he might be 
 spared the necessity of exercising discipline when he came. 
 
 The unsystematic character of the Epistle is due to the fact 
 that the opposition to St Paul was to so large an extent personal. 
 A large portion of the Corinthian community had been com- 
 pletely won over by his first Epistle 2. The question at least of 
 the incestuous person had been settled according to his desires 
 by the decisive action of the majority^. But there still remained 
 an uneasy feeling of distrust, aggravated by the taunts and 
 insinuations of St Paul's opponents, which it seemed necessary 
 
 1 Ch. viii. I. Cf. ix. 2. ' Ch. ii. 14. vii. 6, 7- 
 
 3 Ch. ii. 6. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 to dissipate. The Apostle's disposition was represented as 
 changeable and his conduct based upon no settled principles^ 
 He was inclined to unnecessary self-laudation 2. He was as- 
 suming an authority to which he had no right'. He was a 
 traitor to his country and a renegade from his faith*. He was 
 no true minister of Christ at all^, although he ventured to place 
 himself on a level with those who were^ The violence of these 
 accusations and the immense effect they produced, is shewn by 
 the fact that two centuries afterwards they were repeated by the 
 Judaizing party, which by that time had severed itself from the 
 Church. In the Ebionitish writings which have come down to 
 us we find similar imputations cast upon St Paul, and even 
 when professedly assailing Simon Magus, occasional covert 
 attacks are made upon the Apostle's person and doctrine ^ 
 
 There can be no question therefore of the necessity of 
 making some reply, and the present Epistle proved so much to 
 -the purpose that we find no trace of any subsequent serious 
 resistance to St Paul's claims, at least within the pale of the 
 Christian community. The Corinthian Church, as we learn 
 from the Epistle of Clement, written shortly after the Apostle's 
 death, was still given to faction, but the memory of its founder 
 was held in affectionate and unquestioning veneration. It is 
 therefore most important to notice the way in which St Paul 
 stilled the clamours of his adversaries. He begins by enlisting 
 their sympathies with him in the sufferings he had undergone 
 on behalf of the faith at Ephesus^. He proceeds to clear him- 
 self from the charge of fickleness^. He next explains the object 
 he had in view in delaying his visit, and appeals to facts to 
 shew the deep interest he took in the Corinthian Church ^°. 
 
 1 Ch. i. 15—20. 2 ch. iii. i, v. 12, x. 8. 
 
 3 Ch. X. 14. 4 Ch. xi. 22. 
 
 ° Ch. X. 7, xi. 23. ^ Ch. xi. 5, xii. n, 
 
 ^ The Clementine Recognitions, and still more the Clementine 
 Homilies, purporting to be written by Clement, the first Bishop of Rome 
 (see Phil. iv. 3), repeat all these accusations and reflect very strongly, 
 although indirectly, upon the presumption of St Paul in venturing to 
 place himself on a level with St Peter. 
 
 8 Ch. i. 3—14. 9 Ch. i. 15—22. . 1" Ch. ii. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Then, after a full and profound exposition of the principles on 
 which a minister of Christ was bound to act^, he winds up this 
 portion of his Epistle by an earnest and affectionate entreaty 
 that they will open their hearts as freely and frankly to him as 
 he has done to them^ He next turns to the collection for the 
 poor saints at Jerusalem, which was one of the objects he had 
 in view in writing. He exhibits great anxiety lest the Co- 
 rinthians should come short in any way of the character he has 
 given them among other Churches, and urges them to be pre- 
 pared beforehand, lest they should be taken by surprise when he 
 comes ^ And lastly he enters into an elaborate vindication of 
 his claims to the obedience of the Corinthian Church. Desirous 
 as he is of appealing to a higher standard, he feels that to many 
 of those whom he is addressing such an appeal would be thrown 
 away. There is nothing left to him but to descend to their level, 
 and to shew that even from their own point of view they had no 
 right to withhold their allegiance from him. He first remarks, 
 not without a touch of sarcasm, that he at least does not build 
 upon another man's foundation, nor intrude into any other man's 
 sphere of labour to take credit to himself for what that man has 
 done^ With many apologies for boasting 'according to the 
 flesh,' he shews that whether in Hebrew extraction and patriot- 
 ism, or in genuine labours for Christ's sake, he has as much 
 right, if not more, to describe himself as a minister of Christ, as 
 any other teacher can possibly have^ He distantly hints at 
 the sublime visions of things unseen which God has vouchsafed 
 to him^, and then condescends to defend himself from the coarse 
 charges of deceit and roguery 7. And after a final assertion of 
 his Apostolic authority, and of the power he has received from 
 Christ to carry it out, he concludes with a brief and touching 
 exhortation and benediction, and thus brings to a close the 
 most remarkable revelation of an Apostle's mind and an Apostle's 
 work which is handed down to us in the New Testament. 
 3. Genuineness of the Epistle. The contents of this Epistle 
 
 1 Ch. iii.— vi. 
 
 2 Ch. vii. 
 
 8 Ch. viii., ix. 
 
 4 Ch. X. 
 
 5 Ch. xi. 
 
 6 Ch.xii. I— 12. 
 
 7 Ch. xii. 13—18. 
 
 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 are the best guarantee of its genuineness. Not only do they 
 fall in with what we know from other sources concerning the 
 history of St PauP, but the animation of the style, the earnest- 
 ness of the appeals, the variety and minuteness of the personal 
 details with which the Epistle abounds, place it beyond the 
 reach of a forger. But external testimonies are not wanting. 
 Beside several quotations made from the Epistle, without 
 naming it, by Ignatius ^ and the author of the Epistle to 
 Diognetus^ in times immediately succeeding those of the 
 Apostles, we have the distinct authority of Irenaeus, who not 
 only attributes it to an Apostle, and that Apostle St Paul^, but 
 refers in two different places^ to the 'visions and revelations' 
 spoken of in ch. xii. as well as to the thorn in the flesh spoken 
 of in the same chapter ^ From the time when Tertullian (about 
 the year 208 A.D.) introduced an elaborate analysis of the Epistle 
 into his treatise against Marcion, its genuineness has never been 
 doubted in the Churchy 
 
 Note A. ON THE UNDESIGNED COINCIDENCES BE- 
 TWEEN THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, THE FIRST 
 AND SECOND EPISTLES TO THE CORINTHIANS. 
 
 The subject of the coincidences between the Acts of the Apostles 
 and the two Epistles to the Corinthians, which cannot by any possibility 
 be attributed to design, is treated of exhaustively by Paley in his Horae 
 Paiilinae, and they are among the most decisive arguments for the 
 genuineness of all these three books of Holy Scripture, though they are 
 
 1 See Note A. ^ gge Ep, to Trallians, c. 3. 
 
 ^ The Epistle to Diognetus is usually supposed to have been written 
 by some anonymous author in the early part of the second century. It 
 has been lately attacked in the Church Quarterly Review as a forgery of 
 the 1 6th century, but the arguments in favour of the theory are not 
 conclusive. It is, however, regarded with suspicion by many scholars. 
 
 4 Adv. Haer. iv. 26, 28. ^ 11. 30, and v. 5. ^ v. 3. 
 
 '' Tertullian also makes copious extracts from this Epistle in his 
 Treatise on the Resurrection, and enters into a minute investigation of 
 the case of the incestuous person as recorded in both Epistles, in his De 
 Pudicitia, while it is continually quoted as the work of St Paul in the 
 rest of Tertullian's writings. 
 
12 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 too often overlooked by student and critic alike. A brief summary is 
 here given of Paley's arguments, so far as they affect the beginning of 
 the Epistle, for the sake of those who have not the opportunity of con- 
 sulting the book itself. The rest vi^ill be found touched upon in the notes. 
 
 1. St Paul refers at the opening of this Epistle to some great 
 trouble and danger which had befallen him, though he does not mention 
 what it is. On consulting the Acts of the Apostles, a book by a different 
 author, and vnritten at a different time, we find^ that he is referring to 
 the violent tumult stirred up at Ephesus by Demetrius and the crafts- 
 men. 
 
 2. St Paul says in his first Epistle^, that he purposes passing 
 through Macedonia. In the Acts, we find^ that St Paul does leave 
 Ephesus for Macedonia. In the Second Epistle*, we find him in Mace- 
 donia. 
 
 3. In the Second Epistle St Paul refers to a change of purpose on 
 his part. He had originally intended to go to Corinth first, and to 
 return to Asia Minor by way of Macedonia^. But the Acts of the 
 Apostles leads us to believe that when he sent Timothy to Greece he 
 had intended to visit Macedonia first ^. Consequently we draw the 
 conclusion that his purpose had been already changed before the mission 
 of Timothy. It is in remarkable, but most undesigned agreement with 
 this conclusion, that not only is there no mention of the former plan in 
 the First Epistle, which was sent off soon after Timothy's departure^, 
 but we learn from i Cor. xvl 5, that the change of purpose had already 
 taken place. 
 
 4. In the fifth chapter of the First Epistle mention is made of a 
 private wrong inflicted by one member of the community upon another. 
 In the Second Epistle ^ there is another mention of a private wrong to 
 which St Paul had formerly referred. In the First Epistle he bids the 
 community inflict punishment upon the offender. In the Second^ he 
 bids them restore him upon repentance. None of these things lie upon 
 the surface. They were clearly not put in to lend a plausible colour to 
 the idea that the Epistles were by St Paul. This strengthens materially 
 the evidence we have that St Paul himself, and none other, was their 
 author. 
 
 5. In I Cor. xvi. i, St Paul gives directions to the Corinthian 
 
 1 Ch. xix. 2 Ch. xvi. 5. » Ch. xx. i. 
 
 ^ Ch. ix. 1—4. ^ 2 Cor. i. 15, 16. ^ Acts xix. 21. 
 
 ' I Cor. iv. 17. ^ Ch. vii. 12. ^ Ch. y\\. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 13 
 
 Church to be prepared to supply him with contributions for the poor 
 saints at Jerusalem. But he gives his directions in such terms as to 
 make it clear that they had been already informed that it was to take 
 place. Accordingly we read in the Second Epistle, written a few 
 months after the former, that Achaia was * ready ' and * forward ' in the 
 previous year^. Again, the amount, as we find from the Second Epistle, 
 had sHll to be collected^. On turning to the First Epistle, we find that 
 this was because the Corinthians had been exhorted to lay by at home 
 every week 3, so that the sums they had at their disposal might be 
 handed over when St Paul arrived. Such minute instances of agree- 
 ment could not possibly be intentional ; they therefore afford the surest 
 proofs of the genuineness of the Epistles. 
 
 6. Paiey thinks that there is another instance of this kind of coin- 
 cidence in the fact that St Paul does not disclose the reason of the 
 change of purpose mentioned above until his first Epistle had produced 
 its effecf*. His object, he declares^ was to make proof of their fidelity 
 to him, as well as to avoid the necessity of harsh measures when he 
 came. Nothing could be in more entire harmony with this express 
 declaration than his entire silence in the First Epistle about the reasons 
 of his change of plan, as well as the brief sentence in which he an- 
 nounces the change of plan itself^. 
 
 Note B. ON THE THORN IN THE FLESH. 
 
 The interpretations of 2 Cor. xii. 7 are so numerous that it demands 
 more space than an ordinary note. The ' thorn in the flesh ' of which 
 the Apostle speaks has been supposed to be every possible infirmity or 
 temptation to which man is liable. We can but remark on the most 
 probable suggestions that have been oftered. 
 
 I . It is to be remarked that the word translated * thorn ' in the A. V. 
 has also the meaning * stake.' The latter is more common in Classical 
 Greek, the former seems to be more usual in the Alexandrian Greek of the 
 LXX. It is obvious that the latter word suggests the idea of a more 
 grievous affliction than the former, speaking as it does of an actual im- 
 palement of the body by a stake thrust through it, while the former 
 gives the idea rather of irritation and annoyance, of a visitation painfiil 
 indeed, but not serious in its nature. It is obvious that our view of the 
 
 ^ Ch. viii. 10, ix. 2. ^ ch. jx. 5. ' Ch. xvi. 2. 
 
 * Ch. vii. 6, 7, II. s Ch. ii. 9. ^ r Cor. xvi. 5. 
 
14 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 nature of the affliction must depend largely upon which of these two 
 translations we decide to adopt. The Vulgate, as well as the ancient 
 Latin translator of Irenaeus, who is supposed to have done his work at 
 the beginning of the third century, translates by siifnulus, a prick or 
 goad, but Tertullian renders by sudes^ • stake.' 
 
 1. We find from the New Testament as well as the Old, that Satan 
 was supposed to be permitted to exercise considerable power over the 
 bodies of men. Not only was he called the 'prince,' or 'ruler' of this 
 world ^, but we find him, in the book of Job, inflicting, with God's per- 
 mission, the most grievous calamities on Job and his family 2. We also 
 find our Lord Himself giving His sanction to the view that all temporal 
 evil, including pain and disease, has Satan for its author, in the case of 
 the woman whom ' Satan had bound ^ '. A similar idea meets us in 
 Rev. ix. 2 — 10. 
 
 3. This power, however, was sometimes permitted to be exercised 
 for the amendment of the offender, as we find from 1 Cor. v. 5 (where 
 see note) and i Tim. i. 20. Tertullian^ enlarges much on the remedial 
 aspect of Satan's visitations as evidenced by these three passages. Not 
 that it was imagined that Satan could in any way be intentionally an 
 instrument of good, but since all evil, physical as well as moral, was 
 attributed to his agency, as the enemy of mankind, the physical evil was 
 sometimes permitted to exist, that the graver moral evil might be pre- 
 vented. In the present instance the object of the punishment is 
 distinctly specified. It was lest the Apostle might be uplifted with 
 pride, in consequence of the many signal tokens of God's favour he had 
 received. 
 
 4. We now proceed to consider the nature of the temptation. The 
 first point to remark is that the words ' in the flesh ' cannot be restricted 
 to the idea of bodily suffering. The word * flesh,' as used by St Paul, 
 refers to man's unregenerate nature as a whole ^, and not to the 
 bodily organization alone. It may therefore fitly be interpreted of that 
 "infection of nature" which, we are told^ "doth remain, yea, even in 
 them that are regenerated." An infirmity of that kind is far more likely 
 
 ^ St John xii. 31, xiv. 30, xvi. 11; 2 Cor. iv. 4; Eph. vi. 12. 
 
 2 Job, Chapters i. and ii. ^ St Luke xiii. 16. 
 
 ^ De Pudicitiay 13, De Fuga in Fersecutione, 2. Cf. Irenaeus, v^^z;. 
 Haer. V. 3. 
 
 ^ See for instance Rom. vii. and viii. i — 13, and especially Gal. v. 
 19 — 21. Cf. also I Cor. iii. 3, 4. 
 
 ^ Art. IX. on Original Sin. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 15 
 
 to have proved a serious trouble to the Apostle than any mere physical 
 ailment, and it is probable that a solution of the difficulty may be looked 
 for in that direction rather than any other. We will, however, review 
 the interpretations which have found most favour with interpreters, and 
 having placed the evidence before him, will leave the student to decide 
 for himself. 
 
 a. The idea of temptations in the flesh of the nature of suggestions 
 to impurity, which has found great favour with Roman Catholic writers, 
 need only be noticed to be rejected. There is not the slightest hint in 
 any of St Paul's writings that he ever experienced such temptations. 
 There is one passage in which he appears to assert the contrary 1. The 
 idea finds no support in early tradition. Tertullian, for instance, in his 
 remarks on this passage'-^, enlarges on the contrast between the incestuous 
 person, and the soul of the Apostle, entirely unstained by such sug- 
 gestions, and only uplifted on account of his superior sanctity and inno- 
 cence. The idea that the Apostle refers to struggles with such sins in the 
 seventh chapter of the Romans can only arise from the contracted notion 
 of the word 'flesh,' which has just been shewn to be inporrect. In fact this 
 interpretation is entirely the growth of an age which, by the exaggerated 
 regard paid in it to celibacy, brought such struggles into special promi- 
 nence, and made them almost the sole test of saintliness '^. 
 
 b. We have no tradition on which we can depend for the nature of 
 the affliction. The earHest writers, Clement, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, 
 and others of that date, are silent concerning it. Irenaeus, to the 
 special nature of whose information we have already had occasion to 
 allude, contents himself with speaking of St Paul's infirmity as a proof 
 that God does not despise the flesh of man, as the heretics supposed. 
 The first writer who goes so far as to specify the nature of the complaint 
 is Tertullian, in the passage cited above, who supposes it to be *'a pain 
 in the ear or head." He speaks of this, however, only as a matter of 
 common report. Nearly every possible kind of pain or disease has been 
 suggested as well as these. It seems hardly probable, however, that the 
 Apostle should speak of ailments so slight in terms so strong. Other 
 writers, therefore, have suggested that the Apostle was subject to 
 epileptic fits. And if we are to suppose that the passage refers to bodily 
 
 1 I Cor. vii. 7. Cf. v. 9 and ch. ix. 5. ^ De Pudicitia, 13. 
 
 3 The passages cited by Estius from St Jerome as favourable to this 
 view will not bear examination, and one of them, that from his letter to 
 Eustochium, explains the passage quite differently. It was in a still 
 later age that this view seems to have originated. 
 
-i6 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ailments at all, we must suppose something of this sort, or at least some 
 kind of bodily infirmity sufficiently serious to prove an actual hindrance 
 to the Apostle in his work of evangelizing the world. Dean Stanley 
 mentions several instances of great men, such as Alfred the Great and 
 William III., struggling against severe physical infirmities while dis- 
 charging the most onerous duties of public life, and it is by no means 
 impossible that St Paul's thorn in the flesh may have been of this kind. 
 See also i Cor. ii. 3, 2 Cor. x. 10, xi. 30, Gal. iv. 13, 14, vi. 17. 
 
 c. There is one kind of bodily infirmity, however, which is made so 
 much more probable than all others by certain passages in the Acts of 
 the Apostles and in St Paul's Epistles, that it deserves special con- 
 sideration. Many have thought that a defect of sight, consequent on 
 the dazzling light which shone upon him at his conversion, resulting in 
 a three days blindness, was the physical defect under which he laboured, 
 and have seen in such passages as Gal. iv. 14, 15 and vi. 11 (the latter 
 passage being supposed to imply that St Paul's defective vision obliged 
 him to write with characters unusually large )^ a confirmation of this view. 
 This opinion is deserving of consideration, but when it is sought to con- 
 firm it by such passages as Acts xiii. 9, xxiii. i, it must be remembered 
 that the same word precisely is used of the council in Acts vi. 15, of St 
 Stephen in Acts vii. 55, and would seem to imply an intent and piercing 
 gaze, the very opposite of that caused by defective vision 2. Such a 
 gaze we might well suppose the Apostle to have possessed, capable of 
 riveting the attention of his hearers, in spite of a weak voice and an 
 unstudied manner. 
 
 d. It is very characteristic of Martin Luther, with his terrible men- 
 tal struggles and temptations to suicide, that he should have imagined 
 in the mental history of a man in some respects not unlike himself, the 
 direct suggestions of the enemy to blasphemous and unbelieving thoughts 
 and acts. But it is hardly possible to suppose that one whose leading 
 characteristic, both before and after his conversion, was an ardent and 
 undoubting faith, should have been troubled with misgivings like these. 
 Nor is there in any of St Paul's writings, whatever cares and anxieties 
 (as in ch. xi. of this Epistle) he describes as weighing upon him, the 
 slightest hint at even the most transient shadow of doubt concerning 
 Him to the ministering of Whom he had devoted his whole life. 
 
 ^ St Paul says 'with how large letters,' not *how large a letter,' as 
 in A. V. 
 
 2 Cf. St Luke iv. 20; Acts i. 10, iii. 4, 12, &c., where the same 
 Greek word is used. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 e. Many of the Greek commentators suppose St Paul to be referring 
 to the opponents of his Apostolic authority, supposing that there was 
 one of these antagonists specially prominent^. But this seems hardly 
 reconcileable with the manner in which St Paul speaks of the visita- 
 tion. 
 
 /. Our last alternative must be some defect of character, calculated 
 to interfere with St Paul's success as a minister of Jesus Christ. And 
 the defect which falls in best with what we know of St Paul is an 
 infirmity of temper. There seems little doubt that he gave way to an 
 outbreak of this kind when before the Sanhedrim, though he set himself 
 right at once by a prompt apology 2. A similar idea is suggested by 
 St Paul's unwillingness to go to Corinth until the points in dispute 
 between him and a considerable portion of the Corinthian Church were 
 in a fair way of being settled. In fact his conduct was precisely the 
 reverse of that of a person who felt himself endowed with great tact, 
 persuasiveness, and command of temper. Such a man would trust 
 little to messages and letters, much to his own presence and personal 
 influence. St Paul, on the contrary, feared to visit Corinth until there 
 was a reasonable prospect of avoiding all altercation. In fact, he could 
 not trust himself there. He ' feared that God would humble him among 
 them^' He desired above all things to avoid the necessity of 'using 
 sharpness,' very possibly because he feared that when once compelled to 
 assume a tone of severity, his language might exceed the bounds of 
 Christian love. The supposition falls in with what we know of the 
 Apostle before his conversion'*. It is confirmed by his stern language to 
 Elymas the sorcerer ^, with which we may compare the much milder 
 language used by St Peter on a far more awful occasion^. The quarrel 
 between St Paul and St Barnabas makes the supposition infinitely more 
 probable. The passage above cited from the Epistle to the Galatians 
 may be interpreted of the deep personal affection which the Apostle 
 felt he had inspired in spite of his occasional irritability of manner. The 
 expression that he ' desired to be present with them and to change his 
 voice ^,' would seem to point in the same direction. And if we add to 
 these considerations the fact, which the experience of God's saints in all 
 ages has conclusively established, of the difficulty of subduing an in- 
 firmity of temper, as well as the pain, remorse, and humiliation such an 
 
 ^ The 6 ipxofJ'^vos of ch. xi. 4. ^ Acts xxiii. 2 — 5. 
 
 3 2 Cor. xii. 21. 4 Acts vii. 58, ix. r. 
 
 ^ Acts xiii. 10. ^ Acts v. 3, 9. ^ Gal. iv. 20. 
 
 2 2 
 
[8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 infirmity is wont to cause to those who groan under it, we may be 
 inclined to believe that not the least probable hypothesis concerning the 
 * thorn ' or * stake * in the flesh is that the loving heart of the Apostle 
 bewailed as his sorest trial the misfortune that by impatience in word he 
 had often wounded those for whom he would willingly have given his 
 lifei. 
 
 Note C. ON THE ENGLISH VERSIONS OF THE NEW 
 TESTAMENT. 
 
 The six most important versions of the New Testament in English, 
 to which frequent reference is made in these pages, are as follows : 
 
 1. Wiclif's Translation, made by John Wiclif about 1380. 
 
 2. Tyndale's Translation, made by William Tyndale in 1526. 
 
 3. Cranmer's Translation, issued by Archbishop Cranmer in 1539. 
 
 4. The Geneva Bible, undertaken by the refugees during the Marian 
 persecution, at Geneva. It appeared in the reign of Elizabeth, in 1569. 
 
 5. The Rhemish Version, made at Rheims in 1582. It is generally 
 known as the Douay Bible, because it is usually bound up with the 
 version of the Old Testament made at Douay in 1609 — 10. It was 
 brought out by the authorities of the Roman Catholic Church to counter- 
 act the influence of the versions made by the Reformers. 
 
 6. The Authorized Version (quoted as the A.V. in this volume) 
 made under the auspices of King James I. in 161 1. 
 
 ^ When this note was written, the Bishop of Durham's note on this 
 subject in his "Epistle to the Galatians" had not been consulted. It 
 confirms what has been written above, except on the last head, but 
 adds from Pauli's Life of Alfred a striking parallel between the ex- 
 pressions used of the great English king and those used by St Paul, ex- 
 pressions the more remarkable in that there seems no ground to suppose 
 that the former were suggested by the latter. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 19 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE EPISTLE, 
 
 Part I. St Paul's Principles of Action. 
 
 Ch. I.— VII. 
 
 Section I. Salutation, i. i, 2. 
 
 Section 2. The mutual interdependence of St Paul and the Corinthian 
 Church, i. 3 — 14. 
 (a) Suffering a dispensation of God, bringing with it 
 ( 1 ) Divine consolation for oneself, {2) the power 
 
 to comfort others 3 — 7* 
 
 (3) St Paul's trouble in Asia and the mode of his 
 deliverance from it, namely God's mercy and the 
 
 sympathy of the Church of Corinth 8 — 1 1 . 
 
 (7) St Paul had deserved this sympathy 12 — 14. 
 
 Section 3. St Paul's reason for putting off his visit, i. 15 — 24. 
 
 (a) St Paul's former resolution 15, 16. 
 
 \p) The accusation of fickleness brought against him 
 
 in consequence 1 7* 
 
 (7) Assertion of his consistency 18 — 22. 
 
 (8) Reason for his delay 23, 24. 
 
 Section 4. St Paul's only object the spiritual advancement of his 
 converts, ch. ii. 
 
 (a) His object not to pain the Corinthians, but to dis- 
 play his love for them I — 4. 
 
 (/3) For the offender had not only pained St Paul, but 
 
 the Corinthian Church itself 5. 
 
 (7) It was now time to forgive him 6 — 9. 
 
 (.5) Beside manifesting his love, he wished also to test 
 
 their obedience 9' 
 
 (e) He desires to be associated with them in the work 
 
 of forgiveness i Oj 1 1 • 
 
 (f) He loved the Corinthians so deeply that he could 
 
 not rest till he had heard how they received his 
 
 rebukes 12, 13. 
 
 (17) Outburst of praise at the thought of the good God 
 
 had wrought by his hands 14. 
 
 {d) Christ's doctrine life to those who accept, death to 
 
 those who reject it I5> 16. 
 
 (t) Insufficiency, yet sincerity of St Paul 17. 
 
20 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Section 5. St Paul's ministry no self-assumed task, but the 
 communication of the Spirit, iii. i — 6. 
 (a) St Paul and his companions had no need to be re- 
 commended to the Corinthians I. 
 
 {§) The Corinthian Church itself was their recom- 
 mendation 2, 3. 
 
 (7) A power from God had fitted them for the com- 
 munication, not of a command which brings 
 death, but of a Spirit which gives life 4 — 6. 
 
 Section 6. The Ministration of the Spirit superior to that of the 
 Law, iii. 7 — 18. 
 (a) If the law, which ministers death, were glorious, . 
 
 how much more the Spirit, which gives life ? ... 7 — 11. 
 (j3) Contrast between the reticence of Moses and the 
 
 free utterance of the preachers of the Gospel ... 12,13. 
 (7) This reticence has produced its natural, though 
 
 temporary, effect on the Jews 14 — 16. 
 
 (5) The Spirit, which has superseded the law, is none 
 
 other than the Spirit of Christ Himself, and is a 
 
 Spirit of liberty and spiritual progress 17, 18. 
 
 Section 7. The power of this ministry demonstrated by the weakness 
 of the ministers, iv. i — 15. 
 
 (a) St Paul's ministry a true and genuine one i, 2. 
 
 ij) If the light of truth be any longer hidden from any, 
 it is in consequence of no reserve on the part of 
 those who proclaim it, but is the fault of those 
 
 who reject it 3 — 6. 
 
 (7) The weakness of the minister does but set off the 
 
 efficacy of his doctrine 7 — 15. 
 
 Section 8. They are sustained by the hope of a future life, iv. 16 — 
 V. 10. 
 (a) The minister in his weakness is animated by the 
 
 hope of eternal life 16 — 18. 
 
 (j3) In which they hope to add to their present life in 
 
 Christ, the possession of a body as suited, as their 
 
 present one is unsuited, to the needs of that life v. i — 5. 
 (7) Yet though as yet absent from the Lord, they are 
 
 never out of His sight 6 — 9. 
 
 (5) But He will one day pass judgment on all their 
 
 deeds , 10. 
 
 Section 9. The Christian ministry one of reconciliation, v. 11 — 21. 
 
 (a) The fact of the coming judgment being admitted, 
 St Paul strives to win men to the life of the Spirit, 
 not for his own sake, but for theirs 1 1 — 13. 
 
 (;3) The love of Christ, who died as our representative, 
 that we might partake of His life, is the motive 
 which animates the true ministers of the Gospel 14,15. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 21 
 
 {7) They take a new and higher view of humanity than 
 
 men have hitherto taken 16, 17. 
 
 (S) God is henceforth reconciled to the world in Christ, 
 and has bidden His ministers proclaim the fact, 
 and urge mankind to accept it rS — 21. 
 
 Section 10. How God's ministers carry on the work of 
 reconciliation, vi. i — 10. 
 (a) The ministers of God's purpose urge men not to let 
 God's offers of favour be thrown away, but to 
 
 close with them at once t, 2. 
 
 (;S) Their self- abnegation when engaged in the work . , . 3 — i o. 
 
 Section 11. Such a ministry demands a suitable response from those 
 on whose behalf it is exercised, vi. 11 — vii. i. 
 (a) Appeal to the Corinthians to receive such a minis- 
 try in a spirit of affection II — 13. 
 
 (^) Advice to withdraw from society with the impure 14 — 18. 
 (7) And to preserve real inward holiness vii. i . 
 
 Section 12. Exhortation to set aside suspicion and to trust St Paul, 
 vii. 2 — 16. 
 
 (a) St Paul's conduct free from reproach-, 2. 
 
 (jS) His language not of bitterness but of affection 3,4. 
 
 (7) This proved by his anxiety while waiting for the 
 
 tidings from Corinth, his joy when it reached him 5 — 7. 
 (5) The First Epistle WTittan, not to give pain, but to 
 
 produce reformation 8 — 12. 
 
 (e) His delight that he had gained his end 13 — 16. 
 
 Part II. The Collection for the poor Saints at Jerusalem. 
 Ch. VIII., IX. 
 
 (a) Conduct of the Macedonian Churches viii. i — 5 . 
 
 (/3) Mission of Titus to Corinth, to urge on the work 
 
 there 6 — 15. 
 
 (7) Character of Titus and his companions 16 — 23. 
 
 (5) Exhortation to liberality 24 — ix. ir. 
 
 (e) Pv.esult of deeds of love 12 — 15. 
 
 Part III. St Paul's Vindication of his Apostolic Authority. 
 Ch. X.— XIII. 
 
 Section i. St Paul's intention of overcoming all opposition, x. i — 6. 
 
 (a) St Paul meek and gentle in conduct r. 
 
 (^) But possessed of supernatural power 2 — 6. 
 
 Section 2. Caution not to trust in external appearance, x. 7 — 18. 
 (a) The Corinthians would be deceived if they imagined 
 from St Paul's absence of self-assertion that he 
 possessed no authority derived from Christ 7, 8. 
 
22 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 (^) He means to exert that authority when present, 
 
 and not by letter only 9 — 11. 
 
 (7) He keeps within his own limits, and does not 
 challenge comparison by intruding himself with- 
 in the sphere of other men's labours •. 12 — 18. 
 
 Section 3. St Paul's defefice against his accusers, xi. i — 17. 
 
 (a) Appeal to bear with him if he descend for a mo- 
 ment to the level of unspiritual men i . 
 
 (/3) On account of his anxiety for the purity of his 
 
 converts' faith 2, 3. 
 
 (7) It is no question of a new Gospel, in which case to 
 abandon St Paul might be reasonable, but of his 
 authority to preach the Gospel he had preached, 
 about which there ought to be iio doubt 4 — 6. 
 
 (5) His desire not to cast the burdeti of his maintenance 
 
 upon them could hardly be regarded as an offence 7 — ir. 
 
 (e) For he only acted thus to prevent the Corinthians 
 
 from being misled by the affected disinterested- 
 ness of dishonest men 12 — 15. 
 
 (f) St Paul does not wish to be thought willingly to 
 
 abandon the high standpoint of the Gospel 16,17. 
 
 Section 4. St Paul permits himself to enumerate his labours on behalf 
 of the Gospel, xi. 18 — 33. 
 
 (a) St Paul will take the purely human view of things, 
 
 since it is the only one recognized by some 18. 
 
 (/3) For the Corinthians have so large a toleration for 
 the folly of others that they may be expected to 
 bear with his 19, 20. 
 
 (7) And he has actually been reproached with weak- 
 ness for not imitating this folly, to which he will 
 now, to a certain extent, condescend for the 
 moment 21. 
 
 (5) His equality with his opponents on the score of 
 
 race and nationality 22. 
 
 (e) His vast superiority to them in the true qualifica- 
 
 tions of the minister of Christ {a) in labours, 
 
 {b) in care and sympathy 23 — 29. 
 
 (f) These boasts are not unbecoming, for his qualifica- 
 
 tions are not what he has done, but what he has 
 undergone 30. 
 
 (17) His escape from the hands of Aretas 31— 33' 
 
 Section 5. St Paul's Visions and Revelations, xii. i — 6. 
 
 (a) Lest he should be altogether despised, he will hint 
 
 at higher qualifications for his task i . 
 
 (j3) His being caught up to the third heaven and Para- 
 dise 2 — 4. 
 
 (7) Yet though he might glory in this, he prefers not 
 
 to dwell on it 5, 6. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 23 
 
 Section 6. The Thorn in the Flesh, xii. 7 — 10. 
 
 (a) It was sent him to preserve him from self-exal- 
 tation 7 . 
 
 (/3) He besought that it might be removed 8. 
 
 (7) But he was told that God's power was most mani- 
 fested in the weakness of his ministers 9. 
 
 (5) And this is why he boasts of his infirmities 10. 
 
 Section 7. Continuation of the Defence, xii. 11 — 21. 
 
 (a) St Paul's folly rendered necessary by that of the 
 
 Corinthians 11. 
 
 (/3) They had had every needful proof of his Apostolic 
 authority, save his casting his maintenance upon 
 them 12, 13. 
 
 (7) He intends to persist in refusing all support at their 
 hands, in order to demonstrate the disinterested- 
 ness of his affection 14, 15. 
 
 (5) He meets a possible accusation of duplicity 16 — it>. 
 
 (e) And another that he is admitting his want of au- 
 
 thority by condescending to enter upon a defence 19. 
 
 (f) His object is not to establish his own authority, 
 
 but to put an end to the disorders among his 
 disciples 19 — 21. 
 
 Section 8. The Apostle's intention on his arrival, xiii. i — 10. 
 
 (a) St Paul will thoroughly and fairly investigate the 
 
 condition of the Church r. 
 
 (;S) He will use severity if necessary 2. 
 
 (7) They seek a proof of Christ's power in him, such 
 as they have experienced in themselves, and they 
 shall have it 3,4. 
 
 (5) They can learn by their own experience that 
 Christ's power is manifested in its influence 
 upon the life 5 
 
 (e) They shall know that the same power can be mani- 
 
 fested through the ministry of St Paul 6 
 
 (f) Though it is not their high opinion he seeks, but 
 
 the purity of their lives 7 
 
 (77) The only power he has in Christ is a power to 
 
 promote righteousness 8 
 
 (^) He has no ambition for himself, but only desires 
 
 their perfection 9 
 
 (i) His only object in writing thus was to avoid the 
 
 necessity of severity 10 
 
 Section 9. Conclusion, xiii. 11 — 14. 
 
II. CORINTHIANS. 
 
 Ch. I. I, 2. Salutation. 
 
 PAUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and 1 
 Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is 
 at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia: 
 grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from 2 
 the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 Ch. I. 1, 2. Salutation. 
 
 1. by the will of God} See note on i Cor. i. 
 
 and Timothy our brother] Literally, Timothy the brother. _ Wiclif, 
 Tyndale, and Cranmer render 'brother Timotheus.' He is called 
 sometimes Timothy and sometimes more fully Timotheus in the A. V. 
 So we have Luke and Lucas, Mark and Marcus. He had therefore 
 rejoined the Apostle after his mission to Macedonia, and possibly to 
 Corinth. See Acts xix. 22 and i Cor. iv. 17, xvi. 10, and notes. 
 Timothy's name is also found associated with that of the Apostle in 
 the Epistles' to the Philippians, Colossians, in both those to the Thes- 
 salonians, and in that to Philemon. 
 
 with all the saints which are in all Achaid\ Chrysostom remarks that 
 it is not St Paul's custom to address the Churches thus in circular letters, 
 and that the two Epistles to the Cormthians, that to the Galatians (which 
 however was addressed, see chap. i. 2, to a region^ not to a city), and that 
 to the Hebrews (if it be St Paul's) were the only exceptions. But this 
 statement is not exactly accurate. If the Epistle to the Ephesians be 
 identical with the Epistle to Laodicaea (and there are many reasons for 
 supposing it to be so) the Epistles to the Colossians and Ephesians must 
 be added to the list. It is probable that Corinth was the only Christian 
 Church of any note in Achaia, and that the few scattered Christians to 
 be found elsewhere in that province were regarded as a part of that 
 community. See notes on i Cor. i. 2. 
 
 Achaid\ We are to understand by this Hellas and the Peloponnesus, 
 which, with Macedonia, made up the whole of Greece. Macedonia, 
 however, was scarcely recognized by the Greeks in their best days 
 as forming a part of their land. See Articles Achaia and Hellas in 
 Smith's Dictionary of Geography. 
 
 2. Grace] See note on i Cor. i. 3, and below, v. 12. 
 
 be to you and peace from God our Father ^ and from the Lord Jesus 
 
26 II. CORINTHIANS, I. [vv. 3, 4. 
 
 3 — 1 4. The inuiiial interdependence of St Paul and the 
 Corinthian Church. 
 
 3 Blessed he God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 
 4 the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort ; who 
 comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to 
 
 Christ] Here, as in i Cor. i. 3 (see note there), Jesus Christ is asso- 
 ciated with the Father as the source of grace and peace. 
 
 2 — 14. The mutual interdependence of St Paul and the 
 Corinthian Church. 
 
 3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ] Two 
 feelings rise at once in the Apostle's mind. The first is an overwhelm- 
 ing gratitude for his deliverance from his distress, the second the keen 
 sense of his entire imity of heart and soul vdth the Corinthian Church, 
 and his desire to impart to them whatever blessings he had received from 
 God. Our version follows Wiclif here, substituting, however, even 
 for and. The other English versions have God the Father of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, save the Rhemish, which renders accurately by the 
 God and Father, &c. See St John xx. 17; i Pet. i. 3 and note on 
 I Cor. XV. 24. 
 
 the Father of mercies] Either (i), with Chrysostom, the God Whose 
 most inherent attribute is mercy, or (2) the source from whence 
 all mercies proceed. But perhaps the former involves the latter, a: 
 sense, however, of which the fact that 'mercies' is in the plural forbids 
 us to lose sight. Cf. Eph. i. 17; James i. 17. Even if we regard the 
 phrase 'Father of mercies' as a Hebraism, it is stronger than the 
 expression 'merciful Father.' So Estius, "valde multumque miseri- 
 cordem et beneficum. " 
 
 and the God of all comfort] Why does St Paul say * the Father of 
 mercies and the God of comfort?' Because the term 'Father' implies 
 mercy, suggesting as it does the close and affectionate relation between 
 God and man. See the O. T. passim, and especially Ps. ciii. 13. 
 Compare also 'Our Father which art in heaven.' God is called 'the 
 God of comfort' (see next note) because it comes from Him. 
 
 comfort] This word, or the verb compounded from it, occurs ten 
 times in this and the next four verses. In our version, which here 
 follows Tyndale, they are rendered indifferently by comfort and conso- 
 lation, a rendering which considerably lessens the force of the passage. 
 For consolation the Rhemish substitutes exhortation, and Wiclif mones- 
 tynge (i. e. admonishing) and monestid, after the Vulgate, which renders 
 indifferently by exhortatio and consolatio here. Perhaps the best words 
 which can be found to express the double meaning of consolation and 
 exhortation conveyed by the Greek are ejicourage and encouragement. 
 Cheer would be more appropriate still had not the noun become almost 
 obsolete. The original sense of the English word (late Latin confortare) 
 denotes strengthening. 
 
 4. tribulation] Tribtdatio, Vulgate. The word thus translated is ren- 
 dered trouble in the next clause, and in the Vulgate hypressura, and is 
 
vv. 5, 6.] II. CORINTHIANS, I. 27 
 
 comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort 
 wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the s 
 sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also 
 aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, // is 6 
 for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the 
 enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer : or 
 
 derived from a verb signifying to squeeze, press. The English word 
 tribulation is derived from the Latin tribiUo^ to thresh. See Trench, 
 Study of Words, Lect. II. 
 
 that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trotibi.e\ St 
 Paul represents affliction (i) as a school of sympathy, (2) as a school of 
 comfort (or rather encouragement), v. 5, (3) as a school of assurance, 
 V. 10. — Robertson. 
 
 by the comfort wherezvith tue ourselves are co7nforted of God] We 
 may observe here, as elsewhere in Scripture, that no gift is bestowed 
 upon any one to keep to himself. If St Paul is encouraged by God, it is 
 not only for his own sake, but that he may be able to impart to others 
 the encouragement which he has received. See notes on First Epistle, 
 especially on ch. vi. 12, viii. 13, x. 23, xiv. 5,12. Cf. also St John xv. 
 I — 17; Rom. xiv; i Cor. iii. 9, iv. 7; Eph. iv. 16; Col. ii. 19. 
 
 5. J^or as the sufferijigs of Christ abound in tis] Rather super- 
 abound unto us. All the principal English versions render in us, 
 and thus many commentators have been misled. The word trans- 
 lated abound means to exceed, be over and above (Matt. v. 20, xiv. 
 20). Thus the meaning of the passage is that the sufferings of 
 Christ overflow to us and that thus we are made partakers of them. 
 See Matt. xx. 22; Mark x. 38; Gal. ii. 20; Heb. xiii. 13. For (see 
 notes on ch. iv. 11, 12) our sufferings for Christ's sake arise from the 
 same cause as His, namely the opposition of darkness to light, of death 
 to the life that is imparted by Him to His members. Such passages 
 as ch. iv. 10; Col. i. 24, carry the idea a step further, and represent 
 Christ as suffering in His members, by virtue of His union with them. 
 So also Matt. xxv. 40, 45; Acts ix. 4; Gal. vi. 17; Phil. iii. 10. 
 
 6. And whether tue be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvatioii\ 
 The same may be said of every kind of suffering endured for the cause 
 of God and of truth. It is not merely, as in Heb. xii. 6 (Cf. Deut. 
 viii. 5), that 'whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth' for his own sake, 
 but that the sufferings one man endures for a good cause are the source 
 of profit to others. Cf. chap. iv. 15, 16; Eph. iii. 13; 2 Tim. ii. 10. 
 
 which is effectual in the enduring of the satne sufferings which we also 
 suffer] Is effectual may either be translated passively (as Chrysostom 
 and the margin of A. V.) is wrought out, or, with most commentators, as 
 middle, wo7'ks actively in you. That is either (i) consolation and safety 
 from the power of evil are wrought in you by the endurance of suffering, 
 or (2) that consolation (or rather encouragement) and safety from evil 
 work themselves out by the endurance of suffering. The former gives 
 the simpler meaning, the latter is more according to the tcsus loquendi of 
 the N. T. 
 
28 II. CORINTHIANS, I. [vv. 7, 8. 
 
 whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and 
 
 7 salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that 
 as you are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of 
 
 8 the consolation. For we would not, brethren, have you 
 ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we 
 were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that 
 
 7. And our hope of y 021 is stedfast] Most editors agree in placing 
 these words before 'or whether we be comforted,' «S:c. It would seem to 
 be their most natural place, for not only do they come awkwardly before 
 the word 'knowing,' but the expression of the hope is more appropriate 
 in reference to the endurance by the Corinthians of suffering than to 
 their enjoyment of encouragement. The majority of the best MSS. are 
 in favour of this arrangement of the sentence. The text is in great 
 confusion here. 
 
 as you are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation] 
 Literally, sharers. See i Cor. i. 9, and note. Christians 'had all 
 things,' even sufferings, in 'common.' Cf. i Cor. xv. 46, 49. Also 
 Rom. viii. 17 — 23, ch. iv. 17. The words 'shall ye be' are not in the 
 original. It would be better to supply 'are,' the encouragement being 
 not a promise for the future, but a present possession. Observe the way 
 in which ye and you are used indiscriminately as the nominative in the 
 edition of 1611. Cf. also w. 13, 14. In the later editions j/^ has been 
 substituted. The substitution commenced in 166 1, and gradually made 
 its way after that time. The rule that ye is used only "in questions, 
 entreaties, and rhetorical appeals " (see Abbott's Shaksperian Grammar, 
 236) does not seem to hold good here. 
 
 8. For we would not... have you ignorant] A favourite expression 
 with St Paul. Cf. Rom. i. 13; i Cor. x. r, xii. i; i Thess. iv. 13. 
 
 of our trouble which came to us in Asia] Some have referred these 
 expressions (i) to the tumult at Ephesus, Acts xix. Others have sup- 
 posed, in consequence of the very strong expressions here, that some 
 other trouble, a grievous sickness perhaps, is referred to, especially as 
 St Paul says in Asia, not in Ephesus. But Dean Stanley's remark that 
 "here, as elsewhere, we may observe the under-statement of St Paul's 
 sufferings in the Acts" (see also ch. xi. 24 — 27 and notes), suggests the 
 inference that the tumult at Ephesus was far more serious than it would 
 appear to be from St Luke's account. We can hardly suppose that the 
 mere 'dismissal of the assembly' by the 'town-clerk' entirely appeased 
 the multitude. And it is quite possible, since St Luke's object in the 
 Acts was rather a vindication of St Paul's ministry than a glorification 
 of his person, that he omits to mention a determined attempt upon St 
 Paul's life made by Demetrius and the craftsmen, as afterwards (Acts 
 xxiii. 12 — 15) by the Tews at Jerusalem. For the word translated 
 trouble here and elsewhere, see note on v. 4. 
 
 Asia] By this is meant Asia Minor. So also Acts ii. 9. But it 
 seems (see Acts xvi. 6) not to have included the whole peninsula usually 
 known by that name. 
 
 pressed] Literally, weiglied down. Gravati, Calvin ; greved, Wiclif, 
 
VV.9— II.] II. CORINTHIANS, I. 29 
 
 we despaired even of life: but we had the sentence ofy 
 death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but 
 in God which raiseth the dead : who delivered us from so 10 
 great a death, and doth deliver : in whom we trust that he 
 will yet deliver us ; you also helping together by prayer for u 
 us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many 
 
 whom the other English versions followed till the Rhemish, from which 
 the A. V. appears to have borrowed its pressed. The expression con- 
 veys the idea of anxiety, but is not irreconcileable with the notion of a 
 prolonged effort to escape those who thirsted for his life. 
 
 out of 7Jieastire\ Cf. for the same Greek word (though it is vari- 
 ously rendered in English) Rom. vii. 13; 1 Cor. xii. 31; Gal. i. 13, 
 and especially ch. iv. 1 7. Dr Plumptre remarks that the word occurs 
 exclusively in the Epistles of this period of St Paul's life. 
 
 despaired\ This expression confirms the idea of a plot to kill the 
 Apostle. Literally, it means that he was utterly at a loss {rathlos, 
 Meyer) to know what to do to protect his life. See ch. iv. 8, where 
 the same word occurs. 
 
 9. sentence'] The word thus translated occurs only here in the N. T. 
 It is translated answer by Wiclif, Tyndale, and Cranmer: the word 
 sentence having been adopted by our translators from the Geneva version. 
 At that time, however, the word sentence had not quite the same mean- 
 ing which it bears now, but had rather the force of the Latin sentejitia^ 
 opinion. See Acts xv. 19. The word signifies not the answer itself, 
 but rather the purport of the answer, as though the result of the 
 Apostle's self-questionings had been a rooted persuasion, implanted 
 from above, that, as he says in ch. iv. 12, 'Death worketh in us, but 
 life in you,' a rooted persuasion, that is, of the transitoriness of the 
 natural life, of the permanence of the new life that comes from God. 
 Cf. I Cor. iv. g, especially in the Greek. 
 
 10. frotji so great a death] i. e. from so great peril of death. St 
 Paul speaks of the liability to death as death. Cf ch. iv. 11, 12. Some 
 regard it as equivalent to 'so terrible a death.' Yet surely the 77iode 
 of death was a matter of trifling consequence to one like St Paul. 
 See Phil. i. 21 — 23. Also ch. xi. 23. 
 
 and doth deliver] These words are wanting in many MSS. 
 
 we trust] Literally, we have hoped, i. e. v/ith Ei-asmus, spemfixam 
 habenius. The word here translated 'trust' is not the same as that so 
 translated in the preceding verse. 
 
 11. You also helping... by prayer for tis] Cf. i Thess. v. 25; 
 2 Thess. iii. i; Heb. xiii. r8 ; James v. 15, 16. "For the right 
 understanding of this Epistle, the identity of feeling between the 
 Apostle and his converts must be borne in mind throughout.. Jt is 
 the liveliest instance of the real community of feeling introduced by 
 Christianity into the world." — Stanley. Cf. ch. iv. 15, ix. 12. Also 
 Acts xii. 5, 11; Rom. xv. 30, 31 j Phil. i. 19; 2 Thess. iii. i, 2 ; Phi- 
 lemon 22. 
 
 the gift] x^f'-'^'"'^- See i Cor. xii. 4 (note). 
 
30 II. CORINTHIANS, I. [v. 12. 
 
 persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf. 
 12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, 
 that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wis- 
 dom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversa- 
 
 persons\ Literally, faces. The word originally, perhaps, signifies 
 a mask. Hence it came (see note on ch. ii. 10) to mean 'face' or 
 * presence,' and thus, as in the present passage, it comes to mean 
 ' person.' But the signification ya<-<? occurs in Homer. 
 
 12. For our rejoicing is this'] "It is this," says the Apostle, "which 
 causes such a perennial flow of joy and consolation into my heart amid 
 all my anxieties and distresses. I can feel in my conscience that what 
 knits us together in sympathy is a Divine and not a human bond. On 
 my part there is the inspiration from above, on yours the verifying 
 faculty which enables you to recognize the truth of what I deliver to 
 you." This seems to be the connection of thought in this and the two 
 following verses. The connection with what precedes appears to be 
 the conviction of the Apostle that the honesty and genuineness of his 
 efforts to minister Christ to the Corinthians have fairly entitled him to 
 hope for a share in their prayers. 
 
 the testimony of our conscience] Cf. I Cor. iv. 4. Also Acts xxiii. i, 
 xxiv. 16 ; Rom. ix. i ; i John iii. 21. 
 
 that in simplicity and godly sincerity] For simplicity the best MSS. 
 and editors read holiness; but simplicity, i.e. singleness of ptcrpose, 
 seems to suit the context best. The word translated sincerity, clenness, 
 Wiclif, purenes, Tyndale, originally signifies that which is tested by the 
 Slinks rays, and is therefore entirely transparent. See note on i Cor. 
 V. 8. See also ch. ii. 7; Phil. i. 10; 1 Pet. iii. i. The word sincerity 
 was adopted by our translators from the Rhemish version. The words 
 translated godly sincerity are in the original sincerity of God, i. e. either 
 (i) that tuhich is His gift, comes from Him, or, (2) tJiat which is befitting 
 His service, as in the A. V. 
 
 not with feshly wisdofji] Literally, in. Cf. i Cor. i. 17, ii. r, 4, 13. 
 These passages shew that there existed among the Corinthians a ten- 
 dency to exalt the wisdom of this world, i.e. acquirements such as 
 those of dialectic skill and rhetoric above the spiritual enlightenment 
 obtained by the submission of the intellect and will to the direction of 
 God. 
 
 but by the grace of God] Literally, in the grace of God, i. e. in 
 possession cf it. The word grace, like the Latin gratia, originally 
 signified y^z/^Mr, kindness. St Paul here would say that his behaviour 
 at Corinth, to which he appeals, was the result of the favour of God to 
 him, enabling him to shape his life in obedience to God's commands. 
 
 we have had our conversation] This word, which is a nearly literal 
 rendering of the Greek, is derived from two Latin words signifying to 
 tui-n together, and hence from the idea of having your attetition turned to 
 a thing, being versed in it, it has the signification of a man's ordinary 
 conduct in life. It has come to mean in modern English interchange 
 
vv. 13—15.] II. CORINTHIANS, 1/ 31 
 
 tion in the world, and more abundantly to you-wards. For 13 
 we write none other things unto you, than what you read 
 or acknowledge; and I trust you shall acknowledge even 
 to the end ; as also you have acknowledged us in part, that 14 
 we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day 
 of the Lord Jesus. 
 
 15 — 24. St PauT s reason for putting off his co7ning. 
 And in this confidence I was minded to come unto 15 
 
 of thought in speech. In the Epistle to the Philippians it is twice used 
 as the translation of ' citizenship. ' 
 
 and more abtmdantly to yoti-wards\ This either refers (i) to the special 
 proofs the Apostle had given the Corinthians of his singleness of pur- 
 pose and avoidance of fleshly wisdom, or (2) to the fact that he had 
 remained longer at Corinth, and so had additional opportunities of 
 displaying those qualities; or it has reference perhaps (3) to his self- 
 abnegation in refusing to receive his maintenance at the hands of his 
 Corinthian converts. See i Cor. ix. and ch. xi. 8 — 10. 
 
 13. For xve write none other things unto you] i.e. for we are not 
 writing to you about anything with which you have not had the 
 opportunity of being fully acquainted. 
 
 than what yon read or acknowledge] It is impossible to give the full 
 sense of this passage in English. In the first place there is the play upon 
 dpajLvwa-Kere and iinyLvcjaKeTe, after a fashion usual with St Paul, and 
 next there is the fact that avayivwaKca has a double meaning, to recognize, 
 know accurately (as in Xen. Anab. v. viii. 6), and to read. The word 
 translated 'acknowledge' signifies to know thoroughly either (i) by 
 examination, comparison, reasoning, or (2) by intuition. Here the 
 former idea is predominant. 
 
 14. As also] St Paul connects "the future for which he hopes, with 
 the past of which he knozvs." — Meyer. 
 
 in part] It is here delicately hinted that the whole Corinthian Church 
 did not acknowledge St Paul. 
 
 we are your rejoicing] Rather, ground of rejoicing'. The word here 
 rendered 'rejoicing' is rendered indifferently 'boasting,' 'glorying,' 
 'rejoicing,' 'whereof to glory' in the A.V. See Rom. iv. 2; i Cor. v. 
 6, and ch. ix. 3. 
 
 even as ye also are ours] See note on v. ii. It was, moreover, the 
 special object of the Apostle to remind the Corinthians of the identity of 
 their interests before he proceeded to vindicate himself or to rebuke 
 them. Some of them, he says, already recognized this truth. See also 
 next verse. Chrysostom remarks on the humility of the Apostle in thus 
 placing himself on a level with his converts. 
 
 in the day of the Lord J esus] See i Cor. iii. 13, iv. 3, 5 and notes. 
 
 15—24. St Paul's reason for putting off his coming. 
 
 15. And in this confidence] It was the conviction of this community 
 
32 II. CORINTHIANS, I. [vv. i6, 17. 
 
 16 you before, that you might have a second benefit ; and 
 to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out 
 of Macedonia unto you, and of you to be brought on 
 
 17 my way toward Judaea. When I therefore was thus minded, 
 did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I 
 purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should 
 
 of interest which made St Paul desire to visit Corinth. It was (see 
 V. 23) the consciousness that all his converts did not realize it which 
 made him anxious to try the effect of a letter first. See ch. ii. 3, vii, 
 8--12. 
 
 I was minded to conie unto yotc befoj-e] i.e. before going to Macedonia. 
 
 that you might have a second benefit^ These words would be more 
 intelligible had they been placed at the end of the next verse. By the 
 'second benefit' is pieant the effects of the visit which the Apostle 
 hoped to have paid to the Corinthians after his return from Macedonia. 
 It has been explained, (i) of the favour of the Apostle's presence, 
 (2) of the outpouring of God's grace or favour which St Paul, as an 
 Apostle of Christ, had the privilege of imparting. See Rom. i. 11. 
 Tyndale, who is followed by Cranmer and the Geneva version, renders 
 one pleasure more. Wiclif, the (Rhemish a) secunde grace. 
 
 16. to pass by you into Macedonid\ It was probably when this 
 resolution (which may have been announced in the lost Epistle, see 
 I Cor. V. 9) was given up, that the mission of Timothy referred to in 
 I Cor. iv. 17, and in Acts xix. 22 was substituted, and as still more 
 urgent necessity arose, that of Titus, ch. viii. 16 — 24, xii. 17, 18. 
 
 and of yoit to be brought on my way tozvard yudcEd\ The exact 
 opposite of this was what actually took place. St Paul went through 
 Macedonia on his way to Corinth, and returned through Macedonia, and 
 was brought on his way toward Judaea by the Macedonian Churches. 
 The word translated ' brought on my way * is used of the pecuniary and 
 other assistance given by the Churches towards the journeys of the 
 brethren. See Acts xv. 3, xx. 38, xxi. 15; Rom. xv. 24; i Cor. xvi. 6, 
 1 1 ; Tit. iii. 13 ; 3 John 6, and note on i Cor xvi. 6. 
 
 17. did I use lightness .?] Literally, the lightness, i. e. either the 
 lightness with which St Paul had been reproached, or perhaps merely 
 the abstract quality. The reproach of fickleness was cast upon the 
 Apostle for his change of purpose. It is to be remarked that this is the 
 only charge he is attempting to meet in this and the next six verses. 
 One of the special features of this Epistle, according to Robertson, is its 
 exhibition of "the way in which a Christian may defend himself when 
 maligned or misrepresented... An uncontradicted slander is believed 
 readily, and often for long, and meanwhile influence is crippled or lost. 
 Conceive what might have ensued, had St Paul not met the slander 
 against his character with denial at once ! For few persons take the 
 trouble to sift a charge which is not denied. " 
 
 according to the fleshy i. e. * Are they the decisions of my human will, 
 which is subject to change through caprice, or are they decisions made 
 
vv. i8, 19.] II. CORINTHIANS, I. 33 
 
 be yea yea, and nay nay ? But as God is true, our word is 
 toward you was not yea and nay. For the Son of God, 19 
 Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even 
 by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, 
 
 according to the promptings of God's Spirit, and, as such, removed out of 
 the region of human inconstancy of purpose?' Cf. Acts xix. 21. See 
 also note on ch. v. 16, and ch. x. 2, 3. 
 
 that with me there shottld be yea yea, and nay nay] Some have 
 rendered this (i) that zaith me the yea should be yea and the nay nay, as 
 though in this last member of the sentence St Paul was shewing how 
 impossible it was for him to be obstinate and to refuse to change 
 his purpose for a reasonable cause. But the context is against this. 
 Chrysostom, who adopts this view, lays the stress upon the words 'with 
 me,' as though St Paul's private and individual will were contrasted 
 with the dictates of the Spirit, which he was bound to follow, whether 
 they laid him open to the charge of inconsistency or not. But the best 
 way is (2) to interpret the passage in the usual manner, and to regard 
 the Apostle as denying that he was infirm of purpose, and as reminding 
 the Corinthians that he had but one definite end in view which he was 
 resolutely bent upon attaining, namely, the ministering to them the 
 Spirit of Jesus Christ. To this one purpose all minor plans and reso- 
 lutions must give way. 
 
 18, Bict as God is true, our word torvard you was not yea and nay"] 
 There was no more infirmity of purpose in the Apostle's preaching than 
 there is untruth, or rather, nnfaithfulness in God. ' Word ' here means 
 speech, discourse, as in I Cor. i. 5. 
 
 was not] Rather, is not, since the doctrine once preached remains 
 ever the same. See Gal. i. 8, 9. 
 
 19. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ] St Paul now labours to im- 
 press the Corinthians with the weight of the commission with which he 
 had been entrusted to them. It was nothing less than Jesus, the Pro- 
 mised and Anointed One, the Son of God, Whom he had preached, 
 
 was preached] Literally, proclaimed, as by a herald. The word has 
 come usually to mean an exposition of God's Word in the Christian con- 
 gregation. 
 
 Silvanus] Called Silas in the Acts. He was sent with Paul and 
 Barnabas, as ' a chief man among the bi-ethren, ' to guarantee the authen- 
 ticity of the Apostolic letter which the former brought back with them 
 from Jerusalem to Antioch after the discussion recorded in Acts xv., 
 since, had Paul and Barnabas returned alone, their opponents might not 
 improbably have disputed its genuineness. See Acts xv, 22, 25, 27. 
 He was a prophet. Acts xv. 32 (see i Cor. xiv. ), and was chosen by St 
 Paul, after his dispute with St Barnabas, as his fellow-traveller, by the 
 advice of the Churches, Some have thought that he was the brother 
 mentioned in ch, viii. 18, xii. 18. He is mentioned by St Paul with 
 himself in the opening of each of the Epistles to the Thessalonians. He 
 was with the Apostle at Philippi (Acts xvi, 19 — 40), at Thessalonica 
 (xvii. I, 4, 10), at Berea (xvii. 10), at Corinth {not at Athens, xvii. 15, 
 
 3—2 
 
34 11. CORINTHIANS, I. [v. 20. 
 
 20 but in him was yea. For all the promises of God in him 
 are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by 
 
 xviii. 5). He is not mentioned again in Scripture save by St Peter in 
 his first Epistle (ch. v. 12), in which he speaks of him as one with 
 whom he has little personal acquaintance, but much confidence. Silas 
 is contracted from the fuller form Silvanus as Lucas from Lucanus. 
 The similar signification of the two words Lucas and Silvanus have 
 led some to suppose that St Luke and St Silas were the same person. 
 But a perusal of the narrative in Acts xvi., xvii., especially ch. xvi. vv. 
 4 — 8, 10 — 17, 19, 20, will shew that they were two distinct persons. 
 See Alford, Prolegomma to Acts of the Apostles, for a fuller investigation 
 of this point. We may observe that not only does St Paul, in his 
 humility, identify himself with the Corinthians {v. 14) but he takes 
 care to associate his subordinates with him as fellow labourers in a 
 common work. Paley, Horae Paulinae, remarks on the undesigned 
 coincidence between this verse and Acts xxiii. 5. The two books 
 are not written by the same person. There is no particular stress 
 laid on the fact of Silas and Timotheus having been with the Apostle 
 in either book, but the reference to them slips out quite accidentally. 
 But both declare in this accidental way that Silas and Timotheus 
 ivere with the Apostle at Corinth. Such minute agreement is be- 
 yond the power of the compiler of fictitious narrative. See a fuller 
 discussion of this subject in the Introduction. 
 
 -ivas not yea a?td nay, but in him ivas yea'] The Son of God, the sub- 
 ject-matter of the Gospel, was no wavering principle, sometimes affirmed 
 and sometimes denied. The preaching of Him was the constant 
 affiliation of a truth, an unchangeable blessing vouchsafed in Him to 
 mankind. For 'in Him tvas yea ; ' the original has the perfect, 'in Him 
 i.e. in God, v. \%) hath been (or becotne) yea.' For in Him 'is no 
 variableness, neither shadow of turning.' Numb, xxiii. 19; James i. 17. 
 How then could the change of purpose in His minister be ascribed 
 to the capricious infirmity of the mere human will ? Cf. also Rom. xv. 8 ; 
 Heb. xiii. 8. 
 
 20. For all the profnises of God in him are yea"] Literally, for the 
 promises of God, how many soever they be, in Him are yea. The 
 Apostle here, as elsewhere, reminds us that God's gifts depend upon His 
 promise. Gal. iii. 14 — 29. And this promise is an affirmative utterance, 
 never to be withdrawn or explained away. Whatever gifts are received 
 by the ministration of His servants are the same in their character. 
 
 and in him Amen\ This may refer either (i) actively, to the ratifi- 
 cation by God of His own promises, see Heb. vi. 12 — 18, vii. 20, 21 ; 
 Rev. iii. 14; or (2) passively, to the security ive may feel that His 
 Divine Word will never fail us. But our security is ever in Hitn. Some 
 editors read (with the Vulgate) ' wherefore through him is the Amen, ' 
 in which case the meaning would be that becatcse God's promises were 
 unchangeable, they were to be depended upon. 
 
 unto the glory of God by us\ i. e. through our instrumentality, because 
 by the first preachers of the Gospel these glorious promises were made 
 known. 
 
w. 21—23.] II. CORINTHIANS, V. 35 
 
 us. Now he which stabHsheth us with you in Christ, and at 
 hath anointed us, is God ; who hath also sealed us, and 22 
 given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. Moreover 1 23 
 
 21. A^ow he %vhich stablisheth us with yoti in Christ] Rather, and 
 He, &c. , as explaining the words ' by us. ' ' Not as though we had any 
 power in ourselves, to do anything of ourselves (cf. ch. iii. 5), but it is 
 God who stablisheth us and Who anointed us for our great work.' The 
 meaning of the Greek word translated stablisheth, as of the English one 
 by which it is rendered (derived from the Latin stabilio), is to make firm ^ 
 immoveable. For ^in Christ,^ the original has tmto or upon Christ, 
 i.e. by the faith and hope in Him which are 'as an anchor of the soul, 
 both sure and steadfast,' Heb. vi. 19; cf. i Cor. iii. ir. Also Matt. 
 xvi. 18; Eph. ii. 20. 
 
 and hath anointed ns\ Observe the change of tense here from the 
 present to the past. The Greek however is not the perfect as in the 
 A. v., but the aorist (so Wiclif, the perfect having been introduced by 
 Tyndale, whom the other versions follow). That is, at some indefinite 
 time in the past God 'anointed' St Paul and his fellow-labourers (see 
 Acts X. 38; and i John ii. 20, 27, for the expression 'anointed'), i.e. 
 when He commissioned them for their task (see Acts xiii. 2), which was 
 to be 'ministers of Christ,' the Anointed One, i Cor. iv. i. 
 
 is God] From no less than Him did their commission proceed, and 
 in Him, and in none less, were their ministerial acts done. 
 
 22. IVho hath also sealed its] Here again the Greek has the aorist. 
 We must refer it here to the attestation God gave to his calling and 
 anointing by the manifest signs of His presence with His ministers. 
 See ch. iii. i — 3, xii. 12. Also Rom. xv. 15 — 19; i Cor. ix. 2. A 
 seal (see note on i Cor. ix. 2 ; cf. Rom. xv. 28) is used to attest and 
 confirm a legal document, which, according to our present legal custom, 
 derived from the practice of past ages, when but few were able to write 
 their names, must be 'sealed' as well as ' signed, ' before it is 'de- 
 livered' to another person to act upon. For the expression 'sealed 
 with the Spirit,' see Eph. i. 13, iv. 30, and also, for a similar expression, 
 St John vi. 27. 
 
 and given the earnest of the Spirit] The Apostle here, as in ch. v. 5 and 
 Eph.i. 14, uses the Hebrew word arj'habo7i, which, derived from a verb 
 signifying to plait or intei-weave, and thence to pledge or be security for 
 (as in Gen. xliii. 9), came to have the meaning of earnest. An earnest is 
 to be distinguished, however, from z. pledge (see Robertson in loc), in 
 that the latter is "something different in kind, given as assurance for 
 something else," as in the case of the Sacraments, while the former is a 
 part of the thing to be given, as when "a purchase is made, and part of 
 the money paid down at once." Schleusner translates into German by 
 handgeld or angeld. The Hebrew word however, has also the meaning 
 of pledge, as in Gen. xxxviii. 17, 18. The word is found in the Greek 
 and in a modified form in the Latin language, and exists to this day in 
 the French "arrhes," and was no doubt derived by Greeks and Latins 
 "from the language of Phoenician traders, as tariff, cargo, are derived in 
 
36 II. CORINTHIANS, I. [v. 24. 
 
 call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I 
 24 came not as yet unto Corinth. Not for that we have 
 dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy : for 
 by faith ye stand. 
 
 English and other modem languages from Spanish traders." — Stanley. 
 See his whole note, and cf. Rom. viii. 23. Our own word earnest comes 
 from a root signifying to run, io follow after eagerly. The use of the 
 word in the text is due to the custom, common in all countries, of 
 giving some pledge of being in earnest. The words 'in earnest,' in 
 our sense of meaning what we say, occur early in our literature. See 
 Chaucer, Legende of Good Women, Queen Dido, line 1301. There is a 
 valuable note on this word in the Speaker's Commentary on Prov. vi. i . 
 
 23. / call God for a record upon my soul] Literally, to witness, as 
 the Rhemish version. Tyndale, whom the other translators follow, has 
 recorde. Either (i) I call God to witness against my soul, i.e. to 
 avenge my perjury (so Calvin and Grotius ; Wiclif, agens) , or (2) on 
 behalf of my soul, as appealing to God as a witness of his sincerity. 
 See Rom. i. 9, and ix. i ; Gal. i. 20; Phil. i. 8; i Thess. ii. 5. Also 
 eh. xi. 31. In these passages, however, the form of the expression 
 is different. The word here translated ' call for a record ' is not 
 used in Scripture in a bad sense. It signifies (i) to surname, as in 
 Matt. X. 3; (2) to appeal, as in Acts xxv. 11; and {3) to call upon, as 
 in Acts xxii. 16; i Cor. i. 2, &c. Augustine and other commentators 
 have remarked that it is lawful for a Christian to take an oath upon a 
 proper occasion. Cf. Matt. xxvi. 63. 
 
 that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth] Though St Paul 
 could * use sharpness ' if need so required he desired, as the minister of 
 the God of love, rather to come in the ' spirit of meekness. ' 
 
 24. Not for that zve have dominion over yotir faith, btit are helpers of 
 your joy] Ben lordis of Wiclif, and so the other versions until the 
 Rhemish, which characteristically renders overrule. St Paul here 
 defines accurately his relation to his converts. What power he had — 
 and it was considerable (see i Cor. iv. 21; 2 Cor. ii. 9, vii. 15, x. 6, 
 xiii. 2, 10) — was simply ministerial, to assist the free growth of the 
 Christian life within them, one of whose foremost fruits (Gal. v. 22) was 
 joy, the joy of the man redeemed and sanctified in Christ, a joy which 
 could not be possessed by those who ' hold the truth in unrighteousness * 
 (Rom. i. 18). He had no right to place himself between their souls and 
 God, as a necessary channel in all cases of the Divine life. 
 
 for by faith ye stand] If they are enabled to stand firm against the 
 overrunning flood of ungodliness, it is not in dependence upon any 
 human being, however great and noble his mission (see w. 21, 22; 
 Matt. X. 40; John xiii. 20, xx. 21; i Cor. vii. 25, 40; and i Thess. iv. 
 8), but by faith in a living Lord (cf. Rom. xi. 20; i Cor. xv. 1), Who 
 is able to save and to destroy. 
 
vv. 1—3] II. CORINTHIANS, II. 37 
 
 Ch. II. Sf Pauts only Object the Spiritual Advancement of 
 his Coftverts. 
 
 But I determined this with myself, that / would not 2 
 come again to you in heaviness. For if I make you sorry, 2 
 who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which 
 is made sorry by me ? And I wrote this same unto you, 3 
 
 Ch. II. St Paul's only Object the Spiritual Advancement 
 OF HIS Converts. 
 
 1. But I determined this with my self '\ St Paul now further vindi- 
 cates his consistency. Not only did he stay away from Corinth to spare 
 the Corinthians the sharp rebukes which his immediate presence would 
 have necessitated, but he hoped by means of the Epistle to work so 
 salutary a reformation as to make his visit to Corinth a time of the 
 deepest spiritual joy. The 'but' in the English version should be ren- 
 dered and, thus carrying on the explanation from ch. i. 23. For '■with 
 myself recent commentators prefer the rendering '■for myself,' i.e. for 
 the better carrying on of the work St Paul had in hand, which how- 
 ever (see I Cor, ix, 19 — 22, x. 33) was not his own profit, but the good 
 of his converts. We may thus paraphrase his words, / decided that 
 the best course for me to pursue was not to come again to you in 
 heaviness. 
 
 that I would not come again to you in heaviness'\ There seems no need 
 to suppose, with some commentators, that 'again' belongs to 'in heavi- 
 ness, ' and to explain it of some unrecorded visit which the Apostle paid 
 in trouble of mind. The very contrary seems to be implied. St Paul's 
 great anxiety was not to visit the Corinthian Church in such a frame of 
 mind. It falls in best with the context to explain *I determined that 
 my second visit should not be paid while under the influence of pain- 
 ful feelings.' Olshausen remarks that the 'heaviness' here spoken of 
 belongs as much to the Corinthians as to the Apostle. See next 
 verse. 
 
 2. For if I make you sorry] So all the principal English translators. 
 But the rendering gives a false impression to a modern ear. The best 
 equivalent in modern English is ^ if I pain you.' The idea of sorrow for 
 the sin does not appear to have been introduced as yet. The ' /' in this 
 passage is emphatic; 'if I, whose sole delight is to see you happy, inflict 
 pain, it is with the object of bringing about happiness in the end.' The 
 connection of this verse with the preceding implied in the word 'for' 
 seems to be as follows: "I wrote to cause pain, it is true, but it was in 
 order that such pain should be removed before I came. " Ci. ch. vii. 8. 
 
 who is he then that nmketh me glad, but the sajfie which is made sorry 
 by me?] The apparent selfishness of this passage, in which St Paul 
 appears to think that the grief he has caused is amply compensated for 
 by the pleasure he receives from that grief, is explained by the words in 
 the next verse, 'having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of 
 you all.' See note there. The meaning would seem to be that St Paul 
 
II. CORINTHIANS, II. [v. 4. 
 
 lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them ^whom 
 
 I ought to rejoice ; having confidence in you all, that my 
 
 4 joy is the joy of you all. For out of much affliction and 
 
 anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears ; not 
 
 wished not to come to Corinth in sorrow, but in joy, and that this end 
 M'as attained by the result of the rebukes of his Epistle, which produced 
 pain, and pain reformation, and reformation a pure and heavenly joy on 
 the part of all, of St Paul, of the Corinthian community, and of the 
 offender himself, conditions obviously the most favourable to an 
 Apostolic visit. Cf. ch. vii. 11, 12, where the same idea is more fully 
 expressed. 
 
 3. And I %vrote this same ttfito yotc] Either (i) the announcement in 
 I Cor. xvi. 7 of the Apostle's change of purpose, or (2) the rebukes in 
 the former Epistle that grieved them, especially the passage in ch. v. of 
 that Epistle which (cf. also vv. 2, 5 — 8 of this chapter) refers to a 
 iingle person. The former agrees best with the context. In 2 Pet. i. 5, 
 however, (3) the words here translated 'this same 'are translated 'beside 
 this.' 
 
 I shotdd have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice'] St Paul 
 hoped by his letter to produce such an effect that those who were blamed 
 in it would abandon their sin. He ought to rejoice in such persons, for 
 his rejoicing is to see them 'walk worthy of the vocation wherewith 
 they were called' (Eph. iv. i ; cf. i Thess. iii. 8) ; and this, by virtue of 
 their union with Christ, they might do if they would. Had he come, 
 instead of writing, they must have caused him sorrow and not joy by the 
 inconsistency of their Christian walk. Cf. ch. xii. 21. 
 
 having confidence in you all, that 7)iy Joy is the Joy of you all] Cf. 
 ch. vii. 16. The Apostle still keeps in view that on which he had lately 
 insisted, the identity of his feelings, hopes, aspirations with those of the 
 Corinthians in virtue of their common life in Christ (see note on i Cor. 
 i. 9). His joy and theirs is to see the members of the Corinthian com- 
 munity entirely led by the Spirit of Christ (Rom. viii. 14) and producing 
 the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. v. 22) in all their actions. See John xv. n. 
 
 4. Jujr put of much affliction and anguish of heart] The word here 
 translated anguish denotes a drawing or holding together, as we say, a 
 spasj?i. It is only found here and in Luke xxi. 25. It was from no 
 proud consciousness of superiority that St Paul wrote the rebukes of his 
 former Epistle. He was no Pharisee who ' thanked God that he was 
 not as other men are.' Neither did he take pleasure in grieving them, 
 except so far as it tended to their profit. Therefore he wrote out of 
 (i.e. they were the source from which his Epistle proceeded) much 
 affliction and anguish of heart, not to distress them, but in order to 
 shew his love, which took the shape of an anxious desire for their 
 perfection. "It is the truest mark of affection," says Estius, "not to 
 cloke the sins of those who are entrusted to your care, to rebuke them 
 openly and plainly, even at the risk of causing considerable distress. " 
 
 with many tears] "Which," says Calvin, "in the case of a brave and 
 •high-spirited man, are a token of intense grief." 
 
w. 5—7.] II. CORINTHIANS, II. 39 
 
 that you should be grieved, but that ye might know the 
 love which I have more abundantly unto you. 
 
 But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but 5 
 in part : that I may not overcharge you all. Sufficient to 6 
 such a man is this punishment, which was ififlided of many. 
 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and 7 
 
 not that yoic should be grieved'\ Cf. ch. vii. 12. 
 
 5. he hath not giieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you 
 all] According to the A. V. the meaning is that the Apostle, anxious 
 not to lay too heavy a charge at the door of the Corinthian Church, to 
 which (see i Cor. v. 2, 6) he considers the guilt to attach, declares that 
 the offender has only pained him to a certain extent. But the words are 
 capable of another rendering, 'But if any one hath caused pain, it is not 
 me whom he has pained, but to a certain extent — not to press too heavily 
 upon him — all of you. ' This rendering is susceptible of two interpreta- 
 tions (i) he has caused pain to the whole community; but not to be 
 too severe upon him, the Apostle is willing to admit that this pain 
 is to a certain extent lessened by the mutual sympathy of the mem- 
 bers of the Church. Or perhaps (2) there is a slight reproof here, im- 
 plying, as in I Cor. v. 2, that the Corinthians had not sufficiently felt 
 the disgrace brought on them all by such a crime. Cf. ch. i. 14. The 
 Apostle thus, with no less adroitness than simple honesty, places the 
 personal aspect of the question in the background, and deals with it as 
 a matter of public principle, with which every member of the Church 
 is as intimately concerned as himself. The whole passage refers to 
 the offender mentioned in i Cor. v. 
 
 6. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment'\ ' See note on I Cor. 
 V. 3 — 5. The discipline of the Apostolic Church, which had as its main 
 object the restoration of the offender, was content when this object was 
 attained. As soon as the offender renounced his sin, the end of the 
 discipline was reached, and there was no further need of punishment. 
 It was no desire of the Church in the Apostle's times, however much 
 that important principle may have been lost sight of afterwards, that 
 the offender should be ' swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.' "A plan 
 diligently to be observed, for it teaches with what equity and clemency 
 the discipline of the Church should be tempered, lest its rigour should 
 exceed proper bounds. " Calvin. 
 
 punishment] [Blainynge, Wiclif.) The word in the original signifies 
 rebuke as well as punishment. Perhaps here it partakes of both senses. 
 The public rebuke, coupled with separation from the Christian com- 
 munity and formal delivery over to Satan which St Paul prescribed 
 (i Cor. V. 5), was itself a severe punishment. 
 
 zvhich was inflicted of many] Literally, by the majority. Some, 
 perhaps, may have declined to take part in it, for there were many, as 
 the latter part of the Epistle plainly shews, who still refused to acknow- 
 ledge St Paul's authority. 
 
 7. comfort him] Better, perhaps, encourage him. See note on 
 ch. i. 3. 
 
40 II. CORINTHIANS, II. [vv. 8—10. 
 
 comfort him^ lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed 
 
 8 up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that _>'6?z^ 
 
 9 would confirm your love towards him. For to this end also 
 did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye 
 
 10 be obedient in all thi?igs. To whom ye forgive any things 
 
 such a one] 6 toiovtos, the man of that description, the name by 
 which St Paul always denotes the offender. See note on i Cor. v. 5. 
 St Paul will not disgrace him to all future ages by mentioning his 
 name. 
 
 swalloived up\ Some commentators have supposed that St Paul here 
 meant apostasy or suicide. But he designedly leaves the result indefi- 
 nite. It is impossible to foresee what will become of a man over- 
 whelmed with excessive sorrow. 
 
 with overmuch sorrow] literally, by the excess of sorrow. " No- 
 thing is more dangerous than to give Satan a handle whereby he may 
 harass a sinner into despair." Calvin. Cf. also Gal. vi. i and 
 Ecclus. viii. 5, 
 
 8. Wherefore I beseech you, that you would confirm your love towards 
 him] The word 'your' is not in the original. It is not their love, 
 but love itself, the fundamental principle (see i Cor. xiii. i ; i John iv. 8, 
 16) of the Christian covenant. The word here rendered confirm is used 
 cf the ratification, i. e. by some public act or token, of a covenant. See 
 Gal. iii. 15, 17, where the same word is used in the original. The 
 Vulgate, Calvin, Wiclif, the Geneva and Rhemish versions render 
 confirm, Tyndale and Cranmer that love may have strength. 
 
 9. For to this end also did I write] St Paul here gives a third 
 reason for writing the first Epistle. Not only was he anxious for the 
 restoration of the offender, for a visit to Corinth which should have 
 nothing of a painful character about it, but he wished to test the readi- 
 ness of the Corinthians to submit to his authority (cf. ch. vii. 15, x. 6), 
 a point on which (i Cor. ix., 2 Cor. x. — xii.) at that moment there was 
 considerable doubt. See also note on v. 6. Some commentators, 
 however, contend that the word iypa^f/a, though an aorist, is, as what 
 is called the Epistolary aorist, to be translated "I write " (as in i John ii. 
 I4), and that it refers to xh^ present letter, and that the test of obedience 
 St Paul desired was the display of forgiveness. But this seems hardly 
 consistent with i Cor. v. 2. See also Phil. ii. 12, and v. 3 of this 
 chapter. 
 
 the proof] That which has been tested and has borne the test. The 
 word is variously translated in our version. In Rom. v. 4 it is trans- 
 lated experience, in ch. viii. 2 of this Epistle, trial, in ix. 13, experiment, 
 in xiii. 3 and in Phil. ii. 22, proof. 
 
 10. To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also] St Paul is here 
 exercising the power of the keys (see Matt. xvi. 19, xviii. 18; St John 
 XX. 23). He is not speaking of any private forgiveness of a personal 
 injury, but of the public absolution of an offender lying under the 
 censure of the church. See 1 Cor. v. 4, 5. We may observe (i) 
 that St Paul acts upon the report of the Corinthian Church properly 
 
vv. II, 12.] II. CORINTHIANS, II. 41 
 
 \ forgive also : for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave 
 •//, for your sdkts forgave I it in the person of Christ; lest 
 Satan should get an advantage of us : for we are not igno- 
 rant of his devices. 
 
 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's 
 
 authenticated by Titus, his representative there (ch. vii. 6 — 14), and (2) 
 that he gives his official sanction to their act. 
 
 to whom I forgave it\ Most modern Editors read what for to whom, 
 and the verb stands in the perfect, implying that the affair is at an end. 
 * What I have forgiven, I have forgiven on your accoicnt. ' St Paul does 
 not claim the right to ratify their act for the satisfaction of his own 
 sense of importance, but because his Apostolic office is necessary for 
 their edification and guidance. 
 
 in the person of Christ'] Cranmer and the Geneva version render 'in 
 the sight' (literally, in the face) of Christ. So also Calvin. The Vul- 
 gate which is followed by Wiclif, and of course the Rhemish, renders 
 as in the text. Tyndale renders roiime. As the Greek word signifies 
 ho\kv person Sixid face, the point must be left undecided. If the A. V. be 
 correct, then St Paul acts in this matter as Christ's representative. If 
 the other is the correct rendering, then he performs a solemn public 
 act in the sight of Christ and the powers unseen. It should however, 
 be added that in this Epistle we have the word here used in the sense 
 of person in ch. i. ir, and in the sense of face in ch. iii. 7, 13, 18, and 
 that the expression occurs again in ch. iv. 6, where see note. 
 
 11. Lest Satan should get an advantage of tis] See note &n. i Cor. 
 V. 10. The word signifies (i) to have more, (2) to be greedy, and hence 
 (3) to overreach, to defraud. 
 
 devices'] The word properly means mental fi'ocesses, " the product of 
 mind." Meyer. It is translated tjtinds in ch. iii. 14, iv. 4, xi. 3 ; Phil. 
 iv. 7, thought in ch. x. 5. In reference to Satan, all whose thoughts 
 are evil, it may legitimately be translated devices, i. e. things which he 
 devised. Luke xxii. 31. i Cor. vii. 5. Cf. i Pet. v. 8. Rev. xii. 12. 
 St Paul's meaning here is that to refuse forgiveness when the time for it 
 had come would be only to give Satan an advantage. The offender 
 had been delivered over to him (see i Cor. v. 5 and notes). Not to 
 release him from the bondage when he was truly repentant would be to 
 afford the enemy of souls an opportunity of which he would not be slow 
 to avail himself. Nothing is so likely to plunge a man into every kind 
 of crime as despair. See notes on v. 7. 
 
 12. Furthermore, when I came to Troas] Another proof is now given 
 cf the Apostle's sincere desire for the well-being of his converts, his 
 distress at the non-arrival of Titus at the time expected. In spite of the 
 opportunity afforded him of preaching the gospel at Troas, his anxiety 
 would not suffer him to rest, but he hurried on to Macedonia, where at 
 length he found Titus, and heard from him the tidings for which he had 
 scarcely dared to hope. 
 
 to Troas] Rather, to the Troad, the angle of territory to the south 
 of the Hellespont on which Troy was situated. See Acts xvi. 8, 1 1, 
 
42 II. CORINTHIANS, II. [v. 13. 
 
 13 gospel,, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord, I had 
 no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother : 
 
 XX. 5 ; 1 Tim. iv. 13. *' Still, it must have been at the city that the 
 Apostle stayed. It had been built" (upon the ruins of the ancient city, 
 as Dr Schliemann's discoveries seem to prove) "by Antigonus (Alex- 
 ander's lieutenant) under the name of Antigonia Troas, was after- 
 wards called by Lysimachus, another of Alexander's generals, Alex- 
 andria Troas, and was at this time a Roman ' colonia Juris Italici' and 
 regarded with great favour by the Roman emperors, as the representa- 
 tive of the ancient Troy, of which it has been supposed to occupy the 
 site." — Stanley. It must be remembered that the Romans, as Virgil's 
 Aeneid testifies, were under the belief that they were the descendants 
 of the ancient Trojans. See Acts xvi. 8, xx. 5, 6 also Conybeare and 
 Howson's St Paul, and Smith's Dictionary of Geography. 
 
 to preach Christ's gospel] Literally, unto, i. e. for the furtherance of 
 the good tidings of Christ. The word gospel, as is well known, is de- 
 rived from the Anglo-Saxon god, good, and spell, history or narrative. 
 Some have supposed it to have been God's spell or history, but the 
 former derivation accords best with the Greek. Spell is now used only 
 to signify the naming the letters of which a word is composed, or of a 
 magical incantation. But both these are derived from the same Anglo- 
 Saxon root. 
 
 atid a door was opened unto me of the Lord] Door, in New Testament 
 phraseology, is equivalent to opportunity. See i Cor. xvi. 9 ; Rev. iii. 
 8. St Paul had come to Troas with the special purpose of preaching 
 the Gospel, and not merely as a traveller. Unusual opportunities 
 offered themselves, but his anxiety about the condition of the Corin- 
 thian Church caused him to forego them all. Calvin and Estius discuss 
 the propriety of St Paul's leaving unused the opportunity offered to him 
 at Troas. But he soon (Acts xx. 6) returned thither, and he evidently 
 had good reason to believe the state of things at Corinth to be the more 
 urgent of the two. It was of more importance to keep those who were 
 called by the name of Christ from disgracing Him, than to bring fresh 
 souls to the knowledge of Him. 
 
 13. / had no rest in my spirit] i. e. the higher and nobler part of his 
 being, superior to the soul. Cf. i Cor. ii. 14, 15 and notes. Also 
 I Cor. XV. 44 — 46. 
 
 because I foziJid not Titus my brother] Titus (see ch. viii. 6, xii. 18) 
 had been sent by the Apostle to superintend the ' collection for the saints' 
 at Corinth (i Cor. xvi. i). He was most probably the bearer of theformer 
 Epistle, and was anxiously expected by the Apostle (ch. vii. 6) to bring 
 information regarding the effect it had had upon the Corinthian Church. 
 Though Titus is not mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, he posses- 
 sed in a high degree the confidence of the Apostle (ch. viii. 16), as is 
 shewn by his taking the chief place — he seems even to have held a 
 position of greater prominence than ' the brother whose praise is in the 
 Gospel throughout all the Churches' (ch. viii. 18) — in this important 
 mission. Before this, he, as a Gentile, had been the subject of some 
 discussion between St Paul and the Judaizing party at Jerusalem. The 
 
V. 14.] II. CORINTHIANS, II. 43 
 
 but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Mace- 
 donia. Now thanks be unto God, which ahvays causeth us 
 to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of 
 
 latter maintained that Titus ought to be circumcised, the former that he 
 ought not ; but St Paul carried his point. His character seems to have 
 been one of deep earnestness and zeal (ch. vii. 13, 15, viii. 16, 17) cal- 
 culated to win the confidence of the great Apostle. He was afterwards 
 placed in charge of the church in Crete, and in this capacity received 
 from St Paul a letter of instruction known as the Epistle to Titus. The 
 last mention of him in point of date is in 2 Tim. iv. 10, when he is said 
 to have 'departed to Dalmatia,' doubtless on a mission. For the 
 Apostle's feelings on this occasion (ch. vii. 5 — 13) compare a similar 
 anxiety displayed at an earlier period of his Apostolic career in i Thess. 
 iii. 2, 5—9. 
 
 / went from thaice into Macedonia^ Cf. Acts xx. i. 
 
 14. Now thanks be unto God] This passage is an instance of the 
 abrupt digressions peculiar to St Paul's style. See Introduction to the 
 first Epistle, p. 16, and i Cor. iv. 8. Also Introduction to this Epistle. 
 "As soon as St Paul came to the word Macedonia, memory presented 
 to him what had greeted him there," i.e. the favourable intelligence 
 brought by Titus (ch. vii. 6, 7) "and in his rapid way — thoughts suc- 
 ceeding each other like lightning — he says, without going through the 
 form of explaining why he says it, 'Now thanks be to God.'" Ro- 
 bertson. 
 
 which always causeth ns to triumph in Christ] The verb here 
 rendered causeth us to triutnph may also be rendered, leadeth ns in tri- 
 ti7nph. It is used in the latter sense in Col. ii. 15, the only other place 
 in which it occurs in the Bible, but' the former sense is defended here 
 by the analogy of other verbs used causatively. See Rom. viii. 37. 
 
 and maketh manifest the savour of his knozuledge] The word savour 
 (from the Latin sapor, flavour) is, with one exception (Matt. v. 13), 
 used in the Scriptures to denote an odour. See Gen. viii. 2 1 ; Eccl. x. 
 I ; Joel ii. 20, &c. The Apostle as yet does not refer to the 'sweet 
 savour' of the sacrifices (Exod. xxix. 18; Lev. i. 9, 12, &c.). If we 
 take the rendering of the A.V. in the former part of the verse, 'the 
 savour of his knowledge' (i.e. the sweet scent of the knowledge of 
 God), is the incense, either "rising from fixed altars or wafted from 
 censers" (Dr Plumptre in loc), which it was customary (see Smith's 
 Dictionary of Antiquities, Art. Triu)nphus) to burn as the conqueror to 
 whom a triumph was decreed passed along. This custom has been re- 
 vived in our own day, on the occasion of the public entry of the 
 Princess of Wales into London before her marriage. If the sense 
 ''leadeth tis in triumph,' be adopted, it regards the ministers of Christ 
 either, [a) as the partners in the triumph of their Master, or {b) as the 
 captives of the enemy he has overcome, delivered by His victorious 
 arm, or [c] as the enemies he has defeated and led captive. Either of these 
 yields a good sense, while the ' savour' is still the incense which attends 
 the victor's triumph. See Wordsworth in loc. Dr Plumptre notices 
 the fact, one of great interest to the inhabitants of these Islands, that. 
 
44 n. CORINTHIANS, II. [vv. 15, 16. 
 
 t5 his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God 
 a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in 
 
 16 them that perish : to the one we are the savour of death 
 unto death ; and to the other the savour of life unto life. 
 
 the last triumph which had taken place at Rome before these words 
 were written, was in commemoration of the victories of Claudius in 
 Britain, and that the British king Caractacus was then led in triumph 
 through the streets of Rome. 
 
 by us\ St Paul is either (i) the altar (Rom. xii. i) from which the 
 odour of God's knowledge arises, or more probably (2) the thurifer or 
 incense-bearer who diffuses that odour abroad as he passes along. 
 
 in every place\ The history of the church shews that the first minis- 
 ters of the Gospel extended their operations over a wide area. It is 
 hardly tradition which regards St Thomas and St Bartholomew 
 as having preached in India, and St Andrew in Scythia. And 
 the first Epistle of St Peter bears witness to a wide dissemination of the 
 Gospel in Asia. See i Pet. i. i, and v. 13. 
 
 15. For we ai'e imto God a sweet savour of Christ] The form of the ex- 
 pression is here altered in two ways : (i) the Apostle himself now be- 
 comes the 'sweet savour,' while (2) the idea of sacrifice is first brought 
 in. The Apostle now uses the phrase used in the LXX. for a sacrificial 
 odour (see note on last verse). The ministers of Christ are a sweet 
 savour of Him, the great Atoning Sacrifice, not only because they 
 make Him known, but because they are imbued and interpenetrated 
 with the spirit of His Sacrifice, 'always bearing about in the body the 
 dying of the Lord Jesus.' And this not only in themselves but in those 
 to whom they minister the Spirit of the Lord (cf. ch. iii. 3) as soon as 
 they in their turn begin to display the same spirit, or even in a certaia 
 sense (see next note) when they do not. See Eph. v. 2 ; Phil, iv, 18. 
 
 itt them that are saved, and in them that perish] The tense in the 
 original speaks of no completed work, but is strictly present : those who 
 are in process of being saved or of perishing. Cf. Luke xiii. 23 ; Acts 
 ii. 47 ; I Cor. i. 18; ch. iv, 3. The imagery of the triumphal procession 
 is still before the Apostle. Some of those who took part in it were^ 
 destined to rewards and honours, others were doomed to perpetual' 
 imprisonment or death. Christ and His servants are a savour of life 
 unto them who are in the way of salvation, because through conformity 
 to the spirit of Christ's sacrifice arises conformity to His life, a savour 
 of death unto those who are not in the way of salvation, because a 
 deliverance refused does but make destruction inevitable. Cf. Matt, 
 xxi. 44; Luke ii. 34; John iii. 18 — 20, ix. 39, xii. 48, xv. 22. 
 
 16. To the one zve are the savour of death unto death; and to the 
 other the savour of life Jinto life] The reading accepted by most recent 
 editors is 'a savour arising from death and resulting in death,' and 'a 
 savour arising from life and resulting in life,' according to a construction 
 common to St Paul, of which the most remarkable instance, perhaps, is 
 Rom. i. 17. The Gospel is a savour arising from death, because it 
 proclaims the Death of Christ as the foundation of all reconciliation. 
 
V. i;.] II. CORINTHIANS, II. 45 
 
 And who is sufficient for these ihi?igs ? For we are not as 17 
 many, which corrupt the word of God : but as of sincerity, 
 but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ. 
 
 Cf. John ix. 39; I Cor. i. 23, 24, xv. 14 — 18; i Pet. ii. 7, 8. To those 
 only who believe in a risen, ascended, living Christ, is the Gospel a 
 savour arising from, and tending to life. Dr Plumptre remarks on the 
 way in which the figure of the triumphal procession is kept before the 
 reader. To some of those who were being led in procession the odour 
 of the incense "would seem as a breath fiom Paradise, giving life and 
 health; to others its sweetness would seem sickly and pestilential, 
 coming as from a charnel house." 
 
 And who is sufficient for these things ?'\ The thought occurs to the 
 Apostle that the wondrous effects consequent on the first proclamation 
 of Christ's Gospel are far above unassisted human powers. Cf. i Cor. ii. 
 12 — 16. But he defers the consideration of this topic to ch. iii. 5, 
 confining himself at present (see next verse) to assigning the reason 
 for his exclamation, namely, that he can fearlessly appeal to what 
 was above man's natural ability, the transparent honesty, and thorough 
 faithfulness to God, of his preaching. Perhaps also the Apostle intends 
 to convey the idea that what may be an easy task for those who pro- 
 claim a spurious Gospel, is one that demands the utmost watchfulness 
 on the part of the genuine minister of Christ. 
 
 17. For "cue are not as many, which corrupt the word of God] The 
 original makes 'many' definite with the article, thus clearly pointing 
 out the false teachers, against whom so much of this and the former 
 Epistle is directed. The word of God may be corrupted (i) by the 
 admixture of foreign doctrines, e. g. those of the Judaizers, who grafted 
 on Christianity the alien doctrine of the universal obligation of the 
 Jewish law, (2) by degrading the doctrine of Christ into a system of 
 argument and disputation (i Cor. i. 17 — 31, ii. i, 4, 5, 14), and (3) by 
 the introduction of personal objects, such as influence, authority, the 
 praise of men (i Cor. iv. 6; 2 Cor. x. 12, xi. 18; Gal. iv. 17). The 
 word here translated corrupt occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. 
 It is derived from a substantive equivalent in meaning to our higgler or 
 huckster, especially a dealer in wine (See the LXX. of Is. i. 22. The 
 word is not in the Hebrew), and hence from the dishonest practices of 
 these small dealers it has come, by a process somewhat similar to that 
 of our reproachful terms 'higgling' or 'huckstering,' to mean adulterate, 
 i. e. to mix what should be pure with worthless or even deleterious 
 substances. 
 
 but as of sincerity, but as of God] See note on i. 12. The word is 
 here opposed to the idea of corrupting by admixture. The Apostle 
 does not lose sight even here of the truth to which he returns in ch. 
 iii. 5, that his purity of heart is a supernatural gift. If he preaches 
 Christ of sincerity, it is because the power to do so comes from God, 
 Who gave the mission. 
 
 in the sight of God] A task imposed by God, and performed with 
 the consciousness that His All-seeing Eye is upon those whom He has 
 sent. 
 
46 II. CORINTHIANS, III. [vv. i, 2. 
 
 Ch. III. I — 6. Sf PauVs Mi7iistry no self-assmned task, 
 but the communication of the Spirit. 
 
 3 Do we begin again to commend ourselves ? or need we, 
 
 as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or lette?'s 
 
 2 of commendation from you ? Ye are our epistle written in 
 
 speak we in CAn'si] St Paul, throughout the whole of this chapter, 
 has had in view the vindication of himself from any ulterior motives or 
 lower principles of action in preaching Christ. His sole object is to 
 minister Him. He desires nothing for himself. If he rebukes, it is for 
 the offender's sake. If he tests the obedience of the Church, it is 
 because he is set over it for its benefit, not for his. If he preaches the 
 word of God, it is by virtue of an inspiration from Him, whereby he 
 preaches simply and faithfully the words put in his mouth by Christ. 
 His doctrine is 0/ God, delivered as in His sight, and spoken m Christ. 
 
 Ch. III. 1 — 6. St Paul's Ministry no self-assumed task, but 
 
 THE communication OF THE SPIRIT. 
 
 1. Do we begin again to commend ourselves .?] A charge had been 
 apparently brought against St Paul that he had before (probably in 
 I Cor. ii. 16, iii. 10, iv. 11 — 14, ix. 20 — 27, xiv. 18) indulged in 
 unseemly self-laudation. He supposes that the same charge will be 
 brought against him for his language in ch. ii. 14 — 17. 
 
 as some others'] The opponents of St Paul had no doubt come armed 
 with letters of commendation from som.e Apostle (as the Judaizers in 
 Gal. ii. 12) or Church, and some of them had received similar letters 
 from the Corinthian Churches on their departure, with a view to their 
 reception by some other Church. St Paul appeals to the nature of his 
 work among them as rendering such a proceeding on his part not 
 only unnecessary but absurd. 
 
 epistles of commendation] Tyndale and Cranmer, better, letters of 
 recommendation, the word from its derivation signifying rather in- 
 trodiiction than what we now understand by co77i7nendation, \. e. praise, 
 though it would seem to have come to this meaning in New Testament 
 Greek. See last note but one. Instances of such letters commendatory 
 are to be found in Acts xv. 25 — 27, xviii. 27; Rom. xvi. i; Col. iv. 10. 
 They became a common, almost a necessary, feature in the life of the 
 early Church, and were known as literae forviatae. 
 
 2. Ye are our epistle] See note on last verse. 
 
 written in our hearts] ' Others bear their letters of commendation in 
 their hands, we in our consciences, being fully aware that the existence 
 of the Church of Corinth, due, under God, to us, is a sufficient authen- 
 tication of the genuineness of our ministry.' See i Cor. ix. 2. 01s- 
 hausen, however, regards the words as referring to St Paul's intercession 
 for the Corinthians, just as the High Priest (Exod. xxviii. 15 — 30) bore 
 the names of the tribes of Israel on his breast when he went into the 
 holy place to intercede with God. ''The regenerate," he adds, "are 
 
V. 3-] II. CORINTHIANS, III. 47 
 
 our hearts, known and read of all men : forasmuch as ye 3 
 are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ minis- 
 tered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the 
 living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of 
 
 Imked to the heart of their spiritual father by a spiritual bond." 
 See notes above, ch. i. 9, ii. 3. 
 
 hiown and read of all men\ See note on ch. i. 13. The play upon 
 words so characteristic of the Apostle cannot be rendered into English. 
 ' 3, Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared\ The Corinthians 'fell 
 short in no gift, ' but were ' enriched by Christ in all utterance and in 
 all knowledge,' i Cor. i. 7. These were notorious facts that could not 
 be gainsaid, capable of being ' known of all men. ' 
 
 • to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us'\ i. e. brought into existence 
 through our instrumentality. It can hardly be said that St Paul has 
 varied the figure of speech here. The Corinthians are an epistle. Of 
 that epistle Christ is the author; the thoughts and sentiments are His. 
 St Paul (cf. I Cor, iii. 5, 7, 9, iv. i; 2 Cor. vi. r) is the instrument by 
 which the epistle was written. Its characters were preserved by no 
 visible or perishable medium, but by the invisible operation of the 
 Spirit It was graven, not on stone, but on human hearts. And it 
 was recognized wherever St Paul went as the attestation of his claim to 
 be regarded as a true minister of Christ, and this equally in his own 
 consciousness (see last verse) and in that of all Churches which he 
 visited. Dean Stanley remarks on the number and variety of the 
 similes with which this chapter is crowded. 
 
 • ink'\ A black pigment of some kind was used by the ancients for all 
 writings of any length. For shorter writings recourse was frequently 
 had to waxen tablets. See Jer. xxxvi. 18; 2 John 12; 3 John 13, 
 and articles Atramentum, Tabulae, Stilus, Liber, in Smith's Dictionary 
 
 j>f Antiquities. 
 
 the Spirit of the limng God] St Paul never seems to lose sight of the 
 fact that Christianity is a communication of life, — the life of Him who 
 alone is the fountain of life. See note on i Cor. xv. r, and Rom. viii. 
 2, 10. Cf. also John i. 4, v. 26, 40, xiv. 6; 2 Tim. i. 10; i Pet. ii. 5. 
 
 not in tables of stone] See Exod. xxiv. 12, xxxiv. i; Deut. ix. 9 — 11, 
 X. I. Here the Apostle first hints at what is to be the subject of the 
 next section of the Epistle, the inferiority of the law to the Gospel. 
 There is a slight incongruity thus introduced into the simile. One does 
 not write with ink on tables of stone. But the Apostle, in the pregnant 
 suggestiveness of his style, neglects such minor considerations when he 
 has a great lesson to convey. Dean Stanley refers us to Ezek. xi. 19, 
 xxxvi. 26, 27 and also suggests that the form of the expression 'tables of 
 the heart, ' may be derived from Prov. iii. 3, and vii. 3, not however 
 from the LXX., which there has a different translation of the Hebrew 
 word. 
 
 of the heart] Most recent editors read *'vs\ fleshy tables^ namely, hearts^ 
 All the old English versions, however, follow the Vulgate here. It is 
 extremely difficult to decide between the two readings, which depend 
 II. COR. 4 
 
4? ' II. CORINTHIANS, III. [vv. 4— 6. 
 
 4 the heart. And such trust have we through Christ to God- 
 
 5 ward : not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any 
 
 6 thing as of ourselves ; but our sufficiency is of God ; who 
 also hath made us able ministers of the new testament ; not 
 
 upon the absence or presence of a single letter in the Greek. It should 
 be noted here that the word translated yf^j^^ does not mean carnal^ i.e. 
 governed by the flesh, but made of flesh. 
 
 4. such trust] Better, perhaps, with the Rhemish version, confidence 
 (Vulgate and Calvin flducia), i. e. the confidence which St Paul had 
 above expressed (ch. ii. 14 — 17) in the reality of his mission and work, 
 or in the fact that the Corinthian Church is in itself a sufficient guarantee 
 of his Apostolic mission {vv. 2, 3). See also i Cor. xv. 10. 
 
 through Christ to God-ward] So Tyndale and Cranmer. Calvin and 
 Erasmus erga Deum. The Vulgate, which is followed by Wiclif, the 
 Genevan and the Rhemish version, has, more literally, ad D aim. The 
 words have been interpreted to mean (i) which will stand the test of: 
 God's trial. (2) Which will be pro\'ed and rewarded in the judgment 
 of God. (3) In our relation to God. Or the analogy of John i. i 
 ("has His face continually directed towards the Eternal Father," 
 Liddon, Bampton Lectures) may lead us to conclude (4) that our 
 eyes are directed towards God, the source of our confidence, and that 
 it is through Jesus Christ alone that we possess the right thus to rely on 
 Him. This interpretation is strengthened by a reference to Matt. xix. 8, 
 where the preposition is equivalent to in regard to. 
 
 5. Not that we are stifficient] We here return to the idea touched . 
 upon in ch. ii. 16, but then passed over on account of St Paul's eager- 
 ness to assert the purity of his motives. 
 
 of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves"] The two prepositions 
 translated 'of here are not the same in the Greek. The fonner signifies 
 '•from ' simply, but not excluding the idea of origination in some source 
 outside us. The latter signifies 'oj(t of as from an original source. 
 
 dut our stifficiency is of God] Cf. i Cor. iii. 9. 
 
 6. Who also hath 7nade us able ministers] None of the old English 
 versions have given the threefold repetition of the word by St Paul, who 
 writes, 'Who hath made us sufficient ministers.' The word St Paul uses 
 signifies the having reached a certain standard of ability. 
 
 of the new testament] We must dismiss all notions here of the book 
 called the "New Testament." The word in the original (see note on 
 I Cor. xi. 25) signifies both testament and covenant. The latter should 
 be the rendering here. St Paul is contrasting the Mosaic with the 
 Christian covenant. There is also no article. The Apostle's meaning 
 may be thus paraphrased : ' Who hath endowed us with qualifications 
 sufficient for us to become the ministers of a new covenant.' It is not 
 to the covenant, but to its newness, that the Apostle would here ask 
 our attention. 
 
 not of the letter, hut of the spirit] See Jer. xxxi. 31 — 34, and Ezek. xi. 
 19, before cited. There is an obvious reference to these passages in 
 the text. The difference between the old covenant and the new was 
 
V. 7.] n. CORINTHIANS, III. 49 
 
 of the letter, but of the spirit : for the letter killeth, but the 
 spirit giveth life. 
 
 7 — 1 8. The Ministration of the Spirit superior to that of the 
 Law, 
 
 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven 7 
 
 that the former prescribed, the latter inspired; the former gave written 
 precepts, the latter the power to fulfil them; the former laid down the 
 rules, the latter brought man's heart into the condition in which such 
 rules became a part of his nature. "The old form was superseded by the 
 principle. Instead of saying, *Thou shalt not say Fool, or Raca,' Christ 
 gave the principle of Love." Robertson. The words 'of the letter, 'and 'of 
 the spirit,' however, depend not on the word covenant, but on the word 
 ministers. See also Rom. i. i6; i Cor. i. i8, 24 and notes. Also, for 
 the expression, Rom. ii. 27, vii. 6. "What then, was not that law 
 spiritual? How then did he say, 'We know that the law is spiritual?' 
 Spiritual indeed, for it came from God, but it bestowed not a spirit.^^ 
 Chrysostom. 
 
 for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life"] Qnykeneth, Wiclif. Cf. 
 I Cor. XV. 45. The formal enactment, whether positive or negative, 
 can only kill. For while it makes no difference whatever in the condi- 
 tion of the man who fulfils it, it condemns him who disobeys or neglects 
 to perform its precepts. See St John iii. 17, 18; Rom. iii. 20, iv. 20, 
 v. 13, vii. 10. The spirit, the breath or influence proceeding from 
 God, can only give life, since it comes. from Him who is life, and by 
 breathing into man a new heart, e;^jpes him to perform naturally, 
 without the aid of any enactmentajKie things that are pleasing to 
 God. "The law, if it lay hold ofpPmurderer, putteth him to death; 
 the Gospel, if it lay hold of a mufderei", enlighteneth and giveth him 
 life." Chrysostom. Cf. John vi. 63; Rom. viii. 11; i Cor. xv. 45; 
 Gal. vi. 8; i Pet. iii. 18. Calvin remarks on a singular misconcep- 
 tion of the meaning of this passage by Origen and others, who sup- 
 posed that the reading of Scripture would be useless or even injurious, 
 unless it were allegorically expounded. "Sensus ad Origenis damnata 
 dogmata rejiciendus." Estius. 
 
 7 — 18. The Ministration of the Spirit superior to that 
 OF THE Law. 
 
 7. Btit if the ministratio7i of death] He does not say * which 
 causethj'but 'the ministration of death,' for that which caused dczXh. was 
 sin, while the Law made the sin manifest, but did not cause it. 
 Chrysostom. See Rom. vii. 7; i Cor. xv. 56; Gal. iii. 10, 21. As 
 St Paul was the minister of Christ when he proclaimed the good tidings 
 of salvation to mankind, so the law was the minister of death when it 
 proclaimed the sentence of death to the soul that had sinned. See 
 Ezek. xviii. 4. 
 
 written and engraven in stones'] Wiclif, nearer to the original, 
 •writun lettris in sto}ies. The reference is to the two. tables of the law, 
 
5d II.'CORINTHIANS, HI. [vv. 8, 9, 
 
 in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel 
 could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the 
 glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done 
 
 8 away : how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather 
 
 9 glorious ? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, 
 '• much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in 
 
 Exod. xxxi. 18. Some editors read 'the ministration of death in the 
 letler, engraved in stones.' 
 
 was glorious] Perhaps rather, was constituted, came into being, in 
 glory, i.e. accompanied by glory. Exod. xix. 16 — 20, xxiv. 6 — ii, 
 xxxiv. 4 — 8. 
 
 so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold (literally, gaze 
 at) the face of Moses] The brightness of God's glory was reflected upon 
 the face of Moses (Exod. xxxiv. 29, 30) to such an extent that the 
 children of Israel dared not approach hira. See note on v. 13. The 
 Hebrew word used for the rays of light emitted by Moses' face is derived 
 from a word signifying a ?io)'n, according to a simile common among 
 Eastern writers by which the first rays of the sun are called horns, and 
 even the sun itself a gazelle by the Arabs. This the Vulgate renders by 
 cornuta, a rendering which, as Dr Plumptre reminds us, has been the 
 cause why the celebrated Moses of Michael Angelo, familiar to all 
 who have visited Rome and to many who have not, is represented 
 with beams of light in the shape of horns upon the head. 
 
 •which glory was to be dojie away] Rather, was being" brought to 
 nought. The original meaning of the word rendered 'done away,'' — which 
 (see note on i Cor. xiii. 8) is rendered in various ways in the A. V. — is 
 to make thoroughly useless or unprofitable^ and hence to do away with, 
 abolish, bring to nought. The Apostle does not mean to say here 
 that the brightness on Moses' face was destined to fade, but that it 
 was fading. 
 
 8. Haw shall not the fninistration of the spirit be rather glorious ?] 
 Literally, how shall not the ministration of the spirit rather be in glory, 
 i. e. if the brightness which was actually fading was so glorious that the 
 Israelites could not bear to look at it, how much more shall the minis- 
 tration of the spirit, which is not destined to be transitory, be and 
 remain glorious. The preposition kv denotes the permanency of the 
 glory, the future tense of the verb indicates that whatever the glory of 
 the Gospel dispensation now, there are greater glories in store. All 
 this glory proceeds from the fact that it is the spirit of a Living God 
 that the new dispensation ministers. See v. 3. 
 
 9. For if the ministration of condemnation be glory] Dampnacioun, 
 "Wiclif, and similarly the Rhemish version. The law must be understood 
 to be a ministry of condemnation, "not in itself and in its own nature, 
 but accidentally, in consequence of man's corruption," Turretin. So St 
 Paul explains in Rom. vii. 12 — 14; Gal. iii. 23; and i Tim. i. 8 — lo. 
 Cf. also Heb. xii. 18 — 21 and note on v. 7. 
 
 m,uch more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory] See 
 last note but one. The Gospel was the ministration of righteousness 
 
vv. 10—13.] 11. CORINTHIANS, III. 51 
 
 glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory 10 
 in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For n 
 if that which is done away was glorious, much more that 
 which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then that we have such 12 
 hope, we use great plainness of speech : and not as Moses, 13 
 
 because righteousness was imparted by the indwelling of the Spirit of the 
 Living God {v. 3). See notes on v. 6; also Rom. iii. 21, cf. ch. v. 21. 
 
 10. J^or even that which was made glorious had no glory in this 
 respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth^ Rather, For even that 
 which has heen glorified (i. e. the face of Moses, typical of the Law) 
 has not heen glorified in this respect (i. e. in comparison of the New 
 Covenant. The Geneva Version renders *in this point' — see ch. ix. 
 3, where the expression occurs again, also the received text in i Pet. 
 iv. 16) on account of the glory (i.e. of the New Covenant) which 
 surpasses (it). Other explanations of the passage have been given, 
 but Bp. Wordsworth, who places this passage and the LXX. of Exod. 
 xxxiv. in parallel columns, shews how St Paul throughout this chapter 
 is using the very words of the LXX. , which must therefore be the index 
 to his meaning. He paraphrases thus : " that was glorified, but glorious 
 as it was, it was not glorified in one respect — that is, it was not glori- 
 fied relatively to and in comparison with the Evangelical Ministry, which 
 far transcends its glory, and absorbs it." 
 
 11. For if that which is done away] Rather, is (or was) being done 
 away. See note on v. 7. 
 
 was glorious] Literally, was hy means of, or through glory, i. e. was 
 accompanied with, or seen through a haze of glory. See note on v. 7. 
 
 pizich more that which remaineth is glorious] Literally, is in glory, 
 i.e. as z. pertnanent attribute. Some, however, think that the Apostle 
 often uses different prepositions (see last note) to express the same 
 meaning. The passages, however, to which they refer, though they 
 render this view probable, do not establish it as a fact beyond the 
 reach of doubt. 
 
 12. Seeing then that we have such hope] i.e. the hope that the 
 Christian covenant is one of which the glory is permanent. 
 
 we use great plainness of speech] Trist (i.e. trust) Wiclif. Boldness^ 
 Tyndale and Cranmer. The translation boldness of speech we owe to the 
 Geneva version. The word means originally ( 1 ) fulness or frankness of 
 speech. Hence it comes to mean (2) openness, frankness generally, and 
 hence (3) boldness, intrepidity. The former is the meaning here. St 
 Paul contrasts the fulness and frankness of the Gospel on all matters 
 relating to the future of man with the mysterious silence of the Law 
 (i.e. the books of Moses), which hardly in the most distant manner 
 allude to a future life. It may be remarked that even Jesus Christ 
 himself used much reserve (Matt. viii. 4, ix. 30, xii. 16, xiii. 10— 
 13, xvi. 20, xvii. 9) until His work on earth was finished. Then 
 (Matt, xxviii. 19; Mark xvi. 15) He decreed that this reserve should 
 cease for ever. "We speak everywhere with freedom, keeping back 
 nothing, concealing nothing, suspecting nothing, but speaking plainly." 
 
52 IT. CORINTHIANS, III. [v. 14. 
 
 which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel 
 
 could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abo- 
 
 14 Hshed : but their minds were blinded : for until this day 
 
 Chrysostom. " A ministry whose very life is outspokenness and free 
 fearlessness— which scorns to take a via media because it is safe in the 
 eyes of the world." Robertson. 
 
 13. And not as Moses] i.e. we do not act as Moses did, who put a 
 veil on his face. 
 
 that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that 
 which is abolished] The Greek implies that Moses placed the veil on 
 his face after speaking to the people that they might not see the glory 
 on his face fading. The LXX. of v. 33 implies the same thing, and 
 the Vulgate still more explicitly. The Hebrew is ambiguous, from the 
 want of a pluperfect tense in that language. But the LXX. in w. 34, 
 35, as well as the Hebrew, imply that Moses veiled his countenance 
 en account of the terror with which its brightness inspired the Israelites. 
 The latter says expressly that he kept his face unveiled until he came 
 forth from speaking to God. So St Paul seems to imply himself in 
 V. 7. The fact seems to be that St Paul, as is extremely common 
 with him, and as occurs several times in this chapter (as in v. 3 and 
 V. 18) gives the simile he is employing another direction. He has been 
 contrasting the glory of the Mosaic with that of the Christian dispen- 
 sation. He adduces the latter as a reason for the transparent sincerity 
 of which he had boasted in ch. ii. 17. He proceeds to contrast that ab- 
 sence of reserve with the reticence of Moses in the law. The figure of 
 the veil once more occurs to him as an illustration of the fact that the 
 Jews were not, for reasons which are obvious enough, encouraged to 
 look upon the Law as a transitory dispensation (though sometimes hints 
 of this kind were vaguely thrown out, as in the celebrated passage in 
 Deut. xviii. 15, 18, 19); — not allowed to see the gradual extinction of 
 that glory which had seemed to them so great, and whose greatness 
 was the surest guarantee of their obedience. Many commentators have 
 supposed here an allusion to Christ as the end of the law (Rom, x. 4). 
 But Olshausen pertinently asks, "How could St Paul say that Moses 
 covered his countenance in order that the Israelites should not behold 
 Christ ? " 
 
 is abolished] Literally, was being brought to nought. See note 
 on V. 7. 
 
 14. But their ??iinds were blinded] They neither obeyed the Law 
 when it was given, nor would cease to obey it when it was superseded. 
 The word rendered blinded properly signifies hardened, and is so 
 translated in Mark vi. 52, viii. 17; John xii. 40; and in the margin of 
 Rom. xi. 7 (where the text gives the same translation as here). See also 
 Eph. iv. 1 8. The rendering blinded is justified by the fact that manj^ 
 cases of what is called cataract are attributable to the hardening of the 
 crystalline lens of the eye into a chalky substance, a process for which 
 
 • the Greek word here used is a proper equivalent. Our version here 
 follows TyndaJe. "Wiclif has but the wittis of hem ben astonied^ and 
 
w. 15—17.] ir. CORINTHIANS, III. 53 
 
 remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the 
 old testament ; which vail is done away in Christ. But even is 
 unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their 
 heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the 16 
 vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit : and 17 
 
 the Rhemish but their senses were dulled. For the word translated 
 minds see note on ch. ii. 11. Cf. Is. vi. 9, 10; Matt. xiii. 14, &c., and 
 ch. iv. 4. The word but implies that in consequence of the condition 
 of the Israelites the Apostle's plainness of speech was, to them at least, 
 of no avail. 
 
 remaineth the same vail untaken away\ Most modern commentators, 
 and some ancient ones, e.g. Chrysostom, take the words rendered 
 untaken away with what follows, and translate the same veil remaineth 
 at the reading of the old covenant, it not being discovered that it is done 
 away in Ch-ist. The reasons for this rendering are ( i ) that it is not the 
 veil but the old covenant with its glories which is 'done away in Christ,' 
 (2) that St Paul uses another word in the original to signify the taking 
 away of the veil, and (3) that the hardness of the hearts of the Israelites, 
 and not the doing away of the veil in Christ, is the reason the veil is 
 not removed. This hardness of heart prevented them (i) from seeing 
 that the Mosaic was a temporary covenant, and (2) that it was rendered 
 unnecessary by the coming of Christ. See Acts vi. ir, 13, vii. 57, 
 xiii. 45, xiv. 2, xxi. 20, ir, &c.; r Thess. ii. 14 — 16. The word here 
 translated 'untaken away' is translated ' open,' i.e. 'unveiled' in v. i8. 
 
 in the reading of the old testament^ The words old covenant (see note on 
 V. 6) refer, as z/. 15 shews, not to the books we now include in the Old 
 Testament, but to the books of Moses. It could hardly be said that 
 to the prophets the abrogation of the Old Testament in Christ was a 
 thing unknown. See Jer. xxxi. 31 above cited. For the regular 
 reading of the books of the Law in the synagogue, see Acts xiii. 15, 
 XV. 21. The prophets were also read, as we learn from the former 
 passage (and also z/. 27) and St Luke iv. 17. 
 
 15. the vail is upon their heart] Literally, a veil lieth on their] 
 heart. Not upon their head. It was moral, not intellectual blindness 
 which caused their unbelief. See Acts vi. 13, 14, vii. 51, xxii. 18, 21, [ 
 22. We may remark on the change of figure here (see note on v. 13). 
 The veil is no longer upon Moses' face, but upon the Jewish heart. ' 
 
 16. when it shall turn to the Lord\ The A. V. makes (i) IsraeVs 
 heart the nominative to the verb in this sentence. Wiclif and the other 
 Protestant translators (2) make Israel if self i\ie. nominative, while (3) the 
 Rhemish version makes Moses the nominative, referring to the fact that 
 in the narrative in Exod. xxxiv. he is said in almost the same words as 
 here, to remove the veil when he turns to God. Origen (4) would 
 supply any one. Each rendering is defended by commentators of note, 
 but the first seems preferable. Cf. Rom. xi. 23, 26, 32. 
 
 the vail shall be taken away] The tense in the original is present, not 
 future, and may be interpreted, (i) with Bp. Wordsworth, 'is in process 
 of removal,' or perhaps better, (2) with Dean Alford, is there and then 
 
54 ,11. CORINTHIANS, III. [y. i^ 
 
 is where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, 
 with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, 
 
 removed, i. e. at the moment when the heart turns to the Lord, just as 
 Moses took ofif the veil when he turned to speak to God. See also Is. 
 XXV. 7. It is to be observed that these .words are a quotation of thje 
 LXX. of Exod. xxxiv. 34, substituting, however, the present for the 
 past tense. 
 
 17. Now the Lord is that Sph'it'] Literally the spirit^ \. e. the spirit 
 which was to replace the letter. The sense is as follows: 'The Lord (of 
 whom I have just spoken — see last verse) is the spirit of which I have 
 said [v. 6) that it should be substituted for the letter. ' For the Lord, 
 even Jesus Christ, is Himself that new power— that higher inspiration — ■ 
 through which man finds what he ought to do written, no longer in 
 precepts external to himself, but in his own regenerate heart. The 
 new birth of the Spirit is but the implanting in man the humanity of 
 Jesus Christ. 'The lastx Adam was made a life-giving spirit.' i Cor. 
 XV. 45. This expression like John iv. -24, refers, not to '^\q. person^ but 
 to the essential natuj-e of God, just as in John vi. 63, the expression is 
 applied even to the words of God, when they communicate to man 
 essential principles of God's spiritual kingdom. Cf. also John i. 13, 
 iii. 3, 5; Rom. viii. 2, 4. Other explanations of this most difficult 
 passage have been given, (i) 'The Spirit is the Lord,' (Chrysos- 
 tom); and he remarks on the order of the words in the Greek of St 
 John iv. 24 in support of his translation. (2) 'The Lord is identical 
 with the Holy Spirit.' (3) 'The Lord with Whom Moses spoke is the 
 Holy Spirit. ' (4) ' The Lord is the Holy Ghost in so far as the Holy 
 Ghost is the living principle of the indwelling of Christ.' (5) 'The 
 Lord no dout is a sprete,' Tyndale, whom Cranmer follows. It seems 
 on the whole best to interpret the words as above. St Paul now boldly 
 declares that the 'spirit' of which he has spoken is nothing less than 
 Christ Himself. 
 
 and where the Spirit of the Lord is] Hitherto St Paul has been 
 speaking of the Divine Nature of Him who transforms the heart of 
 man. He now speaks of the personal agency through Whom tliat work 
 is achieved. Christ does these things by His Spirit, who is also the 
 Spirit of tlie Father. Rom. viii. 9. Cf. also Gal. iv. 6; Phil. i. 19; 
 I Pet. i. II, with St John xiv. 16, 17, 26, xv. 26; i Cor. ii. 10 — 12, &c. 
 This interpretation involves no incongruity with the rest of the passage. 
 The Three Persons in the Blessed Trinity are one in essence, and that 
 essence is Spirit. But the personal agency whereby God works His 
 purpose in man's heart is the Holy Spirit, as Scripture everywhere 
 declares. See the passages cited above. 
 
 there is liberty] Liberty not only to speak openly {7}. 12), but {v. 18) 
 to gaze with unveiled face upon the glory of God, and thus to learn 
 how to fulfil the law of man's being. This liberty is the special privi- 
 lege assured to man by the Gospel. See John viii. 32 ; Rom. vi. 18, 2a, 
 viii. 2; James i. 25, ii. 12; i Pet. ii. 16. 
 
 18. But we all] i. e. we Christians, in contradistinction to the Jews. 
 with open face] i.e. unveiled. Cf. i Cor. xi. 7. 
 
V. i8.] II. CORINTHIANS, lit. 55 
 
 are changed i7tto the same image from glory to glory, even 
 as by the Spirit of the Lord. 
 
 beholding as in a glass] Either (i), according to the more ordinary 
 meaning of the word, '■beholding 2a in a mirror,' or (2) with Chrysostom, 
 ^ reflecting z.% in a mirror.' The latter rendering makes the rest of the 
 verse more intelUgible, and has the additional recommendation that the 
 glory on Moses' face was a reflected glory, wliich we may suppose grew 
 more and more intense the longer he gazed on God with unveiled face. 
 The former interpretation sets Christ before us as the mirror of the 
 Father's glory. See next note. 
 
 the glory of the Lord] i. e. of Christ, "Who is the beaming forth 
 [airavyaaixa) of God's glory, Heb. i. 3, cf. John i. 14, and His image, 
 ch. iv. 4 (and note) and Col. i. 15. Also John xvii. 24. 
 
 are changed int6\ This word is rendered transfigured in Matt. xvii. 1 ; 
 Mark ix. 2, and no doubt the idea of the gradual beaming out of the 
 inner glory which dwelt in Christ, producing a iiietamorphosis (this is 
 the actual word used) which excited the wonder and awe of those that 
 beheld it, was in St Paul's mind in this passage. He uses the word in 
 another place, Rom. xii, 2, where the idea of the Transfiguration and 
 that suggested in this passage are combined, in order to express the 
 marvellous inward change which takes place in the man who offers his 
 heart to the transforming influences which flow out from Christ. 
 
 the same i??iage] These words are emphatic in the original. It seems 
 impossible to interpret them of any other but Christ (ch. iv. 4), 'into the 
 same image as Christ.' He, as man, beholding the glory of God, with 
 infinitely more fulness than Moses under the I^w, turns to speak with 
 us. We behold Him, not, as the Jews, with veiled heart, but with 
 unveiled face, and as we gaze, we reflect back more and more of 
 His image (cf. i John iii. 2), until it be fully formed in us. Gal. 
 iv. 19. 
 
 from glory to glory"] i. e. f'OJfi one stage of glory to another. Qi. Rom. 
 i. 17, and note on ch. ii. 16. 
 
 even as by the Spirit of the Loi'd] Three renderings are given of this 
 passage. The first, which is the Vulgate rendering and is given in the 
 text, needs no explanation. It is open to the objection that it inverts 
 the order of the words in the Greek. The second is the natural 
 grammatical rendering, '■as by the Lord of the Spirit.^ The third, 
 which is found in the margin of the A. V. and is adopted by St 
 Chrysostom (who, however, interprets the passage of the Holy Spirit), 
 *as by [of A. V.) the (or a) Lord, the (or a) spirit,'' seems to give the 
 best sense. For it refers us back to z^. 17 and to the former part of 
 the chapter. The change that takes place in us is a spiritual change 
 (see I Cor. ii., and notes on v. 6). It is not affected by formal en- 
 actments, which at best can but condemn, but it is the work of a Lord 
 who works within. Who sends forth the beams of His light that they 
 may transform, not the outer surface, but the heart, that so the man 
 may reflect back undimmed thence the glorious Light that has shined 
 on him. And so the man into whose heart the Light of Christ has 
 catered progresses from one stage of spiritual glory to another, until 
 
56 II. CORINTHIANS, IV. [w. i, 2. 
 
 Ch. IV. I — 15. Entrusted with so glorious a mission^ the Mi- 
 nisters of the Gospel shrink from neither danger nor difficulty, 
 4 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have re- 
 2 ceived mercy, we faint not ; but have renounced the hidden 
 things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling 
 the word of God deceitfully ; but by manifestation of the 
 
 at last (Rom. viii. 29) he becomes fully conformed to the image of the 
 Son of God. 
 
 Ch. IV. 1—15. Entrusted with so glorious a mission, the 
 Ministers of the Gospel shrink from neither danger 
 
 NOR difficulty. 
 
 1. Therefore^ The connection between this and what precedes is suffi- 
 ciently obvious. Sustained by so great and glorious a mission, the 
 Apostles of Christ are daunted by no trials. 
 
 as we have received mercy] St Paul not only bears in mind the glory 
 of his commission, but the mercy, of which he never fails to feel himself 
 undeserving (i Cor. xv. 9; Eph. iii. 8 ; i Tim. i. 12 — 16). Thus there 
 is a double reason for not sinking under the burden of his ministry. 
 
 we faint nof] It is to be noted that in boih these Epistles the Apostle 
 now uses the singular and now the plural. He uses the first when his 
 vindication is distinctly personal to himself, the second when he speaks 
 of Christian ministers in general. This is clear from the two passages 
 (ch. i. 19 and i Cor. ix. 6) in which he defines who 'we' are. The 
 genuine Apostles of Christ, he would say, do not lose heart when all 
 does not go smoothly with them. Nay, the very fact that they have 
 sufferings to undergo stamps them the more unmistakeably as followers 
 of Christ. 
 
 2. But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty] Far from 
 shrinking from the labour and suffering and opposition entailed by the 
 preaching of the Gospel, and so inclining to suppress its utterance, the 
 true ministers of Christ "even rejoice and speak boldly" (Chrysostom). 
 Cf. ch. iii. 12. The word here rendered dishonesty (a word, however, 
 which had three centuries ago a wider meaning than it has now, cf. As 
 you Like it. Act iii. Sc. 3) is rather disgrace. It is translated shame 
 wherever else it occurs in the N. T., as, for instance, Luke xiv. 9; 
 Phil. iii. 19; Rev. iii. 18. What the Apostle has renounced is all secret 
 practices, which, when found out, cause shame. Cf. John iii. 20. 
 
 craftiness] The word means the conduct of a man who resorts to all 
 kinds of contrivances to attain his end. An excellent illustration of the 
 meaning of the word may be found in Luke xx. 20 — 23. See also ch. 
 xi. 3, where it is rendered subtilty, St Paul was accused of this. See 
 ch. xii. 16, note. •»■ 
 
 nor handling the word of God deceitfully] This word is the nearest 
 translation of the Greek SoXouvrey. Adulterantes^ Vulgate ; neither 
 corrupte we, Tyndale. Our translation is due to Cranmer. "It is done," 
 says Meyer, "by alterations and strange admixtures." Cf. ch. ii. 17. 
 
vv. 3, 4] n. CORINTHIANS, IV. 57 
 
 truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in 
 the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to 3 
 them that are lost : in whom the god of this world hath 4 
 blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light 
 
 hut by manifestation of the trutK\ i.e. by bringing the truth clearly 
 and plainly to light, without any attempt at concealment. 
 
 commending\ The word commetid has here obviously the same signi- 
 fication as recommend. This cannot be said of ch. iii. i, where see 
 note. 
 
 to every man^s conscience"] See note on ch. i. 24. The individual 
 conscience is, and always must be, the ultimate tribunal to which all 
 teaching must appeal, and St Paul assumes that in it there resides a 
 faculty of appreciating and acknowledging truth. 
 
 3. But if our gospel be hid] Literally, But if our gospel, too, be hidden 
 or veiled (see last chapter). The Apostle here refers to an objection : 
 " You say that a vail lay upon the hearts of the Jews when Moses was 
 read. But your Gospel is not clear and evident to all." For his answer 
 see next note. 
 
 it is hid to them that are lost] Literally, is hidden among the 
 perishing. Our Gospel is hid, too, in some cases, I grant. But it 
 is hid only to perishing souls, who will not lay hold on the only hope 
 of deliverance. Cf. John iii. 18; Acts iv. 12. This is not the language 
 of logic, but of deep and strong conviction. 
 
 4. in zvhom the god of this world] i.e. the devil, who is called the 
 prince or ruler of this world in John xii. 31, xiv. 30, xvi. 11. So also 
 Matt. iv. 9; Luke iv. 6; Eph. ii. 2, vi. 12. He is so called because for 
 the present he has power in it, Rev. xii. 12. The early fathers, in their 
 zeal against the two gods (one good and one evil) of the Manichaeans 
 and some sects of the Gnostics, repudiate this interpretation, and render, 
 in defiance of the plain meaning, ' God hath blinded the tttiderstajzdijtgs 
 of the unbelievers of this world.^ On this Calvin makes some wise 
 remarks : "We see what the heat of controversy does in such disputes. ' 
 If all these men had read the words of Paul with a tranquil mind, it 
 would never have come into their mind so to wrest his words into a 
 forced sense. But because their adversaries bore hardly on them, they 
 thought more of vanquishing them than of endeavouring to ascertain 
 the mind of Paul." 
 
 hath blinded the minds of them which believe not] The meaning is 
 either (i) that all were perishing alike (John iii. 18), but that some 
 believed and Satan blinded the minds of the rest, or (2) that all 
 were formerly unbelieving, but that some, by rejecting the good 
 tidings of salvation through Christ, passed over into the category of 
 the perishing. In support of (1) we may render 'in whom' by 
 'among whom.' The word here translated ^ thetJi which believe not^ 
 is used in i Cor. vi. 6, vii. 12 — 15, x. 27, xiv. 22 — 24, of those 
 who do not believe in Christ. For the word translated 'minds,' see 
 note on ch. ii. 11. The word translated ^blinded' is not the same as 
 that used in ch. iii. 14. 
 
^58 II. CORINTHIANS, IV. [w. 5,6. 
 
 of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, 
 
 5 should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but 
 Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for 
 
 6 Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine 
 out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light 
 
 lest the light of the glorious gospel ofChristl Rather, lest the enlight- 
 enment (Rhemish, ilhwii nation) of the Gospel of the glory of Christ. 
 The word translated 'light' in the A. V. signifies rather the r^jw// of 
 light than light itself. The words translated 'glorious gospel' are so 
 translated in virtue of the constant occurrence of Hebraisms of this 
 kind in the N. T. But it seems impossible to doubt that there is here 
 a reference to the 'glory' so frequently mentioned in the last chapter, 
 as in the word 'blinded' there is an obvious reference to the vail. 
 
 zuho is the image of God] Cf ch. iii. 18, Col. i. 15. Tlie word in the 
 original is exactly equivalent to our word likeness. An image or likeness 
 is a visible representation of an object. So Christ in His humanity (cf. 
 Gen. i. 27; i Cor. xi. 7) is a visible representation of the unseen God. 
 Cf. John i. I — 14 (especially the last verse), and Heb. i. 3. Also John 
 xiv. 8, 9. No revelation of the wisdom and power of God that man 
 has received can compare with that made in the Life, Death and 
 Resurrection of the Incarnate Son. Also as the 'Mediator of the New 
 Covenant' (Heb. xii. 24), glory, the glory of the Invisible God, streams 
 from His Face, a glory far brighter than that with which Moses' face 
 shone after communing with God. 
 
 5. For we preach not otirselves] A reason is here given for the fore- 
 going statement. If St Paul's Gospel be hid, it is not because it is his 
 own, and therefore destined to come to nought (see ch. iii. 7). No, it 
 is the Gospel of Christ which he preaches, and if any refuse to listen 
 to it, it is because he has suffered himself to be blinded by the devil. 
 See note on ?/. 3. 
 
 dtit Christ ^esns the Lord] i. e. Christ Jesus as Lord, not ourselves. 
 
 and ourselves your servants] The original is stronger, and ourselves 
 your slaves. "He does not say 'the slaves of Jesus,' but what is by far 
 more humble and lowly, ^yotir slaves.' Yet that he may not appear to 
 speak or think in too abject a strain, he adds, 'for Jesus' sake.'" 
 Estius. 
 
 6. For God... shined] Literally, Because it is God Who shined, and 
 therefore, if the doctrine of the ministex'S of Christ were not received by 
 any, it was not because they exercised any concealment or reserve (ch. 
 iii. 13), much less on account of any adulteration of the pure word of 
 God {v. 2), but because the soul of the unbeliever deliberately refused 
 to receive the light of God's truth. Cf John i. 5. 
 
 who commanded the light to shine out of darkness] First in the phy- 
 sical world (Gen. i. 3) and then in the moral and spiritual world, in the 
 person of Jesus Christ. Cf John i. 4, iii. 19, viii. 12, &c. 
 
 hath shined ifi our hearts] God makes use of human instrumentality 
 in spreading the knowledge of His glory. Cf. ch. ii. 15, 16, iii. 3, 6. 
 
VV.7— 9-1 n. CORINTHIANS, IV. 59 
 
 of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the 7 
 excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We 8 
 ai'e troubled on every side, yet not distressed ; we a7'e per- 
 plexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; 9 
 
 to give the light of the knozvledge of the glory of God] Literally, 
 in order to the enlightenment: illumination, Rhemish, Knowledge 
 is here spoken of rather as the effect of light than light itself. See note 
 on V. 4. 
 
 in the face of Jesus Christ] The same word is used here as in ch. 
 ii. 10. See note on the words 'image of God,' above, "A notable 
 place, whence we learn that God is not to be investigated in His un- 
 searchable height, for He inhabits the light unapproachable (i Tim. 
 vi. 16), but to be known as far as He reveals Himself in Christ. ..It is 
 more useful for us to behold God as He appears in His Only-begotten 
 Son, than to investigate His secret essence." Calvin. There is ano- 
 ther interpretation of these words. We may translate them 'in the 
 person of Christ,' and then the sense is that Christ was Himself the 
 revealer of the glory of God. John i. 14, 18. 
 
 7. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels'] *I grant you that 
 the exterior of the ministers of the Gospel is by no means in accordance 
 with the description I have just given of the Gospel they preach. But 
 why is this? but because, as I have said before, they desire not, they 
 are not intended, to claim the glory and power as their own. It is 
 stamped in their character, appearance, demeanour, sufferings, that 
 they seek nothing for themselves, but are simply the servants of God, 
 while the extraordinar}' results of their labours prove that it is He 
 Whose messengers they are.' The metaphor of the glory is dropped, 
 and the Apostles represented as the earthenware vessels in which 
 treasures were frequently in those days kept, and often (see Words- 
 worth in loc.) carried in triumphal processions. Cf. ch. ii. 14. The 
 treasure is Christ Himself, ministered by His disciples. See ch. iii. 3, 
 andcf. Matt. xiii. 44. 
 
 excellency] This word has somewhat lost its force in modern English, 
 its place has been taken by the word superiority. See v. 1 7, where the 
 Greek is the same as here. 
 
 of us] The Greek '\va^\vz%from ourselves as a source. 
 • 8. We are troubled on every side] Perhaps 'm every ivay.^ For the 
 word rendered 'troubled,' cf. ch. i. 4, vi. 4. 
 
 yet not distressed] This word, says Bengel, denotes angustias tales 
 e quibus non detur exitus, "such straits as there are no escape from." 
 
 perplexed, but not in despair] The play upon words here (cf. ch. i. 13, 
 iii. 2) has no exact equivalent in English. The nearest approach to it 
 would be 'at our wits end, but not out of our wits,' See also note on 
 ch. i. 8. 
 
 9. cast down^ but not destroyed] i. e. struck or thrown down, as in 
 
eo IT. CORINTHIANS, IV. [vv. 10—13. 
 
 10 cast down, btit not destroyed ; always bearing about in the 
 body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the Hfe also of Jesus 
 
 ir might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are 
 alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also 
 
 12 of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So 
 
 13 then death worketh in us, but life in you. We having the 
 
 warfare or wrestling, but not yet deprived of life, and therefore not 
 unable to renew the conflict. 
 
 10. always beaHng about in the body the dying of the Lord yesus'\ 
 Rather, the slajring (Vulg. mortificatio) of the Lord Jesus. So Wiclif. 
 The word is only to be found in Rom. iv. 19, where it signifies the 
 process by which a thing became dead, i. e. age. The same spirit of 
 hostility to good which put Jesus to death is still at work in the world 
 against His servants. . Their sufferings, therefore, for His sake, are a 
 kind of slaying Him anew. Cf. Col. i. 24. 
 
 that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body] The 
 life of Jesus dwelling in the hearts of His saints is shewn in the power 
 they possess of enduring, in their often feeble frames, sufferings and toils 
 such as might daunt the strongest men, as well as in the unselfishness 
 which welcomes such sufferings and toils for the glory of God and the 
 well-being of man. Meyer cites Ignatius ad Magnes. 6, "If we do not 
 of our own accord accept death after the manner of His Passion, His 
 Life is not in us. " 
 
 11. For we which live] We, the possessors of the Divine life in 
 Christ, the spiritual life which takes the place of the natural. Cf. ch. 
 iii. 3, 6, 17, and i Cor. ii. 12, 16, and xv. 45, 46, and notes. 
 
 are alway delivei'ed unto death] Literally, are aliuay being deli- 
 vered unto death, i.e. while we are engaged in this ministry on 
 behalf of Jesus Christ our Lord, calling on us as it does for a per- 
 petual conflict with enemies without, and the weakness of our mortal 
 flesh within. 
 
 that the life also of Jesus] Not only is what was stated in the last 
 verse the fact, but it was God's purpose that it should be so. The 
 labours and trials of the Apostles are due to the working of a prin- 
 ciple of death which is ever hostile to life and God. But the operation 
 of that principle in the mortal bodies of the Apostles is destined only 
 to display the working of a still stronger principle, the life that comes 
 from God. See next note. 
 
 12. So then death worketh in us^ but life in you] See i Cor. iv. 9. 
 The Apostle here enunciates a principle common to the material ^id the 
 spiritual world. From death comes life, from decay regeneration. The 
 death of Christ was the life of the world; the daily dying (i Cor. xv. 31 J 
 of His disciples, by virtvie of the same Spirit that lives in Him, is the 
 means whereby that life spreads among mankind. Death may be said 
 to be working in Christ's ministers, because of their visible sorrows, 
 anxieties, persecutions (but see v. 16); life in their converts, because of 
 the visible change in their character and acts. Cf. Plato, Phaedoy ch., j6: 
 
vv. 14, 15.] II. CORINTHIANS, IV. 61 
 
 same spirit of faith, according as it is written,.! believed, 
 and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and 
 therefore speak ; knowing that he which raised up the Lord t4 
 Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with 
 you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant T5 
 grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to 
 the glory of God. 
 
 ' * * What is that which is produced from life ?' ' Death, ' he said. * What 
 then,' replied he, 'from death?' 'It must be confessed that life is.'" 
 
 13. We having the same spirit of faith'] The idea of boldness and 
 outspokenness is still present with the Apostle. He speaks openly, 
 because he has reason to believe what he says. And the thought is 
 connected with the last verse by the fact that it is to his speaking that 
 the Corinthians owe their life. The ' same spirit ' means the spirit that 
 dwelt in the Psalmist. See next note. 
 
 according as it is written] See Ps. cxvi. 10. The Psalmist was *sore 
 troubled,' but his faith enabled him to triumph over affliction and to 
 declare the loving-kindness of the Lord. A similar faith enabled St 
 Paul and his fellow-labourers to declare the good tidings of Christ, 
 though encompassed by infirmity and trouble. 
 
 14. knowing that he which raised up the Lord yesiis] Plere we have 
 the source of the Apostle's faith and confidence. He knew that the 
 Resurrection of Christ was an accomplished fact (see notes on i Cor. xv. , 
 and Introduction to First Epistle). Hence arose his persuasion that a 
 life was given to him which should survive and overcome even death 
 itself. 
 
 by yesus] All recent editors substitute with Jesus, which, however, 
 does not mean at the same time with, but by virtue of the operation of the 
 same life and spirit. For the life that dwells in Jesus dwells also in 
 His disciples, John vi. 54. We are the members, Christ the Head; 
 we are the crop, Christ the firstfruits, i Cor. xv. 23. Cf. Rom. i. 4, 
 as well as ch. iii. 17, 18, and Eph. ii. 5, 6; Col. ii. 13. Chrysostom 
 omits the words altogether. Meyer remarks that though St Paul 
 believed that he and the majority of his readers would live to see the 
 actual coming of Christ in the flesh, the possibility that this might not 
 be the case was ever before his eyes. See i Cor. xv. 51; i Thess. 
 iv. 15. 
 
 and shall present us with you] i. e. shall place us in His own Presence. 
 Cf. Rom. xiv. 10; Col. i. 22; Jude 24; ch. v. 10, and i Cor. viii. 8, 
 and note. 
 
 15. Ju)r all things are for your sakes] Cf. i Cor. iii. 22, as well as 
 the numerous passages in that Epistle where the well-being of mankind 
 is represented as St Paul's (and indeed God's) only object, e.g. vi. 12, 
 X. 23. 
 
 that the abundant grace] Literally, that grace having: abounded. 
 There is a very similar passage in ch. i. 1 1. And this passage, like 
 that, is capable of being construed in various ways. We may either 
 
62 II. CORINTHIANS, IV; [vv. i6, 17. 
 
 IV. 16 — V. 10. The Preachers of the Gospel are sustained 
 by the hope of a Future Life. 
 
 16 For which cause we faint not; but though our out- 
 ward man perish, yet the inward 77ia?i is renewed day by 
 
 17 day. For our Hght affliction, which is but for a moment, 
 worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight 
 
 take it (i) that grace, having abounded, might nmltiply on account of the 
 thanksgiving of the greater number, or (2) that grace, having abounded, 
 may by means of the greater nimiber, multiply the thanksgiving to the 
 glory of God, or (3) that grace, having abounded through the greater 
 number, may mtdtiply the thanksgiving to the glory of God. The last, 
 would seem the preferable rendering. For (1) God's grace or favour 
 abounds the more, the greater the number who are turned to Him, 
 
 (2) the larger the number of converts, the greater the thanksgiving. 
 to God (for this use of 'the greater number,' see i Cor. ix. 19); and 
 
 (3) the word translated 'i-edound' in the A. V. has also the transitive 
 sense of 'make to abound,' as in Eph. i. 8; i Thess. iii. 12, and ch. 
 ix. 8. The Greek here, as in v. 11, indicates God's purpose, which 
 having its origin in His love, issues in beneficence. In the happiness 
 and gratitude of the beings He has created, He has thought fit to find 
 His own. 
 
 IV. 16— V. 10. The Preachers of the Gospel are sustained 
 
 BY THE HOPE OF A FUTURE LiFE. 
 
 16. For which cause zve faint not'] The Apostle now returns to the topic 
 he has already introduced [v. i). But the digression, if indeed it be a 
 digression, only tends to strengthen the assertion he has made. ' We 
 faint not,' he says, 'not merely because we have a glorious ministry 
 {v. i), not merely because we have the knowledge of God {v. 6), not 
 merely because, though oppressed and afflicted ourselves, we see the 
 blessed results of our ministry in others, but because (cf. v. 10, 11) our 
 sorrows and sufferings, the decay of our mortal body, are but external. 
 There is a spring of life within that can never fail, the new life, which 
 comes to us from God through Christ.' 
 
 17. For our light afflictio7t, which is but for a moment] Literally, 
 For tlie momentary lightness of our aflliction. The argument is ad- 
 vanced another step. Not only have we this inner fount of strength 
 and consolation, but we know that it is eternal, while our afflictions 
 endure but for a moment. Cf. Rom. viii. 18. 
 
 worketh for us\ Literally, worketh out, bringetli to perfection. The 
 precise opposite of the word translated 'brought to nought,' 'done 
 away.' See ch. iii. 7. 
 
 a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory] Over measure an 
 everlasting birthtm ifito higtiess of glorie, Wiclif. Literally, a "weight 
 of glory in excess and unto excess : the whole passage denoting that 
 the glory to come exceeds the power of words to tell. The Vulgate 
 renders 'supra modum in sublimitate.' Alford, 'in a surpassing and 
 
vv. i8; I.] II. CORINTHIANS, IV. V. 63 
 
 of glory; while we look not at the thi7igs which are is 
 seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the thifigs 
 which are seen are temporal; but the t/wigs which are 
 not seen are eternal. For we know that if our earthly 5 
 house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building 
 
 still more surpassing manner. ' The old English versions, including the 
 A. v., follow Tyndale here. An expression very closely approaching 
 to this is the usual one in Hebrew for anything immeasurably great, as 
 for instance, in the original of Gen. vii. 19. The word gloiy in Hebrew 
 is derived from the original idea of weight. It is possible that this con- 
 nection of ideas may have influenced St Paul in the choice of this 
 expression. 
 
 18. while we look not] Rather, since we look not, do not fix our 
 attetttion. 
 
 at the things which are not seen] The Christian habitually views all 
 that comes before him from the standpoint of the invisible world, 
 ■yvhich is revealed to him by the Spirit from within. See i Cor. ii. 9, 
 10, 13; I John iv. 5, 6. Also Heb. xi. i. 
 
 for the things which are seeji are temporal] Rather, temporary, i. e. 
 they last, and are intended to last, but a season. 
 
 but the things zvhich ai-e not seen are eternal] Here was the secret of 
 the Apostle's confidence. The invisible truths of which he was per- 
 suaded, which lay at the root of the Resurrection of Christ, and 
 therefore of the moral strengf^h he felt within him and was enabled 
 to impart to others, rested upon no uncertain basis, but upon the un- 
 ohangeable Will of the Eternal God. See notes on ch. i. 19, 20. 
 
 Ch. V. 1. For zue knozv] This verse gives the reason for what has 
 gone before. ' We are consoled in our present afflictions, sustained in our 
 hope of future glory, supported in our conviction that what is visible is 
 speedily to be replaced by what is eternal, by the knowledge, spiritually 
 acquired, that God has prepared a spiritual body (i Cor. xv. 44) to 
 replace the present frail and temporary habitation of the soul.' Calvin 
 remarks that this with St Paul is not a matter oi opinion or belief, but of 
 actual kno-cvledge, a boast which no heathen dare have made. 
 
 oitr earthly hotise of this tabernacle] Earthly, not earthy. That which 
 exists upon the earth, not what is made of earth. Compare i Cor. xv. 
 40 and 47. See also John iii. 12; Phil. ii. 10. House of this taber- 
 nacle is better rendered tabernacle-house. The Hebraistic genitive is 
 "to define the natui-e of the house " (Stanley), i.e. as temporary, a tent ox 
 tabernacle as opposed to a permanent dwelling. Stanley suggests our 
 English word tenement as best expressing the idea of the original, and 
 supposes the Greek word to have been suggested to St Paul by his 
 Cilician house, as well as by his occupation of tent-making. Acts xviii. 3. 
 A similar expression is found in 2 Pet. i. 13, and in Wisd. ix. 15. 
 
 we7-e dissolved] or, perhaps, zvere destroyed. Cf. Matt. v. 1 7, xxiv. 2, 
 xxvi. 61 ; Gal. ii. 18, where the same Greek word is used. 
 
 ive have a building of God] i. e. a building originating with God. 
 The present tense signifies either (1) that it awaits us "the moment our 
 II. COR. c 
 
64 11. CORINTHIANS, V. [vv. 2—4. 
 
 of God, a house not made with hand, eternal in the heavens. 
 
 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon 
 
 3 with our house which is from heaven : if so be that being 
 
 4 clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in 
 
 present house is destroyed" (Stanley), or (2) that it exists now in the 
 eternal purpose of God. See next note but one, 
 
 a house not made with hand} So the earlier copies of the Authorized 
 Version. The later — the innovation seems to have been made about 1661 
 — have 'hands,' which is less correct. "Not as contrasted with the 
 earthly body, which is also 'not made with hand,' but with other 
 houses which are made Avith hand." Alford. The expression is used 
 to mark the Divine origin of the spiritual body. 
 
 in the heavens'] These words should be joined with * we have,' not as 
 is usually done with 'eternal.' There is a difficulty here. The new 
 body is said in i Cor. xv. 52 ; Phil. iii. 21 ; i Thess. iv. 15 — 17 to be 
 given us at the coming of Christ. The condition of the believer be- 
 tween death and the judgment is represented as a sleep. The explana- 
 tion is that we possess our future body already in the mind and will of 
 God. So the Hebrew prophets frequently speak of a future event as 
 past, because it is already decreed in the providence of God. We are 
 said to ' have it in the heavens ' because its organization and communi- 
 cation to us are not natural, but heavenly and spiritual. 
 
 2. For in this] i.e. this tabernacle. 
 ive groan] Cf. Rom. viii. 23. 
 
 to be clothed iipon] i. e. to put on in addition. See i Cor. xv. 53. 
 "The flesh will not be annihilated, but spiritualized, glorified and 
 beautified, as the human body of Christ was at the Transfiguration." 
 St Jerome, cited by Bp Wordsworth. The Greek for the 'fisher's coat' 
 spoken of in John xxi. 7 is, as Dean Stanley reminds us, derived from 
 the word used here. 
 
 with our house] Rather, dwelling-place. The word house (olKia) is 
 more absolute, dwelling-place {olKrjTTjpiov) has reference to the inhabitant. 
 Bengel. 
 
 3. if so be that being clothed we shall not be found nakeS] Rather, 
 with Tyndale, whom Cranmer follows, yet if (some recent editors, 
 following another reading, would render seeing) that we shall be found 
 clothed, not naked. This passage has been variously explained. Some 
 regard it (i) as asserting that at the last day we are certain to receive 
 a Resurrection-body, and not to be left as disembodied spirits. Others, as 
 Bp Wordsworth, remembering {\\^tyvfiv6% does not mean literally w^y^^^, 
 but (John xxi. 7 ; cf. Xen. Anab. iv. iv. 12) destitute of the upper garment, 
 interpret it (2) 'if we shall be found in the Resurrection-body at the last 
 day,' not in the frail mortal tenement which we must otherwise resume. 
 The chief objection to these interpretations is that the word 'found ' ap- 
 plies rather to the condition in which we are, than to that in which we 
 are to be when Christ comes. It will therefore be best to follow the in- 
 terpretation which regards the passage as referring to the possibility of 
 St Paul and those to whom he is speaking being alive at the coming 
 
vv. 5, 6.] II. CORINTHIANS, V. 65 
 
 this tabernacle do groan, being burdened : not for that we 
 would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might 
 be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for 3 
 the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the 
 earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, 6 
 
 of Christ (see i Thess. iv. 17 and note on i Cor. xv. 51), and to translate 
 ^(in that day) we shall be found clothed (with the body), not naked (i.e. 
 disembodied). The various readings which are found in this passage 
 increase the difficulty of explaining it. For (r) the word translated if so 
 be is found in two different forms in the early Greek copies of this Epistle, 
 the one expressing a greater, the other a less degree of uncertainty. 
 Then (2) some copies read 'unclothed' for 'clothed,' so that the passage 
 then runs if when -unclothed (of the body) ive shall not be found naked. 
 But this reading was probably introduced by some copyist who could 
 not comprehend the passage as it stood. 
 
 4. in this tabernaclc\ Literally, in the tabernacle, i.e. the 'tenement,' 
 of which we have already spoken (z/. i). 
 
 do groan^ being burdened'\ " Not because we desire to be delivered from 
 the body, for of it we do not wish to be unclothed, but we hasten to be 
 delivered from the corruption that is in it." Chrysostom. This verse 
 carries on the thought of v. 1 and explains it. 
 
 not for that we would be tinclothed, but clothed uponi Better with 
 Tyndale and Cranmer (also Wiclif), foi' zve zvold not be unclothed, but 
 wolde be clothed upoft. "It is quite possible that men might conceive (of 
 the future state) as a disembodied state and suppose the Apostle to 
 represent life in a visible form as a degradation." Robertson. Such 
 was the view of Greek philosophers almost without exception (see note 
 on I Cor. XV. 12). St Paul, affirming the old Jewish view that God 
 had created all things, and made them veiy good, entirely repudiates 
 this doctrine, and declares that he does not desire separation from the 
 body, but only its spiritualization. "Paul regards it as an especial 
 happiness not to taste death, not to be obliged to put off this body, but 
 to be glorified living, like Elijah, drawing the heavenly body over the 
 present mortal body as a garment, yet in such a manner that the mortal 
 body is absorbed in the nature of the spiritual body." Olshausen. 
 .^ So Tertullian, "not as wishing to undergo death, but that death should 
 '' be anticipated by life." The whole passage should be compared with 
 I Cor. xv. 35 — 54. See also note on v. 2. 
 
 that mortality might be swalloived tip of life"] i.e. "covered over and 
 arrayed in the vesture of immortality." Tertullian. 'Mortality' should 
 rather be rendered what is mortal. 
 
 5. wrought us'\ Literally, wrought lis out, i. e. fitted and prepared 
 us by a course of training. See ch. iv. 17. 
 
 for the selfsame thing'] The swallowing up of mortality by life. 
 
 the earnest of the Spirit] For earnest, see ch. i. ■22, a very similar 
 passage. Cf. also Rom. viii. i — 11. It is because the Spirit dwells in 
 us by faith while we are here that we are raised hereafter. The body 
 thus possessing a principle of life is as a seed planted in the ground 
 
66 II. CORINTHIANS, V. [w. 7—10. 
 
 knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are 
 
 7 absent from the Lord : (for we walk by faith, not by sight :) 
 
 8 we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent 
 
 9 from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Where- 
 fore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may 
 
 10 be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the 
 
 (i Cor. XV. 36 — 38) to be raised again in God's good time. See Intro- 
 duction to First Epistle and notes on ch. xv. 
 
 6. Therefore zve are ahvays confident'\ Because we always possess 
 the inner life of the Spirit, and are therefore always, in a sense, with God. 
 
 at home in the body] The body (see note on v. 4) is really a home, 
 though not a permanent one. "Quamdiu domi sumus in hoc corporis 
 habitaculo." Erasmus. 
 
 we are absent from the Lord] "God is present with all mankind, 
 because He sustains them by His power; He dwells in them, because 
 'in Him they live, and move, and have their being.' He is present with 
 His faithful ones by the greater energy of His Spirit; He lives in them, 
 
 ells in their midst, and so within them. But in the meantime He is 
 absent from us, in that He does not yet present Himself to be seen face 
 to face; because as yet we are exiles from His kingdom, and lack the 
 blessed immortality which the Angels, who are with Him, are privileged 
 to enjoy." Calvin. 
 
 7. for tve -walk by faith, not by sight] Cf. ch. iv. 18 and John xx. 29. 
 The word translated sight signifies not the act of vision^ but the thing seen. 
 Cf. Luke iii. 11, ix. -29 ; John v. 37, in two of which passages the word 
 is translated shape, in the X^xxxdi fashion. This is the reason of the state- 
 ment made in the last verse. We are absent from God, because we are 
 not yet face to face with the heavenly realities, but dimly realize them 
 afar off (i Cor. xiii. 12 ; Heb. xi. i). 
 
 8. tve are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the 
 body, and to be present with the Loi'd] Our confidence is not even 
 disturbed by death, though it is not {v. 4) death in itself that we seek. 
 But even in death we 'sleep in Jesus' (i Thess. iv. 14; cf. i Cor. xv. 18), 
 and though removed from our earthly tenement we are still at home with 
 God. Cf. also St Luke xxiii. 43. The word translated 'present' here 
 is translated ' at home ' in v. 6, a variation which commenced with 
 Tyndale. He returns however to 'at home' in the next verse. 
 
 9. we labour] The word implies ^Ui7ia ambitio legitima,^'' Bengel; 
 a strife in which one's honour is concerned. See Rom. xv. 20, where 
 the word is translated strive. 
 
 whether prese^it or absent] whether at home or from home, Tyndale. 
 The meaning is either (i) whether at home in the body, or absent from 
 it, as in v. d, or (2) at home with God or absent from Him, as in v. 8. 
 The latter is preferable, as being in more immediate connection with 
 what precedes. Cf. i Thess. v. 10. 
 
 10. For we must all appear] Literally, be manifested, the same 
 Greek word being used as in the next verse. A reason for what goes 
 
V. II.] II. CORINTHIANS, V. (>7 
 
 judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the 
 things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whe- 
 ther it be good or bad. 
 
 II — 2 1. The Christian Ministry one of Reconciliation. 
 
 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade i 
 men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust 
 
 before. It is natural to try and please God when present with Him. 
 But even when absent, Christians do not forget that He will judge them. 
 
 before the Judgment seat of Chrisf] Cf Matt. xxv. 31 — 46 ; Rom. xiv. 10. 
 Observe that 'God' is the word used in the latter passage, as though 
 *'the two ideas were convertible." Stanley. The ^rjixa, or 'judgment 
 seat' {t?'one, Wiclif), is in Classical Greek the pulpit from v.diich the 
 orators addressed the assemblies. In the N. T. it is used of the judge's 
 seat, which in the Roman basilica or judgment hall was "a lofty seat, 
 raised on an elevated platform, so that the figure of the judge must have 
 been seen towering above the crowd which thronged the long nave of 
 the building." Stanley. This, he adds, was "the most august repre- 
 sentation of justice which the world at that time, or perhaps ever, 
 exhibited." 
 
 the things done in his body'] Literally, through the body. Wiclif s 
 translation is more literal, ^the propre thingis of the bodi, as he hath don.^ 
 This is the reason why Christians are to strive during the present life to 
 be pleasing to God. Their wages in the next world shall be according 
 to their acts in this. Cf. Rom. ii. 5 — 10 j i Thess. iv. 6; Jude 14, 15. 
 
 11 — 21. The Christian Ministry one of Reconciliation. 
 
 11. the terror of the Lord] i.e. "His to-be-dreaded judgment.** 
 Beza. This translation is due to the Geneva Version, following Beza 
 and Calvin (Wiclif, drede). Tyndale (whom Cranmer follows) renders 
 more correctly 'how the Lorde is to be feared'' (literally 'the fear of the 
 Lord,' tiinorem Domini, Vulg.). It is not the terror \Ai\(^ God inspires, 
 but \\\&fear which man has of Him that is meant, 'knowing what it is 
 to fear God.' 
 
 we persuade men] Rather, perhaps, we Win ov&r men. Compare 
 the use of the Greek word here used in Acts xii. 20. The Apostle is 
 still keeping in mind his object of clearing himself from the unjust 
 accusations brought against him (cf. ch. ii. 1 7). That the digressions in 
 ch. iii., iv., v. have not caused him to lose sight of his main object, the 
 vindication of the purity of his motives from the aspersions cast upon 
 them, may be seen by comparing z/. 12 with ch. iii. i. Having the 
 fear of God's judgment continually before his eyes, he persuades men to 
 obey the Gospel of Christ. 
 
 but we are made manifest unto God] Literally, we have been made 
 manifest, i. e. we are and have been all along. He knows the purity of 
 our motives, and will one day bear witness to them before all men. See 
 note on last verse. 
 
68 II. CORINTHIANS, V. [vv. 12—14. 
 
 [2 also are made manifest in your consciences. For we 
 commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you oc- 
 casion to glory on our behalf, that you may have so?7ie- 
 what to anszver them which glory in appearance, and not 
 
 13 in heart. For whether we be besides ourselves, // is to 
 
 14 God : or whether we be sober, // is for your cause. For the 
 love of Christ constraineth us ; because we thus judge, that 
 
 and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences'] Literally, 
 liave been made manifest, with the same meaning as above, either 
 (i) 'by the change (see v. 17) which our ministry of Christ has produced 
 in your hearts and lives,' or (2) 'in your conscientious conviction of our 
 integrity.' Ch. iv. 2 makes the former the more probable interpretatioru 
 See also chap. xi. 6. 
 
 12. For we commend not ourselves] 'For' is omitted by the best 
 editors, and its omission clears the sense. *'We are not endeavouring 
 once more to recommend ourselves to you by what we have said. (For 
 'again' see note on ch. iii. i.) That is quite needless (ch. iii. 2, 3). We 
 simply give you an opportunity of 'answering the fool according to his 
 folly,' of shewing to those who judge by the appearance only, that we^ 
 too, have some fruits at least of our ministry to shew." 
 
 occasion to glory] The word here translated 'to glory' means, here as 
 elsewhere in the N, T. (see note on ch. i. 14 and on i Cor. v. 6), causa 
 of glorying or boasting. According to its strict meaning (which probably 
 ought not to be pressed here) it should be rendered ' supplying you with 
 a source whence you may find a cause of boasting on our behalf.' 
 
 in appeai-ancc] Literally, in face, i. e. in that which is visible. See 
 ch. X. 7. 
 
 and not in heart] Who have no ground for boasting in the purity of 
 their motives, because self-interest is the only spring of their actions. 
 Cf. I Cor. iii. throughout, and ch. xi. 12, 13; Gal. iv. 17. 
 
 13. For whether we be besides ourselves] Literally, were beside 
 ourselves, i. e. when we were with you. The reproach of madness was 
 afterwards cast upon St Paul by Festus (Acts xxvi. 24), and may well 
 have been east upon him before this. Cf. Acts xvii. 
 
 it is to God] Better, for God, i.e. for His cause. See 'for your 
 caxise' below. Literally, for you. 
 
 or whether we be sober] The word here used signifies the quiet self- 
 restraint characteristic of the Christian. Its original meaning is to have 
 one's thoughts safe, and hence to be of sound, healthy mind (cf. the 
 Latin salvus and our 'safe and sound'). Cf. Mark v. 15; Luke viii. 
 35 (where the word is opposed to the idea of madness). Also Rom. 
 xii. 3; Tit. ii. 2, 4, 6, &c. 
 
 14. For the love of Christ constraineth us] i. e. the love which Christ 
 has not only displayed, but imparted (De Wette). He refers to 
 Rom. viii. 35; Eph. iii. 19 (which however must be read in the light of 
 r^. 1 7, 18). The word translated constrain signifies to coop up, keep within 
 tmrrow bounds. Cf. Luke xii. 50, where the same word occurs. It is 
 also used by St Luke of diseases, as in Luke iv. 38 ; Acts xxviii. 8, and 
 
vV. 15, 16.] II. CORINTHIANS, V. 6) 
 
 if one died for all, then were all dead : and that he died for 15 
 all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto 
 themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose 
 agai7t. Wherefore henceforth know we no maji after the is 
 flesh : yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, 
 
 of a multitude crowding, as in Luke viii. 45. Here it means 'prevents us 
 from doing anything but serve you for Christ's sake.' 
 
 because we thus judged Not merely equivalent to thinks but strictly 
 pidge, i.e. form an opinion upon sufficient evidence. 
 
 that if one died for all^ then were all dead] Most modern editors omit 
 the 'if,' which is not contained in any of the best MSS. nor versions 
 (except the Vulgate), and render thus, 'That one died for all : therefore all 
 died,' not 'were dead' as in the A. V. The meaning of the Apostle 
 would seem to be not that all men were dead in trespasses and sins, and 
 therefore needed one to die for them, but that the death of Christ, Who 
 had taken upon Himself to represent mankind before His Father's 
 throne, was in a sense a death of all niankind (ot Traires— all collectively. 
 Wordsworth). ' ' What Christ did/^r Humanity was done by Humanity. " 
 Robertson. Cf. Rom. vi. 5, lo, vii. 4, 6 (margin); Eph. ii. 13, i6\ 
 Col. i. 20 — 22; Heb. ix. 28, x. 10. Also Gal. ii. 19, 20, ' I through law 
 died to law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ.' 
 
 15. that they zuhich live should not... live unto thejnselves] Cf. Rom. 
 V. 8 — II, vi. 10 — 13, xiv. 7; Gal. ii. 20, v. 24, 25, vi. 14; Col. iii. 
 I — 4; I John v. 18. See also note on ch. iv. 10, 11. Christ's death 
 is our life, because He thus made atonement for sin, reconciled us to 
 the Father, shewed how He could be ' both just, and the justifier of 
 him which beiieveth in Jesus,' and thus made obedience possible for us 
 on the principle that we were 'reconciled to God,' and that henceforth 
 there would be ' no condemnation ' for our past sins or present sinfulness, 
 provided we set ourselves to ' walk not after the flesh, but after the 
 Spirit.' His death was the means of freeing us from our bondage to 
 sin. His life was the enabling power which wrought our conversion. 
 
 16. Wherefore hencefor'th know we no man after the flesh] i. e. we 
 regard no man from a purely fleshly point of view (see note on ch. i. 17), 
 but look upon him as endowed with a new vital principle from above 
 which has changed his heart Cf. v. i^; Rom. viii. i — 11; i Cor. ii. 
 10 — 16. "Even in Christ a transition took place analogous to that 
 which happened to man in regeneration. In the Resurrection the life 
 according to the flesh passed over into a life according to the Spirit." 
 Olshausen. "He who knows no man after the flesh has entirely lost 
 sight in the case of a Jew, for example, of his Jewish origin, in the case 
 of a rich man of his riches, in that of a learned man of his learning, 
 in that of a slave of his slavery, and so on." Meyer. Cf. Matt. iii. 9; 
 John viii. 39 ; Rom. iiiK8, 29, x. 1 2 ; i Cor. xii. 1 3 ; Gal. iii. 28 ; Col. iii. 1 1 . 
 
 yea, though we have knoivn Christ after the flesh] i. e. from a purely 
 human point of view, as the Son of David simply (Rom. i. 3), not as 
 the Incarnate Son of God, the Divine Word. See Bishop Words- 
 worth's note here. St Paul, and many others of the first preachers of 
 
70 II. CORINTHIANS, V. [vv. 17, 18. 
 
 17 yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if 
 any man be in Christ, he is a new creature : old things are 
 
 r8 past away ; behold, all things are become new. And all 
 thi7igs are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by 
 
 the faith (cf. Acts i. 6), had started with such carnal conceptions, but 
 they had disappeared before the light of God's truth. 
 
 17. Therefore] i.e. as a conclusion from w. 15, 16, in consequence 
 of Christ's Death, His Life, His superhuman, Divine personality. 
 
 if any man be in Christ] The Vulgate puts no stop at Christ, and 
 renders ' if there be any new creature in Christ' ('if ony newe creature 
 is in Crist,' Wiclif). Tyndale translates as above. For *in Christ,' 
 see Rom. xvi. 7; Gal. i. 22; and chap. xii. 1. 
 
 he is a new creature] These words may be rendered thei-e is a new 
 creation^ i.e. a new creation takes place within him. Whosoever is 
 united to Christ by faith, possesses in himself the gift of a Divine, 
 regenerated, spiritual humanity which Christ gives through his Spirit 
 (cf. John V. 21, vi. 33, 39, 40, 54, 57; i Cor. xv. 45; I Pet. i. 3, ii. 2; 
 and 2 Pet. i. 4. Also chap. i. 21, 22, iii. 18, iv. 11, v. 5). This life, 
 which he possessed not before, is in fact a new creation of the whole 
 man, "not to be distinguished from regeneration." Meyer. So also 
 Chrysostom. Cf. John i. 13, iii. 3, 5; Tit. iii. 5. The margin of the 
 A. V. renders let him be, which is grammatically admissible, but hardly 
 suits the context. 
 
 old things] Literally, the old things. Cf. the 'old man,' Rom. vi. 6; 
 Eph. iv. 22; Col. iii. 9; the 'former conversation' or manner of living, 
 before the soul was dominated by the Spirit of Christ. 
 
 are past away] literally, passed away, i.e. at the moment of con- 
 version. But as the Dean of Peterborough has shewn in the Expositor, 
 Vol. VII. pp. 261 — 263, this strict use of the aorist cannot be always 
 pressed in Hebraistic Greek. 
 
 behold, all things are become new] Many MSS., versions and recent 
 editors omit 'all things.' The passage then stands 'behold, they are 
 become new.' If we accept this reading, the passage speaks more 
 clearly of a conversion of the %vhole man as he is, thoughts, habits, feel- 
 ings, desires, into the image of Christ. The old is not obliterated, it 
 is renovated. As it stands in the A. V. it relates rather to a substitution 
 of a new nature for the old. Isai. xliii. 18, 19; Rev. xxi. 5. 
 
 18. all things are of God] Whether natural or spiritual. He is the 
 Creator of heaven and earth, Gen. i. i, as well as of the work of re- 
 demption and of the new heart of man. Cf. chap. i. 21, v. 5; i Cor. 
 iii. 23, XV. 28; also John iii. 16; Rom. v. 8, viii. 32. Christ came only 
 to fulfil His Father's Will (John iv. 34, v. 30, vi. 39, 40). The Father 
 and He were one in love to the human race as in everything else, 
 John xvii. 21 — 23. "All the life of God is a flow of this Divine self- 
 giving charity. Creation itself is sacrifice, the ^f-impartation of the 
 Divine being. " Robertson. 
 
 who hath reconciled us to himself by yesus Christ] We have to observe 
 here that not only was man estranged from God, but God from man. 
 •*We cannot imagine that God, Who is essentially just, should not 
 
V. 19-] 11. CORINTHIANS, V. 71 
 
 Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of recon- 
 ciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ reconciHng the 
 world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto 
 
 abominate iniquity, yet there is no incongruity in this — that a father 
 should be offended with that son which he loveth, and at that time 
 offended with him when he loveth him." Bp Pearson. *'God is angry 
 with the wicked. For Christ was the representative of God under the 
 name of Humanity. Now Christ was angry. That therefore whicli God 
 feels" — or rather the relation in which He stands towards sin — "corre- 
 sponds with that which in pure Humanity is the emotion of anger. No 
 other word then will adequately represent God's feeling" (or rather 
 attitude). Robertson. But the reconciliation was God's work of love, 
 carried out by Jesus Christ, Who came to reveal His Nature and 
 beneficial purposes to mankind, and to accomplish them by taking 
 our mortal flesh, by His pure and stainless life, by His mysterious Death 
 upon the Cross for our sakes, by His Resurrection from the dead, as well 
 as by His sending His Spirit to work out His blessed "Will in us. This 
 is 'reconciliation by Jesus Christ.' The words recottcile, reconciliation, 
 are deliberately preferred by the translators of the A. V. to the word 
 atone, atoftement, which is only to be found as an equivalent for the Greek 
 word here used in Rom. v. 11. Cf. Rom. v. 10, xi. 15; i Cor. vii. 11, 
 as well as a similar word occurring in Eph. ii. 16 j Col. i. 20, 21. See 
 also notes below. 
 
 the 7ninistry of reconciliation'] Literally, the reconciliation, i.e. that 
 which has just been mentioned. Cf. ch. iii. 3, where St Paul describes 
 the Corinthians as an Epistle of Christ ministered by him with the 
 Spirit of the living God. The word ministry signifies service ren- 
 dered freely, not of compulsion. It carries with it the idea of diligence, 
 whatever derivation of the Greek word we take. It was the Apostles' 
 task, voluntarily undertaken by themselves, to proclaim the good tidings 
 of reconciliation through Christ throughout the world, and thus to put 
 it in men's power to accept and act upon it. Tyndale, followed by 
 Cranmer and the Geneva Version, render and hath given ujtto us the 
 office to preach the atonetnent. 
 
 19. to wit, that] i. e. this is the tenor of our message. 
 
 God was in Christ reconciling] Or 'that God in Christ was recon- 
 ciling.' Either translation is grammatically and theologically admis- 
 sible. The former translation, preferred by the Latin expositors, lays 
 most stress upon the indwelling of God in Christ (cf. John xiv. 10, xvii.). 
 The latter, which has found most favour among the Greek commenta- 
 tors, indicates the fact, not merely that God reconciled the world, but 
 that the process of reconciliation was carried on "in the Person and work 
 of Christ." Meyer. 
 
 the world tmto himself] It is frequently declared in Scripture that 
 Go6.\ ptirpose em'fl^aces all mankind ("the whole world," Alford). Cf. 
 John i. 29, iii. 16, iv. 42, vi. 33; i Tim. ii. 4, iv. 10; i John ii. 2, &c. 
 
 not imputing their trespasses unto them] irapairTiafxaTa, trespasses, 
 literally, fallings aside from the path. The English word is derived 
 firom an old French word trespasser, which, like transgress^ has a 
 
72 II. CORINTHIANS, V. [v. 20. 
 
 them ; and hath committed unto us the word of reconcilia- 
 tion. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though 
 God did beseech you by us : we pray you in Christ's stead, 
 
 similar meaning to the Greek, namely, to pass over the botmdary. This 
 passage explains the nature of the process of reconciliation. It is a very 
 simple one. It consists in the fact that in consequence of Christ's 
 mediatorial work, God no longer imputes sin to man, i. e. regards his 
 sin as though it had not been committed. Cf. Rom. iii. 25, iv. , viii. i. 
 Why this is so, and how it comes to pass that God is both 'just and the 
 justifier of him that believeth in Jesus,' the Apostle does not explain, nor 
 is any complete explanation given in Holy Scripture, which has con- 
 cerned itself on this point less with theoiy than with fact. See however 
 V. 15 — 18; also Rom. v. 8 — 11 ; Heb. ix. 12—14, 28, x. 10 — 14, &c. The 
 word here translated ii7ipited is translated indifferently by that word, 
 and by reckoned and accounted in the A. V. It signifies (i) to consider 
 (as in Rom. viii. 18), and hence (2) to consider a thing as having been 
 done, to reckon or impute. 
 
 and hath comtnitted unto us"] Literally, and placed in us (puttid in us^ 
 Wiclif). It signifies more than a simple entrusting with, including (i) 
 the reception of the reconciliation by the first preachers of the Gospel, 
 and (2) their proclamation of it as well by their lives as by their teaching. 
 
 the word of reconciliation'\ So Wiclif and the Rhemish Version. 
 Tyndale, Cranmer and the Geneva Version render the preaching of tJve 
 ato7tement. The Greek, which is here rendered by 'word,' signifies (i) 
 the abstract reason of a thing, (2) the discourse which is held about it, 
 and (3) the word which expresses it. The use of three distinct tenses in the 
 three members of this sentence is not a little remarkable. The imperfect, 
 used of God's reconciling work in Christ, relates to the continuation of 
 that work throughout the whole of His earthly ministry. The present, 
 in the word 'imputing,' signifies that this work of non-imputation is still 
 going on. The aorist, used in the word translated 'hath committed,' 
 relates to the moment when God 'accounted' St Paul 'faithful, putting 
 him into the ministry,' i Tim. i. 12. 
 
 20. No7v then ive are ambassadors for Chrisf] Literally, we under- 
 take an &ta}a9J&SY {legatione fu7tgimui% Vulgate; usen message, Wiclif). 
 Tyndale, followed by Cranmer and the Geneva Version, render, ajx 
 messengers in the roicme of The Rhemish characteristically renders by 
 legates. The signification 'in the room of,' for vnkp, is doubtful. It is 
 perhaps better to render 'for' with the A.V. (Vulgate,/;-^). Cf. Eph. 
 vi. 20. An ambassador represents the monarch from whom he is sent, 
 in all matters relating to his mission. What the nature of the mission 
 was, and what the powers of the ambassadors, is stated in the remaining 
 words of the verse. 
 
 as though God did beseech you by us'\ See notes on(*h. i. 3. God may 
 be said rather to exhort or encourage than to beseech {as if God monestith 
 bi us, Wiclif). This, then, was the object for which the full powers of 
 the ambassadors were given, an object still more clearly defined in what 
 follows. Cf. Mai. ii. 7; Gal. iv. 14. 
 
vv. 21 ; I, 2.J 11. CORINTHIANS, V. VI. jt, 
 
 be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin 21 
 for us, who knew no sin ; that we might be made the right- 
 eousness of God in him. 
 
 I — TO. How God^s Ministers carry on this Work of 
 Reconciliation. 
 We then, as workers together with hi?n, beseech you also 6 
 that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, a 
 
 we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God'\ Rather, we 
 Intreat on behalf of Christ (see above). First there M'as the encouraging 
 tidings that there was 'henceforth no condemnation' to those who 
 accepted the reconcihation offered through Christ (or perhaps the ex- 
 hortation to accept it, see last note), and next the still more urgent 
 entreaty on Christ's behalf that they would accept it. 
 
 21. For he hath made him to be sin for tis\ Literally, He made, i. e. 
 in the Sacrifice on the Cross. The word sin has been variously ex- 
 plained as a sin-offering, a sinner, and so on. But it is best to take the 
 word in its literal acceptation. He made Him to be sin, i. e. appointed 
 Him to be the representative of sin and sinners, treated Him as sin 
 and sinners are treated (cf. v. 15). He took on Himself to be the repre- 
 sentative of Humanity in its aspect of sinfulness (cf. Rom. viii. 3 ; Phil. 
 ii. 7) and to bear the burden of sin in all its completeness. Hence He 
 won the right to represent Humanity in all respects, and hence we are 
 entitled to be regarded as God's righteousness (which He was) not in 
 ourselves, but in Him as pur representative in all things. See also 
 V. 14. 
 
 who kneiv no sin\ Cf. Heb. iv. 15; i Pet. ii. 22 ; i John iiL 5; also 
 John viii. 46. 
 
 that we might be made the righteousness of God in him'\ We not only 
 are regarded as God's righteousness, but become so, by virtue of the in- 
 ward union effected between ourselves and Him by His Spirit, through 
 faith. See 57. 17 and note. "He did not say righteous, but righteous- 
 ness, and that the righteousness of God." Chrysostom. See also Bp 
 Wordsworth's note. Cf. Rom. i. 17, iii. 22, v. i^, x. 3; i Cor. i. 30. 
 
 Ch. VI. 1—10. How God's Ministers carry on this 
 Work of Reconciliation. 
 
 1. We then, as workers together with hiifi] Cf. i Cor. iii. 9, which, 
 together with the context here, shews that our translators, following the 
 Geneva Version, rightly supply 'with Him' here. The earlier transla- 
 tions render more literally. Wiclif, helpinge. Tyndale, as helpers. 
 
 beseech you] Better with the earlier versions exhort \?nonestcn, 
 Wiclif). See note on ch. i. 3, v. 20. 
 
 that ye receive not the grace of God in vain] i.e. that ye make not His 
 kindness in being reconciled to you through Jesus Christ useless by neg- 
 lecting to walk according to the new life He hath given you in Him 
 (ch. v. 17). That even the new life itself may be so received as to make 
 
74 n. CORINTHIANS, VI. [vv. 3, 4. 
 
 I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the 
 day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, 
 now is the accepted time ; behold, now is the day of salva- 
 
 3 tion.) Giving no offence in any f/iing, that the ministry be 
 
 4 not blamed : but in all f/imo^s approving ourselves as the 
 ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in neces- 
 
 its reception useless is clear from the words ' Every branch in Afe that 
 beareth not fruit He taketh away.' John xv. 2. "For lest they should 
 think that believing on Him that calleth is itself reconciliation, he adds 
 these words, requiring the earnestness which respects the life." 
 Chrysostom. 
 
 2. For he saitK\ In Isai. xlix. 8. The passage follows the LXX. 
 translation. 
 
 I have heard thee in a time accepted'\ The words in the original refer 
 to Christ. Here, however, they are applied to His Covenant people, 
 united to Him by faith and the communication of His Nature, and 
 therefore naturally entitled to expect the fulfilment of the promises made 
 to Him. "We know," says Calvin, "what is the relation between the 
 Head and the members. " 
 
 behold, noto is the accepted time] The word in the Greek is stronger 
 than before ; * the time oifavourable acceptance. ' Our translation is due to 
 Cranmer. Tyndale marks the distinction by translating accepted above, 
 and well accepted in this place. The Vulgate renders by accepto and 
 ctcceptabile. The life of the Christian is a continual acknowledgment in 
 life and conduct of the 'word of reconciliation' he has received. The 
 *time of favourable acceptance,' therefore, the *day of salvation,' is ever, 
 not in the past, but in the present. 
 
 3. Giving no offence in any thing] This verse is closely connected 
 in sense with v. \. St Paul now enters upon a long passage in which 
 he shews how the 'ministry of reconciliation' is practically carried on. 
 The demeanour of the Apostles towards those among whom they 
 preached the Gospel is as forcible a mode of proclaiming the reconcilia- 
 tion as their words. Yet he has not lost sight of the vindication of him- 
 self, which runs through the whole Epistle. You may judge for your- 
 self, he is saying in effect, whether this be the conduct to expect from one 
 charged with such a mission. 
 
 offence] The Greek word is derived from a verb signifying to dash to 
 the ground, and signifies, therefore, anything which causes one to fall. 
 the ministry] i. e. of reconciliation. See above. 
 
 4. approving] The word is the same as is translated 'commend' in 
 di. iii. I, and there is an obvious reference here to v. i — 3 of that chapter. 
 
 as the ministers of God] There is an ambiguity in the A. V. here. The 
 Apostle means *we, as ministers of God, recommend ourselves to those 
 to whom we minister' in the way afterwards mentioned, not that the 
 Apostles prove themselves to be ministers of God by their conduct. 
 Tyndale renders lei us behave ourselves as the ministers of God. 
 
 in much patience] Dean Stanley divides the means by which the 
 
w. K. 6.1 IT. CORINTHIANS, VI. 75 
 
 sities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, 5 
 in labours, in watchings, in fastings ; by pureness, by know- 6 
 ledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by 
 
 Apostle commended himself into four classes: (i) from patience (or 
 rather endurance) to 'fastings,' referring to the bodily sufferings of the 
 Apostle; (2) from 'pureness' to 'love unfeigned,' referring to the virtues, 
 that is, the manifestations of the Divine presence in St Paul; (3) from 
 'by the word of truth' to 'by evil report and good report,' referring 
 to the means whereby he was enabled to prove himself to be a true 
 minister of God ; and (4) the remainder, relating to the acceptation in 
 which the Apostles were held, and its contrast with the reality. Bengel 
 also would subdivide the first class into three triplets of sufferings. But 
 this is perhaps somewhat fanciful. 
 
 in afflictions] The word thus rendered is translated indifferently by 
 tribulations (Wiclif so renders it here) and afflictions in the A. V. See 
 note on ch. iv. 8. 
 
 in disti-esses'] See note on ch. iv. 8. 
 
 5. in stripes'] Cf ch. xi. 23, 24; Acts xvi. 23. 
 
 171 imprisonments'] Cf ch, xi. 23. The Acts of the Apostles, up to 
 this date, records only one such, namely that at Philippi, Acts xvi. 
 23 — 40. But the Acts is far from recording all the events of St Paul's 
 life. See notes on ch. xi. and on ch. i. 8. 
 
 in tiniiults] The word in the original signifies primarily unsettlement. 
 Cf margin of A. V., tossings to and fro. St Chrysostom would interpret 
 it of the uncertain dwelling-place of the Apostle. But the word came 
 to mean disorder or tumult. See Luke xxi. 9; i Cor. xiv. 33; James 
 iii. 16, as well as ch. xii. 20, where the word occurs. In these passages 
 moral disorder, not local unsettlement, is clearly implied. For the 
 tumults which the Apostle went through see Acts xiii. 50, xiv. 5, 19, 
 xvi. 22, xvii. 5, xviii. 12, xix. 23 — 41. 
 
 in labours] i.e. (i) the toils by which he supported himself (cf. Acts 
 xviii. 3, XX. 34; I Thess. ii. 9; 2 Thess. iii. 8); and (2) his labours for 
 the cause of Christ (cf Rom. xvi. 12; i Tim. iv. 10). 
 
 i7t watchings] Literally, sleeplessnesses, caused by "manual labour, 
 teaching, travelling, meditating, praying, cares and the like." Meyer. 
 
 in fastings] Since St Paul himself distinguished these fastings from 
 ordinary hunger and thirst (ch. xi. 27) we must do so also. "Not fast- 
 ing from want, but a voluntary exercise of abstinence." Calvin. Fasting, 
 we know, was practised under the new Covenant as well as the old. See 
 Acts xiii. 2, 3, xiv. 23. 
 
 6. by pureness] The preposition in the Greek is not changed here, 
 though the Apostle turns from outward to inward signs of his sincerity, 
 a change marked in our version by the use of 'by' for 'in.' Wiclif and 
 the Rhemish, following the Vulgate, give the more restricted sense 
 chastity hei^e. But see i Tim. v. 22; i Pet. i. 22; i John iii. 3. 
 
 by the Holy Ghost] i.e. by Whom we are inspired in our whole mind 
 and conduct. Cf Rom. viii. 4, 5; Gal. v. 16, 25. 
 
75 ir. CORINTHIANS, VI. [w. 7—10. 
 
 7 love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, 
 by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on 
 
 8 the left, by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good 
 
 9 report : as deceivers, and yet true ; as unknown, and yet 
 well known ; as dying, and behold, we live ; as chastened, 
 
 to and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, 
 
 unfeigned\ Love might easily enough be feigned for selfish purposes. 
 St Paul could appeal to his own career to shew that his love was as real 
 as its expression was ardent. Cf. v. 11 and note. Also Rom. xii. o, 
 where the Greek is the same as here. 
 
 7. by the word of triith'\ i. e. the Gospel of reconciliation, with which 
 he was entrusted. Cf. Gal. ii. 5; Eph. i. 13, iv. 11 ; Col. i. 5; 2 Tim 
 ii. 15; James i. 18. 
 
 by the pozver of Godi This is an expression very common in the N.T. ; 
 and, as Acts viii. 10 shews, was not confined to the Christian Church. 
 See Matt. xxii. 29; Luke ix. 43; Rom. i. 16; i Cor. i. 18, 24, «&c. 
 Also I Cor. iv. 19, 20, v. 4, and ch. xiii. 10. 
 
 by the annoitr of }-ightcousness\ Rather weapons {arjna, Vulgate). 
 The translation in the text — which we owe to Tyndale — is possibly 
 suggested by passages such as Eph. vi. 11, 13; i Thess. v. 8. Cf. 
 ch. X. 4. 
 
 on the right hand and on the left'] i. e. offensive and defensive, shield as 
 well as spear. 
 
 8. by honour and dishonour] The preposition is here changed in 
 the original, and not in our version. It means either by ineatis of or 
 by endurance of both of which senses are given by our English through. 
 The sense is that not only did he persevere through evil report and 
 good report, but that both were overruled to the furtherance of the 
 Gospel. 
 
 as deceivers^ and yet true] The Apostle now reaches the last division 
 of the modes in which he sets forth the genuineness of his mission. This 
 consists in the contrast between the ideas of his person and work formed 
 by the world without, and the fact of which he was conscious within. 
 The world (Matt, xxvii. 63) held Jesus Christ to be a deceiver, and 'the 
 disciple is not above his master.' 
 
 9. as unknown, and yet well known] The passage would be better 
 without the 'yet' interpolated by our translators (following Tyndale). 
 St Paul was 'unknown' to some, and 'well known' to others. Cf. 
 ch. iii. I, 2, iv. 2, v. 11. 
 
 as dying, and behold, we live] See ch. iv. 10, 11. Also Rom. viii. 36, 
 37; I Cor. iv. 9, XV. 31 ; Eph. ii. 6; Col. ii. 13, iii. i — 4. 
 
 as chaste7ied, and not killed] Cf. Ps. cxviii. 18, which was no doubt 
 in the Apostle's mind. Also ch. vii. 4. 
 
 10. as sorrowful, yet alway 7'ejoicing] Or afflicted, see ch. ii. 2. 
 What the afflictions of the Apostle were, is obvious enough. His 
 fount of joy was independent of things external. See Rom. v. 3, 11; 
 Phil. ii. 16, 17, iv. 4; I Thess. v. 16, and ch. xii. 10. 
 
vv. II, 12.] II. CORINTHIANS, VI. ^j 
 
 yet making many rich; as having nothing, and j^*.' possessing 
 all things, 
 
 1 1 — VII. I. Such a Mmisfry demands a suit able response 
 on the part of those on whose behalf it is exercised. 
 
 O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart n 
 is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are strait- 12 
 
 making many rich'\ With the riches of the Gospel. See Eph. i. 7, 1 8, 
 ii. 7, iii, 8, 16, &c. 
 
 possessing all things'] The whole passage bears a close similarity to 
 1 Cor. vii. 29 — 31, where, however, the turn given to the thought 
 assumes a converse form. It was in Christ that His ministers could 
 be said to possess all things. Cf. Rom. viii. 32; i Cor. iii. 22, 23. 
 Also Phil. iv. 13. 
 
 11— VII. 1. Such a Ministry demands a suitable response 
 
 ON THE PART OF THOSE ON WHOSE BEHALF IT IS EXERCISED. 
 
 11. our mouth is open unto you] i.e. we have spoken with perfect 
 frankness on all points, keeping nothing back, because we love you. 
 Chrysostom. Cf. ch. iii. 12. 
 
 our heart is enlarged] Rather, hath been enlarged, i.e. in what has 
 been said. Chrysostom quotes Rom. i. 11, 13; Gal.iv. 19; Eph. iii. 14; 
 Phil. i. 7, iv. i; Col. ii. i, 2; i Thess. ii. 7, 8, 19 as instances of St 
 Paul's love of the faithful. Cf. also Rom. xv. 32; 2 John 4; 
 3 John 3, 4. The expression refers to the expansive effect of love and 
 sympathy in the affections, just as we speak of a man of wide sympathies 
 as 'large-hearted.' The passages cited from the O.T. by Dean Stanley 
 (i Kings iv. 29; Ps. cxix. 32; Isai. Ix. 5) seem to have a somewhat 
 different signification, that of the enlargement and exaltation consequent 
 on the possession of intellectual, spiritual, or, in the last passage, it may 
 be even material advantages. Robertson observes here, "Now what 
 makes this remark wonderful in the Apostle's mouth is that St Paul had 
 received a multitude of provocations from the Corinthians. They had 
 denied the truthfulness of his ministry, charged him with interested 
 motives, sneered at his manner, and held up to scorn the meanness of 
 his appearance. In the face of this his heart expands !" 
 
 12. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own 
 boa.vels] i.e. "our heart is large enough to receive you and give you full 
 possession of our affections, but yours is too narrow to receive any one 
 but yourselves ;" for such would seem to be the meaning hinted at, 
 though not fully expressed, by the Apostle. The word bowels is a 
 Hebraism for loving-kindness. As instances of its use in the O. T.,' 
 take Cant. v. 4 ; Isai. xvi. 1 1 ; and in the New, Phil. ii. i . For straitened 
 {angwischid, Wiclif) see note on ch. iv. 8. The original meaning of the 
 word is to coop up in a narrow space. The word st}'aii in the sense of 
 narrozv (Latin, j/rzV^Mi-) was a common phrase when the A. V. was made. 
 
78 II. CORINTHIANS, VI. [w. 13—15. 
 
 rs ened in your own bowels. Now for a recompence in the 
 same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged. 
 
 14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers : for 
 what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? 
 
 [5 and what communion hath light with darkness ? and what 
 concord hath Christ with Belial ? or what part hath he that 
 
 e.g. Matt. vii. 13. It survives in modem English in such words as 
 
 straits, strait-tuaistcoat. 
 
 13. No-v for a recompence in the same'] * * St Paul details the circum- 
 stances of his ministry, and he asks in return, not the affection of the 
 Corinthians, nor their admiration, but this: that they 'receive not the 
 grace of God in vain,' and again *be ye also enlarged.'" Robertson. 
 Tyndale, whom Cranmer follows, has a curious mistranslation here, / 
 promyse yoii lyke reioarde with me as to my children. 
 
 be ye also cnlai-ged] i.e. return my affection by shewing a similar 
 sympathy with mine for all who are Christ's. 
 
 14. Be ye not tincqually yoked together with unbelievers] Dean S tanley 
 observes on the "remarkable dislocation of the argument here." But the 
 connection of thought is not difticult to trace. The only reward (see last 
 verse) St Paul sought from the Corinthians was conduct in accordance 
 with the Gospel of Christ. This was the best form their sympathy with 
 him could take. Therefore he touches on some of the points on which 
 they were in the habit of doing most violence to their Christian profession. 
 They did not keep sufficiently aloof from unbelievers, but even went so 
 far as to 'sit at meat' with them 'in the idol-temple' (see i Cor. viii., x., 
 and notes) and thus become partakers with them in their idolatry, whereby 
 they were the cause of infinite mischief to the souls of their brethren. 
 The reference in the words 'unequally yoked together' is to the precept 
 in Deut. xxii. ro, a precept, Hke many similar ones in the same chapter 
 (^vt>. 9, II, 12) and elsewhere in the Mosaic laws, manifestly figurative 
 in its character. The Apostle's words must not be confined to inter- 
 marriages with the heathen, though of course it includes them in the 
 prohibition. It refers to all kinds of close and intimate relations. "They 
 ai-e yoked together with unbelievers, who enter into close companionship 
 with them." Estius. 
 
 what fellowship] The word thus rendered here is not the same as 
 that rendered com7nnnion below, a word which (see notes on i Cor. i. 9, 
 X. 16) is itself rendered indifferently by commnnion a.n<\ fellowship in the 
 N. T. , but is derived from the word signifying to partake {partynge, 
 Wiclif), e.g. in i Cor. x. 17. See Eph. v. 7; also i Maccabees i. 
 13 — 15 and 2 John 11. 
 
 unrighteousness] Literally, lawlessness, the normal condition of the 
 heathen man, Rom. vi. 19, while the Christian is endowed with 'God's 
 righteousness,' ch. v. 21. 
 
 light with darkness] Cf. John i. 5, iii. 19, the one signifying the 
 condition of man in Christ, the other his condition without Christ. See 
 also Eph. V. 8 ; I Thess. v. 5 ; and ch. iv. 4. 
 
 15. Belial] This word, derived from two Hebrew ones signifying 'of 
 
w. i6, 17.] II. CORINTHIANS, VI. 79 
 
 believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the 16 
 temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the 
 living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, 
 and walk in them; and I will be their God, and 
 they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from 17 
 among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and 
 
 no profit,' was used in the O.T. (e.g. Deut. xiii. 13; i Sam. ii. 12) in 
 the phrase 'child,' 'son' or 'daughter of Belial,' to signify a worthless 
 person, and generally (as in Deut. xv. 9, in the Hebrew) as a substantive 
 signifying worthlessness. It seems to have been personified among the 
 later Jews (some such personification seems clearly indicated by the 
 language of the Apostle), and to have become a synonym for Satan. 
 Similarly we find the idea of Belial presented in Judges xix. 22 personi- 
 fied by Milton in Paradise Lost, Book I. 490. But we must guard 
 against importing the imaginations of the poet into the interpretation of 
 the Scriptures. 
 
 16. what agi-eetnent hath the temple of God with idols 71 Cf. i Cor. 
 iii. 16, 17, vi. 19, 20, viii. 10, x. 14 — 21. St Paul does not lay stress on 
 the abuse of liberty to which he devotes so large a portion of the first 
 Epistle (see note on v. 14), but we may gather from this hint that there 
 was still some need of improvement in this particular as well as in the 
 general relations of Christians with heathens. 
 
 for ye are the temple of the living God] Cf. i Cor. iii. 16; Eph. 
 ii. 21, 22; I Tim. iii. 15; Heb. iii. 6; i Pet. ii. 5. 
 
 as God hath said] The Apostle here combines, as was customary 
 among Jewish teachers. Lev. xxvi. 11, 12 with Ezek. xxxvii. 26, 27, 
 xliii. 7 (cf. also Zech. ii. 10, 11). The citation is in many respects 
 verbally accurate, but it is a citation, no doubt, from memory. The 
 Apostle has, however, given a Christian turn to his translation. The 
 Hebrew cannot be shewn to mean more than ' I will dwell among them.' 
 The LXX., in the remarkable word ifiirepLiraT-qcro}, seeins to have antici- 
 pated the Christian idea of the indwelhng of God in His people. But the 
 Apostle was evidently also thinking of some words of Christ, known to 
 him by tradition, and afterwards recorded by the Evangelist St John in 
 such passages as John vi. 56, xvii. 21, 23. 
 
 and I will be their God, and they shall be my people] St Paul here 
 boldly transfers the prophecies that relate to the earthly Israel to the 
 spiritual Israel, the Christian Church. Cf. Rom. ix. 25, 26; t Cor. 
 x. I — 11; Gal. iv. 26; Heb. xii. 22; i Pet. ii. 9, 10; Rev. iii. 12, 
 xxi. 2, 10. 
 
 17. Wherefore come ozitfrom amoJtg them] A combination of Isai. 
 Iii. II with Ezek. xx. 34. This passage must be read in conjunction 
 with I Cor. v. 10, and must be understood not of absolute separation, 
 but of abstinence from any kind of intimacy. "Wherever union in the 
 highest cannot be, wherever idem velle atqiie idem nolle is impossible, 
 there friendship and intimate partnership must not be tried." Robert- 
 son. . - 
 
 II. COR. 6 
 
8o II. CORINTHIANS, VI. VII. [w. i8; i, 2. 
 
 touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 
 18 and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and 
 7 daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore 
 
 these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves 
 
 from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness 
 
 in the fear of God. 
 
 2 — 16. Exhortation to set aside all suspicio7i and to confide in 
 the Apostle's love a?id zeal for their spiritual well-being. 
 
 2 Receive us ; we have wronged no man, we have cor- 
 
 and touch not the unclean thing\ The passage (see Isai. lii. 11) refers 
 to the priests and Levites, and relates to the ceremonial defilement 
 caused by contact with whatever was unclean. See for instance Lev. 
 xi. 8, 24, 31 — 40; also Rev. xviii. 4. 
 
 18. saith the Lord Almighty] Another combination of various 
 passages. See 2 Sam. vii. 14; Isai. xliii. 6; Ezek. xi. 20, xiv. 11, 
 xxxvii. 27. 
 
 Ch. VII. 1. Having therefore these pro77iises\ Literally, promises 
 such as these {soche promeses, Tyndale and Cranmer), i. e. those that 
 have just been mentioned. 
 
 let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness] Rather, defilement (see last 
 note but two), sin taking the place of 'the unclean thing' under the law. 
 For what is meant by defilement in the case of a Christian, see Matt. 
 XV. 18 — 20; Mark vii. 20 — 23, where, however, the word translated 
 'defile' means to make common, i.e. to reduce to the same condition as 
 the rest of mankind. Here it is the stain of sin which is the pre- 
 dominant idea. 
 
 of the flesh and spirit] i. e. inward as well as outward. See i Sam. 
 xvi. 7; Matt. xii. 34, 35. The outward defilement is caused by sins of 
 \\\& fleshy or bodily part of man, the inward by those of the spirit, such 
 as pride, unbelief, and the like. 
 
 perfecting holiness in the fear of God] Perfection, and nothing less, is 
 to be the aim of the Christian. Cf Matt. v. 48; Rom. xii. 2; Col. i. 22, 
 28, iv. 12. With this view he is to cleanse himself daily by sincere re- 
 pentance from every defilement of sin, and to watch that he offend not 
 in like kind again. Cf. also i Thess. iv. 3; i Pet. iii. 15. The fear of 
 offending God (cf. ch. v. u) is a very necessary element in the process 
 of sanctification. "We cannot do without awe: there is no depth of 
 character without it. Tender motives are not enough to restrain from 
 sin." Robertson. 
 
 2 — 16. Exhortation to set aside all suspicion and to 
 
 CONFIDE IN THE ApOSTLE's LOVE AND ZEAL FOR THEIR 
 SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING. 
 
 2. Receive us] Literally, Make room for us ('capaces estote nostri,' 
 Erasmus and Calvin. Tyndale and Cramner, incorrectly, understonde 
 
vv. 3, 4-1 ri. CORINTHIANS, VII. Si 
 
 rupted no man^ we have defrauded no man. I speak not 3 
 this to condemn you : for I have said before, that you are 
 in our hearts to die and live with you. Great is my bold- 4 
 
 ns). The word here used is to be found in the sense oi having room for 
 in Mark ii. 2 ; John ii. 6, xxi. 25. Tliese words have reference to ch. vi. 
 12, 14, where see notes. Tlie connection of what follows with what 
 has just preceded is to be found in the thought which underlies the 
 whole, that St Paul's only desire is the spiritual advancement of his 
 flock. 
 
 we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded 
 no man] Perhaps these words should be rendered 'we wronged, 
 corrupted, defrauded no man,' i. e. during the course of our ministry at 
 Corinth. St Paul here refers to the charges brought against him. He 
 had been accused of ivronging the Corinthians by claiming an authority 
 to which he had no right, and which he turned to his own account (see 
 I Cor. ix. I — 6; 2 Cor. i. 12 — 17, v. 12, vi. 3, 4, 12, x. 7 — 11, xi. 7, 
 xii. 14); of <r^rr//r//'/;?^ them by preaching false doctrine, ii. 17, iv, 2 (un- 
 less, with Thomas Aquinas, \\t interpret it oi bad example) ; o^ defrand- 
 ingXh^m., xii. 17, 18, where the word here used is translated 'make a 
 gain of.' To this he replies by challenging them to prove their asser- 
 tions, to name a single instance in which he had done either. Dr 
 Plumptre regards the words 'corrupted' and 'defrauded' as referring to 
 sensual sin, and illustrates by the revolting charges of immorality 
 l)rought against the Christians by those who misinterpreted their 
 brotherly and sisterly affection. It is true that the word here translated 
 'defrauded' seems to have a reference to something more than mere greed 
 of gain. See note on r Cor. v. 10, ir. Still, the word translated 'cor- 
 rupted' and its derivatives do not appear to have had any such restricted 
 sense in St Paul. See, for instance, r Cor. iii. 17, ch. xi. 3 of this 
 Epistle; and, in a less degree, Eph. iv. 22. And, however common 
 such charges were in the days of Minucius Felix and Tertullian, they 
 are not hinted at elsewhere in Scripture, but rather the contrary. See 
 I Pet. iv. 4 ; 2 Pet. ii. 2. 
 
 3. I speak not this to condemn yon] "It might seem as if this were 
 spoken at them with indirect reproach. Therefore he adds, 'I am not 
 reproaching you for past injustice: I only say these things to assure you 
 of my undiminished love.' " Robertson. 
 
 for I have said before] See ch. i. 6, iv. 10 — 12, 15, v. 11, 13 — 15. 
 
 yoic are in our hearts to die and live with you] "There is one thing in 
 the character of St Paul which often escapes observation. Carlyle calls 
 him an 'unkempt Apostle Paul,' and some say of him, ' he was a man rude, 
 brave, true, unpolished.' We ail know his integrity, his truth, his 
 daring, his incorruptible honesty. But besides these, there was a refined 
 and delicate courtesy, which was for ever taking off the edge of his 
 sharpest rebukes, and sensitively anticipating every pain his words might 
 give." Robertson. He refers to Philemon 8, 12, 14, 17 — 20; Acts 
 xxvi. 29; and Phil. iii. 18. See also i Cor. iv. 14; 2 Cor. vi. 11 — 13, 
 ix. 4, and the whole of the present chapter. Robertson's whole coro- 
 
 6—2 
 
82 II. CORINTHIANS, VII. [w. 5, 6, 
 
 ness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you : I 
 am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our 
 
 5 tribulation. For, when we were come into Macedonia, our 
 flesh had no rest, but we ivere troubled on every side; with- 
 
 6 out were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, 
 that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by 
 
 mentary on this chapter is invaluable to any one who desires to grasp 
 the full meaning of the Apostle. For the expression 'in our hearts,' see 
 Phil. i. 7. The commentators have pointed out a similar expression to 
 that in the text in Horace, Odes, ill. 9. 24, "Tecum vivereamem, tecum 
 obeam libens." Wordsworth refers to the Theban sacred band, and to 
 a similar passage in Athenaeus. But a deeper meaning is suggested by 
 a comparison of ch. iv. 10, ii, 12 and notes. Also cf. ch. iii. 2. 
 
 4. Great is my boldness of speech toward you^ Cf. note on ch. 
 iii. 12. 
 
 great is my glorying of yoii\ See notes on ch. i. 14 and ch. v. 12. The 
 word here signifies not the ground of rejoicing or boasting, but, as A. V., 
 the act itself. St Paul explains his boldness of speech by the confidence 
 he has that it will not be misplaced. This is another instance of the 
 delicate tact of the Apostle referred to above. 
 
 comfort] For this word and tribulation, see notes on ch. i. 3, 4. So 
 also below in w. 6, fi. 
 
 I am exceeding joyful] Literally, I abound ovennuch with joy. The 
 English word exceedingly has lost much of its original force. 
 
 5. For, when we were come into Macedo7iia\ See Acts xx. i, and 
 ch. ii. 13. 
 
 otcr flesh had jio rest] The word translated rest means rather ease, re' 
 mission of care. The phrase is precisely the same as in ch. ii. 13, with 
 the substitution of 'flesh' for 'spirit.' The change of expression is 
 noticeable, and must imply that St Paul's inward anguish, like that of other 
 men, seriously affected his bodily health. See Robertson's note. There 
 is a peculiar vividness in the Greek and in ch. ii. 13 here, which can 
 hardly be reproduced in a translation. 
 
 without were fightings, tuithin were fears] Literally and more empha- 
 tically, fightings without, fears within {without forth figtyngis and 
 dredis withynne, Wiclif). The first were probably controversies with 
 gainsayers such as always attended St Paul's fervent preaching of the 
 Gospel. A 'door,' we read, had been opened to him at Ti-oas (see 
 note on ch. ii. 12). What results were likely to follow from this we 
 learn from Acts xiii. 45, xiv. 4, 5, 19, xvi. 19, xvii. 5 — 8, 13, &c. What 
 the fears were scarcely needs explanation. They related to the mission 
 of Titus and its reception by the Corinthians. 
 
 6. those that are cast dozun] The word raveivos, says Dean Stanley, 
 never (except in metaphors in the N.T) has the meaning of 'humble,' 
 but only acquired such a meaning in later times to express the Christian 
 grace of humilit)'. It occurs in Matt. xi. 29; Luke i. 52; James iv. 6; 
 I Pet. V. 5. In Rom. xii. i6 and in James i. 9 it is translated menoflozo 
 degree, or estate. See also note on ch. x. i. The substantive formed 
 
vv. 7—9.] II. CORINTHIANS, Vlt. 83 
 
 the coming of Titus ; and not by his comng only, but by 7 
 the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when 
 he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent ' 
 mind toward me ; so that I rejoiced the more. For though 8 
 I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I 
 did repent : for I perceive that the same epistle hath made 
 you sorry, though // were but for a season. Now I rejoice, 9 
 
 from it is translated humility and hwnbleness of mind ^ save in Phil. ii. 3, 
 where we have lowliness of mind ; while the verb is used in Luke iii. 5 of 
 the hills being made low, and in Phil. ii. 8 of what is called the 
 'humiliation' of Christ. 
 
 by the coming of Titus'] " 'By the coining and presence of Titus,' as in 
 the frequent use of the word to describe the Advent of Christ." Stanley. 
 See Matt. xxiv. 3; i Cor. xv. 23; i Thess. ii. 19, iii. 13, iv. 15; 
 1 Thess. ii. i, &c. 
 
 7. and not by his coming only, bid by the consolatioti\ See ch. ii. 14, 
 which is explained by this passage. It was not the mere presetueoi Titus, 
 but the tidings he brought, which so rejoiced the Apostle. 
 
 fervent mind] Literally, zeal [lone, Wiclif). Our translation is due 
 to Tyndale, who seems to have borne in mind the derivation of the word 
 from a verb signifying to boil up. Meyer translates it 'your warm 
 interest in me,' and explains by 'to appease me, to obey me and the 
 like.' The word has also an evil sense in '$)Qx'\^\\\x^— jealousy, as in 
 I Cor. iii. 3; Gal. v. 20; and ch. xii. 20. There is an instance of an 
 intermediate sense in ch. xi. 2. It seems to signify any warm or strong 
 feeling with regard to a person, whether for good or for evil. 
 
 8. zvith a letter] Rather, by the letter, i. e. the First Epistle. 
 though I did repent] "There was a moment in the Apostle's life 
 
 when he half regretted what he had done. To some persons this would 
 be perplexing. They cannot understand how an inspired Apostle could 
 regret what he had done : if it were done by inspiration, what room could 
 there be for misgivings? And if he regretted an act done under God's 
 guidance, just as any common man might regret a foolish act, how could 
 the Apostle be inspired? But this, which might perplex some, exhibits 
 the very beauty and naturalness of the whole narrative. God's inspira- 
 tion does not take a man and make a passive machine of him. When 
 God inspires. His spirit mixes with the spirit of man in the form of 
 thought, not without struggles and misgivings of the human element. 
 Otherwise it would not be inspiration of the man, but simply a Divine 
 echo through the man." Robertson. Similar conflicts of the human 
 with the Divine in the inspired writers maybe seen in Exod. iv. 10 — 14, 
 vi. 12; Jer. i. 6 — 9, xiv. 13, xx. 7 — 9, 14 — 18, and in the whole 
 book of j[onah. 
 
 for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry] There are a 
 good many various readings here, and the editors have adopted various 
 punctuations, possibly from the difficulty mentioned in the last note. 
 But in truth there need be no such difficulty. The right course was 
 
84 II. CORINTHIANS, VII. [v. lo. 
 
 not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repent- 
 ance : for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye 
 might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow 
 worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of : but 
 
 that taken in the First Epistle, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 
 But after the Epistle was sent, the tender human heart of St Paul 
 doubted whether he had done right, whether he had not given unneces- 
 sary pain, and the hke, and his mind was not fully set at rest on the 
 point until the arrival of Titus shewed him clearly the hand of God 
 in the matter. Such self-questionings are constantly going on in the 
 mind of eveiy conscientious man, even when he has been acting most 
 thoroughly under the guidance of God's Spirit. The word here trans- 
 lated viac/e Sony, which is owing to Wiclif, is the same word which in 
 ch. ii. is rendered 'caused grief and 'grieved.' 
 
 9. Now I rejoice, not that ye wei'e made sorry\ Another instance of 
 the tender consideration of St Paul (see note on v. 3). He will not run 
 the risk of being supposed, even for a moment, to have taken pleasure 
 in others' pain. 
 
 repentance'X It cannot be too strongly insisted upon that the Greek 
 Avord translated repentance {penatmce, Wiclif and the Rhemish Version) 
 contains neither the idea of sorrow nor of penitential discipline. The 
 word means change of mind or purpose. Sorrow may or may not 
 accompany it. In most cases, as in this, it will do so. But the essence 
 of Gospel repentance is not the sorrow it produces, but the change it 
 works. The word translated repent in ?y. 8 is a different wofd, and has 
 precisely the meaning usually in our days attached to the word repentatice. 
 It, or its cognate verb, only occurs here and in Matt. xxi. -29, 32, xxvii. 
 3, and Heb. vii. 21. It is a misfortune that the A. V. has employed 
 the same word to express two very different ideas. 
 
 after a godly manner'] The original is stronger, according to God, 
 i e. in such a manner as He had commanded or would approve. Cf. 
 Rom. viii. 27. 
 
 receive damage] The word signifies to suffer injury or loss. See 
 Matt. xvi. 26, where it is translated lose; Luke ix. 25. where it is trans- 
 lated cast aivay. See also i Cor. iii. 15. Wiclif renders here suffer 
 pairement; Tyndale, ye zvere hurte; the Rhemish, well, suffer detriment. 
 
 10. For godly sorrozv xvorketh repctitance] Rather, For the sorrow 
 which is according to God {that is aftir God, Wiclif) worketh change of 
 mind. The difference between the true repentance and the false 
 remorse may be illustrated by the cases of David and Saul, St Peter and 
 Judas. 
 
 to salvation not to be repented of] Or not to be regretted, the word here 
 used involving the idea of sorrow or anxiety. It is by most commentar 
 tors connected with salvation, as though that were the result not to be 
 regretted. But it may as naturally be referred to the change of mind. 
 "The beautiful law is," says Robertson, "that in proportion as the 
 repentance increases, the grief diminishes. *I rejoice,' says St Paul, 
 
vv. II, 12.] II. CORINTHIANS, VII. 85 
 
 the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this n 
 selfsame things that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what 
 carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of your- 
 selves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what 
 vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge ! In 
 all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this 
 matter. Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, / did it not 12 
 for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause 
 
 * that I made you sorry, though it were hut for a time^ Grief for a time, 
 but repentance for ever." 
 
 bid the sorrow of the world] i. e. of the world untouched and un- 
 regenerated by the Spirit of God — the sorrow of the natural man, " the 
 opposite of the soitow according to God." Stanley. See t Cor. ii. 14. 
 
 worketh death] Death of the body, sometimes, as when despair tempts 
 to suicide, or brings on deadly sickness. Death of the said, when 
 sorrow fails to melt the heart, but leads it to that state of rebellious 
 stubbornness, of entire alienation from God, which is expressed in the 
 words "hardness of heart and contempt of His word and command- 
 ment." Cf. Prov. xvii. 22. 
 
 11. after a godly sort] See note on last verse. 
 
 what carefulness] Literally, diligence (so Tyndale and Cranmer; 
 bisynes, Wiclif; moral earnestness, Robertson). See Mark vi. 25; 
 Luke i. 39, where it is translated haste. 
 
 xvhat clearing of yourselves] Literally, defence or excuse, but a better 
 translation than that in the text is impossible. 
 
 indignation] or vexation, a sort of feeling between indignation and 
 disgust at themselves for having been 'puffed up,' and not having 
 
 * rather mourned that he thajt had done this deed had not been taken 
 away from among them.* i Cor. v. 2. 
 
 fear] Ne ctim virga venirem. Bengel. See i Cor. iv. 21, and z'. 15. 
 Or, perhaps, fear of God's wrath. See v. i. But cf. note below. 
 
 vehement desire] Rather, longing, i.e. for St Paul's presence (see 
 Phil. i. 8, ii. 26; i Thess. iii. 6; also ch. v. 2, ix. 14). The same 
 word in v. 7 is translated earnest desire. Theophylact detects here 
 another instance of the anxiety of the Apostle not to lay too much 
 stress on his authority. To the idea of fear he immediately subjoins 
 that of affection. 
 
 zeal] {a fervent mynde, Tyndale). See note on v. 7. 
 
 revenge] picnysshiiient, Tyndale. The word is used of punishment 
 inflicted by judicial process. See Luke xviii. 3. Also ch. x. 6. Such 
 a process had taken place in this case. Cf. i Cor. v. 4, 5, with 2 Cor. 
 ii, 6. Bengel remarks that the six results mentioned by the Apostle 
 fall into six pairs. The first two relate to their feelings towards them- 
 selves, the next to their feelings towards the Apostle, the last to their 
 feelings towards the offender and his offence. 
 
 12. for his cause that had done the wrong\ See i Cor. v. i. 
 
86 II. CORINTHIANS, VII. [w. 13-16. 
 
 that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of 
 
 r3 God might appear unto you. Therefore we were comforted 
 in your comfort : yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we 
 for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you 
 
 t4 all. For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am 
 not ashamed ; but as we spake all thifigs to you in truth, 
 even so our boasting, which / made before Titus, is found a 
 
 [5 truth. And his inward affection is more abundant toward 
 you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how 
 
 1 5 with fear and trembling you received him. I rejoice there- 
 fore that I have confidence in you in all things. 
 
 nor for Ms cause that suffered ivrong\ From this it has been inferred 
 that the father of the offender was still alive. 
 
 but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear tinto you"] 
 Many MSS., versions, and editors read that your care for tis might 
 appear to you. "Whichever be the true reading, the alteration has either 
 sprung from a desire to alter the passage into conformity with the sup- 
 posed meaning of the Apostle, or from similarity of sound, in the case of 
 a copyist writing from oral dictation. Either reading would make good 
 sense, but that in the text is more probable for two reasons: (r) the 
 Apostle has been all along insisting on the purity of his motives and on 
 his unfeigned affection for his Corinthian converts (ch. ii. 17, iv. 2); 
 and {2) it seems rather unlikely that he should have wished the Cor- 
 inthians to manifest their earnestness in his behalf unto themselves. See, 
 however, on the other hand, ch. ii. 9, and cf Calvin, who says "St Paul 
 congratulates the Corinthians on having learned at length by this test, 
 how they were disposed towards him." The word here translated care 
 is the same as that rendered carefulness in the last verse. 
 
 13. Therefore we were comforted in yotcr camfoj-t'] Most modern 
 editors punctuate as follows : ' Therefore we were comforted. And in 
 addition to (or in consequence of) our comfort we rejoiced a very great 
 deal more at the joy of Titus,' 'our' being read for the 'your' of the 
 A.V. 
 
 exceedingly the more] See note on v. 4. 
 
 14. / am not ashamed] Rather, *I was not ashamed,' i.e. at his 
 return. 
 
 but as xve spake] i. e. when we were with you. 
 
 - 15. his inward affectioji] Bowels^ margin. See note on ch. vi. 1 2. 
 The translation here is Tyndale's. 
 
 more abundant] Literally, more exceeding^. See note on v. 4. 
 
 the obedience of you all] Cf. ch. ii. 9, and x. 6. 
 
 16. / rejoice therefore] Our translation follows the Geneva version 
 here. There is no 'therefore' in the best MSS. and versions. It is 
 found neither in Wiclif, Tyndale, nor Cranmer. And the somewhat 
 abrupt conclusion is in harmony with St Paul's style. Cf. i Cor. v. 13, 
 where a similar attempt has been made by some copyist to soften down 
 the abruptness. 
 
w. I, 2.] II. CORINTHIANS, VIII. 87 
 
 Ch. VIII., IX. The Collection for the poor Saints at 
 Jerusale?n. 
 
 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God 8 
 bestowed on the churches of Macedonia ; how that in a 2 
 great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their 
 
 that I have confidence in yoti] Tyndale and Cranmer translate that I 
 may be bolde over yoti. Our version here again follows the Geneva 
 Bible. Wiclif renders trist. But the word is not that usually rendered 
 'have confidence' in the N. T. The Apostle's meaning is rather, that 
 in every thing I am of good courage in consequence of yonr condtict. 
 From this chapter, says Robertson, we learn "the value of explanations. 
 Had St Paul left the matter unsettled, or only half settled, there never 
 could have been a hearty understanding between him and the Corinthians. 
 Whenever there is a misunderstanding between man and man, the true 
 remedy is a direct and open request for explanation." Cf. Matt, xviii. 
 15—17. 
 
 Ch. VIII., IX. The Collection for the poor Saints at 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 The somewhat abrupt commencement of this chapter is explained by 
 a reference to 1 Cor. xvi. See notes there (and also Acts xxiv. 17; 
 Rom. XV. 25 — 27). The plain directions there given by the Apostle 
 render it unnecessary for him to enter into any explanation of his mean- 
 ing here. Therefore the Corinthians are simply stirred up by the example 
 of other Churches, and by considerations drawn from the nature of the 
 Christian religion, to be forward in that good work. 
 
 1. we do you to wit] The translation is Tyndale's. "Wiclif trans- 
 lates literally, we make known to you. Cranmer, I ctrtifye you (cf. 
 Calvin, certiores vos facio). The word wit is derived from the Anglo- 
 Saxon tvitan, the German wissen, Shakespeare's wis, to know, and do 
 is here used in the sense of make. Cf. i Cor. xii. 3, xv. i, and Gal. i. 
 1 1, where the same Greek Avord is used. 
 
 the grace of God] i.e. the favour He had shewed them in thus making 
 them partakers of His Spirit. 
 
 bestoived on] Rather, in. {Giveti in, Tyndale. So Wyclif and the 
 Rhemish Version.) St Paul would imply that though given by God, it 
 is manifested in their conduct. 
 
 the churches of Macedonia] The Thessalonians and the Philippians, 
 and probably the Beroeans. It is observable that a holy emulation is a 
 spirit quite consistent with the principles of the Gospel. Though we 
 are not to seek the praise of men, we may not despise their example. 
 "I wish you to know, how much good God has wrought in them." 
 Estius. 
 
 2. trial] The Greek word is always used of that which has been 
 tried and has stood the test. See notes on i Cor. xi. 19 and James i, 12 
 in this series. The meaning here is that tribulation has brought out the 
 
88 II. CORINTHIANS, VIII. [w. 3— 5. 
 
 deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. 
 
 3 For to their power, I bear record, yea^ and beyond their 
 
 4 power they were willing of themselves ; praying us with 
 much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon 
 
 5 us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this 
 
 genuine Christian qualities of the Macedonian Churches. For this tri- 
 bulation see I Thess. i. 6, ii. 14; Acts xvii. 5. 
 
 afflictioitX Translated more usually tribulation. See note on ch. 
 i. 4. The Apostle refers to the persecutions which they shared with 
 him, which, if not endured in the proper spirit, would have shut them 
 up in the contemplation of their own soitows, instead of making them 
 anxious to relieve those of others. 
 
 the abundance of their joy and their deep povertyl Cf. i Cor. i. 26. 
 *'In spite of their troubled condition they had displayed great joyful- 
 ness, and in spite of their poverty they had displayed great liberality." 
 De Wette. The Geneva Version instead of 'deep poverty' has the 
 poverty which had consumed them even to the very bottom. The literal 
 rendering of deep is down to the depth, or according to depth. ** Mu- 
 nificence," says Chrysostom, "is determined not by the measure of 
 what is given, but by the mind of those who bestow it." Cf. Luke 
 xxi. 3. "The condition of Greece in the time of Augustus was one of 
 great desolation and distress... It had suffered severely by being the 
 seat of the successive civil wars between Caesar and Pompey, between 
 the triumvirs and Brutus and Cassius, and lastly, between Augustus 
 and Antonius... The provinces of Macedonia and Achaia petitioned in 
 the reign of Tiberius for a diminution of their burdens, and were con- 
 sidered deserving of compassion." Arnold's Roman Cofnmonwealth. 
 Corinth (see Introduction to First Epistle), from its position, would no 
 doubt recover more speedily from such a condition of depression. 
 
 the riches of their liberality'] {singleness, Tyndale and Cranmer, sim- 
 plicity, Rhemish, after Vulgate). It is worth remarking that nowhere, 
 save in i Tim. vi. 17, does St Paul use the word riches of material, but, 
 with that one exception, solely of moral or spiritual wealth. Dean 
 Stanley remarks on the fact that both the Greek word translated libe- 
 rality, and its English equivalent, have a double meaning, the original 
 meaning of the Greek word being singleness of heart, absence of all 
 selfish motives (see ch. i. 12), and that of the English word the habit of 
 mind engendered by a state of freedom. 
 
 3. ■willing of themselves] Willy nge of their owne accorde, Tyndale. 
 Literally, of their own choice, not excluding, however, as Meyer well 
 remarks, Divine, but only human, intiuence in the matter. 
 
 4. intreaty] Monestynge, Wiclif; instaiince, Tyndale. Exhorta- 
 tion, Rhemish. See note on ch. i. 3. 
 
 that we woidd receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship] A 
 more literal rendering would be, praying of us the gift and fellowship 
 (perhaps we may take this as a Hebraism, meaning 'the favour of the 
 fellowship'), i.e. that the Apostle would allow them to take part in the 
 good work. The word here translated gift is the same which is usu- 
 
vv. 6—8.] II. CORINTHIANS, VIII. 89 
 
 they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to 
 the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. Insomuch that e 
 we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also 
 finish in you the same grace also. Therefore, as ye 7 
 abound in every thing, i?i faith, and utterance, and know- 
 ledge, and i?i all diligence, and in your love to us, se{ 
 that ye abound in this grace also. I speak not by com- s 
 
 ally translated gt-ace in the N.T. See note on ch. i. 12. . And the 
 words 'that we would receive' are not in the best MSS. and versions. 
 
 5. And this they didX The words tJiis they did are not in the ori- 
 ginal. They were added by Tyndale in order to explain the meaning 
 of the passage. The construction of the Greek is not clear, but the 
 general sense is that by the readiness of their offers of service and by 
 their devotion to God, the Macedonians had surpassed St Paul's expec- 
 tations. 
 
 first gave their oivn selves'] First here may be a reference to the 
 order of time, but it is better, with most commentators, to understand it 
 of the order of importance; 'above all.' Alford. For a similar ex- 
 pression see the Greek of John i. 27, 30. 
 
 ttJtd unto tis] The sense requires 'and theti unto us,' i.e. as God's 
 ministers and representatives. Cf. Acts xv. 28. 
 
 by the will of God] See note on v. 3. It was God's Will that they 
 should have the power to act thus, if they were willing to carry out His 
 Will. Cf. I Thess. iv. 3, v. 18; i Tim. ii. 4. 
 
 6. Insomuch that we desired Titus] Titus, it seems clear by the 
 words 'as he had begun,' went a second time to Corinth before the 
 Apostle arrived there (see, however, note on v. 18). His first visit began, 
 his second completed the collection for the saints. For desired see 
 ch. i. 3, the word receiving a great variety of translations in the N. T. 
 Perhaps incited (or urged) would be the best translation here. 
 
 finish] Literally, complete. 
 
 inyoii] Literally, unto you. "Ergavos." Estius. 
 
 the same grace also] See note on v. 4. The Greek word is the same 
 in both instances. The grace or favour is either ( i ) (see last note) the 
 work of love which St Paul had accomplished in Macedonia, that of 
 stirring up their zeal in giving; or (2) it may refer to the good work 
 which God performed in their souls by means of His ministers, in draw- 
 ing out all the best qualities of their renewed humanity. 
 
 7. as ye abotmd] Cf. i Cor. i. 5. 
 
 i7i all diligence] See note on ch. vii. 11. 
 
 your love to zis] Some copies read our love to you. 
 
 this grace also] The word here, as in the last verse, seems to bear 
 more the signification known to us in the phrase 'Christian graces' 
 than in most places in which it occurs. The passage should perhaps 
 run see that ye also abound (literally exceed, see note on ch. vii, 
 4) in this grace, i.e. act of favour or kindness (see last verse).. We 
 
90 IL CORINTHIANS, VIII. [w. 9, 10. 
 
 mandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, 
 9 and to prove the sincerity of your love. For ye know the 
 
 grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, 
 
 yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his 
 10 poverty might be rich. And herein I give my advice : for 
 
 this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only 
 
 may observe that faith and utterance and the like were of little avail 
 without love. See i Cor. viii. i, xiii.; i Pet. i. 5 — 7. 
 
 8. / speak not by cotJiniandmeni\ The Apostles "never spoke as 
 dictators." Robertson. See ch. i. 24, and v. 10, as well as i Cor. 
 vii. 6, 25; Philemon 8, 9, 13, 14, and i Pet. v. 3. 
 
 by occasion of the forivardness of others^ Because other are so fervent. 
 Tyndale. 
 
 sincei'ity'] Literally, genuineness. Cf. Phil. iv. 3; i Tim. i. 2; 
 Tit. i. 4. The original meaning is of legitimate as opposed to illegiti- 
 mate birth. 
 
 9. For ye kno7v the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ'\ In St Paul's 
 eyes "Christ is the reference for everything. To Christ's life and 
 Christ's Spirit St Paul refers all questions, both practical and specula- 
 tive, for solution." Robei'tson. For gi-ace see above, vv. 4, 6. Tyn- 
 dale and some of the other versions render it here by liberality, and 
 Estius interprets by beneficentia. 
 
 though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor"] Rather, being 
 rich (cf. St John iii. 13 in the Greek and ch. xi. 31). There is no was in 
 the original. Jesus Christ did not cease to be rich vi'hen He made Him- 
 self poor. He did not cease to be God when He became Man. For became 
 poor we should perhaps translate, made Himself a beggar. The aorist 
 refers to the moment when He became Man ; and the word translated /^^r 
 seems rather to require a stronger word. ("Apostolus non dixit pauper 
 sed egenus. Plus est egenum esse quam pauperem." Estius.) The 
 word (which seems "to have almost superseded the common word for 
 poverty in the N.T." Stanley) is connected with the root to fly, to fall, 
 and yet more closely with the idea of co^vering, and seems to indicate 
 a more abject condition than mere poverty. For the word, see Matt. 
 V. 3, also ch. vi. 10, and v. 2 of this chapter. For the idea cf. Matt, 
 viii. 20; Phil. ii. 6 — 8. 
 
 that ye through his poverty might be rich] We could only attain to 
 God by His bringing Himself down to our level. See John i, 9 — 14, 
 18, xii. 45, xiv. 9; Col. i. 15; Heb. i. 3. And by thus putting Him- 
 self on an equality with us He enriched us with all the treasures that 
 dwell in Him. Cf. Eph. i. 7, 8, ii. 5 — 7, iii. 16—19; Col. ii. 2, 3, 
 &c., as well as Phil. ii. 6 — 8 just cited. 
 
 10. Afzd herein I give my advice\ See v. 8. 
 
 por tins'] Either (i) 'that I advise and not command,' or (2) 'this 
 proof of your love. ' 
 
 expedient] Rather, profitable. The word expedient in the A.V. is 
 never, as in modern English, opposed to right. See note on i Cor. 
 
vv. 11-14.] II. CORINTHIANS, VIII. 91 
 
 to do, but also to be forward a year ago. Now therefore n 
 perform the doing of it ; that as there was a readiness to 
 will, so there may be a performance also out of that which 
 you have. For if there be first a willing mind, // is accepted ^^ 
 according to that a man hath, and not according to that 
 he hath not. For I mean not that other men be eased, and 13 
 you burdened : but by an equality, that now at this time 14 
 
 vi. 12. Wiclif and the Rhemish Version render here by profitable. 
 See Luke xvi. 9 and i Tim. vi. 18, 19. 
 
 begun before\ i.e. before the Macedonian Churches. See ch. ix. 1. 
 
 but also to be foi-%vard'\ Literally, to Will (margin, be willing). There 
 is much difference of opinion among the commentators concerning the 
 apparent inversion of the natural order in this sentence. But it v^'ould 
 seem that the Apostle, as we might expect from such passages as ch. iii. 
 3, 6, Rom. vii. 6, &c., attaches more importance to the motive than to 
 the action. They not only had begun to do the work, but they had 
 resolved to do so upon a full persuasion that it was the right thing to 
 do. Their conduct was due to no mere transitory impulse, but was the 
 deliberate conviction of the heart. To this "readiness to will" (see 
 next two verses) the Apostle appeals, and invites them to further 
 action on the ground that the principle on which they acted was just 
 as true now as it had been in the previous year. See note on ch. 
 ix. 7. 
 
 a year ago'\ Better, perhaps, last year (the former yeere. Wiclif ; 
 ab anno priore. Vulgate). St Paul probably speaks as a Jew. But it 
 is uncertain whether he refers to the Jewish civil or ecclesiastical year, 
 the former of which began with the month Tisri, answering to part of 
 our September and October, the latter with the month Abib or Nisan. 
 The former is more probable, for the Apostle must have been writing 
 too near the commencement of the latter to give any force to his 
 remark. See i Cor. xvi. 5, 8, and ch. ii. 12, 13. 
 
 11. Now therefore perform the doing of it] The words perform^ 
 performance, in this verse should rather be rendered complete, comple- 
 tion. See ch. vii. i, where the participle of the same verb is rendered 
 perfecting, also v. 6 of this chapter. The sense is, ' you made a reso- 
 lution last year to do a certain work. Carry out that resolution now, 
 and let the completion of the task bear witness, as far as your ability 
 goes, to the genuineness of the resolution you then made.' 
 
 out of that zvhich you have] i.e. according to your means. See note 
 on V. 2. 
 
 12. For if there be first a willing mind\ Literally, For if willing- 
 ness (or readiness) is present. See Heb. vi. 18. The word translated 
 %villing mind here is rendered readiness in z^. 11 and ready mind in 
 V. 19. 
 
 13. that other men be eased, and you burdened] This translation is 
 partly due to the Geneva Version and partly to Tyndale. Literally it 
 runs, that other men should have relief (see note on ch. vii. 5) and 
 
92 II. CORINTHIANS, VIII. [vv. 15, 16. 
 
 your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their 
 abundance also may be a supply for your want : that there 
 
 15 may be equality : as it is written, He that had gathered 
 much had nothing over; and he that had gathered 
 little had no lack. 
 
 16 But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care 
 
 ye tribulation. ( That it be reviissiotin to other men and to yon tribula- 
 tiofi. Wiclif. Similarly the Rhemish Version.) "Again, in St Paul's 
 spirit of entreaty we remark the spirit of reciprocity. It might have 
 been supposed that because St Paul was a Jew he was therefore anxious 
 for his Jewish brethren ; and that in urging the Corinthians to give 
 liberally, even out of their poverty, he forgot the unfairness of the 
 request, and was satisfied so long as only the Jews were relieved— it 
 mattered not at whose expense." Robertson. 
 
 14. but by an eqiialit)i\ Cf. i Cor. xii. and Acts ii. 41 — 47, iv. 
 32 — 37. Dean Stanley remarks on the similarity between this passage 
 and several in the 5th book of Aristotle's Ethics, and no doubt St Paul 
 here uses the word in Aristotle's sense oi fairness, reciprocal advantage. 
 Many of the English translators connect these words with those that 
 succeed, but by an equality at the present time. 
 
 your abundance'] i.e. as we should now say, supe}-Oihvindox\ce. See 
 note on ch. vii. 4, where the word in the Greek is derived from the 
 same root. The English word abundance is derived from the Latin 
 tinda, a wave, and signifies originally an overflowing quantity. 
 
 that their abundance also may be a supply for your zaant] Literally, 
 might be. There are two interpretations of this passage. The first, 
 which is supported by the ancient interpreters, refers it to the spiritual 
 return made by the Jews in the fact that it was men of their nation 
 who preached the Gospel to the heathen. Cf. ch. ix. 14. The 
 second, which has found favour with the moderns, is that the allu- 
 sion is to earthly gifts. The chief difficulty which besets the latter 
 interpretation is the impossibility of conceiving of what those earthly 
 gifts could consist, unless, with De Wette, we regard it as referring 
 to a communication of earthly goods "at another time, and under 
 other possible circumstances." But Estius refers to Luke xiv. 12 — 14, 
 as decisive against any reference to temporal recompense. 
 
 15. as it is written] In Exod. xvi. 18. "In this miracle St 
 Paul perceives a great universal principle of human life. God has 
 p"iven to every man a certain capacity and a certain power of enjoy- 
 ment. Beyond that he cannot find delight. Whatever he heaps or 
 hoards beyond that, is not enjoyment but disquiet." Robertson. 
 
 16. But thanks be to Gocf] The word translated thanks here is that 
 translated grace, gift, in other places of this Epistle. We learn from 
 vv. 6, 17, that Titus, moved by the strong interest in the Corinthians 
 which his first mission had excited, and being requested by the Apostle 
 to undertake the work of stimulating their energy in the charitable 
 work they had undertaken {v. 10), determined of his own accord to 
 
vv. 17, 18.] II. CORINTHIANS, VIII. 93 
 
 into the heart of Titus for you. For indeed he accepted the 17 
 exhortation ; but being more forward, of his own accord he 
 went unto you. And we have sent with him the brother, 18 
 whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches ; 
 
 visit Corinth, instead of writing (this seems the only way in which we 
 can reconcile v. 6 with v. 17), and thus to stir up the Corinthians by his 
 personal presence to a holy emulation of the good deeds of the Churches 
 of Macedonia. Titus can hardly, as some have thought, have been 
 entrusted with this Epistle on the occasion of which the Apostle speaks, 
 for St Paul speaks in the past tense of this mission. Seenotes on z/. 18 
 and ch. xii. 18. 
 
 which piit\ "Opera bona Dei dona." Estius. The received Greek 
 text here has 'putteth,' but a large number of MSS. read as in the 
 text. 
 
 the same eai-nest care] i.e. the same as I have myself. For earnest 
 care {bisyjiesse, Wiclif, good viynde, Tyndale and Cranmer) see notes on 
 ch. vii. II, 12, viii. 7, where the same Greek word is used. 
 
 17. For indeed he accepted the exhortation] The Greek implies that 
 Titus did indeed receive an exhortation from St Paul, but that he did 
 more than he had been asked to do. For exhortation compare entreaty, 
 V. 4, and see note on ch. i. 3. 
 
 but hei7ig more foi-^mrd] Literally, 'more diligent,' i.e. than I had 
 desired him to be. See note on eaj'tiest care above. 
 
 18. A?td we have sent zvith hini\ Literally, we sent "Witli him, un- 
 less the tense be what is known as the epistolary aorist (see above, ch. 
 ii. 9), in which case these messengers were also the bearers of this 
 Epistle. 
 
 the brother, whose praise is in the gospel] Innumerable guesses have 
 been made as to who this was. We can but briefly glance at them. 
 First of all it is clear that it was no obscure member of any of the vari- 
 ous communities who is here mentioned. He was thoroughly well 
 known to the Churches. Secondly, we may remark that it was not 
 Barnabas, as many of the early Fathers have supposed, since we never 
 hear of Paul and Barnabas as travelling together after their misunder- 
 standing in Acts XV., nor Silas, for he does not appear to have been 
 with the Apostle after his departure from Corinth for Jerusalem related 
 in Acts xviii. 18, We learn from the next verse that the 'brother' 
 here referred to was a delegate of the Churches, and deputed to accom- 
 pany St Paul on his journey to Jerusalem with the proceeds of the col- 
 lection. He must either have been a delegate of the Ephesian or the 
 Macedonian Christians. If the latter, it must have been (i) St Luke, 
 for he did travel with St Paul on this occasion, as we learn from Acts 
 XX. 5. And though he did not join the Apostle till he reached Philippi 
 from Corinth, and did not accompany him on his visit to Corinth (Acts 
 XX. I — 5), this is no reason against his having accompanied Titus on his 
 visit to Corinth. See note on v. 16. And St Luke answers in many 
 ways better than any one else to this description. But ch. ix. 4 seems 
 to imply that the brother was not of Macedonia (though Meyer thinks 
 
94 11. CORINTHIANS, VIII. [v v. 19, 20. 
 
 19 and not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches 
 to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by 
 us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your 
 
 20 ready mind : avoiding this, that no vian should blame us in 
 
 that the whole context shews him to have been a Macedonian). Nor 
 can the words 'whose praise is in the Gospel' be pressed (so St Chry- 
 sostom and the Collect for St Luke's Day) as signifying the Gospel of St 
 Luke. For the word gospel is never used in the Scripture of any of the 
 biographies of Christ, but solely of the good tidings proclaimed by His 
 ministers. The earliest phrase by which the Gospels are designated is 
 'memoirs.' (See Justin Martyr's First Apology, ch. 67.) If the bro- 
 ther were an Ephesian delegate, he must have been either (2) Trophi- 
 mus or (5) Tychicus. Both these left Greece with St Paul. The former 
 was 'an Ephesian' and accompanied him to Jerusalem. (Acts xxi. ag.) 
 The latter was ' of Asia ' (Acts xx. 4), and probably of Ephesus, for he 
 was txvice sent thither by St Paul (Eph. vi. 21 ; 2 Tim. iv. 12). And he 
 evidently stood high in the estimation of the Apostle (Eph. vi. 21, 22; 
 Col. iv. 7, 8) for his quahties as a minister of Christ. Both these, how- 
 ever, if the deputies were Ephesians, would most likely have been the 
 messengers. See note on v. 22. 
 
 19. and not that onl}>\ i.e. not only is he praised throughout all 
 the Churches. 
 
 but who tvas also chosen of the churches^ i. e. chosen by the Churches. 
 See note on i Cor. xiv. 24, ch. i. 16, ii. 6, 12 of this Epistle, and 
 Heb. xii. 5, &c. The word here used signifies choseti by shozo of hands. 
 So also in Acts xiv. 23. Voting by show of hands was the custom 
 among the Greeks as among ourselves. See Xenophon, Anabasis, 
 Book III. ii. 33. For the choosing by the Churches see i Cor. xvi. 3, 4 
 and note. 
 
 to the glory of the same Lord} The word 'same' is omitted by many 
 MSS. and editors. 
 
 and declaration of your ready mind^ Nearly all the MSS. and ver- 
 sions read ' our.' ( To the glorie of the Lord and to our ordeyned wit. 
 Wiclif.) The words ' and declaration of are not in the Greek. 
 
 20. avoiding this} The word is used in Greek of furling the sails 
 of a vessel to avoid a disaster. It occurs again in the N.T. in 2 Thess. 
 iii. 6. But it may perhaps be translated making tMs arrangement. 
 
 that no man shotdd blaine ?«] Chrysostom and Calvin remark on the 
 care taken by the Apostle to avoid giving the slightest cause for suspi- 
 cion. He did not, says the former, send Titus alone. "He was not," 
 says the latter, "so satisfied with himself as to think it unworthy of his 
 dignity to avoid calumny." And he adds, " certainly nothing exposes 
 a man to unpleasant insinuations more than the management of public 
 money." " In this is to be observed St Paul's wisdom, not only as a 
 man of the world, but as a man of God. He knew that he lived in a 
 censorious age, that he was as a city set on a hill, that the world would 
 scan his every act and his every word, and attribute all conceivable and 
 even inconceivable evil to what he did in all honour. It was just be* 
 
vv. 21—24.] 11. CORINTHIANS, VIII. 95 
 
 this abundance which is administered by us : providing for 21 
 honest thmgs, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in 
 the sight of men. And we have sent with them our bro- 22 
 ther, whom we have oftentimes proved diligent in many 
 things, but now much more diligent, upon the great con- 
 fidence which / have in you. Whether aiiy do ifiquire of 23 
 Titus, he is my partner and fellow-helper concerning you : 
 or our brethren be inquired of, they are the messengers of the 
 churches, and the glory of Christ. Wherefore shew ye to h 
 
 cause of St Paul's honour and innocence that he was likely to have 
 omitted this prudence." Robertson. 
 
 abundance] Tlie Greek word occurs only here in the N.T. It 
 comes from a root meaningyfr;;;, solid, compact, or perhaps with some 
 lexicographers, large, and hence extensive, abundant. 
 
 21. providing'] Most MSS. and editors here read for rue pro- 
 vide, or rather, take care beforehand to do, i.e. it is our custom to 
 give no occasion for suspicion. See Rom. xii. 17, where the same 
 words occur. They are, as Dr Plumptre has reminded us, a quotation 
 of Prov. iii. 4. Cf. also Rom. xiv. 6; i Tim. v. 14, vi. i; Tit. ii. 8. 
 Also ch. vi. 3. 
 
 honest t/iings] Rather, what is honourable. The word implies 
 what is of good repute among mankind, and hence what is honourable 
 and noble in itself. See note on ch. iv. 2. 
 
 also in the sight of men] It is not enough for the Christian to have a 
 clear conscience. He must give no man an opportunity of insinuating 
 that his conscience is not clear. See Matt. v. 14 — 16. 
 
 22. And we have sent with theni] Literally, as before, v. 18, we sent 
 with them, i.e. with the other two. 
 
 onr brother, whom zve have qftenti??ies proved diligent] See for this 
 //zm/ brother, the note on v. 18. Dr Plumptre suggests Clement, as one 
 dear to St Paul and known to the PhiHppians (Phil. iv. 3). 
 
 iipon the great coi?fdence which I have in you] The margin, ''he 
 hath,' is to be preferred. This brother had no doubt been at Corinth, 
 and was quite certain that the Corinthians, in spite of all shortcomings, 
 would in the end come up to St Paul's highest anticipations. 
 
 23. he is my partner] Literally, sharer. See notes on the words 
 cojujuunion and fellowship in the first Epistle. 'The sharer of my 
 labours and cares.' 
 
 and fellow-helper concerning yoii] Better, and as regards you, my 
 fellow-worker. 
 
 the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ] The word 
 ^ and^ is not in the original, and detracts from the force of the sen- 
 tence. The word here translated 'messengers' is Apostles in the ori- 
 ginal. But here, as in Phil. ii. 25, it does not signify the official rank 
 in the Church of the persons referred to, but simply the fact that they 
 were sent. For 'the glory of Christ' see v. 19 and i Cor. xi. 7. A man 
 is the glory of Christ when he manifests Christ's glory, which is done 
 ir. COR. 7 
 
96 II. CORINTHIANS, IX. [vv. 1—3. 
 
 them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and 
 of our boasting on your behalf. 
 9 For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is super- 
 
 2 fluous for me to write to you : for I know the forwardness 
 of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Mace- 
 donia, that Achaia was ready a year ago ; and your zeal 
 
 3 hath provoked very many. Yet have I sent the brethren, 
 
 either by displaying His power, or the holiness which comes from Him. 
 Cf. John i. 14, ii. 11, xi. 40; Gal. i. 24, and Acts xxi. 19, 20; also ch.' 
 iii. 18. Both the brethren would seem from this passage to have been 
 'chosen of the Churches.' 
 
 24. before the churches'] To which they belong, and of which they 
 are the representatives, w. 19, 23. The spirit shewn by the Corinth- 
 ians would of necessity be reported by these delegates to the Churches 
 which had commissioned them. For the expression, literally in the 
 face of, cf. ch. ii. 10, iv. 6, v. 12 and notes. 
 
 our boasting on your behalf] See ch. ix. 2. 
 
 Ch. IX. 1. For] i.e. I am not writing to you about the ministry 
 to the saints, for that is unnecessary. I am writing about your reception 
 of the brethren, and your being ready when they come. See v. 3. 
 
 the ministering] Literally, tlie ministry. See note on ch. iii. 3. 
 Anything which conveyed God's good gifts from one member of the 
 Church to another, was in the Apostle's eyes a ministry^ a diaconate, 
 for the words rendered minister, ministry^ are in Greek Std/coj/os, 
 diaKovia. See also note on z/. 12 and on ch. viii. 4. 
 
 it is superfluous for me to write to you] " Observe the tender wisdom 
 of this proceeding. The charity which finds us unprepared is a call 
 as hateful as that of any creditor whom it is hard to pay. St Paul 
 knew this well; therefore he gave timely notice." Robertson. It 
 was unnecessary to write to them about the collection itself. It was 
 not unnecessary to remind them as a matter of Christian prudence 
 that they must not allow themselves to be taken unawares, lest the 
 amount of their bounty should hardly correspond to what men had 
 a reason to expect. Cf. i Cor. xvi. 2. Calvin, however, thinks that 
 the Apostle wavered between confidence and anxiety. He knew their 
 readiness, but he feared the instability of human nature. 
 
 2. for I knozv the forivardness of your 7?iitid] Rather, readiness 
 (your redynessc of minde. Tyndale). See note on ch. viii. 12. And 
 therefore I need not write about the collection. 
 
 / boast] The Apostle, then, says Bengel, was already in Macedonia. 
 
 Achaia] See note on ch. i. i. 
 
 a year ago] Rather, last year. See ch. viii. 10. The Vulgate 
 renders here by ab anno praeterito. 
 
 and your zeal hath provoked very many] **We did not advise, we 
 did not exhort ; we only praised you, we only boasted of you ; and this 
 was enough for exhortation of them." Chrysostom. For zeal, see 
 notes on ch. vii. 7, 11. Perhaps the Apostle means to say here the 
 
vv. 4, 5.] II. CORINTHIANS, IX. 97 
 
 lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; 
 that, as I said, ye may be ready : lest haply if they of Mace- 4 
 donia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we 
 say not, you) should be ashamed in this same confident 
 boasting. Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the 5 
 
 emulation arising from your conduct, since the word rendered ' your ' 
 is literally, arising from yoii. The word here translated ' provoke ' is 
 used in a bad sense in Col. iii. 21. The English vioxA provoke, from 
 the \joX\xv provoco, to call forth, is usually in these days used in a bad 
 sense. But it was not so at the time when the A. V. was made. Cf. 
 Heb. X. 24. The meaning here is stirred up. For very many, the 
 original has the majority. 
 
 3. Yet have I sent] Although instructions to make the collection 
 were needless, it was not needless for me to send the brethren. See 
 note on v. i. For / have sent, the Greek has / sent. But see notes 
 on ch. viii. 18, 22, and Introduction. 
 
 our boasting] Literally, 'our ground of boasting,' but see ch. v. 12. 
 It was not that St Paul expected no result from the collection, but 
 feared that it might be one out of all proportion to what his expres- 
 sions of confidence in the Corinthian Church would have led other 
 Churches to expect. 
 
 in this behalf] Rather, in this respect, i. e. in regard to the matter 
 of the collection. He had not hesitated to speak of their other good 
 qualities. See i Cor. i. 4 — 8 ; and for the expression see ch. iii. 10. 
 
 4. lest haply] The earlier editions have happily {paraventure, 
 Tyndale), with the same meaning as in the text. 
 
 they of Macedonia] We should rather say in English any Macedo- 
 nians. From this it has been inferred that the brethren sent previously 
 were not Macedonians. See ch. viii. 17 — 24. 
 
 we {that we say not, yon)] The 'we ' is emphatic. We have another 
 instance here of what we might call the gentlemanly instinct of the 
 Apostle. See note on ch. vii. 3. 'I should be ashamed of my confi- 
 dence, and, might I not add, you also would be ashamed that I should 
 have expressed it.' 
 
 confident boasting] The word ''boasting'' is omitted by most recent 
 editors. It is absent from the best MSS. and versions, and has 
 probably been introduced from ch, xi. 17. The rendering in this case 
 must be 'm this confidence,^ i.e. which I have had in you. Some 
 would render by 'foundation' or 'substance' {in hac substantia, Vulg.), 
 the latter being the literal rendering of the word (see Heb. xi. i, also 
 i. 3 where it is translated /<?rj-w^) ; but in Heb. iii. 14, as in Classical 
 Greek and in the LXX., it means and is rendered confidence. It means 
 originally (i) that on which one takes one's stand; or (2) that which 
 stands beneath us. Hence in later Greek theology it came to mean 
 person, as the underlying entity at the root of all apparent being. 
 Compare our English words understand, iinderstajiding, which how- 
 ever, like the Latin substantia, have had a different history, and have 
 arrived at a different signification. 
 
 7 — 2 
 
98 II. CORINTHIANS, IX. [vv. 6—8. 
 
 brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up 
 beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that 
 the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as 
 
 6 of covetousness. But this / say, He which soweth spa- 
 ringly shall reap also sparingly ; and he which soweth boun- 
 
 7 tifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as 
 he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or 
 
 8 of necessity : for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is 
 able to make all grace abound towards you ; that ye, always 
 
 5. the brcthren\ i.e. those mentioned in the last chapter. 
 go before\ i. e. before the Apostle. 
 
 your bounty, whereof ye had notice before^ Rather, according to the 
 best MSS., 'your previously announced bounty,' i.e. either (i) 
 announced by me to the Macedonian Churches; or (2) generally, 
 promised beforehand. The word translated boimty is more usually 
 translated blessing (Vulg. benedictio). See i Cor. x. 16; also Gen. 
 xxxiii. 1 1 ; I Sam. xxx. 26 in the LXX. The gifts of the Corinthians 
 are called a blessing, because they are so to others, and because they 
 call down a blessing on those who impart them. See Dean Stanley's 
 note, who quotes the well-known passage from the Merchant of Venice^ 
 where Portia says that mercy is "twice blessed; it blesseth him that 
 gives and him that takes." 
 
 as a matter of bounty] Rather, so as to be a blessing. 
 
 and not as of covetousness] Rather, perhaps, greed ; i.e. to be given 
 in a generous and not in a grudging spirit. But Dr Plumptre regards 
 it as possibly referring to St Paul, ' as a work of your bounty, not ot 
 wj claims upon your purses.' Ch. vii. 2, xii. 17, 18, which he cites, 
 are decidedly in favour of this interpretation. For covetous, covetous- 
 ness, see i Cor. v. 10 (note). 
 
 6. He which soweth sparingly] "He calls it sowing," says Chry- 
 sostom, " in order that we may learn by the figure of the harvest that 
 ill giving we receive more than we give." Cf. Gal. vi. 7 — 9; also 
 Prov. xi. 18. 
 
 bountifully] Literally, with blessings {in benedictionibus, Vulg.). 
 In both cases the Greek word is the same. 
 
 7. purposeth] The word, as used in Aristotle, denotes deliberate 
 choice, without any constraint of any kind, as well as free from the 
 impulse of the passions. 
 
 grudgingly] Literally, from sorrow, i.e. out of a sorrowful or un- 
 willing heart. Cf. Exod. xxv. 2 ; Deut. xv. 10. 
 
 cheerful givei'] Cf. Rom. xii. 8; Tobit iv. 7 ; Ecclus. xxxv. 9; and 
 the LXX. of Prov. xxii. 8. 
 
 8. all grace] See notes on grace elsewhere, esp. ch. viii. 6 and 
 v. 15 of this chapter; also cf. i Cor. xvi. 3. The meaning here is 
 ' God is able to make every gift of His loving-kindness to abound to 
 you, that you, being thus enriched, may impart of His bounty to 
 others.' 
 
vv. 9, TO.] II. CORINTHIANS, IX. 99 
 
 having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every 
 good work : (as it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; 9 
 he hath given to the poor: his righteousness re- 
 maineth for ever. Now he that ministereth seed to the i: 
 sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your 
 seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness ;) 
 
 sufficiency] This is translated contentment in 1 Tim. vi. 6, while 
 the corresponding adjective is rendered cotttent in Phil. iv. 11. But 
 I Tim. vi. 8 explains the meaning of the w^ord. It is the state of mind 
 which, needing nothing but the barest necessaries, regards all other 
 things as superfluities, to be parted with whenever the needs of others 
 require them. This is the force of the words 'all' twice repeated, 
 and 'always.' At all times, save when he is actually deprived of 
 food and raiment, the Christian ought to regard himself as having 
 enough. It is worthy of remark that this self-sufficingness was a 
 favourite virtue with heathen philosophers, though destitute, in the 
 case of the Stoics, of all the gentler and more attractive aspects in 
 which it has been wont to present itself among Christians. The use 
 of this word, as of the word noticed in v. 7, seems to shew that 
 St Paul was well acquainted with the philosophy of Aristotle. See 
 also note on ch. viii. 14. 
 
 9. as it is written] In Ps. cxii. 9. 
 
 the poor] The word here is the usual one in Classical Greek. See 
 notes on ch. viii. 9. 
 
 his righteousness remaineth for ever] As this passage is simply 
 quoted from the O. T., it seems unfair to build any theological argu- 
 ment upon it, especially as on points like these the Hebrew language 
 has by no means the precision of the Greek. It probably means no 
 more than this ; that a good and charitable deed remains such for 
 evermore. The parenthesis, which in the A. V. includes v. 10, ought ; 
 to include this verse only. 
 
 10. JVoTV he that ministei'eth] The word used twice in this verse 
 has the original signification of leading a chorus. Hence it came to 
 mean to defray the expenses of a chorus, since when a wealthy man 
 was appointed to any office of importance in his city, it was usual for 
 him to provide festal displays for the citizens. Hence it came to have 
 the general meaning oi furnish, provide, as here. 
 
 both minister] In the best MSS. these verbs are in the future 
 indicative, i. e. will minister ; will multiply ; will increase (so Wiclif 
 and Tyndale) ; not, as the received Greek text, in the optative. 
 
 bread for your food] In the Greek these words seem to belong to 
 the former verb, * Now he that supplieth seed to the sower and bread 
 for food will supply and multiply,' &c. The words here are a quotation 
 from the LXX. version of Isai. Iv. 10. 
 
 increase the fruits of your righteousness] Cf. i Cor. 1. 30, iii. 6. 
 The words are taken from the LXX. version of Hos. x. 12. The 
 metaphor is taken from the natural processes of growth just referred to. 
 
TOO II. CORINTHIANS, IX. [vv. ii— 13. 
 
 n being enriched in every thmg to all bountifulness, which 
 in causeth through us thanksgiving to God. For the adminis- 
 tration of this service not only supplieth the want of the 
 saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto 
 13 God ; whiles by the experiment of this ministration they 
 glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel 
 
 God supplies the seed of works of mercy ; He multiplies it, and good 
 works in plenty are the crop. 
 
 11. bountifulness] [symplenesse, Wiclif ; syngkness, Tyndale). The 
 Greek word here is the same as in ch. i. 12, viii. 2, where see notes. 
 The word ' bountifulness ' was first introduced by our translators, who 
 however have liberality in the margin. 
 
 which] i.e. the * bountifulness ' or * singlemindness ' just spoken of. 
 
 causeth through tis thanksgiving] i.e. your singleness of heart, your 
 absence of all secondary and selfish motives, provides us with the means 
 of alleviating the distresses of others, and thus elicits from them thanks 
 to God out of the fulness of a grateful heart. 
 
 12. For the administration of this se7'vice] Literally, For tlie 
 ministry (see note on e/. i) of this public service {the fuynysterie 
 of this public office, Wiclif; the "bffice of this miyiistracion, Tyndale). 
 The word translated service means any public work. "The Xei- 
 Toi;/)7ot," says Potter in his Grecian Antiquities, "were persons of 
 considerable estates, who were ordered to perform some public duty 
 or to supply the commonwealth with necessaries at their own expenses." 
 See also Smith's Dictionary of Antiquities, Art. Liturgia. Hence comes 
 our word Liturgy, which originally signified any public function, but 
 afterwards became restrained to the Holy Communion only. See, for 
 the word, Luke i. 23; Phil. ii. 17, 30; Heb. viii. 6, ix. 21. The verb 
 derived from the same source is used of the public services of the Church 
 in Acts xiii. 1 ; Heb. x. 1 1. In Rom. xv. 27 it is used in the same sense 
 as here. 
 
 is abundant] Rather, exceedeth, or aboundeth. See note on ' ex- 
 ceeding joyful,' ch. vii, 4; also ch. i. 11, iv. 15. 
 by 77iany thanksgivings] Cf. ch. i. ir, iv. 15. 
 
 13. experiment] Rather, proof (probatio, Vulg.), i e. the proof 
 afforded by the conduct of the Corinthians that they were Christians, not 
 in name only, but in deed. See ch. ii. 9, viii. 2, 8. 
 
 glorify] Cf Matt. v. 16; John xv. 8; i Pet. ii. 12. 
 
 your professed subjection] The translators of the A.V. have regarded 
 this sentence as a Hebraism. Literally, it is the subjection of your con- 
 fession, or profession, i.e. of Christianity. See i Tim. vi. 12, 13 
 (margin); Heb. iii. i, iv. 14, x. 23. The brethren at Jerusalem glorified 
 God for the fact that the profession of Christianity made by the 
 Corinthians was in strict accordance with the precepts of the Gospel. It 
 is obvious that this cannot be predicated of every individual, or even of 
 every Church, and cannot therefore be assumed as a matter of course. 
 It is, however, to be observed (see Meyer's note) that 'to the Gospel* 
 
V.V. 14, 15; I.] n. CORINTHIANS, IX. X. lot 
 
 of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and 
 unto all men; and by their prayer for you, which long after 14 
 you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be unto 15 
 God for his unspeakable gift 
 
 1 — 6. St Pauts intention of overcofning all opposition to the 
 Gospel. 
 
 Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and iO 
 
 should perhaps be translated 'towards the Gospel,' i.e. towards the work 
 of furthering it. 
 
 and for your libo'al distribiciio7i\ Literally, and for the liberality of 
 your contribution. The word here rendered distribution in the A.V. 
 is that usually rendered by communion, or fellowship. Here it clearly 
 has the active sense of communication. The Vulgate renders simplici- 
 tate cofumtinicationis. See notes on i Cor. i. 9, x. 20, For liberality 
 see V. II. 
 
 and unto all men] Because the principle thus admitted by the Corin- 
 thians was equally applicable to all. 
 
 14. aiul by their prayer for yo2C, which long after you] The construc- 
 tion in the Greek is somewhat obscure. Some would render (i) as 
 A. v., and regard this verse also as depending upon the word glorify. 
 Others suppose (2) that St Paul has abruptly changed the construction, 
 and would render they themselves, with prayer^ eai'tiestly longing to see 
 you. If we accept ( i ), which also involves a change in the construction 
 of the sentence, the sense is that the prayer of the Jewish Christians and 
 their affection for the Corinthians redounded to the glory of God. If 
 (2), it simply means that the result of the Corinthian bounty would be to 
 draw out a corresponding fervency of affection on the part of the Church 
 at Jerusalem. It is worthy of remark that the Apostle, in his vivid 
 anticipation of the future, regards it as already present, 
 
 15. T/ianksl The word is the same which is elsewhere translated 
 grace. 
 
 for his unspeakable gift"] This, as Dean Alford suggests (after 
 Chrysostom), can be none other than Jesus Christ Himself. No other 
 gift could correspond to the word 'unspeakable,' which suggests (like 
 Rom. xi. 33; Eph. iii. 18, 19) the idea of God. And in Jesus Christ 
 'dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily' (Col. ii. 9). From Him 
 all gifts of nature or grace proceed. And what the gift is which is above 
 all others, we learn from such passages as Rom. v. 15, vi. 23; Heb. 
 vi. 4. So Bengel. "Deus nobis dedit abundantiam bonorum internorum 
 et externorum, quae et ipsa est inenarrabilis, et fructus habet consimiles." 
 See also Rom. viii. 32. 
 
 Ch. X. 1 — 6. St Paul's intention of overcoming all 
 
 OPPOSITION TO THE GoSPEL. 
 
 1. Noiv I Paul my self ] "Until now, Paul has addressed himself 
 preeminently to the better intentioned in the Christian Church, but 
 
I02 II. CORINTHIANS, X. [v. 2. 
 
 gentleness of Christ, who in presence at7i base among you, 
 2 but being absent am bold toward you : but I beseech you, 
 that I may not be bold when I am present with that con- 
 fidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which 
 
 henceforth he addresses himself to those who had sought to lower his 
 dignity and weaken his authority by representing him as weak in personal 
 influence," as well as in bodily strength and consistency of purpose, 
 "although courageous and full of self-commendation in his letters." 
 Olshausen. The word 'myself is difficult to explain. Deans Stanley 
 and Alford explain it (i) of St Paul's intention to enter upon personal 
 matters. St Chrysostom seems to imply (2) that it refers to the em- 
 phasis with which he speaks, and he cites Gal. v. 2, Philem. 19. 
 But (3) it seems more probable that it means 'I, the very man who 
 in absence am said to be bold, shew my consistency by preferring 
 meekness even in my letters. I am meek, not because I am afraid, 
 but because I ought to be meek. But if meekness fails, then I must be 
 severe.' Cf. vv. 2, 9, 10; also i Cor. iv. -21. It must be remembered 
 that one main purpose of this Epistle is to vindicate the consistency of 
 the Apostle. See ch. i. 17 — 19. 
 
 beseech'\ Rather, exhort. See note on ch. i. 3. 
 
 meekness and gentleness^ Myldnesse and softnesse, Wiclif. Tyndale 
 introduced the translation ineekness. The word gentleness is due to our 
 translators. But it is not the exact equivalent of the original. Derived 
 from a word signifying like the truth, and therefore fair, equitable, it 
 came to be the equivalent (see Aristotle, Ethics v. 10, and vr. 11) for the 
 habit of mind engendered by the practice of regarding the rights of other 
 people as well as our own. Aristotle describes it as the principle which 
 underlies justice and tempers it, and as resulting in sympathy. Its 
 nearest equivalents in English 2.X& fairness, considerateness, reasonableness. 
 It and the cognate word occur in the N. T. only in Acts xxiv. 4 ; Phil, 
 iv. 5; I Tim. iii. 3; Tit. iii. 2; James iii. 17; r Pet. ii. 18. For meek- 
 ness cf. Matt. xi. 29, 30; Isai. xlii. 2, 3, liii. 7. 
 
 in presence^ Some translsiie hy ifi />ersonal appearance. See v. 7, and 
 margin here. But the word seems in this verse to be opposed to absence. 
 See V. II. Also the Greek of Acts iii. 13, xxv, 16. 
 
 base] See note on ch. vii. 6, where the word in the Greek is the same 
 as here. The word base signifies originally loia in position. Cf. the 
 word basement and the French bas. See also Acts xvii. 5. So Spenser, 
 in his View of the State of Ireland, distinguishes between the "lords 
 and chief men," and the "peasants and baser peopled 
 
 2. I beseech you, that 1 may not be bold ] Literally, I entreat the not 
 being "bold. Compliance or non-compliance with this request rested 
 entirely with the Corinthians. The word here translated beseech is not 
 the same as the one used in the last verse. 
 
 with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold] It does not clearly 
 appear from this passage what St Paul meant to do when he arrived at 
 Corinth. He speaks of 'pulling down of strongholds,' of 'casting down 
 whatever exalteth itself against Christ. But he never says what he in- 
 
vv. 3—5.] II. CORINTHIANS, X. 103 
 
 think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For 3 
 though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh : 
 (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty 4 
 through God to the pulling down of strong holds ;) casting 5 
 down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself 
 
 tends to do. Calvin (i) interpret? the passage of excommunication. 
 Others (2) of bodily punishments, such as those inflicted on Elymas (Acts 
 xiii. 6 — 1 1), or on Ananias and Sapphira (Acts v. i — 10). Or (3) we may 
 regard it as referring to the authoritative proclamation of the Gospel by 
 one fully inspired, which must of necessity bring about in the end the 
 disappearance of error. This is thought to be implied hy v. 11, which 
 implies the immediate exercise when present, of the same power which 
 when absent is exercised by letter. But a comparison oi v. 11 with 
 I Cor. iv. 21, V. I — 5 would lead to the idea of a formal delivery over 
 to Satan of those who wilfully corrupted the doctrine of Christ, and 
 gainsaid the authority of His Apostle. See note on i Cor. v. 5. The 
 word rendered 'bold' here is not the same as that in the former part of 
 the verse. It implies (i) to dare, (2) to bear oneself boldly, i.e. to 
 others, while the former word seems to imply confidence in oneself. 
 
 against so7tie'\ i. e. the false teachers. 
 
 according to the flesh'X See ch. v. 16; Rom. viii. i. 
 
 3. iii the flesh\ To walk in the flesh is to possess the fleshly nature 
 %vith its many infirmities (see Rom. vii.). To walk after the flesh is to 
 neglect the dictates of the higher spiritual nature, and to live as though 
 the desires of the body were the only ones that needed satisfying. 
 
 zvar after the fleshy The metaphor of a warfare, as applied to the 
 Christian life, is a common one with St Paul, though it is more usually 
 used of the internal conflict of the Christian soul than of the external 
 warfare waged against the evil around. See i Cor. ix. 26; Eph. vi. 
 10 — 17; I Thess. v. 8; I Tim. i. 18, vi. 12; 2 Tim. ii. 3, 4, iv. 7. Bp 
 Wordsworth remarks on the fact that "the armies of Imperial Rome, 
 her camps and her campaigns," and the rest, were "objects that pre- 
 sented themselves to St Paul in his travels, and were very familiar to 
 his readers." Cf. ch. ii. 14 — 16. 
 
 4. carnal^ See note on v. 2. Also on i Cor. iii. r. 
 
 mighty throtcgh God] Either (i) as in the text, or (2) mighty to God, 
 i.e. in His sight, or (3) mighty for God, i. e. on behalf of Him, or per- 
 haps (4) an Hebraistic construction, like the one in Acts vii. 20, where 
 it is equal to exceeding, just as Nineveh is called 'a great city of God' 
 (Jonah iii. 3 and notes). 
 
 strong hotds] or fortif cations, from a Greek word signifying to fortify. 
 
 5. casting down] This is not spoken of the weafons, but of the 
 apostles. 
 
 imaginations'] Rather, as margin, reasonings {consilia, Vulgate, 
 counceilis, Wiclif). The rendering 'imaginations' comes from Tyndale. 
 St Paul refers to the efforts of human reason to deal with things beyond 
 it, the best corrective of which is and always will be the simple procla- 
 mation of God's messajre to man. 
 
I04 II. CORINTHIANS, X. [vv. 6, 7. 
 
 against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity 
 
 6 every thought to the obedience of Christ ; and having in a 
 readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience 
 is fulfilled. 
 
 7 — 18. Caution to those who judge by outward appearance. 
 
 7 Do ye look on thmgs after the outward appearance ? If 
 any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of him- 
 
 exalteth itself '[ Or, is exalted. 
 
 against the knozvledge of God\ For this phrase see Prov. ii. 5 ; Hos. 
 vi. 6; I Cor. xv. 34; Col. i. 10, and the kindred phrase in Isai. xi. 9; 
 2 Pet. ii. 20. Here it signifies that by which we know God, i. e. the 
 Gospel. See i Cor. ii. 16, xiii. 12; Gal. iv. 9. 
 
 bringing into captivity] Another military metaphor. See note on 
 
 V. 3- 
 
 eve7y thought'] The word is the same as in ch. ii. 11, iii. 14, iv. 4. 
 It occurs only in Phil. iv. 7 and in this Epistle. 
 
 6. and having in a readiness] The expression is equivalent to our 
 holding ourselves in readiness. 
 
 to revenge] Better, to avenge. Literally, to do justice, execute 
 sentence upon. 
 
 when your obedience is fulfilled] St Paul was ready to wait until his 
 exhortations and rebukes had had time to work. He would not 'come 
 to them in heaviness' (ch. ii. i). He called 'God to witness that if he 
 did delay to come to Corinth it was to spare them' (ch. i. 23). He 
 wrote while absent that he might not have to use sharpness when 
 present (ch. xiii. 10). But when all had been done that could be done, 
 it was his intention to come and 'not spare' those who refused to listen 
 to his voice (ch. xiii. 2). 
 
 7 — 18. Caution to those who judge by outward 
 appearance. 
 
 7. Do ye look on things after the outward appearance?] The words 
 here translated outward appearance are translated luhen I am- present in 
 V. 2. They may be rendered in three ways, (i) as in the text, {1) ye 
 look on things after the outward appearance, or (3) as some interpreters 
 prefer to render, look at what lies plainly before your eyes, i.e. the 
 genuineness of St Paul's Apostolic mission. The Vulgate and Rhemish 
 versions render thus. So also Wiclif, See ye the thitigis that ben aftir 
 the face. Either (:) or (2) is preferable to (3), which not only does not 
 suit the context (cf. also i Cor. ii. 5, iii. 21, and St John vii. 24, 
 where however the Greek is not the same as here, and viii. 15), but is 
 contrary to the spirit of St Paul's writings, which invariably glorify what 
 does not lie on the surface, at the expense of what does so. The mean- 
 ing of the last of the three renderings is that if the Corinthians regard 
 their teachers from an exclusively fleshly point of view, St Paul has no 
 need to shrink from the comparison. Cf. ch. xi. 18 — 33. 
 
vv. 8— II.] II. CORINTHIANS, X. 105 
 
 self think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so a7^e we 
 Christ's. For though I should boast somewhat more of our 8 
 authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and 
 not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed : that 9 
 I may not seem as if / would terrify you by letters. For ic 
 /lis letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but /lis 
 bodily presence is weak, and /lis speech contemptible. Let n 
 
 as lie is Clwisfs, even so are we Christ'' s'\ St Paul proceeds to give 
 four proofs of this. He shews (r) that he was unquestionably the 
 founder of the Corinthian Church (?7. 13 — 18, of. r Cor, iv. 15, ix. 1^ 
 and ch. iii. 2, 3); (2) that if he refused to be maintained by them, it was 
 for no other reason than his desire for their benefit (ch, xi, i — 15, cf. 
 I Cor. ix. 12, 15, 18); (3) that his life was a sufficient proof of his 
 sincerity (ch. xi. 21 — 33); and (4) that the supernatural revelations 
 vouchsafed to him were vouchers for his inspiration (ch. xii. i — 6). 
 
 8. boast^ The word is translated 'glory,' 'rejoice,' elsewhere. See 
 note on ch. i. 12. 
 
 somewhat more] Literally, somewliat in excess, 
 
 edificatioiiX Literally, buildiiig up. The English word comes from 
 two Latin words signifying to build a house. See note on i Cor. viii. i, 
 andcf, I Cor. vi. 12, x. 23, 33, xiv. 5, 6, 12. 
 
 and not for your destruction] The word is translated pidling doivji in 
 V. 4, and the verb from which it is derived casting dozvn m.v. 5. Cf. 
 ch. ii, 2, vii. 8 — 11. 
 
 I should not be ashamed] Literally, I shall not be ashamed, or per- 
 haps shamed, i.e. brought to shame. "Shall not be pointed out as a 
 liar or a vain boaster." Chrysostom. See note on last verse. 
 
 9. that I may not seem as if I ivozdd terrify you by letters] Literally, 
 by means of the letters, i.e. this and the two former. See note on i Cor. 
 v. 9. The connection of thought is not clear at first sight, but a 
 little consideration will serve to bring it out. St Paul is about to 
 Ijoast of his authority. This boast is no brntum fubnen. He means to 
 act upon it in all seriousness when he comes to Corinth. He wishes them 
 to understand that it will not be confined to words, but will be shewn in 
 deeds when he arrives. See note on v. 6. 
 
 10. his bodily presence is weak] The bodily weakness of the Apostle 
 seems clearly indicated by many passages in Scripture. We may per- 
 haps gather from Acts xiv. 12 (though this is doubtful) that he was of 
 less dignified presence than St Barnabas. He refers to his infirmity in 
 I Cor. ii. 3. It was probably the thorn in the flesh of which he speaks 
 in ch, xii, 7 (see Introduction), and the 'temptation' which was 'in his 
 flesh' in Gal. iv. 13, 14. There is an admirable note on St Paul's 
 personal appearance at the end of Dr Plumptre's Commentary on the 
 Acts of the Apostles in the Bishop of Gloucester's New Testament for 
 English Readers. 
 
 and his speech contemptible'] Literally, despised. Jiude^ Tyndale. 
 
lo6 II. CORINTHIANS, X. [v. 12. 
 
 such a one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters 
 when we are absent, such wi// we be also in deed when we 
 are present. 
 
 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or com- 
 pare ourselves with some that commend themselves : but 
 they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing 
 
 Wiclif, worthi to be dispisid. This is the proper meaning of the word coiu 
 temptible. Whatever St Paul's fervour and mental and spiritual power 
 may have been, it is evident that he lacked the conventional gifts of the 
 orator, the powerful voice, the fluent and facile delivery, the arts 
 whereby to enchain attention. It was not the manner of his speech, but 
 its matter, which attracted his hearers to him. 
 
 11. such a one] i.e. the mm who speaks in this way. See note on 
 ch. ii. 7. 
 
 that, such as ive are itt word by letters] It is evident that St Paul's 
 opponents were not very measured in their opposition to him. Not 
 only did they deny his Apostolic authority (i Cor. ix. i, 6), not only 
 did they ridicule his appearance, but they even charged him with the 
 grossest cowardice. For nothing is more contemptible than to utter 
 loud threats when at a distance, and to subside into silence and 
 meekness when confronted with an adversary. See note on v. r. 
 
 12. For ive dare not make ourselves of the mwiber, or compare our- 
 selves] i. e. ironically, we dare not venture to number or compare ourselves 
 with certain persons who have of late been claiming great authority 
 among you. After St Paul's manner (see ch. i. 13, iii. 2) there is a play 
 upon words here, which is difficult to translate. 
 
 comifiend themselves] As has been said, the Greek word here used 
 has in the N. T. the sense oi praise; but probably here the leading idea 
 as in ch. iii. i is of recommending themselves, by such means as are 
 indicated in chapters i. — iii. of the first Epistle, and of having their own 
 selfish objects in view in so doing. 
 
 but they measuring themselves] The idea suggested by the A.V. is of 
 men whose motives are centred in self. They judge themselves by their 
 own standard, they take advantage of other men's labours, they even, 
 St Paul seems to hint {v. 16), boast of other men's labours, they give 
 other men no credit for what they have done. And all this, like the 
 Galatian teachers (Gal. iv. 17), that they may occupy the principal place 
 in the Corinthian Church. There is another reading here, however, 
 which is accepted by many editors and preferred by Dean Stanley, which 
 gives an entirely different turn to the sentence. Omitting the words 
 ^are not wise, but we^ the passage runs, ^but measuring ourselves by 
 ourselves, and comparing ouj'selves ziith ourselves, we do not boast be- 
 yond vieasure.'' This reading may have been caused by the tran- 
 scriber's eye passing from 0T2 to OTK in the Greek, and omitting the 
 intervening words, while it is difficult to see how St Paul can describe 
 himself as avoiding the danger of boasting beyond measure by the very 
 process which experience shews to be the commonest mode of causing 
 such boasting, namely by taking oneself as the sole standard of com- 
 
vv. 13, 14.] II. CORINTHIANS, X. 107 
 
 themselves amongst themselves, are not wise. But we will 13 
 not boast of things without our measure, but according to 
 the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a 
 measure to reach even unto you. For we stretch not our- 14 
 
 parison. And the testimony of MSS. and versions is much in favour of 
 the received text. See however next note but two. 
 
 by themselves\ Literally, in themselves, i.e. if we accept the A.V., 
 having their thoughts perpetually turned inwards in complacent self- 
 contemplation. Meyer quotes the expression Meliri stio modulo from 
 Horace Ep. I. 7. 98. 
 
 amongst thetnselvcs\ Rather, with, themselves. 
 
 are not %vise\ These words are omitted by the Vulji^ate and Wiclif. 
 It must be confessed that they are not in the Apostle's manner, and 
 that they have a suspicious appearance of having been inserted to fill up 
 some supposed deficiency in the sense. But see last note but two. If 
 we omit them, together with the words 'But we' in the next verse, 
 the Apostle's meaning will be, 'We do not compare ourselves with 
 some who have lately appeared among you. We keep within the 
 bounds of our own labours, of the work that God has marked out for 
 us. We do not 'build on another man's foundation' (Rom. xv. 20) 
 or challenge comparison by intruding into another man's sphere of 
 work.' See also vv. 15, 16. The balance of probability, in spite of the 
 difficulties enumerated above, is in favour of this reading. St Paul seems 
 to imply that he avoids all comparison by keeping within his own 
 bounds. See Analysis, Introduction, ch. II. 
 
 13. of things without our measure] Literally, unto the measureless 
 tilings, i.e. 'beyond the measure which God has meted out to us,' 
 'beyond the region of our own work, which was ever, save in the case 
 of Rome, among Churches which we ourselves have founded.' Nor 
 was Rome really an exception. For the Church there seemed not to 
 have been formally founded by any one, but to have grown up of itself 
 through the gravitation of persons from all parts to the great metropolis. 
 This is why St Paul, on his way into Spain, desires to 'impart some 
 spiritual gift' to a Church which had not had the privilege of the per- 
 sonal superintendence of an Apostle. See Rom. i. 11, xv. 23, 24. 
 
 rule] This word is translated line in v. 16. It means (i) a measuring 
 rod and then (2) the line marked out by such means. It has become an 
 English word familiar to our ears (3) as a rule or precept of Ecclesiastical 
 Law, known as a Cano7i. A cognate word in English is cane. 
 
 which God hath distributed to us, a measure] Better, a measure 
 ■which God apportioned, i.e. which is His work, not man's. 
 
 to reach even unto yon] That God had done this was very evident. 
 The Corinthians owed their existence as a Church to St Paul. See 
 ch. iii. 2, 3; I Cor. iii. 6, 10, ix. 2. The metaphor, says Estius, is 
 derived from handicraftsmen, w^ho have a rule prescribed to them by 
 the master, which they are not permitted to go beyond. 
 
 14. For tve stretch not] The meaning is. For we are not straining 
 ourselves beyond our due limits in claiming you as our charge, for it is 
 an undeniable fact that we came (the tense is the simple past in the 
 
io3 II. CORINTHIANS, X. [vv. 15—17. 
 
 selves beyond our ?neasure^ as though we reached not unto 
 you : for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the 
 
 15 gospel of Christ : not boasting of things without our mea- 
 sure, that is, of other me?i'^ labours ; but having hope, when 
 your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you 
 
 16 according to our rule abundantly, to preach the gospel in 
 the regiofis beyond you, and not to boast in another ;;z^;/'s 
 
 17 line oi things made ready to our hand. But he that glo- 
 
 original and the word has the sense of anticipating others in coming) as 
 far as you in our work of preaching the Gospel. Corinth was the farthest 
 point the Apostle had yet reached. 
 
 15. not boasting of things without our measure] The Apostle now 
 repeats what he has before said in v. 13, but directs his remarks more 
 pointedly against the false teachers by adding ' m other men's labours. "^ 
 For they, as Meyer remarks, were adorning themselves with strange 
 feathers as they intruded themselves into other men's spheres of work. 
 See also for St Paul's line of conduct Gal. ii. g. 
 
 when your faith is increased] Two reasons may be assigned for this 
 reservation; (i) that as we have seen (ch. ii. 12, 13), St Paul could not 
 settle himself to any other work while the Corinthian Church was in 
 such an unsatisfactory condition, and (2) that the consistent conduct of 
 one Christian community was an immense help to the first missionaries 
 of the Gospel in founding another. See Tit. ii. 8; i Pet. ii. 12. 
 
 enlarged] The Apostle seems to identify himself with his work as 
 he has before identified himself with the Corinthian Church. See ch. iii. 
 2, vii. 3. He is enlarged when the Church is enlarged by his means. 
 
 by you] Literally, in or among; you. Some connect these words 
 with 'when your faith is increased,' i.e. among yourselves. 
 
 abundantly] Literally, unto superabundance. 
 
 16. to preach the gospel in the regions beyond yoti] i.e. the rest of 
 Greece, Italy and Spain. Cf. Rom. xv. 19, 24, 28. St Paul here 
 attributes his further progress in the Gospel not to his own energy, but 
 to their faith, another instance of his identification of himself with those 
 in whom the same life dwelt. Cf. ch. i. 11. 
 
 and not to boast in another mans line] Literally, and not to have 
 boasted. Both this word and the words translated enlarged and preach 
 the gospel are in the past tense. St Paul here again reflects indirectly, 
 but most severely upon his opponents. Our hope is first that your faith 
 may increase, and then that we may congratulate ourselves on having 
 carried the good tidings of the Gospel to those who as yet have not 
 heard them, not, as others do, on the successes which by intruding into 
 another man's work, we have found ready made for us. 
 
 17. Btit he that glorieth] See note on v. 8. This passage occurs in 
 I Cor. i. 31, where it is prefaced by the words *it is written.' It is in 
 fact a paraphrase of Jer. ix. 24. Meyer remarks that a noble example 
 of this kind of glorying is given by St Paul himself in r Cor. xv. 10. 
 Cf. also ch. xii. 10. 
 
vv. i8; I, 2.] II. CORINTHIANS, X. XI. 109 
 
 rieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that ^a 
 commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord com- 
 mendeth. 
 
 I — 17. Sf PaiiVs Defence of himself against his accusers. 
 Would to God you could bear with me a little in my 11 
 folly : and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over 2 
 you with godly jealousy : for I have espoused you to one 
 husband, that / may present you as a chaste virgin to 
 
 18. For Jiot he that com77iendeth himself is approved'] vSt Paul's 
 self-commendation is only wrung from him by circumstances. The 
 Corinthians will not judge of things except 'after the appearance' [v. 7). 
 St Paul, bearing in mind the wise man's advice to 'answer a fool 
 according to his folly' (Prov. xxvi. 5), shews that even from that point of 
 view the new teachers could not arrogate to themselves any superiority 
 over him. But he takes care to remark that the only true ground of 
 approval is to do the work of God. 
 
 Ch. XL 1—17. St Paul's Defence of himself against his 
 
 ACCUSERS. 
 
 1. Would to God] The words 'to God' are not in the original. 
 bear with me a little in my folly'] i.e. the folly of boasting, which 
 
 (ch. X. 8, xi. 16 — 18, xii. ir) the Apostle regards as a necessity laid 
 upon him by the present condition of the Corinthian Church. Cf. also 
 I Cor. iii. i. 
 
 and indeed bear with me] Most recent editors translate as Chrysostom, 
 but you really do bear zvith 7?ie. Ye [i.e. yea), ye do also forbeare me, 
 Cranmer. The imperative rendering, however, harmonizes best with 
 what follows, 'Nay, indeed I beseech you to bear with me, for I am 
 zealous,' &c. 
 
 2. with godly jealousy] Literally, with a jealousy of God, i. e. either 
 (i) which comes from Him, or (2) which is pleasing in His sight, or (3) 
 as Chrysostom, with the jealousy with which God is jealous, or (4) with 
 a jealousy for God "like that of the paranymph," Estius (see next note). 
 The literal rendering in this verse is zealous, zeal. See notes on ch. vii. 
 7, ir, ix. 1. 
 
 for I have espoiised you] Rather, I espoused you, i.e. at your con- 
 version, it being the act, rather than its completion, to which St Paul 
 asks attention. Cf Matt. xxii. 2; John iii. 29; Eph. v. 25, 27; Rev. 
 xxi. 2, 9, xxii. 17. Also Isai. liv. 5 ; Jer. iii. 14; Ezek. xvi. 8; Hos. ii. 
 19, 20. St Paul, like St John the Baptist, here represents himself as 
 the friend of the bridegroom, who often (see Art. Marriage in the 
 Dictionary of the Bible) took a prominent part in the negotiation of the 
 marriage. 
 
 to one husbatid] The reference is to such passages as Jer. iii. i ; Ezek. 
 xvi. 15. St Paul betrothed them to Christ, but they gave heed to 'divers 
 and strange doctrines,' Heb. xiii. 8, 9. 
 
no II. CORINTHIANS, XI. [w. 3, 4 
 
 3 Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent 
 beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be 
 
 4 corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he 
 that Cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not 
 preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not 
 
 present you as a chaste virgin to Christ'\ i.e. at His coming. Cf. 
 Eph. V. 27, where Christ is said Himself io present the Church to Him- 
 self. The betrothal, in St Paul's day, as in some Christian countries at 
 the present time, preceded the marriage sometimes by a considerable 
 interval. There is a reference here also to the passages from the O.T. 
 cited above, and to Ezek. xxiii. &c. 
 
 3. as the serpent beguiled Eve'] The Church, as a second Eve, is 
 espoused to Christ, the new Adam (i Cor. xv. 45). She must beware 
 lest, like Eve, she listen to the voice of the same tempter, who ever 
 lieth in wait to deceive, and so lose the privileges she was destined to 
 enjoy. See ch. ii. 11. 
 
 through his subtiltyl See ch. iv. 2, and note. A similar sentiment 
 will be found in Col. ii. 4 — 8. For the serpent, see Gen. iii. i ; and cf. 
 ^Visd. ii. 23, 24; Rev. xii. 9, 14, 15. 
 
 your minds] See note on ch. ii. i r, where the same word is used as 
 here. 
 
 frofn the simplicity'] Rather, singlemindness. Seech, i. 12, viii. 2, 
 ix. II, 13. Most editors here add aw^/Z/^^/iaj/zV/. No doubt the words 
 and the chastity have been left out from the close similarity of the two 
 Greek words in this passage. A word only differing in the Greek from 
 this by one letter has been substituted for the word simplicity by many 
 editors in ch. i. 12. 
 
 that is in Christ] Literally, 'that is unto Christ' {that ye had toward 
 Christ, Cranmer). "This is an expression commonly mistaken. People 
 suppose simplicity means what a child or ploughman can understand. 
 Now if this be simplicity, the simplicity of the Gospel was corrupted by 
 St Paul himself. 'Simple,' according to St Paul, means unmixed or 
 unadulterated." Robertson. See notes on passages cited in last note. 
 The meaning therefore is 'your single-minded devotion to Christ.' 
 
 4. he that cometh] This shews that the false teachers came from else- 
 where, whence they brought their corruptions. Chrysostom. Cf. Acts 
 XV. I, 24; Gal. ii. 4, 12. Otherwise, says Olshausen, they would have 
 been excommunicated. 
 
 another Jesiis] The word is not the same as that translated another 
 below. In this case it means the sa7?te Jesus ("the historical Jesus," 
 Stanley), but preached in such a way as to produce a different impres- 
 sion. Cf. the Greek in Gal. i. 6, 7. 
 
 or if ye receive another spirit, -which ye have not received] Literally, 
 ■whom (or which) ye did not receive. The preaching of Jesus after 
 quite another fashion, that of bondage to law (Acts xv. i ; Gal. iv. 21), 
 would involve the communication of a different spirit (see last note) to 
 
vv. 5, 6.] II. CORINTHIANS, XI. jii 
 
 received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye 
 might well bear with him. For I suppose / was not a whit s 
 behind the very chiefest apostles. But though I be rude in 6 
 
 the spirit of liberty made known by St Paul (Rom. viii. 2, 15). For 
 the nature of the false teaching at Corinth, see Introduction to the First 
 Epistle, p. ir, and v. ii. 
 
 another gospel] i.e. a different Gospel. See last note. 
 ye might well bear with him (or it)] These words have generally been 
 regarded as ironical, nobly would ye bear with him (Alford, Plumptre), 
 and explained of the ready reception which the false teachers had met 
 with. But a comparison with Gal. i. 7, difficult as that passage is, makes 
 it probable that no irony whatever is intended. ' ' Had they preached 
 another Gospel altogether, there would have been some reason in listen- 
 ing to them." But they do not do this. They profess to preach the 
 same Lord and the same Gospel, only they depreciate the authority 
 of him from whom you first received it. Such men have no raison 
 ) <r^tre, no standing-ground among you. They have none in my position 
 in the Church, for it is equal to that of any of the Apostles {v. 5). They 
 have none in my disregard of the technical rules of oratory, for I am 
 not lacking in knowledge. They have none, in fact, in any way, for I 
 challenge the closest investigation into my conduct {v. 6). In one point, 
 I admit [v. 7), they have an apparent advantage. But even that vanishes 
 on investigation. See notes below. 
 
 5. For I suppose] The connection of thought seems to be as above. 
 If they had been preaching another Gospel, you might have borne with 
 them, but when preaching the same Gospel they can arrogate no 
 superiority oyer me, for I am on an equality with the very highest. 
 
 / was not a zvhit behind] Rather, I have not fallen short in any- 
 way, i. e. I neither have been, nor am now, in the least inferior. 
 
 the very chiefest apostles] Cf. ch. xii. 11. Most modern editors 
 render by "these surpassers of the Apostles" (Alford), "those Apostles 
 extraordinary" (Plumptre) (literally, the overmuch Apostles), regarding 
 the Greek as ironical and interpreting the passage as referring to the 
 false teachers. Chrysostom and the ancient interpreters refer it to St 
 Peter and the rest of the twelve. But possibly there is no personal 
 reference at all. St Paul may mean that no Apostles existed anywhere, 
 however great they might be, who could claim superiority over him. 
 Cf. Gal. ii. 6, 9. Robertson has some interesting remarks on the common 
 interpretation : "Some cannot understand the feeling which prompts an 
 expression like this. Shallow men would call it egotism, vanity, folly, 
 as if egotism consisted only in speaking of oneself. True Christian 
 modesty is not the being ignorant of what we are, neither does it consist 
 in affecting ignorance. It consists in this— in having a high and sublime 
 standard set before us, so that we feel how far we are from attaining to 
 that:' 
 
 6. Btit though I be rude in speech] The word (see note on i Cor. xiv. 
 16, and cf. Acts iv. 13; i Cor. i. 17, ii. i, 4, 13, and ch. x. 10) signifies 
 one not specially instructed in an art. "It does not mean one who is not 
 
 II. COR. 8 
 
112 II. CORINTHIANS, XI. [w. 7, 8. 
 
 speech, yet not in knowledge ; but we have been throughly 
 
 7 made manifest among you in all things. Have I committed 
 an offence in abasing myself that you might be exalted, be- 
 
 8 cause I have preached to you the gospel of God freely ? I 
 robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you ser- 
 
 eloquent, but one who has not learned eloquence by the rules of rhetorical 
 schools." Bp Wordsworth. See ch. x. 10. Some have regarded it as 
 meaning 'untrained in Rabbinical learning.' But this could hardly be 
 said of the pupil of Gamaliel (Acts xxii. 3). St Paul seems here to be 
 combating all his antagonists, whether of Jewish or Gentile tendencies. 
 
 yet not in knowledge] Cf. I Cor. ii. 6 and note. Also Eph. iii. 4. 
 
 made nianifest] See notes on ch. i. 12 — 14, ii. 17, iv. 1, v. 11, vii. 12, 
 and on v. 4. St Paul continually appeals to his conduct as the best wit- 
 ness of the genuineness of his mission. Most modern editors read the 
 active instead of the passive participle here. We must then translate 
 made things manifest. 
 
 7. Have I committed an offence"] Literally, committed sin {don 
 sinne, Wiclif. Did I therein synne? T)mdale, Cranmer and the 
 Geneva version). This passage is ironical. The Corinthians had 
 allowed St Paul's anxious desire not to be burdensome to them to be 
 used against him (see i Cor. ix. i — 14). He asks if such an anxiety 
 for their welfare was to be imputed to him as a sin. Cf the very similar 
 passage in ch. xii. 13. 
 
 abasing myself] i.e. by working for his living, when he might have 
 enjoyed what men are apt to regard as a dignified ease at their expense. 
 For the word see note on ch. x. i. 
 
 that you might be exalted] He speaks, not of temporal exaltation, for 
 his coming made no difference, unless perhaps for the worse, in their 
 temporal condition, but of the "height of Christian salvation" (Meyer) 
 to which they had been lifted. 
 
 freely] Cf. i Cor. ix. 12—18; i Thess. ii. 9 ; Matt. x. 8. There is a' 
 contrast intended between the greatness of the gift, the Gospel of God, 
 and the cost for which it was imparted, ^r «i>///ew^ (literally, as a gift). 
 Cf Isaiah Iv. i. 
 
 8. / robbed other churches] "An hyperbolical expression " (Meyer). 
 And yet in one sense it was true, for the Corinthians were just as much 
 bound to support the Apostle when at Corinth as any other Churches 
 were when the Apostle was with them. And, therefore, if when at 
 Corinth he availed himself of assistance from those other Churches, he 
 was taking from them what they ought not to have been called upon to 
 supply. Why he did so we are told in v. 12. 
 
 taking wages of them] The Philippian Church, we learn from Phil. 
 iv. 15, 16 (ct. next verse), is the Church referred to. Their liberality, 
 St Paul felt, was not likely to be cast in his teeth, therefore he readily ac- 
 cepted it. In later days he again received their bounty with a willingness 
 which would not, he knew, be misconstrued. This is an instance of 
 that minute but undesigned agreement in points of detail which consti- 
 
vv. 9-II.] n. CORINTHIANS, XL 113 
 
 vice. And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was 9 
 chargeable to no man : for that which was lacking to me 
 the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied : and in 
 all things I have kept myself from being burdensome to 
 you, and so will I keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in 10 
 me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of 
 Achaia. Wherefore ? because I love you not ? God know- n 
 
 tutes so strong an argument for the genuineness of most of the Scriptures 
 of the N.T. For the word translated zvages see St Luke iii. 14; Rom. 
 vi. 23; I Cor. ix. 7. It was most commonly used of a soldier's pay, 
 when given in kind. 
 
 to do you sej-vice] Rather, towards my support in my ministry to 
 you. 
 
 9. and ivanted\ Rather, was in want. The same word is used in v. 
 5. See note on r Cor. i. 6. 
 
 / was chargeable to no man] Greuous, Tyndale. Our translation is 
 Cranmer's (though Wiclif's is almost identical, ' c/iargeozts'). The 
 Geneva version is nearer to the original, / was not slothful to the hinder' 
 ance of any man. The original word is remarkable. It signifies 
 originally to benumb thoroughly, and our word narcotic comes from this 
 root, as also narcissus from the narcotic qualities of the plant. The 
 torpedo, from its benumbing properties, had in Greek the name of 
 vdpKr], from whence some have translated it, 'I attached myself to no 
 man like the torpedo attaches itself.' But as it is doubtful whether 
 the fish gave the name to the sensation or the sensation to the fish, it 
 will be sufficient to render by I disabled, or paralysed, no man, by 
 throwing my maintenance on him. 
 
 from ]\lacedonid\ See note on last verse. *'The principal fact set 
 forth in this passage, the arrival at Corinth of brethren from Macedonia 
 during St Paul's residence in that city, is explicitly recorded, Acts xviii. 
 I, 5." Paley. 
 
 and so will I keep myself ] Cf. i Cor. ix. 18. « 
 
 10. As the truth of Christ is in me] Rather, the truthe of Crist is 
 in me (Wiclif, whom the Geneva and Rheims versions follow here) or 
 if the truth (Tyndale and Cranmer). "There is no oath" (Dean 
 Alford, who refers to Rom. ix. i). "The mind of Christ is in him 
 (i Cor. ii. 16), the heart of Christ beats in him (Phil. i. 8), Christ speaks 
 in him (ch. xiii. 3), and all this through the Spirit of Christ which dwells 
 in him." Meyer, 
 
 stop me] This boasting shall not be stopped in me, margin. The 
 Greek word signifies to wall ox fence round. Bp Wordsworth thinks that 
 an allusion is here made to the Isthmian Wall, and refers to several 
 passages in ancient history which speak of the value of such a fortifica- 
 tion in the defence of the Peloponnesus. But it is possible that no such 
 allusion was intended. The word is used in the N. T. (as in Rom. iii. 
 19; Heb. xi. 33) o{ stopping the mouth. 
 
 11. Wherefore ? because I love you not ?] See v. 7 and note. The 
 
114 II. CORINTHIANS, XI. [w. 12— 15. 
 
 12 eth. But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off 
 occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein 
 
 13 they glory, they may be found even as we. For such are 
 false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves 
 
 14 into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel ; for Satan him- 
 
 15 self is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no 
 great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the minis- 
 
 same ironical tone is adopted. 'Can you suppose that this is a proof 
 of my indifference towards you?' And then the Apostle suddenly 
 becomes serious, and appeals to God who knows the heart. 
 
 12. occasion\ See ch. v. 12. 
 
 that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we] These words 
 seem to imply that the Corinthian false teachers did not accept money 
 or maintenance for their services. But then it is difficult to see how 
 they could have made that very practice an argument against St Paul. 
 It is, therefore, better to suppose, that they boasted of their disinterest- 
 edness, in spite of their willingness to enrich themselves at the Corinth- 
 ians' expense (see next verse), and that St Paul was determined that they 
 should have no solid ground for insinuations of this kind against him 
 (though such were made nevertheless, ch. xii. 16, 17, by those who 
 judged of the Apostle by themselves). So he steadfastly refused to take 
 a farthing of money from the Corinthians, preferring to undergo priva- 
 tions {v. 9) rather than give an opportunity to his opponents to assert of 
 him, what was true of themselves, that his professed disinterestedness 
 was only a pretence. There are a number of interpretations of this 
 passage, for which the student may consult the commentaries of Deans 
 Stanley and Alford. 
 
 13. jFor such] The link of connection is as follows. You cannot 
 believe them in their boasting. They are false and deceitful in all their 
 doings. They have not your interest at heart, but their own. Cf. ch. 
 ii. 17. 
 
 /a/se apostles] See Rev. ii. 2 ; also note on v. 16. 
 
 deceitful ivorkers] St Paul is indirectly aiming at such persons in ch. 
 iv. 2, as well as more directly in ch. ii, 17. Cf. Rom. xvi. 17, 18; Phil, 
 iii. 2. The word workcjs is in the original equivalent to our word 
 workmen or artisans. The reference is to workmen who shirk, or as it 
 is called 'scamp' their work, instead of dealing fairly by their employer. 
 
 14. And no marz'el] No n'ondre, Wiclif, where we may remark that 
 the older English expression has held its ground against the French equi- 
 valent. 
 
 Satan himself is tratisformed] Cf. ch. ii. 11. Not that he is really so 
 transformed, but that he appears to be so, to those who judge 'accord- 
 ing to the appearance,' ch. x. 7; Gal. vi. 12; Phil. i. 15, iii. 18; Tit. i. 
 10, II. ^^ Tr an sf or JJied 'mio, not becoming^" Chrysostom. He reads 
 'z/ Satan himself.' 
 ; 15. 7(;hose ^nd shall be according to their works] Cf. Prov. xxiv. 12 ; 
 
w. i6, 17.] II. CORINTHIANS, XI. lij 
 
 lers of righteousness ; whose end shall be according to their 
 works. 
 
 I say again, Let no man think me a fool ; if other- is 
 wise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a 
 little. T/ia^ which I speak, I speak // not after the Lord, n 
 but as // were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting. 
 
 Matt. xvi. 27; Rom. ii. 6 — 11; i Cor. iii. 8; Phil. iii. 19; 2 Tim. iv. 
 14; Rev. XX. 12, &c. 
 
 16. / say again] Cf. ch. x. 8, xi. i, 6. "Three times he has 
 attempted to begin his boast. First he is interrupted by the recollection 
 of the hollowness of the boast of his opponents : again, he is checked by 
 the difficulty of pressing it on men so perverted by the influence of 
 their false teachers ; and again, vsrhen he is led aside to answer the 
 charge arising from his refusal of support. Now once more he returns 
 to the point, and now for the first time carries it through." Stanley. 
 
 Let no man think me a fool] This reiterated appeal to the Corinthians 
 is due to the fact that St Paul keenly feels the unsuitableness of such 
 boasting to the Christian character. See ch. xii. 6, and notes on ch. x. 
 8, xi. I. "Observe how, when about to enter upon his own praises, he 
 checks himself. " Chrysostom. 
 
 if otherwise] Or else (Tyndale, Cranmer, Geneva), i.e. but even if you 
 do regard me as a fool. 
 
 yet as a fool receive me] i.e. 'Receive me, even though you must re- 
 ceive me as a fool.' 
 
 that I may boast myself] Rather (with Vulgate, Cranmer, Geneva, 
 Rhemish) that I also, i. e. as the false teachers have done (see the first 
 four chapters of the first Epistle). Our version copies Tyndale here. 
 
 a little] The original is stronger; 'a little bit,' as we say. 
 
 17. not after the Lord] i. e. ( i ) according to the example of the Lord ; 
 see for similar forms of expression 1 Cor. iii. 3, xv. 32; 2 Cor. i. 17, 
 x. 3 (in the Greek); or (2) not inspired by the L.ord (cf. i Cor. vii. 12, 
 25, 40). "There are many things" — he mentions war, self-defence, 
 generous resentment — "which are not exactly after Christ, and yet are 
 not contrary to the Spirit of Christ." Robertson. "By itself it is not 
 after the Lord, but it becomes so by the intention." Chrysostom. "Like 
 an oath, self-praise may under certain circumstances become necessary, 
 especially for those who, like St Paul, have the public duties of a sacred 
 ministry to discharge." Wordsworth. St Paul was resolved 'by all means 
 to save some' (i Cor. ix. 22). If there were those at Corinth who raised 
 objections to his ministrations, he took them on their own ground, and 
 shewed that, low and unworthy as that ground was, even there they had 
 no sufficient justification for their conduct. It is often necessary to adopt 
 such a course, on the principle laid down by our Lord in Matt. vii. 6. 
 Appeals to the higher spiritual instincts of men who have never culti- 
 vated those instincts are useless. We must deal with mankind as they 
 are, and hope thus to lead them to become what at present they are 
 not. And if it be asked how we are to know when to walk * after the 
 
-ii6 II. CORINTHIANS, XI. [vv. 18—20. 
 
 •. 18 — 33. »S/ Paul per7nits himself to e7iumerate his labours 
 for the GospeVs sake, 
 
 18 Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also. 
 
 19 For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. For 
 '° ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour 
 
 Lord,' and when to condescend to the folly of mankind, the answer is, 
 whenever we conscientiously believe it to be for their benefit. 
 
 in this confidence of boasti7tg] i. e. on which I am now about to enter. 
 Cranmer translates in this matter of boasting {substantia, Vulgate ; sub- 
 staunce, Wiclif and the Rhemish). So Chrysostom. But it seems better 
 to translate as the A. V. St Paul regards what he is about to iay as an 
 Outburst of foolish self-confidence, ridiculous in itself, but rendered 
 necessary by the thoroughly low and carnal ideas of many of his Corinth- 
 ian converts. Foolish as they are, he hopes to redeem them from their 
 folly by shewing that he possesses even the qualifications on which they 
 set so exaggerated a value, in greater measure than those for whom they 
 had deserted him. 
 
 18 — 33. St Paul permits himself to enumerate his labours 
 FOR the Gospel's sake. 
 
 18. after the flesK\ See note on after the Lord, and Phil. iii. 4. 
 Also note on ch. x. 3. St Paul means after the manner of those who judge 
 only by what is outward and visible, or perhaps he may mean boasting of 
 things, such as "high birth, wealth, wisdom, of being circumcised, of 
 Hebrew ancestry, of popular renown" (Chrysostom), on which fleshly 
 men set high value. 
 
 / will glory also] "It is remarkable that St Paul does not glory in 
 what he has done, but what he has borne'J" Robertson. 
 
 19. J^or ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves a7'e Tvise] Literally, 
 For gladly do ye tolerate men without understanding, being prudent 
 (or perhaps better sensible men). The word here translated suffer is trans- 
 lated bear with in v. 4. The translation here is Wiclifs. It is a question 
 (see next note) whether either of the two members of this sentence is to 
 be taken literally. But that its general purpose is ironical there can be 
 no doubt. Cf. i Cor. iv. 10. 
 
 20. For ye suffer] {susteynen,'SR \c\i^. "This may be understood in 
 three ways, (i) He maybe understood as reproving the Corinthians 
 ironically, because of their inability to bear with anything, or (2) as 
 charging them with sluggishness of spirit, because they had shamefully 
 enslaved themselves to the false Apostles, or (3) he repeats in the person 
 of another what was maliciously affirmed regarding himself, namely, 
 that he claimed a tyrannical authority over them." Calvin. If, with 
 him and many ancient commentators, we adopt (2), the sense is, as 
 Calvin goes on to say, 'You bear with all kinds of indignities from 
 others, why not with far less from me, who am in every respect their 
 equal, if not their superior, in the very qualifications by which you set 
 so much store?' This interpretation agrees best with the context (see 
 
V. 21.] II. CORINTHIANS, XI. 117 
 
 you^ if a man take ofyou^ if a man exalt himself, if a man smite 
 you on the face. I speak as concerning reproach, as though : 
 we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I 
 
 next verse). The connection of this verse with the former will then be 
 as follows : 'You pride yourselves on being sensible people, and certainly 
 you have immense toleration for folly. You even endure the foolish — or 
 worse than foolish — insults of men who have no claim whatever to lord 
 it over you. Why then not bear with me, when I condescend for a 
 moment to the level of their folly? You will crouch to worthless pre- 
 tenders, why resist the voice of real authority?' 
 
 if a man bj'ing you into bondage] Literally, enslave you. Our trans- 
 lation is Tyndale's. Cf. Gal. ii. 4, iv. 9, v. i. 
 
 devour you] Cf. Matt, xxiii. 14; and the LXX. of Isai. ix. 12. These 
 false teachers were animated by none of St Paul's delicacy as regards 
 money matters. It could not be said of them that they were no 
 Apostles, because they had no claim to be maintained by the Churches. 
 
 take of you] Rather, seize you, i. e. as a hunter his victim, or a man 
 his property (cf. ch. xii. 16). The earlier versions rendered simply by 
 take, as though doubtful of the meaning. It was the Geneva that first 
 added 'your goods.' 
 
 smite you on the face] An utterly extraordinary and inconceivable 
 piece of presumption, according to our modern notions. But we do not 
 habitually realize the immense extent to which Christianity has leavened 
 our habits. Dean Stanley refers us to i Kings xxii. 24; Matt. v. 39; 
 Luke xxii. 64 ; Acts xxiii. 2 ; i Tim. iii. 3 ; Tit. i. 7 ; and to the canon 
 of the Council of Braga (a.D. 675), which orders that no bishop at his 
 will and pleasure shall strike (the original, however, seems to imply 
 sccurging) his clergy, lest he lose the respect which they owe him. He 
 might have referred also to the famous Latrocinium, or Robber-Synod of 
 Ephesus, in which one patriarch of the Church and his adherents lite- 
 rally stamped another to death, and even to a period so late as the 
 Council of Trent, in which it is admitted, even by the Jesuit historian 
 Pallavicino, that scenes of personal violence occurred among those who 
 were or should have been teachers of religion. See his History of the 
 Council of Trent, Book viii. ch. 6. 
 
 21. / speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak] 
 Literally, after reproach (or dishonour, see ch. vi. 8, and see note on 
 V. 17), "to my reproach" (Stanley), or perhaps 'about the dishonour that 
 has been cast upon me,' that / ventured to do none of these things, 
 because I dared not. The 'we' is emphatic, fi^, the true ministers of 
 Christ, incurred the reproach of weakness while among you (see ch. x. 
 10, and I Cor. iv. 10), for we ventured upon no such evidences of our 
 power. And this 'weakness' has been alleged against us as proof 
 positive that we are no true Apostles of Christ. 'As though' implies 
 that St Paul does not admit the justice of the accusation. But he passes 
 it by, and proceeds to shew that he, too, can shew boldness upon 
 occasion. 
 
 whereinsoever any is bold] There is no ground upon which the 'false 
 Apostles' have based their authority which St Paul could not also ad- 
 
iig II. CORINTHIANS, XI. [w. 22, 23. 
 
 22 speak foolishly,) I am bold also. Are they Hebrews? so am 
 I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of 
 
 23 Abraham ? so ain I. Are they ministers of Christ ? (I speak 
 as a fool) I am more ; in labours more abundant, in stripes 
 
 vance : there are few on which his title to the respect of his flock is not 
 greater than theirs. 
 
 I am bold also] St Paul is not here so much thinking of his boldness 
 in asserting his Apostolic authority (ch. x. 2, 11) as of his boldness in 
 asserting his personal claims on the allegiance of the Corinthian Chris- 
 tians; for now, though not 'after the Lord,' but 'after the flesh,' he 
 commences that eloquent and impassioned description of his ministerial 
 labours and experiences, which has done more than any other passage 
 in Scripture to bring the person of the great Apostle before us, and to 
 endear him to the Christian conscience. 
 
 22. Are they Hebrews?] We may take the words Hebrew, Israelite, 
 seed of Abraham, as referring (i) respectively to the nationality, theo- 
 cratic condition, and Messianic rights of the Jewish people. Thus the 
 Hebrew would not only be one who was of pure descent, but whose 
 attachment to Jewish nationality caused him to cling to the Jewish 
 language (see Acts vi. i, xxi. 40, xxii. 2; and Phil. iii. 5). The 
 Israelite would be a man attached to the covenant privileges of his 
 nation (cf. St John i. 47; Acts ii. 22, iii. 12, v. 35, xiii. 16, xxi. 28; and 
 especially Rom. ix. 4). Seed of Abraham must refer to the pure 
 Abrahamic descent of St Paul, and his consequent title to all the 
 promises made to Abraham. See Rom. ix. 7, xi. i. 
 
 23. Are they ministers of Christ ?] St Paul here cannot be content 
 with the simple *so am I. These men (see ch. x. 7; i Cor. i. 10) 
 claimed to be in some special sense Christ's ministers. But when the 
 Apostle thinks of the singleness of his devotion to Christ's cause, of 
 which he had so frequently boasted (ch. ii. 17, iv. 5, vi. 4 — 10, vii. 2, &c.), 
 and of the nature of his services as compared with theirs, his spirit rises 
 within him. 'I may speak like a madman,' he cries (see next note), 'but 
 I cannot contain myself at such a charge. What have they done for the 
 cause of Him whose name they falsely arrogate to themselves, compared 
 to the services I have rendered ? I use no meje words of vaunting, but 
 appeal to the devotion of a life to His Gospel.' 
 
 I speak as a fool] Rather as a madman {scarse wise, Rhemish. Our 
 translation is Tyndale's). The word in the original is stronger than that 
 in vv. 16, 19. St Paul is not thinking here so much of the impression 
 his words may produce on the Corinthians, as of the fact that all 'boast- 
 ing' in God's sight is 'excluded' by the 'law of faith' (Rom. iii. 27; cf. 
 Luke xvii. 10). Mad indeed is it to boast of anything as constituting a 
 claim on God for reward. But facts are facts, and they may be appealed 
 to, not for self-glorification, but (ch. xii. 1 1) to confute pretensions which 
 ought never to have been advanced. 
 
 in labours more abundant] Cf. i Cor. xv. 10. He now commences 
 the proof of this assertion, and it consists not in words but in deeds. He 
 appeals to *'a life hitherto without precedent in the history of the world. 
 
vv. 24, 25] II. CORINTHIANS, XI. 11^ 
 
 above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of 24 
 the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice 25 
 was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered 
 
 Self-devotion at particular moments, or for some special national cause, 
 had been often seen before ; but a self-devotion involving sacrifices like 
 those here described, extending through a period of at least fourteen 
 years, and in behalf of no local or family interest, but for the interest of 
 mankind at large, was up to this time a thing unknown." Stanley. De 
 Wette would translate more abundajitly (the word is an adverb in the 
 -original) and connect it with what has gone before, ' in labours I am 
 more abundantly a minister of Christ than they.' 
 
 in prisofts more freqtient] "What is left out is more than is 
 enumerated." Chrysostom. There is but ^^w^ imprisonment mentioned up 
 to this time in the Acts (ch. xvi. 23). So there is but one beating with 
 rods (see below). The Acts of the Apostles, being written with a 
 special purpose (see note on ch. i. 8, vi, 5.), does not attempt to give a 
 full account of St Paul's labours and sufferings. See Stanley's note on 
 V. 2 1 and Paley, Horae Patilinae, Ep. to Corinth. 9. Estius accounts it 
 a proof of St Paul's modesty that he had never mentioned these things 
 even to a friend so intimate as St Luke. 
 
 iti deaths off] Cf. ch. i. 9, 10, iv. 11; 1 Cor. xv. 31. ** Perils i-^«- 
 /amm^ death," i.e. as a possible event. Chrysostom. 
 
 24. Of the Jews] Literally, Under Jews, as though it were a 
 disgrace to them to have treated one of their brethren thus. Cf. St 
 Matt. X. 17. 
 
 forty stripes save one] Cf. Deut. xxv. 3. The Mishna {MaMoth, 
 III. 10 [9]) prescribes that one below the number there mentioned were 
 to be given, clearly, as Maimonides (Commentary in loco and Mishneh 
 Torah, Hilekhoth Synhed^ijt, xvii. i) explains, lest by a mistake the 
 prescribed number should be exceeded. Others refer it to the three 
 cords of the scourges, which could only inflict stripes to the extent of 
 some multiple of three. Josephus, Antiq. iv. 8. 21, mentions the 
 custom. 
 
 25. Thrice was I beaten with rods] See Acts xvi. 22, 23, and note 
 on V. 23. This punishment is also said frequently to have caused the 
 death of the victim. It was inflicted by the Romans on those who did 
 not possess the privilege of Roman citizenship, Actsxxii. 25. A precisely 
 similar scene to that in the Acts is recorded in Cicero in Verretn V. 62, 
 where the victim is said to have uttered the well-known words, Civis 
 Romanus sum. Cicero here invokes the 'lex Porcia,' by which the 
 beating a Roman citizen with rods, which had been formerly lawful, 
 was forbidden. See Livy, x. 9, "gravi poena si quis verberasset ne- 
 cassetve civem Romanum," and cf. Sallust, Catilina, c. 51. 
 
 once was I stoned] See Acts xiv. 19. Clement of Rome, St Paul's 
 companion and friend (Phil. iv. 3), says in a somewhat obscure passage 
 {Ep. I. 5) that St Paul was ^^ seven times imprisoned, put to flight and 
 stoned." 
 
T20 II. CORINTHIANS, XI. [v. 26. 
 
 a6 shipwrack, a night and a day I have been in the deep ; in 
 journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in 
 perils by 7?iy own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in 
 
 thrice I suffered shipwrack'\ The shipwreck related in Acts xxvii. is 
 not one of these, but occurred some time afterwards. We have no other 
 account of those referred to here. 
 
 a night and a day\ The Apostle here speaks of some terrible peril, 
 compared to which even the shipwreck related in Acts xxvii. was a 
 trifling one. Probably for twenty-four hours he was exposed to the 
 dangers of the ocean, with but a plank between him and death. The 
 Acts of the Apostles, we are once more constrained to remark, 
 gives us but a scanty account of the labours and perils undergone 
 by this undaunted soul. The word translated 'a night and a day' 
 is but a single word in the original, and signifies a period of 
 twenty-four hours, commencing with sunset. Some have thought that 
 the expression here, 'in the deep,' is the same as the LXX. of Exod. 
 XV. 5, and that St Paul zvent down with the ship, and was delivered by 
 a Divine interposition. So Wiclif, Tyndale and the Geneva and 
 Rheims versions, following the Vulgate, seem to have interpreted this 
 passage (in the depnesse of the see, Wiclif; in the depe of the see, Tyndale). 
 But the expressions here and in Exod. xv. 5 (LXX.) are not identical. 
 Cranmer renders, in the deepe see. So Chrysostom, who explains it, 
 ^swimming on the sea,'' and the Syriac version, which translates, 
 * without a ship in the sea.' 
 
 26. in perils of wafers'] Literally, rivers [flodis, Wiclif). Cf. i 
 Cor. XV. 30. When bridges were rare, such perils were frequent. 
 What they are, even now, in less civilized regions, the recent loss sus- 
 tained by our troops in Afghanistan (in April, 1879) by a sudden spate, 
 after several regiments had crossed the same river in perfect safety, 
 may serve to shew us. Stanley refers also to the fate of Frederick 
 Barbarossa at a place not far from Tarsus. See also Conybeare and 
 Howson's St Paul, i. 457. 
 
 in perils of robbers] What these were in Judaea in those times we 
 may learn from the well-known parable recorded in St Luke x. The 
 danger to the traveller in Palestine and the neighbourhood from bands 
 of wandering Bedouins is still almost as great if the traveller in those 
 ]3arts ventures about without the protection afforded by a caravan. Mr 
 Cyril Graham and other recent travellers have recorded their detention 
 by the Arabs until rescued or ransomed. 
 
 in perils by my oivn countrymen] {of kyn. So Wiclif, literally. 
 Cf. Acts vii. 19; Gal. i. 14, in the Greek). These were not the least 
 among the dangers St Paul had to encounter, as Acts ix. 23, 29, xiii. 
 50, xiv. 5, 19, xvii. 5, 13, xviii. 12 testify. And doubtless there are 
 many such dangers which have been allowed to remain entirely un- 
 recorded, but which maybe imagined from what we read, and above all 
 from the yet more serious dangers which befel the Apostle in conse- 
 quence of his visit to Jerusalem, recorded in Acts xxi., the record of 
 
vv. 27, 28.] II. CORINTHIANS, XI. 121 
 
 perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the 
 sea, in perils among false brethren ; in weariness and pain- 27 
 fulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings 
 often, in cold and nakedness. Besides those things that are .8 
 
 which takes up the remainder of the book. Cf. i Thess. ii. 15, 16, St 
 Paul's first extant Epistle, written, be it remembered, from Corinth. 
 
 by the heathen'] See Acts xvi. 19 — 39, xix. 23 — 34. 
 
 in the city] See last note, and Acts ix. 23, 29, as well as v. 32 of 
 this chapter. 
 
 in the wilderness] Translated desert in Acts viii. 26. Cf St Matt. 
 xiv. 13, 15. It means any place void of inhabitants. Hvinger and 
 thirst, as well as robbers, were among the perils thus to be endured. If 
 any one should object that the Apostle thus repeats himself, it may be 
 observed that the expressions here used are arranged in pairs, and are 
 intended to shew that wherever he was, and whatever he did, the 
 Apostle was in danger. 
 
 in the sea] Not a mere repetition. "There are many perils in the 
 sea," — pirates, for instance, especially in days long past — "short of 
 shipwreck." Alford. 
 
 among false brethren] Cf Gal. ii. 4 and z*. 13 of this chapter. It 
 refers, no doubt, chiefly to the Judaizing teachers (see v. 22), but need 
 not be confined to them. Any one who falsely pretends to be a disciple 
 of Christ may be thus described. Cf. Acts xx. 29 ; 2 Peter ii. (throughout) ; 
 I John ii. 18, 19, 22, iv. 3; 2 John 7, 9; 3 John 9 ; Jude 4, 7 — 16 ; Rev. 
 ii. 2, 15, 20. 
 
 27. in weariness and painfulness] In laboure and travayle (Tyndale), 
 more literally. So Cranmer also. Our translators followed the Geneva 
 version. Cf. 2 Thess. iii. 8, where the words in the Greek are the same 
 as here. 
 
 in watchings] Literally, in sleeplessnesses, i.e. in repeated nights 
 of sleeplessness, whether from anxiety or other causes. 
 
 in hunger a7id thirst] Cf. i Cor. iv. 11 ; Phil. iv. 12. 
 
 in fastings often] "Voluntary ones, as he has before spoken of hunger 
 and want." Calvin. Cf ch. vi. 5. 
 
 in cold and nakedness] Dr Plumptre reminds us of the sharp contrast 
 between this view of the greatness of a teacher and that current among 
 the Jews, who had a proverb that "a goodly house, a fair wife, and a 
 soft couch" were the prerogatives of the "disciples of the wise." He 
 refers to Matt, xxiii. 6. See also Matt. viii. 20. 
 
 28. Besides those things that a7'e without] The six principal English ver- 
 sions interpret this expression (i) oi external XxviiX'?,, of which the Apostle 
 has hitherto been speaking — "the thynges which outwardly happen unto 
 me " (Tyndale). As the Apostle now begins to speak of intvard troubles 
 this rendering would seem quite natural. But Chrysostom (2) interprets it 
 oi things left out of the enu7neration. And this interpretation is supported 
 by the only two other passages in which the word occurs in the N. T., 
 namely, Matt. v. 32 ; Acts xxvi. 29. Cf. Heb. xi. 32. If this inter- 
 pretation be followed, we must connect the words, not only with what 
 
122 II. CORINTHIANS, XI. [vv. 29—31. 
 
 without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all 
 
 29 the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak ? who is 
 
 30 offended, and I burn not ? If I must needs glory, I will 
 
 31 glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. The God 
 and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for 
 
 follows, but with what precedes. *And besides a host of other things, 
 which I cannot now mention, there is the daily pressure of anxiety 
 arising from the Churches under my care. ' 
 
 that xvhich cometh ttpon me daily] There is a various reading here. 
 If we follow the received text, which is that of the Peshito Syriac in the 
 second century and is followed by Chrysostom, we must understand it 
 of the daily concourse of troubles arising from this source. If we follow 
 that which is proposed to be substituted for it, which is that of the 
 Vulgate and of the most ancient MSS. (though it may not improbably 
 have arisen from the copyist's eye having passed from 2T to 2T), it must 
 be rendered "that which presseth on me" {instantia, Vulgate; my 
 daily instance^ Rhemish). Tyndale, Cranmer and the Geneva render, 
 / am combred dayly. 
 
 the care] Rather perhaps, the anxiety, as we speak of care in the 
 abstract, the Greek word being derived from a verb signifying to part 
 asunder, and implying that the mind is torn asunder as it were by con- 
 flicting emotions. 
 
 of all the churches] This must not perhaps be pressed (as Dol linger 
 in his Last Age of the Church) so far as to assert that each Apostle con- 
 sidered himself individually responsible for the care of the whole Church 
 of Christ. That there was some division of responsibility appears from Gal. 
 ii. 7. St Paul probably means the care of all the Churches which he had 
 planted, surely no inconsiderable burden. 
 
 29. Who is weak, and I am not weak?] St Paul goes on to explain 
 in what that care consisted. It consisted in taking upon himself the 
 anxieties of every individual member of the flock. We may see how 
 true his words are by a reference to Rom. xiv. i — xv. 7 ; i Cor. i. 11, 
 v. I — 5, vi. I, vii. r, viii. i — 13, ix. 22, x. ■25—33 » the whole Epistle to 
 the Galatians; Phil. iv. 2, 3, as well as ch. ii. 5— 11, vii. 12 of this 
 Epistle. 
 
 30. If I must needs glory] See note on ch. i. 14, v. 12. 
 
 I will glory of the things which concerti mine itifirmities] Cf. ch. xii. 
 5, 9, xiii. 9. If St Paul turns aside for a few moments to boast 'accord- 
 ing to the flesh,' his thoughts soon flow back into a channel more 
 customary to one who has been 'created anew' in Christ. He is 
 obliged to boast somewhat. But it has become more natural to him 
 to boast of those things which to the natural man (see v. 21) are weak- 
 ness. 
 
 31. The God and Father of our Lo7'd Jesus Christ] St Paul is now 
 about to give a remarkable proof of the truth of what he has just said, 
 and one which he confirms by a solemn asseveration (cf. ch. i. 18, 23). 
 That these words belong to what follows, and not to what precedes, is 
 
vv. 32, 33-] II. CORINTHIANS, XI. 123 
 
 evermore, knoweth that I lie not. In Damascus the go- 
 vernor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Dama- 
 scenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me : and 
 through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, 
 and escaped his hands. 
 
 the opinion of commentators so widely differing as Chrysostom, Cal- 
 vin, Meyer, Bp Wordsworth, Deans Stanley and Alford. A strong 
 argument appears to be brought against this view by the fact that the 
 incident related does not warrant so strong an affirmation. But 
 as Meyer reminds us, the visions and revelations related in ch. xii. 
 I — 4 are an interruption of his enumeration of his infirmities, which 
 he resumes in ch. xii. 5. And perhaps eighteen centuries of Christianity 
 have somewhat dimmed our perception of the immense difference 
 between this vaunt, and those customary among the inflated teachers 
 of St Paul's day. They enlarged upon their triumphs, their influ- 
 ence with the rich and great, the success of their oratory, the number 
 of their disciples, and this with an arrogance which in our days would 
 be justly contemptible. St Paul, while he shews his sincerity by the 
 fact that his life was exposed to danger, narrates nothing but his escape, 
 a circumstance not likely in itself to raise his reputation among men 
 who judged according to outward appearance (we may compare the 
 reproaches cast upon Cyprian for a similar flight), and not rendered 
 more dignified by the manner in which it was accomplished. See Dean 
 Alford's note. 
 
 which is blessed for everjnore'\ Literally, existing, blessed unto the 
 ages. 
 
 32. In Damascus'] Cf. Acts ix. ■23 — 25. 
 
 the governor] Literally, the Ethnarcli (ruler of the nation — the title 
 of an Oriental provincial governor. See i Mace. xiv. 47, xv. i, &c.). 
 
 under Aretas the king] Aretas (see Josephus' Antiquities^ xviii. ) was 
 the king of Arabia Petraea. His daughter had been divorced by Herod 
 Antipas in order that he might marry Herodias, ' his brother Philip's 
 wife' (see Matt. xiv. 3 — 5). This and some disputes about the frontier 
 led to war being proclaimed, and a battle was fought (a. d. 36) in which 
 Herod's army was entirely destroyed. It is thought by some that 
 Aretas profited by this circumstance to seize on Damascus, and that it 
 was just at this juncture (a. d. 37) that St Paul returned to Damascus 
 from his stay in Arabia. Others, however, place this event about the 
 year 39, after Herod Antipas had been banished to Gaul, and think that 
 Aretas, taken into favour by Caligula, had obtained Damascus, among 
 the various changes which the new Emperor made in the arrangements of 
 his eastern provinces. Aretas seems to have been a common name 
 among the Arabs, like Ptolemy in Egypt, or Seleucus and Antiochus in 
 Syria. Josephus mentions more than one. Cf. also 1 Mace. v. 8. 
 
 kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison] Literally, was guard- 
 ing the city of the Damascenes. 
 
 33. in a basket] The word literally means a plaited cord. Hence 
 a basket made of cords. The word in Acts ix. 25 is not the same. 
 
124 II. CORINTHIANS, XII. [vv. 1,2. 
 
 I — 6. The Visions and Revelations vouchsafed to St Paul. 
 
 12 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will 
 2 come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a 
 
 was I let down by the zaalf] Theodoret well remarks, '* He shews the 
 greatness of the danger by the mode of his flight." The peroration of 
 Chrysostom's homily here is an eloquent picture of the magnanimity of 
 the great Aoostle. 
 
 Ch. XII. 1—6. The Visions and Revelations vouchsafed to 
 St Paul. 
 
 1. It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come"] The 
 Greek text here is in the most utter confusion. Out of the seven Greek 
 words which commence this chapter, the genuineness of only three is 
 guaranteed by the agreement of the MSS. and versions. Some MSS. 
 read, instead of as the A. V., I ?nust glory, it is not expedient for me, for — 
 \ox yet). Others again, I must glory, it is not, I grant, expedient, yet — . 
 The Vulgate begins with if {if it bihoveth to have glorie, it spedith not, 
 but I schal come, Wiclif), no doubt from ch. xi. 30. The A. V. avoids 
 the difficulty of choosing between for and but before / will come by 
 leaving out both. The usual rule in the case of a doubtful reading is 
 to prefer the more difficult one, on the ground that a transcriber was 
 more likely to evade what seemed to him to be a difficulty by the 
 substitution of an easier word, than of his own accord to add to the 
 difficulty of the passage. This rule is inapplicable here, where the 
 alterations have clearly proceeded from an inability to comprehend the 
 passage as it stood. The reading is therefore to be preferred which 
 falls in best with the general scope of St Paul's argument. As regards 
 the first portion of the sentence it makes very little difference to the 
 sense whether we follow the A. V. and render / am quite aware [brj) 
 that it is not well for me to boast, or with other authorities, / must boast, 
 I know it is not good for me. With regard to^^r or but, the latter seems 
 to fall in best with the context. If we read for, we must regard 
 St Paul as intending to give an additional proof of the undesirableness 
 of boasting, as shewn by the fact that {v. 7) even when there be any- 
 thing to boast of, it is invariably in the end a source of weakness. 
 If we read but, we must suppose St Paul to feel himself compelled to 
 boast, lest the incident to which he has just referred (ch. xi. 31 — 33) 
 should be turned into an accusation of cowardice. Therefore in spite 
 of himself he gives a proof which few would venture to challenge, that 
 he has a right to speak in the name of God, in order that his con- 
 fessions of weakness might not be used against him. For expedient 
 zxid glory see ch. viii. 10 and v. 12. 
 
 visions and revelations of the Lord] Visions are the sight of things 
 ordinarily beyond" our mortal ken, whether waking or in dreams. Jieve- 
 lations (see i Cor. i. 7 in the Greek, and Gal. i. 12, 16, ii. 1) are here 
 the mental and spiritual discoveries resulting from such visions. 
 
 2. / knew a man] That this is the Apostle is proved by v. 7. The 
 word kne2v should, both here and in v, 3, be rendered know. 
 
vv. 3, 4.] n. CORINTHIANS, XII. 125 
 
 man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the 
 body, I cannot tell ; or whether out of the body, I cannot 
 tell : God knoweth ;) such a one caught up to the third 
 heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, 3 
 or out of the body, I cannot tell : God knoweth ;) how that 4 
 he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable 
 
 in C/iHst] i. e. after his conversion, when he had become united to Christ. 
 
 above foicrteen years ag6\ And yet, as Chrysostom and Calvin remark, 
 he had kept silence about it all this time. The secret raptures of the 
 soul should be matters between it and God, not subjects of boasting 
 save where necessity compels it. After all the main point (z/. 6) is 
 what a man is, not what he has seen, even of things beyond the sphere 
 of sense. Whether this were the 'revelation' spoken of in Gal. i, 12, 
 ii. 2, we cannot tell. St Paul had many such revelations (see note on 
 1 Cor. ix. i), and he gives here no distinct intimation of the time at 
 which the vision occurred. 
 
 whether out of the body] "The Apostle here by implication acknow- 
 ledges the possibility of consciousness and receptivity in a disembodied 
 state." Alford. 
 
 I cannot tell] The /act of the vision was certain enough. He saw 
 clearly what God gave him permission to see, but whether the soul was 
 rapt from his body left without life, or whether body and soul were 
 caught up together to the third heaven and to Paradise, was known 
 only to God. 
 
 the third heaven] Some commentators have explained this passage by 
 the Jewish tradition (see Dean Stanley in loc.) of seven heavens. But 
 if St Paul had this in his mind, he here meant the clouds, a notion com- 
 bated by Irenaeus, who (see next note) had unusually good opportunities 
 of knowing the Apostle's meaning. He says distinctly {Adv. Haer. II. 
 30) that the third heaven is regarded by St Paul as a place pre- 
 eminently exalted, and he rejects the idea of the seven heavens as taught 
 by the Valentinian heretics, regarding it as absurd to suppose that four 
 heavens remained as yet unexplored by St Paul. Some of the Jewish 
 teachers held that there were tivo^ others that there were seven heavens. 
 So in Chagigah f. 12 b, " R. Jehuda said there are two heavens, as it 
 is said in Deut. x. 14, 'the heavens and the heaven of heavens.' Rish 
 Lakish said there were seven, &c." See also Debarim Rabba, § 2, fol. 
 253. I. Rashi on Isai. xliv, 8 says, "ye are my witnesses because I have 
 opened to you the seven heavens (firmaments)," i.e. I have disclosed to 
 you all that pertains to the knowledge of God. 
 
 4. hoav that he was caught up into paradise] Was this a second 
 vision, or only an extension of the first? St Paul's language makes the 
 latter more probable. Early tradition is not very clear upon the 
 subject, but the general opinion seems to have been that St Paul was 
 not only caught up to the highest heaven, and there saw visions of God 
 like those of Isaiah and St John, but that he was transported among 
 the saints departed to that particular region of heaven called Paradise, 
 and was permitted to hear the words there uttered. The word Para- 
 
126 II. CORINTHIANS, XII. [w. 5, 6. 
 
 5 words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such a 
 one will I glory : yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine 
 
 6 infirmities. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not 
 
 dise is probably an Aryan word, and is found in Sanscrit and Persian 
 as well as in Greek. But it is also found in Hebrew, Arabic and 
 Syriac. It signifies originally a park or pleasure-ground. It is used 
 apparently in this sense in Rev. ii. 7. But in St Luke xxiii. 43 it 
 clearly means the place (or rather state, since it is difficult to predicate 
 place of a disembodied spirit) of rest and refreshment to which the 
 Lord conducted the soul of the penitent thief as well as (r Pet. iii. 19, 
 iv. 6, cf. Iren.Adv. Hacr. I v. 27) the souls of those who were waiting 
 in the unseen world for the revelation of Him. So says Irenaeus 
 {Adv. Haer. V. 5), who, quoting as he often does the words of the 
 Elders who had seen the Apostles, with whom he had often conversed, 
 describes Paradise as a state of things "prepared for righteous men 
 and men led by the Spirit, who remain there until the consummation, 
 as a preparation for immortality." Some have thought that Paradise 
 is a yet more exalted place than the third heaven. But if we are right 
 in regarding the third as the highest heaven, it is scarcely possible to 
 see in Paradise something higher still. For visions of this kind cf. 
 Isai. vi. i; Ezek. iii. 14, 22, 24, viii. i, xi. i, 24, xxxvii. i, xl. i — 3, 
 xliii. 5; Rev. i. 10, and in a lesser degree Acts viii. 39. 
 
 U7ispeakable words] Literally, unspoken words, which may in this 
 case have been the fact, since if St Paul were out of the body, as he 
 himself tells us he may have been, the words could not have been 
 spoken in our sense of the word. But the epithet usually has the 
 sense which the context attaches to it here, words not to be uttered. 
 Calvin asks to what purpose then were they uttered to St Paul, and 
 replies that he needed such spiritual consolation to sustain him in the 
 heavy load of afflictions and cares which was laid upon him. We may 
 also hence learn, he continues, that there are depths in the counsels of 
 God which we must not hope or even wish to penetrate while here on 
 earth. Dean Stanley contrasts the reticence of St Paul with the full 
 details of his supposed visions given by Mahomet, and he might have 
 added many others who have given detailed accounts of things seen in 
 their ecstasies. 
 
 6. 0/ such a one will I glory: yet of myself I %mll not glory] St 
 Paul desires to put the fact in the background that it is of himself 
 he is speaking (see next verse). He has been compelled by the folly 
 and perversity of certain among the Corinthians to touch on these proofs 
 of Divine favour, but he just glances at the topic and passes it by; nay, 
 he even seems to make a distinction between himself as he is and the 
 man once so highly glorified by God, and returns to a kind of boasting 
 more in accordance with his own sense of propriety. So he expatiates 
 on the thorn in the flesh as an instance of how human weakness does 
 but serve to manifest the power of God. 
 
 6. For though I ivotdd desire to gloiy] St Paul here identifies him- 
 self with the man who saw the visions. 'I shall not be foolish, even if 
 I do boast, for I shall only be speaking the truth. But I refrain.'. 
 
vv. 7— 9-] 11. CORINTHIANS, XII. 127 
 
 be a fool ; for I will say the truth : but 7iow I forbear, lest 
 any man should think of me above that which he seeth me 
 to be, or that he heareth of me. 
 
 7 — 10. The Thorn in the Flesh. 
 
 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the 7 
 abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn 
 in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I 
 should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought 8 
 the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he 9 
 said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee : for my 
 
 forbear] See ch. i. 23, ix. 6, xiii. 2, where the word is the same in 
 the Greek. Also i Cor. vii. 28, and Rom. viii. 32, xi, 21. 
 
 lest any man should think] It is not visions or revelations, however 
 exalted, for which a man ought to be esteemed, but his conduct and the 
 message with which he is entrusted. 
 
 7—10. The Thorn in the Flesh. 
 
 7. And lest I should be exalted above ineasure] Rather, 'lest I should 
 be too mucli exalted,' 
 
 a thorn in the flesh] See Introduction. 
 
 the messenger of Satan] Or, an angel of Satan. Cf. St Matt. xii. 45, 
 XXV. 41; Rev. xii. 7, 9. 
 
 8. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice] Literally, Concerning- 
 this. For the word translated besought see ch. i. 3, viii. 6, and v. iS of 
 this chapter. With St Paul's prayer here compare St Matt, xxvi. 39 — 44 
 and the parallel passages in the other Gospels, It is not wrong to offer 
 such petitions, or our Lord would not have done so. But humanity in 
 its weakness often shrinks from trials which God in His wisdom knows 
 to be best for it. The only requisite for such prayers is that they shall 
 be offered in a spirit of submission to a Higher Will. Dean Stanley 
 remarks on St Paul's vivid sense of a Personal Lord, to Whom all 
 difficulties may be taken, and Who never fails to answer such appeals. 
 
 the Lord] Jesus Christ. We may compare St Paul's imitation of his 
 Master with that of St Stephen. See Acts vii. 59, and cf. St Luke 
 xxiii. 46. 
 
 that it might depart] Or he might depart. See above. 
 
 9. And he said unto me] Jesus Christ said it, "but hozcf the answer 
 fi-om Christ was received, whether through an inner voice or by means 
 of a vision, is entirely unknown to us." Meyer. 
 
 Afy grace is suflicietit for thee] "Gratia mea, id est, favor ac 
 benevolentia mea qua tibi volo benefacere," Estius, which is the 
 case with every one who is in covenant with Christ. The mean- 
 ing is 'Trust all to me. I will never fail thee nor forsake thee. Even 
 that which thou feelest to be a hindrance will be overruled into a 
 source of strength.' This was the answer ; the thorn was not taken 
 away, but strength was given to bear it. 
 
128 II. CORINTHIANS, XII. [w. lo, ii. 
 
 strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly there- 
 fore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of 
 lo Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in 
 infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in 
 distresses for Christ's sake : for when I am weak, then am 
 I strong. 
 
 II — 1 8. Colli in uation of the Defence. 
 I, I am become a fool in glorying ; ye have compelled me : 
 
 viy strength is made perfect in weakness^ Rather, power. The word 
 is the same as that rendered power below. This is a paradox very 
 common with St Paul. See ch. iv. 7, 10, xiii. 4. Also i Cor. i. i\ — 30, 
 ii. I — 4; Heb.ii. 10. The extraordinary results which God has worked 
 in all ages through means apparently most insufficient are the best com- 
 mentary on these words, and the best answer to despondent thoughts, 
 when men are weighed down with the sense of their own insufficiency. 
 Many MSS. and editors follow the Vulgate here, omitting the word w/, 
 and render yor strength is perfected in weakness. So Wiclif, for vertu is 
 perfigtly made in infirmity. "We learn to regard the Apostle not as 
 sustained by a naturally indomitable strength of mind and body, but as 
 doing what he did by an habitual struggle against his constitutional 
 weakness." Stanley. 
 
 Most gladly therefore will I rather glory"] Better, boast. This inti- 
 mation from our Lord gives St Paul an additional reason why he should 
 boast in his infirmities. When compared with the results of his labours 
 they furnish the most decisive proof (cf. ch. iv. 7, and i Cor. ii. 5) that 
 the work he has been doing is of God. 
 
 that the power of Christ may rest upon m,e\ Rather, tabernacle upon 
 me. Cf. St John i. 14. The five other versions render dwell in me. 
 The true meaning combines the two translations, 'come down upon, and 
 dwell in me.' St Paul would have us understand that if he boasted of 
 his own powers, he could not expect to be endowed with power from on 
 high, but that if he gave God all the glory by laying stress on his infirmi- 
 ties, he might hope that Christ would dwell and work in him. 
 
 10. in repj-oaches] Rather, perhaps, insults. 
 in distresses] See note on ch. vi. 4. 
 
 for Christ's sake'] This refers to all the preceding list of things en- 
 dured. 
 
 strong] Perhaps better, powerful {migty^ Wiclif), as the word is cog- 
 nate with power above. The word strong is scarcely adequate. 
 
 11—18. Continuation of the Defence. 
 
 11. / am become a fool in glorying] Or perhaps, with some, 
 Have I become a fool? The words in glorying are not in the best 
 MSS. and versions. Thus Wiclif, following the Vulgate, translates, / 
 am made unwitti, ye constreineden me. 
 
 ye have compelled me\ Literally, ye compelled me, as Wiclif above. 
 
vv. 12— 14.1 II. CORINTHIANS, XII. 129 
 
 for I ought to have been commended of you : for in nothing 
 am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. 
 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in 12 
 all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. For 13 
 what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except , 
 /*/ be that I myself was not burdensome to you ? forgive me 
 this wrong. 
 
 Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you ; and 14 
 
 The word ye is emphatic. It was not my desire, but your conduct that 
 led me to boast. See notes on ch. xi. 
 
 for I ought to kave been commended of yoti] See ch. iii. r, v. i?.,x, 12, 
 18. The word / is emphatic. The reason is given in the next verse. 
 They had had abundant evidences of his true Apostleship, and yet they 
 needed that he should himself recal them to their minds. 
 
 the very chiefest apostles] See note on ch. xi. 5. 
 
 though I be nothing] Cf. i Cor, xv. 8 — 10. Chrysostom connects 
 these words with what follows, and the meaning certainly then comes 
 nearer to the passage just cited from the First Epistle. The Apostle 
 arrogates no greatness to himself, but nevertheless that mighty deeds 
 had been wrought by his means was undeniable. 
 
 12. Truly the signs of an apostle] Rather, of the Apostle, i. e. of him 
 who is an Apostle. These are of two kinds, (i) inward, consisting in 
 endurance for the Gospel's sake, and (2) outward, in credentials of his 
 mission given from on high. 
 
 signs, attd wonders] These words are continually conjoined in Scripture 
 not only by St Paul and St Luke, but by the other three Evangelists. 
 The first refers to miraculous works, considered as signs of a Divine 
 power dwelling in the worker; the second is perhaps equivalent to our 
 word portents. 
 
 and mighty deeds] Literally, powers, referring to the inner power 
 which worked them. Dean Stanley remarks on the claim to miraculous 
 powers here made by St Paul. Cf Acts xiiL 11, xiv. 10, xvi. 18, xix. 
 II, 12. 
 
 13. For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches] {hadden 
 lesse than, Wiclif). There is no need to regard this, with some com- 
 mentators, as "bitter irony." There is nothing bitter about it. Ironical 
 indeed it is, but it is irony of the very gentlest kind. 'Everything that 
 an Apostle can do has been done amongst you, except the throwing 
 himself upon you for his maintenance' (which had been made by the 
 Apostle's opponents one of the 'signs of an Apostle;' see i Cor. ix. 5, 6). 
 'Surely this is an offence which you might very readily forgive.' 
 
 I myself] St Paul's resolution to decline maintenance at the hands 
 of the Corinthians seems to have concerned himself alone, and not to 
 have extended to his companions. 
 
 burdensome] See ch. xi. 9. 
 
 14. Behold, the third time] We can either interpret this (i) with 
 most commentators, of some unrecorded visit to Corinth, or (2) with 
 
 9—2 
 
J30 II. CORINTHIANS, XII. [vv. 15, 16. 
 
 I will not be burdensome to you : for I seek not yours, but 
 
 you : for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, 
 J5 but the parents for the children. And I will very gladly 
 
 spend and be spent for you ; though the more abundantly 
 x6 1 love you, the less I be loved. But be it so, I did not 
 
 burden you : nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with 
 
 Paley, that St Paul is speaking here and in ch. xiii. i of the intention 
 merely of visiting Corinth, such as we know (ch. i. 15 — 17) was frus- 
 trated once, and probably more than once, (i) is rendered improbable 
 by the fact that St Paul had carefully avoided visiting Corinth for some 
 time. The whole tenor of the Epistles, moreover, implies that he had 
 not been to Corinth since his long stay there, since it would have been 
 hardly possible, had such a visit been p>aid, that some more distinct 
 notice of it should not appear in letters so overflowing with personal 
 details as these. On the other hand, it must be admitted that our 
 information (see notes on ch. xi. ) of St Paul's movements is extremely 
 incomplete. 
 
 I am read)'] The phrase is almost the same as in ch. x. 6. St Paul 
 does not say here that he has been to Corinth twice before, but simply that 
 this is the third time in which he is holding himself in readiness to come. 
 Whether he comes or not will depend upon their conduct. See ch. 
 xiii. 10. Also ch. xiii. i. 
 
 not yours, but yoti\ Not their money, nor their praise, nor even their 
 affections (see next verse), but simply to induce them to give themselves 
 to Christ. 
 
 but the parents for the children] Cf. i Cor. iv. 15. The treasures 
 which were laid up by St Paul for his converts were the inexhaustible 
 stores of Divine love and mercy given us in Jesus Christ. See Rom. ix. 
 23; Eph. i. 7, 18, ii. 7, iii. 8; Col. ii. 9, &c. 
 
 15. ve7y glcidlyl Or most gladly. 
 
 spend and be spent] St Paul regards himself but as a gift of Christ's 
 love, in that he has been made a channel of His grace. Simply as such, 
 as a means whereby Christ is enriching them with Himself, he will not 
 only spend himself, but be spent by others, just as money is, which is 
 worthless in itself, and is only valuable for what it enables us to obtain. 
 
 though the mo7'e abundantly I love you] This passage shews us how 
 the jnan valued and yearned for affection, even while the Apostle knew 
 it to be right to do his duty, without expecting the least return of any 
 kind. 
 
 16. But he it so] St Paul returns to the charge in v. 13. He sup- 
 poses his antagonists to admit that, as far as he himself is concerned, he 
 has given it a satisfactory answer. But he is prepared for any amount 
 of unjust insinuations. He expects (see note on v. 13, on the words *I 
 myself) that they will attempt to charge him with making use of others 
 to do what he boasted of not doing himself. 
 
 nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile] These words are 
 frequently quoted as though the practice here referred to were a defea-" 
 
yv. 17—19.] II. CORINTHIANS, XII. 131 
 
 guile. Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I 17 
 sent unto you ? I desired Titus, and with him I sent a bro- is 
 ther. Did Titus make a gain of you ? walked we not in the 
 same spirit ? walked we not in the same steps ? 
 
 XII. 19 — XIII. 10. The Apostle's intentions on his arrival. 
 Again, think you that we excuse ourselves unto you? we 19 
 
 sible one. The next verse shews that St Paul repudiates such an impu- 
 tation with the utmost distinctness. For crafty see ch. iv. 2, xi. 3. 
 
 17. make a gain of yoti\ See ch. ii, 11. 
 
 by any of them zuhom J sent tmto you\ They may have been main- 
 tained at the expense of the Churches, but they certainly made no 
 attempt to enrich St Paul by their mission. In their disinterested labours 
 they followed implicitly the example of the great Apostle. Some have 
 thought that there is a reference here to the collection for the poor 
 Christians at Jerusalem, but this can hardly be, for the mission of Titus 
 was simply for the purpose of urging the Corinthians to complete their 
 prepai-ations. St Paul had anticipated all objections as to his making 
 use of that money for his own purposes by arranging (see i Cor. xvi. 3) 
 that it should be sent in the charge of brethren selected by the Corinthian 
 Church itself. See also ch. viii. 19, 21. We must therefore understand 
 the words as an appeal to the conduct of Titus and his companions 
 while at Corinth, and as a refutation of a charge which St Paul thought 
 might possibly be brought, that he had endeavoured in an underhand 
 manner to obtain money from Corinth through them, 
 
 18. / desired Titles'] See ch. viii. 6. This has also been thought to 
 be the Epistolary aorist, and to have a present signification, as though the 
 present letter had been sent by Titus, but the rest of the verse seems 
 to point to somQ past occasion. See also ch. xiii. 2, 10, in the Greek. 
 
 a brother] Literally, the brother. See ch. viii. 18, 22. 
 
 in the same spirit] i.e. the Holy Spirit. Cf. Gal. v. 16. 
 
 itt the same steps] Perhaps those of Christ. See i Pet. ii. ix. At 
 least the expression marks the precise accordance between the conduct 
 of the Apostle and his messengers. 
 
 XII. 19— XIII. 10. The Apostle's intentions on his 
 
 ARRIVAL. 
 
 19. Again, thiftk you that we excuse ourselves] Rather, Do 
 ye think that we are defending- ourselves again? Many MSS. and 
 versions read, Do yoti think (or You think) tliat we have been defending 
 otirselves to yotc this longtime? The viox^excuse gives a false impression, 
 as though the Apostle were exculpating himself from blame rather than 
 meeting accusations by sufficient answers. If we take the first reading 
 the reference will be to the former Epistle or the commencement of this 
 one. Cf. ch. iii. i. If the second, the meaning will be 'you think that 
 I have been making a long and perhaps tedious defence of myself^ yet 
 I can assure you that I shall not stand upon my defence when I come. 
 
132 II. CORINTHIANS, XII. [vv. 20, 21. 
 
 speak before God in Christ : but we do all thmgs, dearly 
 beloved, for your edifying. For I fear, lest, when I come, I 
 shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found 
 unto you such as ye would not : lest there be debates, envy- 
 ings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tu- 
 mults : afid lest, when I come again, my God will humble 
 
 I only desire your improvement. But if words will not suffice, I shall 
 have, when I come, to proceed to deeds.' 
 
 we speak before God in Christ] This sense of saying and doing every- 
 thing in the sight of God and Christ, Who will avenge all deceit 
 by unmasking the deceiver, is a characteristic of St Paul's whole nature, 
 but is never more clearly displayed than in this Epistle. See ch. i. 1 8, 
 23, ii. 17, iii. 4, iv. 2, 6, v. 11, vii, 12, viii. 21, xi. 10, 11, 31. 
 
 edifying] See i Cor. viii. i, and ch. v. i, x. 8. 
 
 20. For] The connection of thought is, ' I do this for your edifica- 
 tion, of which there is much need, for there are many disorders among 
 you.' 
 
 such as ye wotdd not] **He here completely and finally throws 
 off the apologist and puts on the Apostle." Alford. He will rule by 
 love rather than by fear, if possible. But if it be not possible, in the 
 last resource he must use his Apostolic power. See notes on ch. x. 8, 1 1. 
 
 debates] Rather, strifes. The word debate, however, derived from 
 the French debattre, had, like the French dcbat, a stronger meaning than 
 it has now. So Shakespeare, K. Hen. IV. Pt. II. Act iv. Scene iv. : 
 
 **Now, lords, if Heaven doth give successful end 
 To this debate that bleedeth at our doors." 
 
 errvyings] See note on ch. vii. *J. 
 
 strifes] Our translators have been misled by an apparent similarity 
 between this word and that rendered debates above. It is derived from 
 a word signifying a hired labourer, and may either mean {\) party spirit , 
 (2) personal aims in public life, in which sense Aristotle seems to have 
 used the word in his Politics, and hence (3) self-seeking in general, and 
 (4) faction. The word occurs in Rom. ii. 8; Gal. v. 20; Phil. i. 16, ii. 
 3; James iii. 14, 16. 
 
 backbitings, whisperings] **Open slanders, secret rerilings." Alford. 
 "Wiclif renders detracciouns, privie spechis of discord. He is followed by 
 the Rhemish in the rendering detractions. Tjiidale, Cranmer and the 
 Geneva render as A. V. See i Pet. ii. i for the first word, which is 
 there rendered evil speakings. Its literal meaning is speakings against, 
 but no idea of secrecy is implied, as in our version, but rather the 
 contrary. Whisperings, on the other hand, imply secrecy as a matter 
 of course. 
 
 szvellings] Rather, puffing's up (Wiclif, well, bolnyngis in pride). 
 See I Cor. iv. 6, 18, 19. The AA'ord and its cognates occur only in 
 these two Epistles and in Col. ii. 18. 
 
 tumults] See ch. vi. 5. 
 
vv. I, 2.] II. CORINTHIANS, XIII. 133 
 
 me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have 
 sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness 
 and fornication and lasciviousness which they have com- 
 mitted. 
 
 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the 13 
 mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word 
 be established. I ioX^you before, and foretell jv^w, as if 2 
 I were present the second time; and being absent now 
 
 21. among you] Or, with some interpreters, in referetice to you. 
 The literal translation is to you. 
 
 which have sinned already] Literally, those who have sinned before, 
 i.e. either (i) before their conversion and who did not cast ofif their evil 
 habits when they became Christians, or (2) those who sinned before the 
 Apostle's letter came, and who did not pay any attention to his rebukes. 
 The latter seems to fall in best with the tenor of the first Epistle and 
 with ch. ii., vii., and x. i — 6. 
 
 and have not repented] This makes it clear that, as i Cor. vi. 12 — 20 
 would imply, there were other offenders in the particular sin here 
 mentioned beside the incestuous person. It also appears that the 
 Apostle was willing to forgive such offenders as soon as they had 
 abandoned their sin. For repentance see ch. vii. 9. The literal render- 
 ing of this sentence is many of those who have sinned and did not 
 repent. Many commentators have asked, Why many and not all? 
 But they have overlooked the difference of tense in the original. There 
 were many who had sinned, and who, up to the arrival of the second 
 Epistle, had not repented. But it is quite clear that St Paul hoped that 
 his second Epistle would have much influence upon those whom his 
 first Epistle and the visit of Titus had failed to move. 
 
 lasciviousness] The term in the original has reference to the unnatural 
 condition of restless excitement which licentious habits produce in their 
 victim. 
 
 Ch. XIII. 1. This is the third time I am coming to you] See note 
 on ch. xii. 14. For the Greek present in the sense of an intention see 
 I Cor. xvi. 5. 
 
 In the mouth of two or three loitnesses shall every word be established] 
 This is a quotation from Deut. xix. 15, and is an intimation of St Paul's 
 intention to enter upon a full investigation of the condition of the 
 Corinthian Church, if such a step be rendered necessary by their con- 
 duct. He will assume nothing, take nothing for granted of what he has 
 heard, but will carry on his investigation on the principles alike of the 
 Old Testament and of the New (St Matt, xviii. 16). 
 
 2, / told you before, and foretell you] Literally, I have spoken 
 beforehand, and I say beforehand (/ seide bifor and seie bifor, Wiclif. 
 Similarly Tyndale and Cranmer). The repetition is for the sake of 
 emphasis. Cf. Gal. i. 9. See also i Cor. iv. 21. 
 
 as if I were present the second, time] Some, supposing that St Paul 
 
[34 n. CORINTHIANS, XIII. [vv. 3, 4. 
 
 I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all 
 
 3 other, that, if I come again, I will not spare : since ye seek 
 a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not 
 
 4 weak, but is mighty in you. For though he was crucified 
 through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For 
 
 had already visited Corinth twice, would render ^when present the second 
 time.' But the rendering in the text is more literal. 
 
 and being absetit noza] The word now belongs to bang- absent, not, 
 as in the A. V., to what follows. The meaning is that though now 
 absent (cf. i Cor. v. 3), the Apostle speaks as he will find it necessary to 
 speak when present, with decision and sternness, unless (ch. xii. 21) the 
 offending pei'sons repent. 
 
 fAem which heretofore have sinned] The same words as were translated 
 have sinned already in ch.. xii. 21. 
 
 and to all other\ Literally, to all the rest, inasmuch as some of the 
 Corinthians derided the idea that St Paul would act with firmness, and 
 the whole Church needed some assurance to that effect. See note on 
 ch. i. 23. 
 
 3. since ye seek] They had demanded a proof of his power, and he 
 would not fail to give it. 
 
 a proof of Christ speaking in me] Literally, of the in-me-speaMng 
 Christ. The delicate shade of meaning here can hardly be rendered into 
 English. Perhaps *of a Christ who speaks in me' would be the nearest 
 approach to it. Our version hardly conveys a sufficient idea of the 
 perpetual indwelling of Christ in His members and of the inspiring 
 influence which He constantly exerted on one so devoted to Him as St 
 Paul. See St Matt. x. 20. For proof see ch. ii. 9, viii. 2. The con- 
 nection of this verse with what precedes and what follows is to be found 
 in the fact that everything St Paul did, whether in the exercise of his 
 Apostolic power, or in any other way, was done to produce in their lives 
 a conformity to that of Christ. Cf. ch. vi. 
 
 which to you-ward is not weak] Rather, Who to you-ward. St Paul 
 continually (see ch. iv. 10, ix, and ch. xi., xii.) identifies himself with 
 Christ, in his weakness as well as his strength. He is going (see next 
 verse) to point to the weakness of Christ as united with his own. But 
 he prefaces this remarkable statement with the observation (cf. i Cor. iv. 
 11) that at present the Corinthians knew little of communion with Christ 
 in His weakness, much of His power to change the heart and life. Cf. 
 I Cor. i. 18, 24, ii. 5. Also ch. x. 4. 
 
 4. For though he was crucified through weakness] Chrysostom ob- 
 serves that these words were a great difficulty to the weaker sort. But 
 he explains them by St John xi. 3, 4; Phil. ii. 27; i Tim. v. 23, where 
 the word in the original is the same as, or cognate to, that employed 
 here. There is another reading here, which by omitting 'though,' or 
 rather *if,' in the original, strengthens the Apostle's statement. There 
 need be no difficulty. Our Lord assumed our human nature with all its 
 infirmities (Heb. ii. 10—18, iv. 15, v. 2, 3; see also ch. viii. 9, and 
 
V. 5.] 11. CORINTHIANS, XIII. 135 
 
 we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the 
 power of God toward you. Examine yourselves, whether ye s 
 be in the faith ; prove your own selves. Know ye not your 
 own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye 
 
 Phil. ii. 7, 8), although they were the result of sin. He bore all 
 those infirmities, death itself included. And then He shook them all 
 off for ever when He rose again *by the power of God.' Cf. Rom. 
 i. 4; I Cor. i. 24. 
 
 For we also are weak in him\ In this present life the Apostles of 
 Christ were like their Master. Upborne by the power of God within, 
 they had nevertheless to bear the load of human infirmity, to 'take up 
 their Cross and follow Him.' See notes on ch. iv. 10 — 12, and cf. Gal. 
 vi. 17. And not only so, but the words 'in Him' shew that it was a 
 necessary part of their union with Him that they should be partakers of 
 His tribulation, before they were translated into the fulness of His glory. 
 See 1 Thess. i. 4 — 7; i Pet. i. 5 — 7, v, 10. 
 
 we shall live with hint] Not, as the following words shew, hereafter, 
 but in the Apostle's ministry to the Corinthians. Cf. v. 3. Also 
 Rom. i. 16; John xiv. 19; i Cor. i. i8, and ch. x. 4—6, and note on 
 ch. iv. 14. The Gospel was z. pozuer which enabled men to change their 
 lives, in that it was a ministering to them of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 
 Compare ch. iii. 3, 6, 8, 9 with Rom. viii. 9, 10 and Phil. i. 19. 
 
 5. Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith ; prove your own 
 selves'] The words rendered (i) examine and (2) pi'ove have the sense 
 (i) oi testing (the word is often translated tempt) and (2) subjecting to a 
 process the result of which is satisfactory. See for (2) i Cor. xi. 28. 
 The words yourselves are in each case emphatic. The connection with 
 what has gone before would seem to be as follows. The Apostle had 
 been among the Corinthians in weakness (i Cor. ii. 3; cf. ch. x. i, 10). He 
 had boasted of nothing but his infirmity (ch. xi. 30, xii. 5, 9). So that 
 many of them had come to regard him with contempt. But the Gospel, 
 he says, is a power. He appeals to the testimony of their own Christian 
 experience on the point, as in ch. iv. 2, v. 11, vi. 4. *Is it not a power?' 
 he says. 'Look at yourselves. Do you not feel it to be so in your own 
 hearts? Does not Jesus Christ dwell in you, at least in all who are not 
 finally cast off by Him, and does He not make manifest His power in 
 the subjugation of the natural man within you? Could this have taken 
 place unless the Gospel were a real power of God? And then to whom, 
 humanly speaking, do you owe this power? Is it not to him of whom 
 you are ready to believe that he is no true Apostle of Christ?' 
 
 whether ye be in the faith] i. e. whether "Christ be present and actively 
 working within you, the certain result of all true faith. " Meyer. Cf. 
 St John XV. I — 7, xvii, 21 — 23; Rom. vi. 23 (in the Greek), viii. i, 10; 
 Gal. ii. 20, iv. 19; Eph. iii. 16 — 19; Col. i. 27, iii. i — 4, &c. 
 
 except ye be reprobates] Rather, unless Indeed ye l)e rejected. The 
 word translated reprobates (see note on ch. ii. 9, and v. 3) signifies those 
 who have been tried and found wanting. See also Rom. i. 28; i Cor. ix. 
 27 ; 2 Tim. iii. 8; Tit. i. 16; and Heb. vi. 8, where the word again occurs. 
 
136 II. CORINTHIANS, XIII. [vv. 6—9. 
 
 6 be reprobates ? But I trust that ye shall know that we are 
 
 7 not reprobates. Now I pray to God that ye do no evil ; 
 not that we should appear approved, but that ye should 
 
 8 do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. For 
 
 9 we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. For 
 we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong : and 
 
 6. Btit I trust that ye shall knoio that zve are not reprobates'] i.e. I 
 trust that you will find that we have not lost this Divine power of Christ 
 dwelling within us, but that you will find it as mighty to confront and to 
 subdue the obstinate resistance of evil, as it was to implant the first 
 strivings after good. 
 
 7. Noxu I pray to God that ye do no evil] St Paul's whole heart is 
 set upon the desire that the power of Christ which dwells in the Christian 
 body should be displayed in the victory of his converts over evil, and 
 this not for any personal ends of his own — not even in order that he 
 might manifest the high estimation in which God holds him — but simply 
 for the sake of Him Whose minister he is, and for their sakes to whom 
 he ministers Him. 
 
 approved] The opposite to reprobate, or rather rejected. See also 
 ch. X. 18. 
 
 honest] Rather, what is noble, right. 
 
 though we be as reprobates] St Paul carries his self-denial a step 
 further. Even if he were regarded as rejected himself, his object would 
 be attained, and he would be quite satisfied, if the Corinthians did what 
 was right in the sight of God. It was for what they did, not for what 
 they thought of him, that he laboured. 
 
 8. For we can do tiothing against the truth] The original carries on 
 the idea oi pozuer of which St Paul has been speaking above. If we are 
 endued with any power from on high, it is not that we may exercise it 
 on our own behalf, and against the truth of God. We can but use it for 
 the purpose for which it was given us, namely for the glory of God and 
 the increase of His kingdom. 
 
 but for the trtith] More literally, on behalf of the truth. 
 
 9. For we are glad, ivhen we are iveak, and ye are strong] This 
 passage is very similar to i Cor. iv. 8 — 10. At present none of the 
 burdens, but many of the blessings of the Gospel, have fallen on the 
 Corinthians. St Paul rejoices that their immature faith is not subjected 
 to the severe strain of persecution and affliction, while as respects himself, 
 he rejoices in sorrows (ch. xii. 10), regarding them as proofs of the 
 ascendency ofthe life of the Spirit over that of the flesh. Cf. ch. iv. 10 — 16. 
 The word translated am glad is somewhat stronger in the original — rejoice. 
 And the word translated strong is cognate with that translated mighty 
 in V. 3. See also ch. x. 4. It refers to the inner strength of spirit with 
 which the believer in Christ is endued. It is also to be observed — and 
 the Greek here displays it more clearly than the English — that St Paul 
 does not say that the Corinthians ai'e strong, but that he rejoices wheit 
 they are so. 
 
w. lo, II.] II. CORINTHIANS, XIII. 137 
 
 this also we wish, even your perfection. Therefore I write 10 
 these things being absent, lest being present I should use 
 sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath 
 given me to edification, and not to destruction. 
 
 II — 14. Conclusion. 
 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good com- n 
 fort, be of one mind, live in peace ; and the God of love 
 
 and this also zve wis/i] More literally, pray. St Paul rejoices when 
 the Corinthians are strong, but whether they are so or not, he does not 
 cease to pray for their advancement in holiness, 
 
 perfection] The word is not that usually rendered perfection in our 
 translation, i.e. the fulfilment by any creature of the end for which it 
 was designed. It rather signifies \.\\g^ fitting together of a number of souls 
 as the pieces in a mosaic. Cf. i Cor. i. 10, where the cognate word 
 (see V. 11) is used of unity of mind and judgment; Heb. x. 5, where it 
 is used of preparing a body for Christ; Mark i. 19, where it is used of 
 mending nets; Gal. vi. i, where it is used of restoring a sinner. The 
 first and last of these meanings are probably combined here. 
 
 10. lest being present I should ttse sharpness] See ch. i. 23, and 
 V. 2. 
 
 pmvei-'\ Rather, authority, as in ch. x. 8. 
 
 to edtficatio7t\ See note on i Cor. viii. i. Also ch. xii. 19, and 
 especially x. 8, the words in which St Paul here repeats. 
 
 11—14. Conclusion. 
 
 11. farewell] Or perhaps rejoice {ioie ye, Wiclif; gaudete, Vulgate). 
 Cf. Phil, iv. 4; I Thess, v. 16. yoy (Gal. v, 22) was one of the fore- 
 most fruits of the Spirit, and ought to be the natural result of the sense 
 of our favour with God through Christ. See John xv. 11 ; Acts xiii. 52 ; 
 Rom. xiv. 17; Heb. xiii. 17 ; James i. 2 ; i Pet. i. 8, iv. 13 ; i John i. 4, 
 &c. Our tratislation follows Tyndale here. 
 
 Be perfect] See note on perfection in v. 9, where the Greek word is 
 a derivative of the word used here, 
 
 be of good comfort] The word is the same as in ch. i, 4. Our transla- 
 tion here follows Tyndale. Wiclif, following the Vulgate, renders eX' 
 cite ye. 
 
 be of one mind] Cf. i Cor. i. 10, and observe the close connection of 
 ideas there between unity of spirit and the word translated be perfect 
 above. The hteral rendering is tMnk the same thing. See also Rom. 
 xii. 16. 
 
 the God of love] It would have been impossible even in the i6th 
 century to render here 'the God of charity.'' The Vulgate here has 
 dilectionis, not caritatis. Caritas and chaj-ity seem to have been used 
 for the human reflection of God's love, to the grievous obscuration of the 
 great Christian fact that all love is His love, Avhether manifested by Him 
 or in man. It may be asked whether in order to think the same thing 
 
138 II. CORINTHIANS, XIIL [vv. 12—14. 
 
 12 and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with a 
 
 13 holy kiss. All the saints salute you. The grace of the Lord 
 ^'^ Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of 
 
 the Holy Ghost, i^e with you all. Amen. 
 
 and be at peace, we do not first need the God of love and peace to be 
 with us. Undoubtedly, but if we do not follow His promptings while 
 with us, we drive Him away. Therefore if we wish Him to abide con- 
 tinually with us, we must walk according to the Spirit which He hath 
 given us. 
 
 12, G7'eef one another with a holy kiss\ See note on i Cor. xvi. 20. 
 
 14. The grace of the Lord'] This is the fullest form of any of the 
 benedictions given by St Paul, and it comes fitly at the end of the 
 harshest of his Epistles. It must be regarded as the overflowing of a 
 loving heart, conscious of the severity of the language the Apostle has 
 been compelled to use, yet deeply penetrated with a sense of its necessity 
 for the well-being of the flock. The benediction is invoked upon all, 
 the slanderers and gainsayers, the seekers after worldly wisdom, the 
 hearkeners to false docti-ine, as well as the faithful and obedient disciples. 
 In regard to its form, we may remark that it was the gj'oce or favour of 
 Jesus Christ in condescending to visit us, through which we received the 
 revelation of the love of God, and that it was through that love that we 
 received the gift of the Holy Spirit, to dwell in our hearts by faith, and 
 thus to knit us into one body in Christ. For conwmnion or fellow- 
 ship (a rendering familiar to us through the Prayer Book, being that of 
 Tyndale and Cranmer) see note on i Cor. i. 9. The form of this bene- 
 diction has always been regarded as a proof of the essential unity and 
 equality of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. 
 
INDEX I. 
 
 Abib, 91 
 
 Abraham, 118 
 
 Achaia, 25, 96, 113 
 
 Acts of the Apostles, coincidences be- 
 tween, and the Epistles to the Corinth- 
 ians, II — 13 
 
 Afghanistan, 120 
 
 Alfred the Great, 16 
 
 Ambassadors for Christ, 72 
 
 Andrew, 44 
 
 Aretas, 123 
 
 Aristotle's Ethics, 92 
 
 Asia, 28 
 
 Authorized Version, 18 
 
 Barbarossa, 120 
 Barnabas, 17, 93 
 Bartholomew, 44 
 Bedouins, 120 
 Belial, 78 
 Betrothal, no 
 
 Caractacus, 44 
 
 Christ, the image of God, 58 ; made to 
 be sin for us, 73 ; for our sakes became . 
 poor, 90 
 
 Claudius, 44 
 
 Clement, 15 
 
 Clementine Recognitions, 9 note ; Homi- 
 lies, ib. 
 
 Corinthian Church, given to faction, 9 
 
 Cranmer's Translation, 18 
 
 Damascenes, 123 
 Damascus, 123 
 Douay Bible, 18 
 
 Earthen vessels, 59 
 
 Ebionitish writings, 9 
 
 Flymas the sorcerer, 17 
 
 English Versions of the New Testament, 
 
 18 
 Epistle of Clement, 9 
 Epistle, Second, to the Corinthians, date 
 
 of, 7 ; whence written, 7, 8 ; character 
 
 and contents of, 8 — 10; genuineness 
 
 of, 10, II ; analysis of, 19 — 23 
 Epistle to Diognetus, 11 
 
 Epistle to Laodicea, 23 
 Erastus, 7 
 Eve, no 
 
 Forty stripes save one, 119 
 Frederick Barbarossa, 120 
 
 Geneva Bible, 18 
 Greece, condition of, 88 
 
 Herod Antipas, 123 
 Herodias, 123 
 
 Ignatius, 11, 15 
 
 Incense burnt in ancient triumphs, 43 
 
 Ink, 47 
 
 Irenaeus, 11, 15 
 
 Jerusalem, collection for the poor saints 
 
 at, 87 
 Justin Martyr, 15 
 
 Latrocinium, 117 
 Letter and spirit, 49 
 Luke, St, 93 
 Luther, 16 
 
 Macedonia, 32, 43, 82, 96, 97, 113 ; 
 
 churches of, 87 
 Mahomet, 126 
 Ministration of death, 49 
 Moses, 50; the vail over his face, 52 
 
 New testament, 48 
 Nisan, 91 
 
 Paley's Home Pattlinae, 11 
 
 Paul, St, his trouble in Asia, 28 ; his de- 
 fence of himself, 109 ; his labours and 
 sufferings, 116 — 123; his escape from 
 Damascus, 123; his visions, 125; thorn 
 in the flesh, 13 — 18, 127 
 
 Perils of waters, 120 
 
 Plainness of speech, 51 
 
 Play upon words, 31, 59, 106 
 
 Rhemish Version, i8 
 Robbers, 120 
 
I40 
 
 INDEX I. 
 
 Robber- Synod, 117 
 Rods, beating with, 
 
 [19 
 
 Salutation, 25 
 
 Satan, power of, 14 
 
 Scourging, 119 
 
 Seal, 35 
 
 Show of hands, voting by, 94 
 
 Silas, 33, 93 
 
 Silvanus, 33 
 
 Stake in the flesh. See Thorn 
 
 Tables of stone, 47 
 
 TertuUian, 11, 15 
 
 Thomas, St, 44 
 
 Thorn in the flesh, 13—18, 127 
 
 Timotheus, 7, 33 " 
 
 Timothy, 25 
 
 92, 93. 95. 131 
 
 Tisri, 91 
 Titus, 7, 42, 89, 
 Troas, 41 
 Trophimus, 94 
 Tychicus, 94 
 Tyndale, 18 
 
 Undesigned coincidences, 11— i^ 
 
 Valentinian heretics, 125 
 
 Veil on Moses' face, 52 ; on the heart of 
 the Jews, 53 
 
 Versions of the New Testament in En- 
 glish, 18 
 
 Voting by show of hands, 94 
 
 Wiclif's translation, iS 
 WilUam III., 16 
 
 INDEX II. 
 
 WORDS AND PHRASES EXPLAINED. 
 
 Abound, 27 
 Abundance, 92 
 Accepted time, 74 
 Anguish, 38 
 
 Base, 102 
 ^r,ij.a, 67 
 
 Call for a record, 36 
 Causeth to triumph, 43 
 Comfort, 26 
 Commend, 57 
 Constrain, 68 
 Conversation, 30 
 Corrupt, 45 
 Craftiness, 56 
 
 Debate, 132 
 Deep, 88 
 Despaired, 29 
 Devices, 41 
 Dishonesty, 56 
 Done away, 50 
 Door = opportunity, 42 
 
 Earnest, 35 
 
 Edification, 105 
 
 Epistles of commendation, 46 
 
 Excellency, 59 
 
 Expedient, 90 
 
 Father of mercies, 26 
 Fleshy, 48 
 
 Gospel, 42 
 Governor, 123 
 Grace, 30, 89 
 yvix.v6i, 64 
 
 Hebrew, 118 
 
 Image, 58 
 Imputed, 72 
 Israelite, 118 
 
 Judgment seat, 67 
 
 Kenovpyoi, 100 
 Liturgy, 100 
 
 Make you sorry, 37 
 Messengers, 93 
 Minister, 96 
 Ministry, 96 
 
 Narcissus, 113 
 Narcotic, 113 
 vap/cij, 113 
 
INDEX II. 
 
 141 
 
 Offence, 74 
 
 Out of measure, 29 
 
 Paradise, 125, 126 
 irapaTrTwfiaTa, 71 
 Person, 30, 41 
 Poor, 90 
 Preached, 33 
 Pressed, 28 
 Proof, 40 
 Provoke, 97 
 Punishment, 39 
 
 Rejoicing, 31 
 Repentance, 84 
 Revelations, 124 
 Rule, 107 
 
 Savour, 43 
 Sentence, 29 
 Sight, 66 
 
 Signs and wonders, 129 
 Simplicity, 110 
 Sincerity, 30, 90 
 Stablisheth, 35 
 Straitened, 77 
 
 TaTreLvo?, 82 
 Thanks, 92 
 Third heaven, 125 
 I'ransgress, 71 
 Trespasses, 71 
 Tribulation, 26 
 
 Visions, 124 
 
 Wilderness, 121 
 Willing mind, 91 
 Wit, 87 
 Wonders, 129 
 Workers, 114 
 
 Cambridge: printed by c. j. clay, m.a. at the university press. 
 

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