Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

2 Corinthians 11:27

κόπῳ (אBDFG, d g) rather than ἐν κόπῳ (KLMP, Vulg.).

27. Having mentioned thirteen cases in which he might have lost his life, and eight kinds of dangers which one who travelled as he did must incur, he goes on to mention miscellaneous trials and afflictions. In sense this verse comes immediately after ὁδοιπορίαις πολλάκις, all that lies between being a mere expansion of ὁδοιπορίαις: as by these he is ὕπερ as a minister of Christ, so also by what follows.

κόπῳ καὶ μόχθῳ. By labour and travail, as in 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:8, where the same two words occur of his working with his own hands to maintain himself. Here the Vulgate has labor and aerumna, there labor and fatigatio. ‘In labore,’ id est, sive manuum sive praedicationum. Et quia potest esse labor absque aerumna, id est, sine indigentia et penuria, ut ostenderet exitiosum laborem, adjunxit ‘aerumna’ (Atto Vercell.). The A.V. both here and throughout 2 Corinthians 11:26 should put ‘in’ in italics, as the R.V. does; but it is perhaps better to change the preposition: see critical note. In what follows to is resumed from 2 Corinthians 11:23.

ἐν�. These cover both voluntary and involuntary sleeplessness. But seeing that involuntary sleeplessness may be included in κόπῳ καὶ μόχθῳ, here we may understand voluntary ‘watchings’ (A.V., R.V.) for thought and prayer. Comp. 2 Corinthians 6:5. In the LXX. the word is frequent in Ecclus (prol. 24, 34[31]:1, 2, 20, 38:26, 27, 28, 30, 42:9); elsewhere only 2Ma 2:26.

ἐν λιμῷ καὶ δίψει, ἐν νηστείαις πολλάκις. Here again we seem to have still more clearly, first what is involuntary, and then what is voluntary. ‘Jejunia’ voluntaria interpretor, cum de fame et penuria ante locutus est (Calvin). While ἐν λιμῷ καὶ δίψει would signify inability to get food (Deuteronomy 28:48), to ἐν νηστείαις would refer to voluntary abstention, either for self-discipline (1 Corinthians 9:27), or because he often would not allow meals to interfere with work. In the rhythm of the clauses, ἐν νηστείαις balances ἐν�, and therefore if ἐν νηστείαις refers to what is voluntary, this affords some presumption that the other does so also.

ἐν ψύχει καὶ γυμνότητι. These would occur when he was thrown into prison, or stripped by robbers, or drenched by floods or storms.

All this enumeration of sufferings as evidence that he was a true minister of Christ would seem indeed ‘madness’ to the Judaizers. It was Jewish doctrine that temporal blessings, especially wealth and comfort, were signs that God was pleased with His servants. Comp. Romans 8:35, which is a parallel to the whole passage.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

2 Corinthians 11:27

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