Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

2 Corinthians 11:8

ἅλλας ἐκκλησίας ἐσύλησα. Other churches I robbed; a hyperbolical expression, indicative of strong feeling, but at once preserved from being misleading by the explanation which follows. Here also he may be adopting a phrase used by his enemies. The verb is very rare in Biblical Greek: elsewhere only Ep. Jeremiah 18; comp. Romans 2:22; Colossians 2:8. He means the Macedonian Churches, from whom he accepted subsidies, which helped to support him while he preached at Corinth. Possibly the plural is rhetorical, and Philippi alone is meant (Philippians 4:15). In any case the expression ἅλλας ἑκκλ. is more pointed if the whole Church of Corinth is addressed in these Chapter s, and not the hostile minority: comp. 2 Corinthians 12:13 and see on 2 Corinthians 11:2.

λαβὼν ὀψώνιον πρὸς τὴν ὑμῶν διακονίαν. In taking wages (Luke 3:14; Romans 6:23) of them for my ministry unto you. He had compared his work to a campaign (2 Corinthians 10:3-5), and τίς στρατεύεται ἰδίοις ὀψωνίοις ποτέ; (1 Corinthians 9:7). The supplies must come from somewhere: in this case, in order to spare the country in which he was campaigning, he got them, partly by his own labour (ἱδίοις ὀψωνίοις), partly from the Macedonian Churches. The word ὀψώνιον is late (1Es 4:56; 1Ma 3:28; 1Ma 14:32; Polyb.): it means (1) a soldier’s rations; (2) his pay; (3) the means by which a campaign is carried on. See Lightfoot on Romans 6:23. In the agreement between King Eumenes I. and his mercenaries (c. B.C. 265) ὀψώνιον occurs several times in the sense of ‘pay,’ and ὀψώνιον λαμβάνειν occurs once (Deissmann, Bible Studies, p. 226). In this sense the singular is usual in inscriptions. The ὑμῶν, like τοῦ θεοῦ in 2 Corinthians 11:7, is emphatic by position: see last note on 2 Corinthians 12:19.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

2 Corinthians 11:8

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