2 Corinthians 12:14

τρίτον τοῦτο (אABFG, Syrr. Latt. Aeth.) rather than τοῦτο τρίτον (D, Copt. Arm.) or τρίτον (KLP). The evidence for τοῦτο, which Rec. omits, is overwhelming. But καταναρκήσω (AB 17, 67, 71, 73, 80, Aeth.) rather than κατ. ὑμῶν (D2D3KL, Latt.), which Rec. adopts, or κατ. ὑμᾶς (DFG).

14. Ἰδοὺ τρίτον τοῦτο ἑτοίμως ἔχω ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Behold this is the third time I am ready to come to you. The τοῦτο is too well attested to be an insertion from 2 Corinthians 13:1 (see critical note), and τρίτον τοῦτο is acc. absol. Comp. πέπαικάς με τοῦτο τρίτον (Numbers 22:28); τοῦτο τρίτον ἐπλάνησάς με (Judges 16:15): also John 21:15. Grammatically τρίτον τοῦτο can be taken with either ἑτοίμως ἔχω or ἐλθεῖν. The fact that ἑτοίμως ἔχω comes between is no bar to the combination with ἐλθεῖν: in Acts 21:13, the only other example in the N.T. (comp. 1 Peter 4:5), ἑτοίμως ἔχω comes between ἀποθανεῖν and ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνὸματος. See Krenkel, Beiträge, p. 185, for other illustrations. From 2 Corinthians 13:1 it is clear that here S. Paul means that he is preparing to pay a third visit, not that for the third time he is making preparation. The second visit was the short one ἐν λύπῃ: see note on 2 Corinthians 2:1, Lightfoot, Biblical Essays, p. 274, and Conybeare and Howson, chap. 15. The phrase ἑτοίμως ἔχω is found in the Fayyûm documents of the time of Marcus Aurelius; always, as here, with the infin. (Deissmann, Bible Studies, p. 252). The emphasis is on τρίτον, and hence the order: the usual order is τοῦτο τρίτον (see above), which D reads here. Comp. τέταρτον δὴ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀττικὴν� (Hdt. 5:76. 1), where τέτ. is emphatic.

καὶ οὐ καταναρκήσω. For the third time (2 Corinthians 12:13; 2 Corinthians 11:9) he uses this strange expression; ‘will not numb’, wilt not be a burden. From his harping on it we may conjecture that it was the very word used by his opponents. Here the ὑμῶν is an insertion: see critical note. The Revisers omit ὑμῶν from their text, but do not print ‘to you’ in italics.

οὐ γὰρ ζητῶ τὰ ὑμῶν�. His aim is to win their souls for Christ, not their wealth for himself. Comp. me igitur ipsum ames oportet, non mea, si veri amici futuri sumus (Cic. de Fin. II. 26). They had hinted that it was because he did not care for them that he took nothing from them (2 Corinthians 11:11): he says that he cares too much about them to care for their possessions. For his other reasons for refusing maintenance see on 2 Corinthians 11:7-15. By ζητῶ ὑμᾶς he does not mean that he wants them for himself, as followers or friends: why he seeks them was stated 2 Corinthians 11:2. They had blamed him for taking no reward. He says, ‘I want a much larger reward than you think, I want yourselves’: vos quaero totos, ut sacrificium ex ministerii mei proventu Domino offeram (Calvin). ‘I seek greater things; souls instead of goods; instead of gold, salvation’ (Chrysostom). In support of this he calls them ‘children’ rather than ‘disciples.’ Comp. 2 Corinthians 8:5.

οὐ γὰρ ὀφείλει. οὐ γὰρ ὀφείλει ldren (1 Corinthians 4:14-15; comp. Galatians 4:19); and it was rather his place to provide spiritual blessings for them, than for them to provide temporal blessings for him. Of course he does not mean that it is wrong for children to support their parents, but that the normal obligation is for parents to support their children. He allowed his Philippian children to supply his needs. Not unfrequently one of two alternatives is in form excluded, not as being really forbidden, but to show the superiority of the other alternative: comp. Luke 10:20; Luke 14:12; Luke 23:28; Hosea 6:6. For θησαυρίζειν comp. Matthew 6:19-21.