ἵνα μὴ δόξω κ. τ. λ.: that I may not seem as if I would scare you by my letters. It is best to take these words with εἰς οἰκοδομήν of the preceding verse; his purpose in writing so severely is not to terrify them, but to build them up in holiness and obedience. ὡς ἄν = tanquam, with the infin. is only found here in the N.T. The plural τῶν ἐπιστολῶν suggests (what we know from 1 Corinthians 5:9) that at least one letter of rebuke in addition to 1 Cor. had been written before this.

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Old Testament