Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι κ. τ. λ.: with a sudden change of metaphor, the Apostle now thinks of himself as a soldier engaged with an apparently stronger foe, and at every moment on the point of defeat; and in four pairs of antithetical participles he describes his condition: in every direction pressed hard, but not hemmed in; bewildered, but not utterly despairing; pursued, but not forsaken (i.e., abandoned to the pursuing foe); struck down (as by an arrow; cf. Xen., Cyr., i., 3, 14 for this use of καταβάλλειν), but not destroyed. The general sense is much like that of Proverbs 24:16; Micah 7:8; cf. also chap. 2 Corinthians 11:23-30. στενοχωρία is nearly always (in N.T.) coupled with θλῖψις (cf. Romans 2:9; Romans 8:35, chap. 2 Corinthians 6:4, and Isaiah 8:22; Isaiah 30:6). With the play on words ἀπορούμενοι … ἐξαπορούμενοι, which it is difficult to reproduce in English, see on 2 Corinthians 1:13 above. The phrase ἐν παντί occurs no less than nine times again in this Epistle (see chap. 2 Corinthians 6:4 2 Corinthians 7:5; 2 Corinthians 7:11; 2 Corinthians 7:16 2 Corinthians 8:7, 2 Corinthians 9:8; 2 Corinthians 9:11; 2 Corinthians 11:6; 2 Corinthians 11:9), though only once elsewhere (1 Corinthians 1:5) in St. Paul's writings.

Continues after advertising

BibliaPlus

Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Old Testament

New Testament