2 Corinthians 5:19

ὡς ὅτι Θεὸς ἦμ κ. τ. λ.: viz., that God was reconciling the world, sc. the whole human race (cf. Romans 4:13; Romans 11:12, and note the absence of the article), to Himself in Christ (cf. Galatians 2:17). The pleonastic ὡς ὅτι is not classical, but it is found in late authors (see reff.). The A.V., “God was in Christ, reconciling,” etc., is not accurate; ἦν goes with both καταλλάσσων and θέμενος, ἦν with a participle being more emphatic than a simple imperfect (cf. Luke 4:44). If we take ἦν with ἐν Χριστῷ, we should have to treat θέμενος κ. τ. λ. as a parallel clause to λογιζόμενος κ. τ. λ., which it is not. μὴ λογιζόμενος αὐτοῖς κ. τ. λ.: not reckoning unto them their trespasses, a parenthetical sentence explanatory of καταλλάσσων; cf. Romans 4:8 (Psalms 32:2). καὶ θέμενος ἐν ἡμῖν κ. τ. λ.: and had placed in our hands (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:9; 1 Timothy 1:12; the verb is specially used of the Divine purposes) the Word of Reconciliation, i.e., the Divine Message which speaks of reconciliation to God; cf. Acts 13:26, ὁ λόγος τῆς σωτηρίας ταύτης, 1 Corinthians 1:18, ὁ λόγος τοῦ σταυροῦ, Philippians 2:16, λόγος ζωῆς, etc.