Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

2 Corinthians 6:6,7

(ii.) The inward gifts and qualities by the display of which the Christian minister commends himself are now enumerated. (a) We have, first, four graces, each described by a single word: ἐν ἁγνότητι, ἐν γνώσει, ἐν μακροθυμία, ἐν χρηστότητι : in pureness, sc., not only chastity, but purity of intention and thought in general (cf. chap. 2 Corinthians 7:11; James 3:17; 1 John 3:3), in knowledge, sc., of Divine things (the λόγος γνώσεως is one of the gifts of the Spirit, 1 Corinthians 12:8), in long-suffering (a grace specially needful for a Christian missionary; in Romans 2:4; Romans 9:22; 1 Timothy 1:16, St. Paul speaks of God's μακροθυμία, but generally he applies it to man; see Proverbs 25:15), in kindness (see reff.; it is a Divine attribute in Romans 2:4; Romans 11:22; Ephesians 2:7; Titus 3:4; cf. Matthew 11:30). (b) We have next four qualifications, each described in two words: ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ, ἐν ἀγάπῃ ἀνυποκρίτῳ, ἐν λόγῳ ἀληθείας, ἐν δυνάμει Θεοῦ : in the Holy Spirit (this ought to stand at the head of the list, but the order in which the various graces are mentioned is determined rather by sound and rhythm than by strictly logical considerations), in love unfeigned, sc., love to man, not love to God (see note on chap. 2 Corinthians 5:14 and cf. ἡ ἀγάπη ἀνυπόκριτος, Romans 12:9), in the Word of Truth, sc., the message of the Gospel (see reff. and cf. chap. 2 Corinthians 2:17; 2 Corinthians 4:2), in the Power of God, which (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18) he declares the Gospel itself to be. This, of course, is not the force of the phrase here; nor are we to think solely of “miraculous” powers (Acts 8:10; 1 Corinthians 2:5), which were “signs of an Apostle” (Romans 15:19, chap. 2 Corinthians 12:12), but of the Divine grace given him for his special work (see reff.). “In verbo veritatis, in virtute Dei” may still stand for the watchword of Christian preaching. (iii.) We have now three clauses beginning with διά; the preposition in the first of them being instrumental, in the other two expressing a state or condition. (a) διὰ τῶν ὅπλων τῆς δικαιοσύνης τῶν δεξιῶν καὶ ἀριστερῶν : by the weapons of Righteousness on the right hand and on the left, sc., both offensive and defensive armour the sword on the right and the shield on the left. See Ephesians 6:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:8 for St. Paul's more detailed description of “the panoply of God”; the idea being apparently taken from Wis 5:18 ff.; cf. for ὅπλα δικαιοσύνης Romans 6:13.

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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

2 Corinthians 6:6,7

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