to 2 Corinthians 7:1. PARENTHETICAL. HE WARNS THEM AGAINST TOO FAMILIAR ASSOCIATION WITH THEIR HEATHEN NEIGHBOURS. These verses are somewhat perplexing, inasmuch as they seem to interrupt the appeal of 2 Corinthians 6:11-13 by the introduction of an irrelevant warning. If they be omitted, the argume... [ Continue Reading ]
ταύτας οὖν ἔχοντες κ. τ. λ.: _having therefore these_ (note the emphasis given to ταύτας by its position) _promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all contamination of flesh and spirit_ (_cf._ 1 Peter 2:11; 1 John 3:3). We find the construction καθαρίζειν ἀπό again in Sir 38:10 and Hebrews... [ Continue Reading ]
χωρήσατε ἡμᾶς κ. τ. λ.: _make room for us, sc._, in your hearts, _i.e._, let there be no στενοχωρία, (2 Corinthians 6:12); _we wronged no man, we corrupted no man, we took advantage of no man_. Apparently accusations of this sort had been laid to his charge (see esp. chap. 2 Corinthians 12:16-17), a... [ Continue Reading ]
HE CLAIMS THEIR SYMPATHY AGAIN. He now resumes the appeal which is interrupted at 2 Corinthians 6:13 by the parenthetical warning 2 Corinthians 6:14 to 2 Corinthians 7:1.... [ Continue Reading ]
πρὸς κατάρ. κ. τ. λ.: _I do not say this by way of condemnation_ (_i.e._, do not think that I accuse _you_ of mistrusting me); _for I have said before_ (_viz._, in 2 Corinthians 3:2; 2 Corinthians 6:11) _that ye are in our hearts_ (_cf._ Philippians 1:7) _to die together and to live together_ (_cf._... [ Continue Reading ]
πολλή μοι παρρησία κ. τ. λ.: _great is my boldness of speech towards you_ (_cf._ 2 Corinthians 6:11), _great is my glorying on your behalf, sc._, on account of the good news of their conduct (_cf._ 2 Corinthians 1:14; 2 Corinthians 3:2), _I am filled with comfort_ (for the constr. _cf._ Luke 2:40; R... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ γὰρ ἐλθόντων κ. τ. λ.: _for even when we were come into Macedonia_ (he has explained in 2 Corinthians 2:12 his anxiety when he was at Troas, but it remained with him even when he had crossed into Europe) _our flesh had no relief_ (see note on the similar phrase, 2 Corinthians 2:13), _but_ [_we w... [ Continue Reading ]
HE WAS COMFORTED TO LEARN FROM TITUS THAT HIS REBUKE HAD BEEN PROFITABLE. _Cf._ throughout 1 Thessalonians 3:1-8, a passage strikingly like this in its human sympathy and kindliness.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀλλʼ ὁ παρακαλῶν κ. τ. λ.: _but He that comforteth the lowly_ (see ref. Isa.), _even God_ (to whom he is especially careful in this Epistle to trace up all grace and consolation), _comforted us by the coming of Titus_. παρουσία is often used for the Advent of Christ, but also (see reff.) for the adv... [ Continue Reading ]
οὐ μόνον δὲ κ. τ. λ.: _and not by his coming only, but also_ (see reff. for constr.) _by the comfort wherewith he was comforted in respect of you_ (_cf._ 1 Thessalonians 3:7 for constr.), _i.e._, “I was comforted, not only by his coming, but by the good news which he brought”; _while he told us your... [ Continue Reading ]
ὅτι εἰ καὶ ἐλύπησα κ. τ. λ.: _for though I made you sorry with my epistle_ (_sc._, esp. 1 Corinthians 5; _cf. Introd._, p. 14), _I do not regret it; though I did regret it (for I see that that epistle made you sorry, though but for a season), yet now I rejoice_, etc. We follow the punctuation adopte... [ Continue Reading ]
νῦν χαίρω κ. τ. λ.: _now, sc._, now that Titus is come, and I have learnt the effect of my letter, _I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry unto repentance_ (of which there was no sign when he wrote; see 1 Corinthians 5:2), _for ye were made sorry according to the will of... [ Continue Reading ]
ἡ γὰρ κατὰ Θεὸν λύπη κ. τ. λ.: _for such godly sorrow, i.e._, sorrow for sin as an offence against God (Psalms 50:6) and not only for the temporal consequences of sin (_cf._ Bengel, “animi Deum spectantis et sequentis”), _worketh repentance_ which leads _to salvation_, a repentance _which bringeth n... [ Continue Reading ]
ἰδοὺ γὰρ αὐτὸ κ. τ. λ.: _for behold, this same thing, viz., that you were made sorry after a godly sort, what diligence it wrought in you, yea_ (_sc._, “not only so, but also,” ἀλλά introducing an accessory idea) _what a defence, sc._, of yourselves to me through the mediation of Titus, _yea what in... [ Continue Reading ]
ἄρα εἰ καὶ ἔγραψα κ. τ. λ.: _consequently, although I wrote to you, i.e._, wrote a severe letter, _it was not for his cause that did the wrong, sc._, the incestuous son of 1 Corinthians 5:1, _nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, sc._, his father, _but that your diligence on our behalf might be... [ Continue Reading ]
διὰ τοῦτο παρακεκλ.: _wherefore we have been comforted_. With Tisch., W.H. and modern editors generally we place a full stop here. What follows introduces a new idea.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE JOY OF TITUS IN THE TIDINGS HE BROUGHT. Chrysostom notes the tact which leads St. Paul to communicate this so emphatically; Titus was going back to Corinth on the business of the collection (2 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 8:16; 2 Corinthians 8:23), and it was very desirable that he should be w... [ Continue Reading ]
ὅτι εἴ τι κ. τ. λ.: _for if in anything I have gloried to him on your behalf, i.e._, have boasted of you (_cf._ 2 Corinthians 9:2; 2 Corinthians 12:5), _I was not put to shame, sc._, by the vanity of my boasting being exposed; _but as we spake all things to you in truth_ (this he is continually insi... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ τὰ σπλάγχνα κ. τ. λ.: _and his heart is more abundantly towards you, while he recalls to himself the obedience of you all, how with fear_ (see reff. and _cf._ Matthew 28:8; 1 Peter 3:15, for μετὰ φόβου) _and trembling you received him_. He had brought a stern message, which involved the excommun... [ Continue Reading ]
χαίρω ὅτι κ. τ. λ.: _I rejoice that in everything I am of good courage_ (not as A.V. “I have confidence,” which would be πέποιθα) _concerning you_. 11. The Collection for the Judæan Christians (2 Corinthians 8:1 to 2 Corinthians 9:15). We have now come to the second main topic of the Epistle, _viz._... [ Continue Reading ]