1 Corinthians 4:18

“But some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.”

The δέ is adversative: “ But do not proceed to conclude therefrom that...” The present participle ὡς μὴ ἐρχομένου, “as if I were not coming,” has been explained by supposing that Paul here is quoting verbally the saying of his adversaries: “He is not coming! ” This is far-fetched; the present is simply that of the idea; comp. 1 Corinthians 16:5.

Who are those some, so ready to interpret the steps taken by the apostle in a sense unfavourable to his character? The partisans of Apollo, answer many. There is nothing to lead us to this idea. On the contrary, we find, 2 Corinthians 10:9-10, a statement which is manifestly related to this: Paul's adversaries charged him with seeking to terrify the Church by threatening letters of excessive severity, but not daring to appear himself to bear out the energy of his language by his presence, because he was well aware of his personal weakness and insufficiency. It cannot be doubted that the people of this stamp were already at Corinth at the date of the First Epistle to the Corinthians and were passing such judgments. Now these people, as we know from Second Corinthians, were those of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:7 and 1 Corinthians 11:23). Such then were the men who, even at the date of the first letter, were allowing themselves to accuse the apostle so gravely. Perhaps, however, by the word some should rather be understood those of the Corinthians who had been led away, than those strangers themselves; in his First Epistle, Paul seems not yet inclined to come to close quarters with the latter.

The word are puffed up refers to the air of triumph with which this party hasted to proclaim the grand news in the Church: “Timothy is coming instead of Paul; Paul is not coming.”