Text -- 2 Corinthians 7:1-9 (NET)

Self-Purification

7:1 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that could defile the body and the spirit, and thus accomplish holiness out of reverence for God. 7:2 Make room for us in your hearts; we have wronged no one, we have ruined no one, we have exploited no one. 7:3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I told you before that you are in our hearts so that we die together and live together with you.

A Letter That Caused Sadness

7:4 I have great confidence in you; I take great pride on your behalf. I am filled with encouragement; I am overflowing with joy in the midst of all our suffering. 7:5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our body had no rest at all, but we were troubled in every way– struggles from the outside, fears from within. 7:6 But God, who encourages the downhearted, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus. 7:7 We were encouraged not only by his arrival, but also by the encouragement you gave him, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your deep concern for me, so that I rejoiced more than ever. 7:8 For even if I made you sad by my letter, I do not regret having written it (even though I did regret it, for I see that my letter made you sad, though only for a short time). 7:9 Now I rejoice, not because you were made sad, but because you were made sad to the point of repentance. For you were made sad as God intended, so that you were not harmed in any way by us.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 2Co 7:1

¹ tn Or “purify ourselves.”

² tn Grk “from every defilement of the flesh.”

³ tn Grk “accomplishing.” The participle has been translated as a finite verb due to considerations of contemporary English style, and “thus” has been supplied to indicate that it represents a result of the previous cleansing.

⁴ tn Grk “in the fear of God.”

NET Notes: 2Co 7:2

¹ tn The phrase “in your hearts” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

² tn “We have ruined no one” may refer to financial loss (“we have caused no one to suffer financial loss”) but it may also refer to the undermining of faith (“we have corrupted no one’s faith,”). Both options are mentioned in L&N 20.23.

³ tn Or “we have taken advantage of no one.”

NET Notes: 2Co 7:3

¹ sn See 2 Cor 1:4-7.

² tn The words “with you” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

NET Notes: 2Co 7:4

¹ tn Grk “great is my boasting.”

² tn Or “comfort.”

³ tn Grk “I am overflowing with joy in all our suffering”; the words “in the midst of” are not in the Greek text but are supplied to clarify that Paul is not rejoicing in the suffering itself, but in his relationship with the Corinthians in the midst of all his suffering.

NET Notes: 2Co 7:5

¹ tn Grk “our flesh.”

NET Notes: 2Co 7:6

¹ tn Or “comforts,” “consoles.”

² tn Or “comforted,” “consoled.”

NET Notes: 2Co 7:7

¹ tn Because of the length and complexity of this Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the phrase “We were encouraged.”

² tn Or “comfort,” “consolation.”

³ tn Grk “by the encouragement with which he was encouraged by you.” The passive construction was translated as an active one in keeping with contemporary English style, and the repeated word “encouraged” was replaced in the translation by “gave” to avoid redundancy in the translation.

⁴ tn Or “your grieving,” “your deep sorrow.”

⁵ tn Or “your zeal.”

NET Notes: 2Co 7:8

¹ tn Grk “if I grieved you.”

² sn My letter. Paul is referring to the “severe” letter mentioned in 2 Cor 2:4.

³ tn Grk “I do not regret”; direct objects in Greek must often be supplied from the context. Here one could simply supply “it,” but since Paul is referring to the effects of his previous letter, clarity is improved if “having written it” is supplied.

⁴ tn Grk “I did regret”; the direct object “it” must be supplied from the context.

⁵ tc A few important mss (Ì^46c B D* it sa) lack γάρ (gar, “for”), while the majority of witnesses have it (א C D¹ F G Ψ 0243 33 1739 1881 Ï sy bo). Even though Ì^46* omits γάρ, it has the same sense (viz., a subordinate clause) because it reads the participle βλέπων (blepwn, “seeing”; the Vulgate does the same). A decision is difficult because although the overwhelming external evidence is on the side of the conjunction, the lack of γάρ is a significantly harder reading, for the whole clause is something of an anacoluthon. Without the conjunction, the sentence reads more harshly. This would fit with Paul’s “vehemence of spirit” (A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament, 435) that is found especially in 2 Corinthians and Galatians. However, the mss that omit the conjunction are prone to such tendencies at times. In this instance, the conjunction should probably stand.

⁶ tn Grk “my letter grieved you.”

NET Notes: 2Co 7:9

¹ tn Grk “were grieved” (so also twice later in the verse).

² tn Grk “corresponding to God,” that is, corresponding to God’s will (κατὰ θεόν, kata qeon). The same phrase occurs in vv. 10 and 11.

³ tn Grk “so that you did not suffer loss.”