2 Corinthians 10:10

10:10 because some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is weak ¹  and his speech is of no account.” ² 

2 Corinthians 10:1

Paul’s Authority from the Lord

10:1 Now I, Paul, appeal to you ³  personally ⁴  by the meekness and gentleness ⁵  of Christ (I who am meek ⁶  when present among ⁷  you, but am full of courage ⁸  toward you when away!) –

Colossians 4:5

4:5 Conduct yourselves ⁹  with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunities.

Colossians 4:1

4:1 Masters, treat your slaves with justice and fairness, because you know that you also have a master in heaven.

¹ tn Or “unimpressive.”

² tn Or “is contemptible”; Grk “is despised.”

³ tn The Greek pronoun (“you”) is plural.

⁴ tn The word “personally” is supplied to reflect the force of the Greek intensive pronoun αὐτός (autos) at the beginning of the verse.

⁵ tn Or “leniency and clemency.” D. Walker, “Paul’s Offer of Leniency of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:1): Populist Ideology and Rhetoric in a Pauline Letter Fragment (2 Cor 10:1-13:10)” (Ph.D. diss., University of Chicago, 1998), argues for this alternative translation for three main reasons: (1) When the two Greek nouns πραΰτης and ἐπιείκεια (prauth" and ejpieikeia) are used together, 90% of the time the nuance is “leniency and clemency.” (2) “Leniency and clemency” has a military connotation, which is precisely what appears in the following verses. (3) 2 Cor 10-13 speaks of Paul’s sparing use of his authority, which points to the nuance of “leniency and clemency.”

⁶ tn Or “who lack confidence.”

⁷ tn Or “when face to face with.”

⁸ tn Or “but bold.”

⁹ tn Grk “walk.” The verb περιπατέω (peripatew) is a common NT idiom for one’s lifestyle, behavior, or manner of conduct (L&N 41.11).