2 Corinthians 1:12

Paul Defends His Changed Plans

1:12 For our reason for confidence ¹  is this: the testimony of our conscience, that with pure motives ²  and sincerity which are from God ³  – not by human wisdom ⁴  but by the grace of God – we conducted ourselves in the world, and all the more ⁵  toward you.

2 Corinthians 4:2

4:2 But we have rejected ⁶  shameful hidden deeds, ⁷  not behaving ⁸  with deceptiveness ⁹  or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God.

2 Corinthians 7:2

7:2 Make room for us in your hearts; ¹⁰  we have wronged no one, we have ruined no one, ¹¹  we have exploited no one. ¹² 

2 Corinthians 10:2-3

10:2 now I ask that when I am present I may not have to be bold with the confidence that (I expect) I will dare to use against some who consider us to be behaving ¹³  according to human standards. ¹⁴  10:3 For though we live ¹⁵  as human beings, ¹⁶  we do not wage war according to human standards, ¹⁷ 

2 Corinthians 10:1

Paul’s Authority from the Lord

10:1 Now I, Paul, appeal to you ¹⁸  personally ¹⁹  by the meekness and gentleness ²⁰  of Christ (I who am meek ²¹  when present among ²²  you, but am full of courage ²³  toward you when away!) –

2 Corinthians 2:3

2:3 And I wrote this very thing to you, ²⁴  so that when I came ²⁵  I would not have sadness from those who ought to make me rejoice, since I am confident in you all that my joy would be yours.

2 Corinthians 2:5

2:5 But if anyone has caused sadness, he has not saddened me alone, but to some extent (not to exaggerate) ²⁶  he has saddened all of you as well.

2 Corinthians 2:1

2:1 So ²⁷  I made up my own mind ²⁸  not to pay you another painful visit. ²⁹ 

2 Corinthians 2:3

2:3 And I wrote this very thing to you, ³⁰  so that when I came ³¹  I would not have sadness from those who ought to make me rejoice, since I am confident in you all that my joy would be yours.

[1:12]  ¹ tn Or “for boasting.”

[1:12]  ² tc Two viable variants exist at this place in the text: ἁγιότητι (Jagiothti, “holiness”) vs. ἁπλότητι (Japlothti, “pure motives”). A confusion of letters could well have produced the variant (TCGNT 507): In uncial script the words would have been written agiothti and aplothti. This, however, does not explain which reading created the other. Overall ἁπλότητι, though largely a Western-Byzantine reading (א² D F G Ï lat sy), is better suited to the context; it is also a Pauline word while ἁγιότης (Jagioth") is not. It also best explains the rise of the other variants, πραότητι (praothti, “gentleness”) and {σπλάγχνοις} (splancnoi", “compassion”). On the other hand, the external evidence in favor of ἁγιότητι is extremely strong (Ì⁴⁶ א* A B C K P Ψ 0121 0243 33 81 1739 1881 al co). This diversity of mss provides excellent evidence for authenticity, but because of the internal evidence listed above, ἁπλότητι is to be preferred, albeit only slightly.

[1:12]  ³ tn Grk “pure motives and sincerity of God.”

[1:12]  ⁴ tn Or “not by worldly wisdom.”

[1:12]  ⁵ tn Or “and especially.”

[4:2]  ⁶ tn L&N 13.156; the word can also mean “to assert opposition to,” thus here “we have denounced” (L&N 33.220).

[4:2]  ⁷ tn Grk “the hidden things [deeds] of shame”; here αἰσχύνης (aiscunh") has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[4:2]  ⁸ tn Or “not conducting ourselves”; Grk “not walking” (a common NT idiom for conduct, way of life, or behavior).

[4:2]  ⁹ tn Or “craftiness.”

[7:2]  ¹⁰ tn The phrase “in your hearts” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[7:2]  ¹¹ 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.

[7:2]  ¹² tn Or “we have taken advantage of no one.”

[10:2]  ¹³ tn Grk “consider us as walking.”

[10:2]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “according to the flesh.”

[10:3]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “we walk.”

[10:3]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “in the flesh.”

[10:3]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “according to the flesh.”

[10:1]  ¹⁸ tn The Greek pronoun (“you”) is plural.

[10:1]  ¹⁹ tn The word “personally” is supplied to reflect the force of the Greek intensive pronoun αὐτός (autos) at the beginning of the verse.

[10:1]  ²⁰ 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.”

[10:1]  ²¹ tn Or “who lack confidence.”

[10:1]  ²² tn Or “when face to face with.”

[10:1]  ²³ tn Or “but bold.”

[2:3]  ²⁴ tn The words “to you” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[2:3]  ²⁵ sn So that when I came. Regarding this still future visit by Paul, see 2 Cor 12:14; 13:1.

[2:5]  ²⁶ tn Or “(not to say too much)”; Grk “(not to burden you [with words]).”

[2:1]  ²⁷ tc Although usually δέ (de, “now”; found in א A C D¹ F G Ψ 0285 Ï lat) should take precedent over γάρ (gar) in textually disputed places in the corpus Paulinum, the credentials for γάρ here are not easily dismissed (Ì⁴⁶ B 0223 0243 33 1739 1881 al); here it is the preferred reading, albeit slightly.

[2:1]  ²⁸ tn Or “I decided this for myself.”

[2:1]  ²⁹ tn Grk “not to come to you again in sorrow.”

[2:3]  ³⁰ tn The words “to you” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[2:3]  ³¹ sn So that when I came. Regarding this still future visit by Paul, see 2 Cor 12:14; 13:1.