2 Corinthians 1:23

Why Paul Postponed His Visit

1:23 Now I appeal to God as my witness, ¹  that to spare ²  you I did not come again to Corinth. ³ 

2 Corinthians 10:1-2

Paul’s Authority from the Lord

10:1 Now I, Paul, appeal to you ⁴  personally ⁵  by the meekness and gentleness ⁶  of Christ (I who am meek ⁷  when present among ⁸  you, but am full of courage ⁹  toward you when away!) – 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 ¹⁰  according to human standards. ¹¹ 

2 Corinthians 10:8-11

10:8 For if I boast somewhat more about our authority that the Lord gave us ¹²  for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of doing so. ¹³  10:9 I do not want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters, 10:10 because some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is weak ¹⁴  and his speech is of no account.” ¹⁵  10:11 Let such a person consider this: What we say ¹⁶  by letters when we are absent, we also are in actions when we are present.

2 Corinthians 12:20

12:20 For I am afraid that somehow when I come I will not find you what I wish, and you will find me ¹⁷  not what you wish. I am afraid that ¹⁸  somehow there may be quarreling, jealousy, intense anger, selfish ambition, ¹⁹  slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

2 Corinthians 12:1

Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh

12:1 It is necessary to go on boasting. ²⁰  Though it is not profitable, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.

Colossians 4:1

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

Colossians 1:5

1:5 Your faith and love have arisen ²¹  from the hope laid up ²²  for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel ²³ 

[1:23]  ¹ tn Grk “I call upon God as witness against my soul.” Normally this implies an appeal for help (L&N 33.176).

[1:23]  ² tn Here φειδόμενος (feidomeno") has been translated as a telic participle.

[1:23]  ³ sn Paul had promised to come again to visit (see 2 Cor 1:15, 24) but explains here why he had changed his plans.

[10:1]  ⁴ tn The Greek pronoun (“you”) is plural.

[10:1]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Or “who lack confidence.”

[10:1]  ⁸ tn Or “when face to face with.”

[10:1]  ⁹ tn Or “but bold.”

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

[10:2]  ¹¹ tn Grk “according to the flesh.”

[10:8]  ¹² tn The word “us” is not in the Greek text but is supplied. Indirect objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, and must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[10:8]  ¹³ tn Grk “I will not be put to shame,” “I will not be ashamed.” The words “of doing so” are supplied to clarify for the reader that Paul will not be ashamed of boasting somewhat more about the authority the Lord gave him (beginning of v. 8).

[10:10]  ¹⁴ tn Or “unimpressive.”

[10:10]  ¹⁵ tn Or “is contemptible”; Grk “is despised.”

[10:11]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “what we are in word.”

[12:20]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “and I will be found by you.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation.

[12:20]  ¹⁸ tn The words “I am afraid that” are not repeated in the Greek text, but are needed for clarity.

[12:20]  ¹⁹ tn Or “intense anger, hostility.”

[12:1]  ²⁰ tn Grk “Boasting is necessary.”

[1:5]  ²¹ tn Col 1:3-8 form one long sentence in the Greek text and have been divided at the end of v. 4 and v. 6 and within v. 6 for clarity, in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English toward shorter sentences. Thus the phrase “Your faith and love have arisen from the hope” is literally “because of the hope.” The perfect tense “have arisen” was chosen in the English to reflect the fact that the recipients of the letter had acquired this hope at conversion in the past, but that it still remains and motivates them to trust in Christ and to love one another.

[1:5]  ²² tn BDAG 113 s.v. ἀπόκειμαι 2 renders ἀποκειμένην (apokeimenhn) with the expression “reserved” in this verse.

[1:5]  ²³ tn The term “the gospel” (τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, tou euangeliou) is in apposition to “the word of truth” (τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, tw logw th" alhqeia") as indicated in the translation.