2 Corinthians 10:18

10:18 For it is not the person who commends himself who is approved, but the person the Lord commends.

2 Corinthians 10:1

Paul’s Authority from the Lord

10:1 Now I, Paul, appeal to you ¹  personally ²  by the meekness and gentleness ³  of Christ (I who am meek ⁴  when present among ⁵  you, but am full of courage ⁶  toward you when away!) –

2 Corinthians 5:12

5:12 We are not trying to commend ⁷  ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, ⁸  so that you may be able to answer those who take pride ⁹  in outward appearance ¹⁰  and not in what is in the heart.

Hebrews 13:17

13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls and will give an account for their work. ¹¹  Let them do this ¹²  with joy and not with complaints, for this would be no advantage for you.

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

[10:1]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Or “who lack confidence.”

[10:1]  ⁵ tn Or “when face to face with.”

[10:1]  ⁶ tn Or “but bold.”

[5:12]  ⁷ tn The present tense of συνιστάνομεν (sunistanomen) has been translated as a conative present.

[5:12]  ⁸ tn Or “to boast about us.”

[5:12]  ⁹ tn Or “who boast.”

[5:12]  ¹⁰ tn Or “in what is seen.”

[13:17]  ¹¹ tn Or “as ones who will give an account”; Grk “as giving an account.”

[13:17]  ¹² tn Grk “that they may do this.”