2 Corinthians 10:4

10:4 for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, ¹  but are made powerful by God ²  for tearing down strongholds. ³  We tear down arguments ⁴ 

2 Corinthians 1:12

Paul Defends His Changed Plans

1:12 For our reason for confidence ⁵  is this: the testimony of our conscience, that with pure motives ⁶  and sincerity which are from God ⁷  – not by human wisdom ⁸  but by the grace of God – we conducted ourselves in the world, and all the more ⁹  toward you.

[10:4]  ¹ tn Grk “are not fleshly [weapons].” The repetition of the word “warfare” does not occur in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.

[10:4]  ² tn Or “but (are) divinely powerful,” “but they have divine power,” or “but are powerful for God’s [service]”; Grk “but are powerful to God.”

[10:4]  ³ sn Ultimately Paul is referring here to the false arguments of his opponents, calling them figuratively “strongholds.” This Greek word (ὀχύρωμα, ocurwma) is used only here in the NT.

[10:4]  ⁴ tn Or “speculations.”

[1:12]  ⁵ tn Or “for boasting.”

[1:12]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Grk “pure motives and sincerity of God.”

[1:12]  ⁸ tn Or “not by worldly wisdom.”

[1:12]  ⁹ tn Or “and especially.”