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 10:8

10:8 For if I boast somewhat more about our authority that the Lord gave us ⁵  for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of doing so. ⁶ 

2 Corinthians 13:10

13:10 Because of this I am writing these things while absent, so that when I arrive ⁷  I may not have to deal harshly with you ⁸  by using my authority – the Lord gave it to me for building up, not for tearing down!

2 Corinthians 2:15

2:15 For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing –

2 Corinthians 4:3

4:3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing,

2 Corinthians 1:10

1:10 He ⁹  delivered us from so great a risk of death, and he will deliver us. We have set our hope on him ¹⁰  that ¹¹  he will deliver us yet again,

2 Corinthians 11:25

11:25 Three times I was beaten with a rod. ¹²  Once I received a stoning. ¹³  Three times I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I spent adrift in the open sea.

[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.”

[10:8]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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).

[13:10]  ⁹ tn Grk “when I am present,” but in the context of Paul’s third (upcoming) visit to Corinth, this is better translated as “when I arrive.”

[13:10]  ¹⁰ tn The words “with you” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[1:10]  ¹³ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative clause “who delivered us…” was made a separate sentence in the translation.

[1:10]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “deliver us, on whom we have set our hope.”

[1:10]  ¹⁵ tc Several important witnesses, especially Alexandrian (Ì⁴⁶ B D* 0121 0243 1739 1881 pc Did), lack ὅτι ({oti, “that”) here, while others, most notably Western (D¹ F G 104 630 1505 pc ar b sy^h Or Ambst), lack ἔτι (eti, “yet”). Most mss, including important Alexandrians (א A C D² Ψ 33 Ï f t vg), have the full expression ὅτι καὶ ἔτι ({oti kai eti). Although the predominantly Alexandrian reading has much to commend it, the fact that either ὅτι or ἔτι has been dropped, while the καί has been retained, suggests that the original wording had ὅτι καὶ ἔτι, and that either particle dropped out intentionally for stylistic reasons. (F and G have the order καί ὅτι, suggesting that in their archetype the ἔτι was unintentionally dropped due to homoioteleuton.) If, however, ὅτι is not authentic, v. 10b should be translated “We have set our hope on him, and he will deliver us again.” Overall, a decision is difficult, but preference should be given to ὅτι καὶ ἔτι.

[11:25]  ¹⁷ sn Beaten with a rod refers to the Roman punishment of admonitio according to BDAG 902 s.v. ῥαβδίζω. Acts 16:22 describes one of these occasions in Philippi; in this case it was administered by the city magistrates, who had wide powers in a military colony.

[11:25]  ¹⁸ sn Received a stoning. See Acts 14:19, where this incident is described.