2 Corinthians 11:12

11:12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may eliminate any opportunity for those who want a chance to be regarded as our equals ¹  in the things they boast about.

2 Corinthians 11:16-17

Paul’s Sufferings for Christ

11:16 I say again, let no one think that I am a fool. ²  But if you do, then at least accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 11:17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence ³  I do not say the way the Lord would. ⁴  Instead it is, as it were, foolishness.

2 Corinthians 10:15

10:15 Nor do we boast beyond certain limits ⁵  in the work ⁶  done by others, but we hope ⁷  that as your faith continues to grow, our work may be greatly expanded ⁸  among you according to our limits, ⁹ 

2 Corinthians 10:1

Paul’s Authority from the Lord

10:1 Now I, Paul, appeal to you ¹⁰  personally ¹¹  by the meekness and gentleness ¹²  of Christ (I who am meek ¹³  when present among ¹⁴  you, but am full of courage ¹⁵  toward you when away!) –

Colossians 1:15-18

The Supremacy of Christ

1:15 ¹⁶ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn ¹⁷  over all creation, ¹⁸ 

1:16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, ¹⁹  whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him.

1:17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together ²⁰  in him.

1:18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn ²¹  from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things. ²² 

[11:12]  ¹ tn Grk “an opportunity, so that they may be found just like us.”

[11:16]  ² tn Or “am foolish.”

[11:17]  ³ tn Grk “with this confidence of boasting.” The genitive καυχήσεως (kauchsew") has been translated as an attributed genitive (the noun in the genitive gives an attribute of the noun modified).

[11:17]  ⁴ tn Or “say with the Lord’s authority.”

[10:15]  ⁵ tn Or “boast excessively.” The phrase εἰς τὰ ἄμετρα (ei" ta ametra) is an idiom; literally it means “into that which is not measured,” that is, a point on a scale that goes beyond what might be expected (L&N 78.27).

[10:15]  ⁶ tn Or “in the labors.”

[10:15]  ⁷ tn Grk “but we have the hope.”

[10:15]  ⁸ tn Or “greatly enlarged.”

[10:15]  ⁹ tn That is, Paul’s work might be greatly expanded within the area of activity assigned to him by God.

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

[10:1]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Or “who lack confidence.”

[10:1]  ¹⁴ tn Or “when face to face with.”

[10:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or “but bold.”

[1:15]  ¹⁶ sn This passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.

[1:15]  ¹⁷ tn The Greek term πρωτότοκος (prwtotokos) could refer either to first in order of time, such as a first born child, or it could refer to one who is preeminent in rank. M. J. Harris, Colossians and Philemon (EGGNT), 43, expresses the meaning of the word well: “The ‘firstborn’ was either the eldest child in a family or a person of preeminent rank. The use of this term to describe the Davidic king in Ps 88:28 LXX (=Ps 89:27 EVV), ‘I will also appoint him my firstborn (πρωτότοκον), the most exalted of the kings of the earth,’ indicates that it can denote supremacy in rank as well as priority in time. But whether the πρωτό- element in the word denotes time, rank, or both, the significance of the -τοκος element as indicating birth or origin (from τίκτω, give birth to) has been virtually lost except in ref. to lit. birth.” In Col 1:15 the emphasis is on the priority of Jesus’ rank as over and above creation (cf. 1:16 and the “for” clause referring to Jesus as Creator).

[1:15]  ¹⁸ tn The genitive construction πάσης κτίσεως (pash" ktisew") is a genitive of subordination and is therefore translated as “over all creation.” See ExSyn 103-4.

[1:16]  ¹⁹ tn BDAG 579 s.v. κυριότης 3 suggests “bearers of the ruling powers, dominions” here.

[1:17]  ²⁰ tn BDAG 973 s.v. συνίστημι B.3 suggests “continue, endure, exist, hold together” here.

[1:18]  ²¹ tn See the note on the term “firstborn” in 1:15. Here the reference to Jesus as the “firstborn from among the dead” seems to be arguing for a chronological priority, i.e., Jesus was the first to rise from the dead.

[1:18]  ²² tn Grk “in order that he may become in all things, himself, first.”