2 Corinthians 7:4

A Letter That Caused Sadness

7:4 I have great confidence in you; I take great pride ¹  on your behalf. I am filled with encouragement; ²  I am overflowing with joy in the midst of ³  all our suffering.

2 Corinthians 11:10

11:10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine ⁴  will not be stopped ⁵  in the regions of Achaia.

2 Corinthians 1:12

Paul Defends His Changed Plans

1:12 For our reason for confidence ⁶  is this: the testimony of our conscience, that with pure motives ⁷  and sincerity which are from God ⁸  – not by human wisdom ⁹  but by the grace of God – we conducted ourselves in the world, and all the more ¹⁰  toward you.

2 Corinthians 7:14

7:14 For if I have boasted to him about anything concerning you, I have not been embarrassed by you, ¹¹  but just as everything we said to you was true, ¹²  so our boasting to Titus about you ¹³  has proved true as well.

[7:4]  ¹ tn Grk “great is my boasting.”

[7:4]  ² tn Or “comfort.”

[7:4]  ³ tn Grk “I am overflowing with joy in all our suffering”; the words “in the midst of” are not in the Greek text but are supplied to clarify that Paul is not rejoicing in the suffering itself, but in his relationship with the Corinthians in the midst of all his suffering.

[11:10]  ⁴ tn That is, that Paul offers the gospel free of charge to the Corinthians (see 2 Cor 11:7).

[11:10]  ⁵ tn Or “silenced.”

[1:12]  ⁷ tn Or “for boasting.”

[1:12]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Grk “pure motives and sincerity of God.”

[1:12]  ¹⁰ tn Or “not by worldly wisdom.”

[1:12]  ¹¹ tn Or “and especially.”

[7:14]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “I have not been put to shame”; the words “by you” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[7:14]  ¹¹ tn Grk “just as we spoke everything to you in truth.”

[7:14]  ¹² tn The words “about you” are not in the Greek text but are implied.