John Bengel Commentary - 2 Corinthians 12:9 - 12:9

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John Bengel Commentary - 2 Corinthians 12:9 - 12:9


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2Co 12:9. Εἴρηκε μοι, He said to me) when I prayed for the third time.-ἀρκεῖ σοι ἡ χάρις μου, My grace is sufficient for thee) A very gracious refusal, expressed in the indicative mood. The Lord as it were put these words into Paul’s mouth, that following them up he might say: O Lord, Thy grace is sufficient for me. There may be grace, even where there is the greatest sense of pain.-ἡ γὰρ δύναμις ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειοῦται, for [power] strength is perfected in weakness) For δύναμις several have written δυναμίς μου, from the alliteration with χάρις μου. If Paul had written δυναμίς μου, I believe he would have subjoined ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ σου[83] ΣΟΥ. It is however here intimated, that, as is the grace of Christ, so is the power of Christ: γὰρ, for, here as often elsewhere, is a discriminative particle, by which a distinction is made between grace and strength. Grace is sufficient: do not ask sensible strength; for strength [is made perfect in weakness]. So in short the particle, for, obtains the meaning of causing, not immediately, but mediately by the distinction between grace and strength.-ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ, in weakness) From the fact of its being the language of the Lord, Paul often repeats this word; ch. 11 12 13-τελειοῦται, is perfected) It [ἡ δύναμις] performs, it perfects all that belongs to it; therefore we ought not under the pretext of false self-sufficiency to cast away the power [strength] of Christ.-ΜᾶΛΛΟΝ ΚΑΥΧΉΣΟΜΑΙ, I will rather glory) in my infirmities, than in revelations, for if I glory in these, I shall prevent the exercise of the power of Christ. He adds the pronoun to the former, not to the latter.-ἐπισκηνώσῃ ἐπʼ ἐμὲ, may cover me over) as a tent.-σκῆνος, a tent, the body [“our earthly house of this tabernacle,” ch. 2Co 5:1].-τὸ ἐπισκηνοῦν, covering over, something external; he does not say, that it may dwell in me; for he would thus [had he said that] diminish the sense of his infirmities.-ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Χριστοῦ, the power of Christ) that is Christ with His power. We ought most gladly to receive whatever promotes this object.

[83] This decision of the Gnomon, however, does not obscurely differ from the margin of both Ed. and from the Germ. Ver. Therefore it is not quite right to blame Bengel on this account that he wished μου to be omitted after δύναμις (as Ernesti has it, Bibl. th. T. 4. p. 705); nay, indeed, in this very passage, he would have had occasion to free Bengel from the blame of critical pertinacity. Any one may easily suspect from Bibl. th. 1. c. that Bengel wished to strike out the particle μᾶλλον after ἥδιστα, but they who use their eyes will find the contrary.-E. B.

The σου is omitted in AD later corrected, G (and acc. to Lachm. but not Tischend. B) fg Vulg Iren. Cypr. But A and Orig. 3,200d add μου, and so Rec. Text.-ED.