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16. PRACTICAL AND PERSONAL: THE CONCLUSION
The Epistle now rapidly draws to an end with a number of brief directions, communications, salutations, exhortations, and good wishes. It will suffice to make six subdivisions; (a) The Collection for the Poor at Jerusalem, 1-4; (b) St Paul’s intended Visit to Corinth, 5-9; (c) Timothy and Apollos commended, 10-12; (d) Exhortation interjected, 13, 14; (e) Directions respecting Stephanas and others, 15-18; (f) Concluding Salutations, Warning, and Benediction, 19-24.
1-4. Here, as at 15:49, the Apostle suddenly descends from very lofty heights to matters of ordinary experience. It is as if he had suddenly checked himself in his triumphant rhapsody with the thought that ‘the work of the Lord’ in this life must be attended to. There is still much labour to be undertaken by those who still remain alive waiting for the final victory, and he must return to business.
St Paul had the collection of money for the poorer members of the Church in Jerusalem very much at heart, as is seen from this passage and 2Co_8:9., with which should be compared Rom_15:26, Gal_2:10, and Act_24:17. In “the ablest and most convincing section of Paley’s Horae Paulinae” (2. I) it is shown how these four passages, while having each their distinctive features, “fit and dovetail into one another and thus imply that all are historical.” We thus have “singular evidence of the genuineness” of the documents which contain these different but thoroughly consistent accounts. See Sanday and Headlam (p. 413), and Jowett (p. 419), on Rom_15:29; also the Camb. Grk. Test. on 2Co_8. and 9. The directions given here are so brief that we may suppose that the Corinthians already knew a good deal about the matter, possibly from Titus, who may have been in Corinth before this. Moreover, Titus may have been the bearer of this letter, and in that case would be able to tell them in detail what the Apostle desired them to do. We know that Titus did organize the collection at Corinth. In 2Co_9:1, St Paul says that ‘it is superfluous for him to write’ on the subject. Nevertheless, in his intense anxiety about the fund, he says a great deal more than he says here, supporting the appeal with strong arguments.
His anxiety about the collection is very intelligible. The distress at Jerusalem was great and constant. Jews often made collections for impoverished Jews; Christians must do at least as much. It was specially to be wished that Gentile Christians should help Jewish Christians, and thus promote better feeling between the two bodies. Still more was it to be wished that Christians at Corinth, where the Apostle’s work was regarded with suspicion and dislike by the Jewish, party, should send liberal help to Christians at Jerusalem, where the suspicion and dislike originated. This would prove two things; (1) that his Apostolic authority was effectual in a Gentile Church, and (2) that he had loyal affection for the Church at Jerusalem.
Augustine suggests that the poverty at Jerusalem was the result of the community of goods (Act_4:32), a view that is still held, and is probably part of the explanation: communism without careful organization of labour is sure to end in disaster. But there were other causes. Jerusalem had a pauperized population, dependent on the periodical influx of visitors. The Jewish world, from Cicero’s time at least, supported the poor of Jerusalem by occasional subventions. As the Christian Jews came to be regarded as a distinct body, they would lose their share in these doles; and the ‘communism’ of Act_4:32 was but a temporary remedy. Most of the converts were, therefore, poor at the outset. They were probably ‘boycotted’ and otherwise persecuted by the unconverted Jews (1Th_2:14; Jam_2:6, Jam_5:1-6), and their position would be similar to that of Hindoo Christians excluded from their caste, or Protestants in the West of Ireland. And the belief that ‘the Lord was at hand’ (v. 22) may have checked industry at Jerusalem, as it did at Thessalonica (2Th_3:10; Didache 12). See Knowling on Act_20:4, p. 422; Beet on 2Co_8:15, pp. 426 f.; Hort, Romans and Ephesians, pp. 39 f., ‘173; Ramsay, St Paul the Traveller, 287 f.; Rendall, Expositor, Nov. 1893, p. 321.
1. Πρ δ τςλγα. The abrupt transition leads us to suppose that the Corinthians had asked about the matter: comp. 7:1, 8:1, 12:1. At any rate the sudden introduction of this topic implies that they were already acquainted with it; comp. the sudden transition to Apollos in v. 12. St Paul uses seven words in speaking of this collection; λγα(v. 1); χρς(v. 3; 2Co_8:4); κιωί (2Co_8:4, 2Co_8:9:13; Rom_15:26); δαοί (2Co_8:4, 2Co_8:9:1, 2Co_8:12, 2Co_8:13); ἁρτς(2Co_8:20); ελγα(2Co_9:5); λιορί (2Co_9:12); to which may be added ἐεμσνι(Act_24:17, in the report of his speech before Felix) and ποφρί(ibid). The classical word σλοήis not found in N.T.; in LXX, only of David’s scrip (1Sa_17:40). It used to be supposed that λγαor λγί was found only here and in ecclesiastical writers (Ellicott ad loc., Suicer, ii. p. 247); and Edwards thought that St Paul had coined the word. Deissmann (Bible Studies, pp. 142 f.) shows that it was “used in Egypt from the 2nd cent. b.c. at the latest,” and gives various examples from papyri: in one, λγί is associated with λιορί. He thinks that in 2Co_9:5 the first ελγα may be a corruption of λγίν See also Light, pp. 104, 366.
εςτὺ ἁίυ. He does not mean that the Christians at Jerusalem were in a special sense ‘holy’; he indicates why the Corinthians ought to give. Those in need are their fellow Christians (1:2; 2Co_1:1): sic mavult dicere quam ‘pauperes’; id facit ad impetrandum (Beng.). He perhaps also indicates that those in need were the source and original headquarters of the Corinthians’ Christianity (Rom_15:27). Although he does not say so, we might suppose from this passage that all the Jerusalem Christians were poverty-stricken. Rom_15:26 shows that this was not so: it was εςτὺ πωοςτνἁίντνἐ Ἰρ that the κιωί was to be made. With this use of εςc. acc. for the dat. commodi comp. 2Co_8:4, 2Co_8:9:1, 2Co_8:13: is found in LXX, and is probably not a Hebraism but an Alexandrian idiom. It is found in papyri; Deissmann, pp. 117 f.
ὥπρδέαατῖ ἐκ. τ Γ ‘Just as I made arrangements for the Churches of Galatia.’ There is a tone of authority in the verb; as Chrysostom remarks, “He did not say, ‘I exhorted and advised,’ but, ‘I made arrangements,’ as being more absolute; and he does not cite the case of one city, but of a whole nation.” And the compound verb indicates that detailed directions had been given to the Galatians,—possibly by St Paul in person. What follows is no doubt a summary of these directions, to be enlarged by Titus. ‘The Churches of Galatia’ are mentioned to show the Corinthians that they are not the only Gentiles who are asked to contribute to the support of Jewish Christians, and also to move them to imitate such good examples. Galatarum exemplum Corinthiis, Corinthiorum exemplum Macedonibus (2Co_9:2), Corinthiorum et Macedonum Romanis (Rom_15:26) proponit (Beng.).
οτςκὶὐεςπιστ. ‘So also do you act.’ He writers with confidence: he has only to give directions, and they are sure to be followed. There is none of the anxious pleading of 2 Cor. 8., 2Co_8:9. And it was perhaps this apparent peremptoriness which his opponents used as an argument against him. See G. H. Rendall, p. 107. We may infer from this that the plan a dopted in Galatia had not proved unsuccessful. The ὥπρ…οτςimplies that the details of that plan are to be exactly followed, and ὑεςis emphatic (Gal_2:10). We need not infer from Gal_6:6, Gal_6:7, that the appeal to the Galatians had failed; the Apostle is writing there respecting the support of teachers in Galatia, not of the poor at Jerusalem.
2. κτ μα σβάο. ‘On every first day of the week.’ The expression is Hebraistic; Mar_16:2; Luk_24:1; Joh_20:1, Joh_20:19; Act_20:7. For the sing. σβαο = ‘week,’ Luk_18:12; [Mar_16:9]. This is our earliest evidence respecting the early consecration of the first day of the week by the Apostolic Church. Apparently, the name ‘Lord’s Day’ was not yet in use, and the first day of the week is never called ‘the sabbath’ in Scripture. If it was right to do good on the Jewish sabbath (Mat_12:12; Mar_3:4), how much more on the Lord’s Day? κὶγρἡἡέαἱαὴἦ ἀαενεςἐεμσνν for it reminded them of the untold blessings which they had received (Chrys.). Hastings, DB. 3. p. 140; D. Chr. Ant. 2. p. 2031; Knowling, Test. of St Paul to Christ, pp. 281 f.
ἕατςὑῶ. It is assumed that every one, however poor, will give something; but the giving is to be neither compulsory nor oppressive. Some of them would be slaves.
πρ ἑυῷτθτ θσυίω. This cannot mean, ‘Let him assign a certain sum as he is disposed, and put it into the Church treasury.’ It is improbable that at that time there was any Church treasury, and not until much later was money collected during public worship. Each is to lay by something weekly ‘in his own house, forming a little hoard, which will become a heavenly treasure’ (Mat_6:19-21; Luk_12:21). Chrysostom says that the accumulation was to be made in private, because the additions might be so small that the donor would be ashamed to make them in the congregation. The Apostle virtually says, ‘Become a guardian of holy possessions, a self-elected steward of the poor’—γνῦφλξχηάω ἱρν ατχιοόηο οκνμςπντν
ὅτ ἂ εοῶα. ‘Whatsoever he may prosper in,’ ‘whatever success he may have,’ ‘whereinsoever he is prospered by God’; quod pro Dei benignitate licuerit (Beza). The idea of a prosperous journey (ὁό) has dropped out of the word. The verb is frequent in this more general sense in LXX, especially in Chronicles, Daniel, and Tobit: comp. the Testaments, Judah 1:6; Gad. 7:1. It is not certain what tense εοωα is. WH. (ii. App. p. 172) decide for the perfect; either εόωα, perf. indic., or εοῶα, a very rare perf. mid. subjunctive. J. H. Moulton (Gr. 1. p. 54) follows Blass and Findlay in deciding for the pres. subj., which seems to be more probable. In any case, the meaning is that the amount is to be fixed by the giver in proportion to his weekly gains; and there is no dictation as to the right proportion, whether a tenth, or more, or less. A tenth is little for some, impossible for others; but week by week each would see how much or how little he had got, and would act accordingly.
ἵαμ ὅα ἔθ ττ λγα γννα. ‘So that, whenever I come, collections may not be going on then.’†Each will have his contribution ready, instead of having to decide at the last moment how much he ought to give, and how the money is to be found. St Paul does not wish to go round begging, when he comes; he will have other things to do. Moreover, he does not wish to put pressure upon them by asking in person (2Co_9:7): he desires to leave them quite free. The ττ is emphatic; ‘then’ would be the worst possible time.
σβάω (K L M) is an obvious correction of the less usual σβάο (A B C D E F G L P): א has σβαω For ἄ, B I2 M have ἐν εοῶα (א B D E F G L P) is to be preferred to εοωῇ(A C I2 K M). Vulg. has quod ei bene placuerit, which seems to imply a reading ὅτ ἐνεδκ, and Latin translations of Chrus. have quod sibi videatur or videbitur. ὅα εοῶα is pure conjecture.
3. ὅα δ πργνμικτλ ‘But whenever I arrive, whomsoever ye may approve, these with letters (commendatory) will I send to take your bounty to Jerusalem.’ He is represented as using the same verb respecting this subject in his speech before Felix (Act_24:17); ἐεμσνςπισνεςτ ἔνςμυπργνμν AV., RV., and various modern scholars take δʼἐιτλνwith δκμστ, in which case the letters are written by the Corinthians as credentials for the delegates to be sent to Jerusalem with the money: so also Arm., Calv., Beza. But it is more natural to take the words with πμω in front of which they are placed in emphatic contrast to σνἐο which is similarly placed before πρύοτι He will either write letters with which to send the delegates (2Co_3:1; Act_9:2), or he will take the delegates with himself. The delegates were not to be sent off until the Apostle arrived at Corinth. What need, therefore, for the Corinthians to write letters? Syr., Copt., Aeth., Chrys., Tisch., Treg., and others take δʼἐ. with πμω ‘Letters’ is probably a true plural, not the “plural of category.” The Apostle would write to more than one person at Jerusalem.*
In N.T., δκμζι often implies that what has been tested (3:13) has stood the test and been approved (11:28; Rom_1:28, Rom_1:2:18; Rom_1 Thess, 2:4, where see Milligan), as here. Just as St Paul does not dictate what proportion of their gains they ought to give, so he does not select the bearers of the fund, still less claim to have charge of it himself. In no case will he do that, to avoid all suspicion of enriching himself out of it. Those who find the money are to entrust it to persons tested and approved by themselves, and these persons are to have letters from the Apostle as credentials, unless he goes himself. The two aorists, πργνμιand δκμστ, indicate that his arrival and the selection of the delegates are regarded as contemporaneous.‡
Very often ἀοέενdoes not mean ‘carry away’ so much as ‘take home, ’ ‘bring to its destination, ’ and in some cases ‘bring back.’ It was not the removal of the money from Corinth, but its being conveyed to Jerusalem, that was the important point: comp. Luk_16:22. And he speaks of it as their ‘gracious gift,’ τνχρνὑῶ (2Co_8:4-7, 2Co_8:19), beneficentiam vestram (Beza), because he would regard it as free bounty, like the graciousness of God.
4. ἐνδ ἄινᾖτῦκμ πρύσα. ‘But if it be fit that I also should go.’ The ἄινis purposely put without a substantive, and πρύσα is used in its common sense of going on a mission, going with a purpose, with a work to be done: see Westcott on Joh_7:33. ‘If the amount collected makes it worth while for me also to go on this business’ is another possible meaning. He could not abandon other work in order to present a paltry sum; and an Apostle could not take the lead in so unworthy a mission. It would look like approving miggardliness. There is no pride of office here, but proper respect for himself and them. It is with consciousness of his authority that he says, ‘they shall go with me,’ not ‘I will go with them.’
Were the Corinthians niggardly, or at least somewhat backward in giving? One is inclined to think so by the doubt expressed here: see also 9:11, 12; 2Co_11:8, 2Co_11:9, 2Co_11:12:13. No Corinthian delegates are mentioned Act_20:4. That might mean that the Corinthians sent their contribution independently. But it might mean that they were not represented because their contribution was so small. St Paul twice went to Jerusalem with money for the poor (Act_11:29, Act_11:30, Act_11:24:17). It was perhaps because he was known to have charge of such funds that he was expected by Felix to pay for his release (24:26).
5-9. He gives further information about the proposed (v. 3) visit to Corinth. He will come, but he must postpone his visit for the present. This postponement will be compensated by the increased length of his visit, when he does come; and they will be able to help him for his next journey. He cannot, however, leave Ephesus just yet, for there is great opportunity for good work, and his presence there is necessary. This will give them all the more time for laying money by for the Jerusalem poor.
5. ὅα Μ δέθ, Μ γρδέχμι ‘Whenever I shall have journeyed through Macedonia, for I intend journeying through M.’ In Acts (13:6, 14:24, 15:3, 41, 18:23, 19:1, 21, 20:2), δέχμιseems to be almost a technical term for a missionary tour or evangelistic journey, the district traversed being in the accusative without a preposition: Ramsay, St Paul, pp. 72, 384; Knowling on Act_13:6. In contrast to this tour through Macedonia he intends making a long stay (πρμν) at Corinth.
The erroneous note at the end of this Epistle, “written from Philippi,” is based on a misunderstanding of δέχμι as if it meant ‘I am at the present moment passing through M.,’ instead of ‘M. I pass through,’ i.e. ‘such is my intention; I make no long stay anywhere.’ It is clear from v. 8 that he writes from Ephesus.
6. πὸ ὑᾶ δ τχνπρμν. ‘But with you (first, in emphatic contrast to Macedonia) perchance I shall stay or even winter.’ With πὸ ὑᾶ comp. Gal_2:18; Mat_13:56; and see Westcott on Joh_1:1 and 1Jn_1:2. The πό implies more than μτ or σν and means ‘in active intercourse with you.’ The acc. abs. τχνis not found elsewhere in Biblical Greek, but it occurs in Plato and Xenophon:* comp. the colloquial “happen I shall come.” In 14:10, ε τχι His remaining at Corinth through the winter might be necessary, because navigation then would be perilous or impossible. After 14th Sept. navigation was considered dangerous; after IIth Nov. it ceased till 5th March: see Blass on Act_27:9; Ramsay, St Paul, p. 322; and Zahn, Introduction to N.T., i. p. 319. Orelli on Hor. Oba_1:4:2 quotes Vegetius, De re mil. 5:9, ex die 3. Id. Novembr. usque in diem vi. Id. Mart. maria claudi.
ἵαὑεςμ ποέψτ κτλ ‘In order that you may be the people to set me forward on my journey, whithersoever I may go.’ He would rather have his ‘send-off’ from them. For this, ποέπι is the usual verb (2Co_1:16; Rom_15:24; Act_15:3, etc.). He is not asking for money or provisions; the verb does not necessarily mean more than good wishes and prayers. The last clause is purposely indefinite (ο ἐνπ He may go to Jerusalem, but that depends upon various circumstances. With ο for ο comp. Luk_10:1, Luk_10:24:28; it is freq. in late Greek (Gen_20:13, 28:15; etc.).
WH., following B M 67, prefer κτμν to πρμν (אA C D E F G I2 P). There would be temptation to make the verb similar to πρχιάω all the more so as πρμνι is more common (Php_1:25; Heb_7:23; Jam_1:25) than κτμνι (Act_1:13). Nevertheless the balance for πρμν is considerable.
7. ο θλ γρὑᾶ ἄτ ἐ πρδ ἰεν ‘For I do not care in you case to get a sight (aor.) just in passing.’†For the third time in two verses (πὸ ὑᾶ, ὑες ὑᾶ), he lays an affectionate emphasis on the pronoun. In the case of such friends as they are, a mere passing visit would be very unsatisfying; all the more so, because there is much to be arranged at Corinth (11:34). There is no emphasis on ἄτ, as if he meant, ‘I paid a passing visit to you once, and it was so painful that I do not mean to repeat the experiment now.’ The ἄτ fits in well with the hypothesis of a previous short visit (2Co_12:14, 2Co_13:1), but it does not imply it: it need not be much stronger than ‘just’. But he is thinking less of their need of him to keep them in order (nam et medicus ibi moram habet ubi plures aegrotant), than of his need of them to satisfy his yearning. Lightfoot, who contends for the previous short visit, says that this passage cannot be used as evidence for it (Biblical Essays, p. 275, note).
χόο τν. Emphatic: ‘For I am hoping to stay on in intercourse with you for some little time.’ He is looking forward to living among them. He does not say ‘to stay on at Corinth’ it is the people, not the place, that he cares about. Excepting 1:2, he never mentions Corinth, and then only as their home.
ἐνὁΚρο ἑιρψ. It is of no importance whether this means God or Christ. But there may be point in the change from θλσ (4:19), ‘If the Lord wills me to do this painful thing,’ to ἐιρψ, ‘If He allows me this pleasure’ (Heb_6:3). This, however, cannot be pressed: Jam_4:15; Act_16:21. St Paul’s own practice shows that it is not necessary always to express this condition when announcing one’s plans (v. 5; Rom_15:28; Act_19:21). Ben Sira is said to have ruled that no one ought to say that he will do anything without first saying, “If the Lord will”; and both St Paul and St James may be influenced by a form of Jewish piety which was sure to commend itself to Christians. Mayor on Jam_4:15 has collected various examples from Greek and Roman writers, but the O.T. does not supply any. Deissmann (Bible Studies, p. 252) gives several illustrations from papyri; and see Eur. Ale. 780-5. Hort (Romans and Ephesians, pp. 42 f.) points out how uncertain St Paul’s future must have seemed to him (Rom_1:10).
‘For I hope’ (RV.) is to be preferred to ‘But I trust’ (AV.) : ἐπζ γρ(אA B C D E F G l M P), ἐπζ δ (K L) : ἐιρψ (אA B C l M), ἐιρπ (D E F G K).
8. ‘But I propose to stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost.’ Evidently he is writing in or near Ephesus, and probably about Easter (5:7; 15:20). At that time navigation would have begun again, and therefore it would be possible for him to come. It does not much matter whether we read ἐιεῶ(= πρμν, πρχιάω or ἐιέω(= δέχμι in either case he is expressing his intention. WH. prefer ἐιέω ‘I am staying on.’ Pentecost is probably mentioned as a rough indication of time, a few weeks later. He does not mean that he must keep the Feast of Pentecost at Ephesus. His reasons for staying on are quite different. There is a grand opening for effectual work, and there is a powerful opposition: he must utilize the one and check the other.
9. θρ γρμιἀέγνμγλ κὶἐεγς ‘For a door is standing open for me, great and effective.’ The metaphor of a door for an opportunity is simple enough (2Co_2:12; Col_4:3, where see Lightfoot). In all three places an opening for preaching the Gospel seems to be meant, although in 2Co_2:12 the meaning might be that Troas was a good avenue for reaching the country beyond (Ramsay in Hastings, DB. 4. p. 814). It is possible that εσδςis used in a similar sense 1Th_1:9, 1Th_2:1. In Act_14:27 the ‘door’ is opened to the hearers, not to the preachers. But it is not quite clear what ἐεγςmeans, or in what sense a door can be called ἐεγς Probably St Paul is thinking more of the opportunity than of the ‘door.’ The ‘door’ means an opportunity, and he applies to it an epithet which suits the fact better than the symbol. It may mean either ‘effective, influential, productive of good results,’ or ‘calling for much activity, full of employment’; Phm_1:6; Heb_4:12. In Heb_4:12, the Vulg. has efficax; in Phm_1:6 and here, evidens (other Latin texts, manifesta), which is a translation of ἐαγς a word which is not found in Biblical Greek; nor is ἐεγςfound in LXX. On the ‘opened door’ given to the Church in Philadelphia (3:8), see Swete ad loc. and Ramsay, Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 404. See also Deissmann, Light, p. 302.
ἀτκίεο πλό ‘There are many opposing my entrance,’ hindering him from making use of the great opportunity (Php_1:20). Among these are the wild beasts of 15:32, and they would include both Jews and heathen. Act_19. shows how true this estimate of the situation proved. “The superstition of all Asia was concentrated at Ephesus. Throughout the early centuries the city mob, superstitious, frivolous, swayed by the most common-place motives, was everywhere the most dangerous and unfailing enemy of Christianity, and often carried the imperial officials further than they wished in the way of persecution” (Ramsay, St Paul, p. 277). But this determines St Paul, not to fly, but to stay on: quod alios terruisset, Paulum invitat (Grotius).
The intransitive ἀέγνis late Greek for ἀεκα.
10-12. His intended stay at Corinth reminds him of the visit which Timothy is to pay in preparation for his (4:17); and the thought of the helper who has already started reminds him of another helper, Apollos, who refuses to start at present.
10. Ἐνδ ἔθ Τ Timothy had been sent with Erastus from Ephesus to Corinth; but as he had to go through Macedonia (Act_19:22), and as his time was limited (v. 11), St Paul did not feel sure that he would reach Corinth; and he possibly did not do so. In 2 Cor. we read a good deal about the visit of Titus to Corinth, but nothing is said about Timothy’s visit. On the other hand, while the Apostle explains and defends his own changes of plan about visiting Corinth, he says nothing about Timothy’s having failed to visit them. If Timothy is the ἀιηεςof 2Co_7:12, he must have reached Corinth and have been grossly insulted by some one; but more probably the ἀιηεςis St Paul himself. Timothy was in Macedonia when 2 Cor. was written (1:1), and perhaps had never been further.*
βέεεἵαἀόω γντιπὸ ὑᾶ. ‘See that he comes to feel at home with you without fear’: comp. Col_4:17; 2Jn_1:8; but βέεεμ (8:9; 10:12; Gal_5:15; Col_2:8, etc.) is more common than βέεεἵα They are to take care that there is no painful awkwardness in Timothy’s intercourse with them. Was Timothy timid? There are passages which agree with such a supposition, although they do not necessarily imply it (1Ti_5:21-23; 2Ti_1:6-8, 2Ti_1:2:1, 2Ti_1:3, 2Ti_1:15, 2Ti_1:4:1, 2Ti_1:2). See Hastings, DB. 4. p. 768). He was certainly young, for some eight years later St Paul still speaks of his νόη (1Ti_4:12); and the Corinthians could certainly be rude, even to the Apostle himself (2Co_10:10).
‘For he is working the work of the Lord (15:58), as I also am.’ Therefore, if they put difficulties in Timothy’s way, they will be hindering the work which God has given to the Apostle to do: 4:17. 2:19-21.
κγ (אA C K L P), κὶἐώ(D E F G), ἐώ(B M 67). WH. adopt the last, on the same evidence as κτμν (v. 6). In Luk_2:48, Luk_16:9, and Act_10:26, κὶἐώseems to be right; almost everywhere else κγ is the better reading, but the evidence is frequently divided. In the three exceptions the ἐώis rather pointedly co-ordinated with some one else. See Gregory, Prolegomena, p. 96.
11. μ τςονατνἐοθνσ. ‘Let no one therefore set him at nought—treat him as of no account.’ (1:28, 6:4; 2Co_10:10; Gal_4:14; 1Th_5:20). Except Mar_9:12, the verb is found only in Paul and Luke. It is stronger than κτφοετ (1Ti_4:12; comp. 11:22). Beng. quotes, νώεο ἐώεμ κὶἐοδνμνς(Psa_119:141: adolescentulus sum ego et contemptus; but here the Vulg. has spernat, with contemnere for κτφοεν
ἐ ερῃ To be taken with ποέψτ, not with ἵαἔθ, which would have little point. ‘When he departs, let him see that he has your good will, and that he leaves no bad feeling in any of you.’ ‘In peace’ at the conclusion of his intercourse with them will be a fitting result of ‘without fear’ at the beginning of it. The last clause shows why they ought to set Timothy forward on his journey with peace and good will; he will be on his way to the Apostle, who is expecting him.
μτ τνἀεφν Erastus is the only one mentioned in Act_19:22; but there may have been others, or St Paul may have expected others. The words need not mean more than that Timothy is not likely to come alone. This, however, is so unimportant a meaning that some prefer taking μτ τ ἀ. with ἐδχμι ‘I am expecting him and so are the brethren.’ This is an awkward construction, but it has more point. ‘The brethren’ in this case will be the same as ‘the brethren’ in v. 12, viz. those who brought the letter from Corinth and are waiting to take back the Apostle’s reply. The meaning would then be, ‘Send him back to me in peace, and then the brethren who are waiting for him will be able to start with my answer to you’.
12. Πρ δ Ἁολ. This looks as if the Corinthians had asked that Apollos should visit them again (5:1. 7:1, 7:25, 8:1, 12:1). At any rate St Paul knew that they would be glad to have Apollos among them once more, and he is anxious to assure them that he is quite willing that Apollos should come. He is not jealous of the able and attractive Alexandrian, and is not at all afraid that he may join the Apollos party (1:12, 3:4-6, 4:6; Tit_3:13). He has urged him strongly to go with the brethren who are to take 1 Cor. to Corinth, and it is not his fault that Apollos does not do so.
κὶπνω οκἦ θλμ ἳαἔθ κτλ ‘And, in spite of all I could say, he had no wish to come now; but he will come whenever the right time arrives.’ The πρκλσ ατνshows whose ‘will’ is meant; ‘I exhorted and entreated him, and there was absolutely no wish to come at present.’ Chrysostom assumes that it is the will of Apollos that is the impediment, and points out how St Paul excuses himself without blaming Apollos. To suppose that the will of God is meant (Theoph., Beng., Evans) is at variance with the context. When St Paul means the will of God, which is very frequently, he says so (1:1; 2Co_1:1, 2Co_8:5, etc.). In the N.T., πνω is found only in Paul and Luke (9:10; Luk_4:23; Act_28:4): it expresses strong affirmation, utique (Vulg.). The ννsoftens the refusal: Apollos has not made up his mind never to visit Corinth again, but he cannot be induced to come now. Although St Paul was not afraid that Apollos would join the Apollos party, Apollos may have been afraid that this party would try to capture him. If this is correct, ὂα εκιήῃmay have special meaning. Just as ο ἐνπρύμι(v. 6) suggests, ‘It depends upon you whether I go to Jerusalem or not,’ so this might suggest, ‘It depends upon you whether he comes soon or not.’ The proper κιό rests with the Corinthians; Apollos will not come while there is an Apollos party in opposition to the Apostle. The ἦ implies that Apollos is not with St Paul at the time of writing: ‘when I spoke to him, there was no wish at all to come now.’ But εκιήῃ(Mar_6:31; Act_17:21; not in LXX) need not imply more than that Apollos was at present not free to come; for which meaning ε σοῆ ἐενwould be better Greek. On the work of Apollos at Corinth see Knowling on Act_18:24, Act_18:25.
Before πλὰπρκλσ, א D* E F G, Latt. Goth. insert δλ ὑῖ ὅι vobis notum facio quoniam: A B C K L M P, Syrr. Copt. Aeth. Arm. omit.
For πλά adverbial, comp. v. 19; Rom_16:6, Rom_16:12; it is frequent in Mark (5:10, 23, 38, 43, etc.).
13, 14. There is probably no thought of Apollos in this abrupt transition, such as, ‘Do not put your trust in any teacher, however competent; you must look to your own conduct.’ St Paul means to bring the letter to a close and begins his final exhortations. In five clear and crisp charges he gathers together the duties which he has been inculcating, the duties of a Christian soldier. Four of these have reference to spiritual foes and perils, while the last sums up their duty to one another. They are an army in the field, and they must be alert, steadfast, courageous, strong; and in all things united. “The four imperatives are directed respectively against the heedlessness, fickleness, childishness, and moral enervation of the Corinthians” (Findlay). Comp. 7:29-31, 10:12, 13, 15:1, 14:20, 9:24, 13.
13. Γηοετ. This charge seems to have been often given by our Lord, especially at the close of His ministry; Mar_13:34, Mar_13:35, Mar_13:37, Mar_13:14:34, Mar_13:37, 38, and parallels; and μκρο ὁγηοῶ is one of the seven Beatitudes in Revelation (16:15; comp. 3:2, 3; Mat_24:42). For its use as a military charge see 1 Macc. 12:27 of Jonathan the high priest to his men, and for its metaphorical use, as here, γηόε, ἀόηο πεμ κκημνς(Ign. Polyc. 1): comp. 1Th_5:6, 1Th_5:10; Col_4:2; 1Pe_5:8. The verb is a late formation from ἐργρ, and is found in the later books of the LXX, in the Psalms of Solomon, and in the Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs. Watchfulness against various enemies and dangers and watchfulness for the coming of Christ are specially meant here.
σήεεἐ τ πσε. The warning in 10:12 unites this charge with the preceding one: comp. Rom_5:2, Rom_5:11:20; Eph_4:13; 2Th_2:15. ‘The faith’ means belief in the Gospel as a whole, and especially in the atonement won by Christ’s death on the Cross (1) and in the life guaranteed by His Resurrection (15). There must be no desertion, no λιοαί, with regard to that. These first two charges have reference to the Christian warrior awaiting attack; the next two refer to the actual combat.
ἀδίεθ. ‘Play the man,’ ‘act like men,’ viriliter agite (Vulg.). The verb occurs here only in N.T., but is common in LXX in exhortations; Deu_31:6, Deu_31:7, Deu_31:23; Jos_1:6, Jos_1:7, Jos_1:9, Jos_1:18, etc. In 2Sa_10:12 and Psa_27:14, 31:25, it is combined with κααοσα, as here. Comp. the dying charge of Mattathias to his sons; ‘And ye, my children, be strong, and show yourselves men in behalf of the law’ (1 Macc. 2:64). Arist. Eth Nic. III:VI. 12 and other illustrations in Wetstein.
κααοσε ‘Be not only manly but mighty; gain the mastery’ (Eph_3:16): κααό (1Pe_5:6) and κάο (Eph_1:19, Eph_1:6:10; Col_1:2; 1Ti_6:16) are uniformly used of God.
14. πναὑῶ ἐ ἀάῃγνσω He is glancing back at the party-divisions, at the selfish disorder at the Lord’s Supper, and at their jealousy in the possession of special charismata, and is recalling 13. Chrysostom has μτ ἀάη for ἐ ἀάῃ probably through inadvertence; there seems to be no such reading. The change is for the worse.* St Paul says more than that everything they do must be accompanied with love: love must be very atmosphere in which their lives move. This love is the affection which all Christians are bound to cherish for one another and all mankind. The phrase ἐ ἀάηis specially frequent in Ephesians (1:4, 3:18, 4:2, 15, 16, 5:2) and always in this sense rather than in that of our love to God or of His to us.
15-18. He remembers some other directions which must be given before he concludes: comp. Rom_16:17. He has spoken of his own fellow-workers, Timothy and Apollos, who are to visit them. He now says a word in commendation of some among themselves whose services to the Church ought to command esteem and deference as well as love. Perhaps he had heard that those whom he mentions had been treated with disrespect. Dobschü Probleme, pp. 66, 69.
15. Πρκλ δ ὑᾶ, ἀεφ. ‘Now I beseech you, my brothers,’—and then he breaks off in order to mention something which will induce them to grant his request. Dionysius the Areopagite, Damaris, and possibly others (Act_17:33) had been won over before Stephanas, but his was the first Christian household, and as such was the foundation of the Church in those parts. It began with ‘the Church in his house.’ In a similar sense Epaenetus was ἀαχ τςἈίς(Rom_16:5). It was no doubt on account of this important fact that St Paul made an exception in his usual practice and baptized Stephanas and his household (1:16). What follows shows their devotion to the cause. Clement of Rome (Cor. 42), speaking of the Apostles, says: “So preaching everywhere in country and town, they appointed their firstfruits, when they had proved them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons unto them that should believe”; where τςἀαχςατνseems to mean the firstfruits of the country districts and towns, χρςκ πλι. But here it is evident that the Apostle had not appointed Stephanas and his household to any δαοί. They had spontaneously taken this service upon themselves. Just as the brethren appointed (ἔαα) that Paul and Barnabas and others should go to Jerusalem about the question of circumcision (Act_15:2), so Stephanas and his household appointed themselves (ἔαα ἑυος to the service of their fellow-Christians.