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THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS
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1:1, 2 THE APOSTOLIC SALUTATION
Paul, a divinely chosen Apostle, and Timothy our brother, give Christian greeting to the Corinthian Church and to the Christians near it.
1Paul, an Apostle by divine appointment, and Timothy whom ye all know, give greeting to the body of Corinthian Christians and to all Christians in the Province. 2May the free and unmerited favour of God be yours, and the peace which this favour brings! May our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ grant them to you!
The Salutation has the usual three parts; the writer, those addressed, and the greeting.
1. Πῦο ἀότλςΧιτῦἸσῦ St Paul states his own claim to be heard before mentioning Timothy, who is ἀεφςand not ἀότλς Vos Corinthii mihi debetis obedire, et falsos apostolos respuere, quia sum Paulus apostolus Jesu Christi, id est mirabilis legatus Salvatoris Regis. Apostolus sum, non usurpative, sed per voluntatem Dei Patris. Pseudo autem, apostoli, nec a Christo sunt missi, nec per Dei voluntatem venerunt. Ideoque respuendi sunt (Herveius Burgidolensis).
In nearly all his letters, including the Pastorals, St Paul introduces himself as an Apostle, with or without further description; and here, as in Php_1:1 and Col_1:1, he is careful not to give to Timothy the title of ἀότλς Cf. the opening words of 1 and 2 Thess., Phil., and Philemon. We find the same feature in 1 and 2 Pet. The amplification, ἸσῦΧιτῦδὰφλμτςΘο, is specially in point in Epistles in which he has to contend with the opposition of false teachers, some of whom claimed to have a better right to the title of Apostle than he had (Batiffol, Primitive Catholicism, p. 42). We find it in 1 Cor., Eph., Col., 2 Tim.; and in Gal_1:1 the fact that his Apostleship is of God and not of man is still more clearly stated. It did not come to him in the ordinary course of events, but by a definite Divine decree.
τμβο ὁἀεφς He is mentioned, like Sosthenes in 1 Cor. to show that what St Paul sends by Apostolic authority has the approval of one who can regard these matters from the Corinthians’ own point of view, as a fellow-Christian, without authority over them (1:19; Act_18:5). The Apostle might be prejudiced by his high position; Timothy is influenced simply by his brotherly affection. ‘He agrees with me in what I have to say to you.’ Timothy is joined with Paul in the addresses of five other Epistles (1 and 2 Thess., Phil., Col., Philemon) and is mentioned at the close of two others (1Co_16:10; Rom_16:21; cf. Heb_13:23).* He was converted by St Paul at Lystra during the First Missionary journey, and afterwards seems to have been more often with the Apostle than not. Very possibly he was the Apostle’s amanuensis for some of the Epistles; but this does not follow from his being included in the Salutations: Tertius (Rom_16:2) is not mentioned in the address of that Epistle. But, whether or no he acted as scribe, it is not likely that Timothy here, or Sosthenes in 1 Cor., or Silvanus and Timothy in 1 and 2 Thess., had much to do with the composition. Whoever acted as amanuensis may have made an occasional suggestion; but in every case we may be sure that the letter is St Paul’s and not a joint production. St Paul had been anxious about the reception which Timothy would have at Corinth (1Co_16:10), and here he shows how highly he thinks of Timothy. But nowhere in 2 Cor. does he say anything about Timothy’s reception at Corinth. Either Timothy never reached Corinth (Lightfoot, Bibl. Essays, p. 220), or (more probably) he was so badly received that St Paul does not think it wise, after the submission of the Corinthians, to recall Timothy’s ill-success in trying to induce them to submit (K. Lake, Earlier Epistles of St Paul, p. 134; Paley, Horae Paulinae, IV.). What is certain is that the mission of Timothy to Corinth, whether carried out or not, is done with when 2 Cor. was written. There is no need to mention it. (Redlich, S. Paul and his Companions, p. 279.)
ὁἀεφς This does not mean ‘my spiritual brother’; Timothy was St Paul’s spiritual son (1Ti_1:2; 2Ti_1:2); nor does it mean ὁσνρό μν(Rom_16:21). It means ‘one of the brethren,’ a member of the Christian Society. Deissmann (Bible Studies, pp. 87, 88, Light from the Anc. East, pp. 96, 107, 227) has shown from papyri that ἀεφςwas used of members of pagan brotherhoods. While the Master was with them, Christ’s adherents were described in their relation to Him; they were His ‘disciples’: in the Gospels, μφτςoccurs more than 230 times. After His presence had ceased to be visible they were described in their relation to one another as ‘brethren,’ and in relation to their calling as ‘saints’: in the Epistles, μφτίnowhere occurs; its place is taken by ἁεφίand ἅιι In Acts all terms are found.
τ ἐκηί τ Θο. Having reminded them of his high authority as ‘an Apostle of Christ Jesus, ’ he at the same time reminds them of their own high position as ‘the Church of God.’ In both cases the genitive is possessive. The Society of which they are members has as its Founder and Ruler the Creator of the world and the Father of all mankind. St Paul is not hinting that in Corinth there is an ecclesia which is not ‘of God.’ Rather, as Theodoret suggests, by reminding them of their Lord and Benefactor, he is once more warning them against divisions — εςὁόοα πλνσνπω: what God has founded as one body they must not divide. It is probable that, wherever he uses this phrase, τῦΘο is not a mere otiose amplification, but always has point (1Th_2:14; 2Th_1:4; 1Co_1:2, 1Co_1:10:32, 1Co_1:11:16, 1Co_1:22, 1Co_1:15:9; Gal_1:13; 1Ti_3:5 without articles). Everywhere else in this Epistle we have ἐκηίιin the plur., showing that local Churches are meant (8:1, 18, 19, 23, 24, 11:8, 28, 12:13); and here ἡἐκηί is expressly limited to Corinth; so that nowhere in the letter is the Church as a whole mentioned. In Rom_16:16 we have all α ἐκ. τῦΧιτῦ an expression which occurs nowhere else in N.T. In Act_20:28 both reading and interpretation are doubtful. In LXX we have ἑκηί Κρο and other expressions which show that the ἑκ is a religious one. There is no instance of ἐκ being used of religious assemblies among the heathen. The οσ implies that the Church was now established in Corinth (Act_13:1; cf. 5:17, 14:13, 28:17); it had ceased to be a congregation of hearers.
We can draw no reasonable inference as to change in the Apostle’s feelings from the brevity of the description of the Church in Corinth here when compared with that in 1Co_1:2.
σντ ἀίι πσντ οσνἐ ὅῃτ Ἀαᾳ ‘With all the saints which are in the whole of Achaia.’ All Christians are ‘holy’ in virtue, not of their lives, but of their calling; they are set apart in a holy Society as servants and sons of the Holy God. Chrysostom thinks that St Paul addresses ‘all,’ because all alike need correction. In Thess. he does not include all in Macedonia, nor in Rom. all in Italy. Achaia may be used loosely for the district of which Corinth was the chief city. St Paul does not mention other Churches in Achaia (contrast Gal_1:2), and therefore we can hardly regard this as a circular letter. But there were Christians in Athens and Cenchreae, and probably in other places near Corinth, and the Apostle includes all of them in the address. We may perhaps, with Lietzmann, regard this as the germ of the later Metropolitan constitution. See on 1Co_1:2. The Corinthians were apt to be exclusive and to plume themselves upon a supposed superiority. St Paul may be reminding them that they are not the whole Church (1Co_14:36), even in Achaia; at any rate he lets Christians outside Corinth know that they are not forgotten. The whole of Greece may possibly be included.
ΧιτῦἸσῦ(אB M P 17) rather than ΙσῦΧ (A D E G K L, Latt. Copt. Arm. Aeth. Goth.). F, f omit. In the best texts of the earlier Epp. (1 and 2 Thess. Gal.) always Ἰ Χ; in the later Epp. (Phil. Eph. Col. Philem, 1 and 2 Tim.) almost always Χ. Ἰ In the intermediate Epp. (1 and 2 Cor. Rom.) the readings vary, and St Paul’s usage may have varied. While Χιτςwas a title, it was naturally placed after Ἰσῦ, which was always a name. But Χ became a name, and then the two words in either order, became a name. See on Rom_1:1, and Sanday, Bampton Lectures, p. 289.
2. Χρςὑῖ κ ερν. So in all the Pauline Epp. (except 1 and 2 Tim.) and in 1 and 2 Pet. In N.T., ‘peace’ probably has much the same meaning as in Jewish salutations,—freedom from external enmity and internal distraction. The two Apostles “naturally retain the impressive term traditional with their countrymen, but they subordinate it to the term ‘grace,’ which looked back from the gift to the Giver, and which the Gospel had clothed with special significance. This subordination is marked not only by the order, but by the collocation of ὑῖ, which invariably precedes κὶερν” (Hort on 1Pe_1:2; see on 1Co_1:3). It is the grace which produces the peace, In 2 Macc. 1:1 we have Χίεν…ερννἀαή, and in 2 Macc. 1:10, 9:19, we have the frequent combination Χίενκ ὑιίεν which is found in the oldest Greek letter known to us, 4th cent. b.c.. (Deissmann, Light from Anc. East, p. 149). See J. A. Robinson (Eph. pp. 221 f.) on χρςin Bibl. Grk., and G. Milligan (Thess. p. 127f.) on St Paul’s use of current epistolary forms and phrases.
ἀὸΘο πτὸ ἡῶ κὶκρο Ἰ Χ. As at the beginning of the earliest book in N.T. (1Th_1:1) we find the notable phrase ‘God the Father,’ so here we find Christ called ‘Lord,’ the usual title of God, and we find Christ linked with God the Father under one preposition, which shows that the Apostle regards the two as on an equality. “In the appellation ‘Father’ we have already the first beginning—may we not say the first decisive step, which potentially contains the rest?—of the doctrine of the Trinity …The striking thing about it is that the Son already holds a place beside the Father” (Sanday, Outlines of the Life of Christ, p. 218). “It is well known that the phrase ‘God the Father’ is especially common in these opening salutations. We cannot think that it is a new coinage of St Paul. It comes to his pen quite naturally, and not as thought it needed any explanation. We may safely set it down as part of the general vocabulary of Christians. Its occurrence in Q is proof that it was familiar in circles far removed from Pauline influence” (Christ in Recent Research, p. 131). It is not probable that the Spirit is omitted because eo templore nullus errabat de Spiritu. St Paul is not consciously teaching Trinitarian doctrine; he uses language which indicates, without his intending it, how much he held of that doctrine. Cf. 13:13.
This Salutation exhibits undoubted resemblances in form to secular letters that have come down to us from the same period. But the differences are greater, and that in three respects. There is the firm assertion of Apostolic authority, the clear indication that those whom he addresses are not ordinary people but a consecrated society, and the spiritual character of the good wishes which he sends them. Comparison with a letter from some religious official, addressed to those who had been initiated into one of the Mysteries, if we did but possess such, would be of great interest.
The Thanksgiving which follows the Salutation, in accordance with St Paul’s almost invariable practice, is also a common feature in secular letters; cf. 2 Macc. 9:20. Deissmann (Light from Anc. East, p. 168) gives a close parallel to this one in a letter from Apion, an Egyptian soldier, to his father, 2nd cent. a.d. After the usual greeting and good wishes he says: “I thank the Lord Serapis, that, when I was near being drowned in the sea, he saved me straightway”— εΧρσῶτ κρῳΣρπδ, ὅιμνκνυεσνο εςφλσα ἔωεεφω. See also Bibelstudien, p. 210, an example not given in Bible Studies. St Paul usually thanks God for some grace bestowed on those whom he addresses, and hence his omission of the Thanksgiving in the stern letter to the Galatians; here and in 1Ti_1:12 he gives thanks for benefits bestowed on himself. But his readers are not forgotten (vv. 6, 7); it is largely on their account that he is so thankful. The Thanksgiving is in two parts; for Divine Comfort (3-7) and for Divine Deliverance (8-11).
1:3-11 PREAMBLE OF THANKSGIVING AND HOPE
I bless God for the recovery and comfort which enables us to recover and comfort the fallen and distressed.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,—the Father who is full of compassion and the God who is the Source of all comfort. 4 Blessed be He, for He ever comforts us all through our affliction, and He does this as a lesson to us how to comfort other people in any kind of affliction whether of body or soul, viz. by using the same way of comforting that God uses with us. 5 For if, through our intimate union with the Christ, we have an abundant share of His sufferings, to just the same extent, through His merciful mediation, we can draw upon an abundant fund of comfort. 6 So then, whatever happens to us, you reap an advantage: for, if we receive afflictions, it is to bring comfort and spiritual well-being to you; and if we receive comforting in our afflictions, our comforting is for your benefit, for God makes it effective to you when you courageously accept the same kind of sufferings as He lays upon us. And our confidence in your future is too well founded to be shaken, 7because we know well that, as surely as you share our sufferings, so surely do you share our comfort.
8 When I speak of our sufferings, I mean something very real. I do not wish you, my Brothers, to be in any uncertainty about that. Affliction so intense came upon us in Asia that it prostrated us beyond all power of endurance; so much so that we despaired of preserving even life. 9 Indeed, when we asked within ourselves, whether it was to be life or death for us, our own presentiment said ‘Death,’—a presentiment which God sent to teach us not to rely any more on our powers, but on Him who not only can rescue from death but restores the dead to life. 10 Of course He can do both; for it was He who delivered us out of such imminent peril of death and will do so again; and it is on Him that we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, 11 while you also join in helping on our behalf by your intercessions for us. And the blessed result of this will be that from many uplifted faces thanksgivings on our behalf will be offered by many for the mercy which has been shown to us.
As in Eph_1:3-14 (see Westcott), the rhythmical flow of the passage will be felt, if it is read according to the balance of the clauses, which is very marked in the first half.
ΕλγτςὁΘὸ κὶπτρτῦκρο ἡῶ ἸσῦΧιτῦ
ὁπτρτνοκιμνκὶΘὸ πσςπρκήες
ὁπρκλνἡᾶ ἐὶπσ τ θίε ἡῶ,
εςτ δνσα ἡᾶ πρκλῖ τὺ ἐ πσ θίε
δὰτςπρκήεςἧ πρκλύεαατὶὑὸτῦΘο.
ὅικθςπρσεε τ πθμτ τῦΧιτῦεςἡᾶ,
οτςδὰτῦΧιτῦπρσεε κὶἡπρκηι ἡῶ.
ετ δ θιόεα ὑὲ τςὑῶ πρκήες
ετ δ πρκλύεα ὑὲ τςὑῶ πρκήες
3. ΕλγτςὁΘὸ κ πτρτῦκρο ἡῶ Ἰ Χ. The AV is inconsistent here in separating ὁΘό from τ κρο κτλ while in 11:31, as in Eph_1:3. and 1Pe_1:3, it takes both nominatives with the following genitive; ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ The latter is probably right, in accordance with 1Co_15:24; Eph_1:17; Rev_1:6, Rev_1:3:12; Mar_15:34; Joh_20:17. If St Paul had meant ὁΘό to be separated from πτρ he would probably have written ὁΘό μυ as in Rom_1:8; Php_1:3; Phm_1:4. It is remarkable that the Apostles Paul, Peter, and John, while thinking of Christ as God and giving Him Divine attributes, do not shrink from saying that God is not only Christ’s Father but also His God. Benedictus Deus, qui Christum secundum humanitatem creavit et secundum divinitatem genuit, atque ita est Deus et Pater ejus (Herveius). ‘God who is also Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’ is a possible translation, in accordance with Col_1:3; ‘God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’; but it is not the most natural rendering. See on Rom_15:6, and Hort on 1Pe_1:3.
Ελγτςoccurs eight times in N.T., chiefly in Paul (11:31; Rom_1:25, Rom_1:9:5; Eph_1:3), and always of God. When human beings are called ‘blessed,’ ελγμνςis used, but this occurs only in the Gospels. In a few passages in LXX (Deu_7:14; Rth_2:20; 1Sa_15:13, 1Sa_25:33), ελγτςis used of men. The adjective implies that blessing ought to be given, the participle that it has been received. This difference is pointed out by Philo (De Migr. Abrah. 19); but it cannot be rigidly insisted upon in exegesis. In Dan. 3:52-56, ελγτςand -ηέο are used indifferently of God, ελγτςbeing more frequent (4 to 2) in LXX, and ελγμνς(4 to 2) in Theod. Grammatically, we may understand either ἔτ (εη or ἐτν In Rom_1:25, ἐτνis expressed, as also in 1Pe_4:11, which is not quite parallel; here, as in Eph_1:3 and 1Pe_1:3, we almost certainly have a wish: but in Eph_1:3 the Old Latin has benedictus est.
Eusebius (Praep. Evang. ix. 34) quotes from Eupolemus of Alexandria a letter from Surom (Hiram)* to Solomon which begins thus; Σύω Σλμν ΒσλῖΜγλ χίεν ΕλγτςὁΘό, ὃ τνορννκὶτνγνἔτσν ὃ ελτ ἄθωο χητνἐ χητῦἀδό. ἅατ ἀαννιτνπρ σῦἐιτλνσόρ ἐάη κὶελγσ τνΘὸ ἐὶτ πριηέα σ τνβσλίν
τῦκρο ἡῶ. A translation of the Aramaic Maran (1Co_16:22) or Marana, and a continuation of the title by which the disciples commonly addressed the Master. Christ refers to Himself as ὁκρο ὑῶ (Mat_24:42; cf. 21:3). The general use of Maran after the Ascension is strong evidence for at least occasional use during our Lord’s ministry. See Bigg on 1Pe_1:3; Plummer, Luke, p. xxxi; Dalman, Words of Jesus, p. 328. “It may be said with certainty that, at the time when Christianity originated, ‘Lord’ was a divine predicate intelligible to the whole Eastern world. St Paul’s confession of ‘our Lord Jesus Christ’ was, like the complemental thought that the worshippers are the ‘slaves’ of the Lord, understood in its full meaning by everyone in the Hellenistic East, and the adoption of the Christian term of worship was vastly facilitated in consequence” (Deissmann, Light from Anc. East, p. 354). ‘Lord’ or ‘the Lord’ is very frequent as a name for Christ in 1 and 2 Thess., eight times without, and fourteen times with, the article. But this lofty title, so full of meaning in the Apostolic age, “has become one of the most lifeless words in the Christian vocabulary” (Kennedy on Php_2:2: with Klö Lipsius, and B. Weiss, he holds that Κρο is the ‘Name above every name’ which God has given to Christ).
ὁπτρτ οκιμνκ θὸ π τ πρκήες The two genitives are probably not quite parallel, although Theodoret makes them so by rendering the first ὁτὺ οκιμὺ πγζν The first is probably qualifying or descriptive; ‘the Father who shows mercy,’ ‘the merciful Father,’ as in ὁπ τ δξς(Eph_1:17), τνΚρο τ δξς(1Co_2:8), ὁΘὸ τ δξς(Act_7:2), and perhaps the difficult expressions, ὁπτρτ φτνand τ Κρο ἡῶ Ἰ Χιτῦτςδξς(Jam_1:17, Jam_2:1). But there is not much difference between ‘the merciful Father’ and ‘the Father from whom mercy flows.’ The plur. τνοκιμνdoes not refer to separate merciful acts, “Father of repeated compassions”; it is a Hebraism, very frequent in LXX, even when combined with ἔεςin the sing. (Psa_102 [103]:4; Is. 53:15; Isa_1 Macc. 3:44). In N.T., excepting Col_3:12, the plur. is invariable. Recte igitur non Pater judiciorum vel ultionum dicitur, sed Pater misericordiarum, quod miserendi causam et originem sumat ex proprio, judicandi vel ulciscendi magis ex nostro (S. Bernard, In Nativ. Dom. v. 3).
Theodoret’s explanation is right of the second genitive; ‘the Supplier’ or ‘Source of all comfort.’* Vulg. has Deus totius consolationis, instead of omnis; and this has misled some commentators who interpret totius as meaning integrae or perfectae. In v. 4, in tota tribulatione (ἐὶπσ τ θ) might have been better than in omni tribulatione. The threefold πσς πσ, πσ, intensifies the idea of abundance; and the whole passage illustrates St Paul’s fondness for alliteration, especially with the letter π
πρκήες The word occurs six times in these five verses, with πρκλῖ four times.†AV spoils the effect by wavering between ‘consolation’ and ‘comfort.’ ‘Comfort’ for both substantive and verb preserves the effect. Vulg. also varies between consolatio and exhortatio, and between consolari and exhortare. The change to exhortatio and exhortare in vv. 4 and 6 confuses the Apostle’s meaning, and the double change in v. 4 causes great confusion.
4. Vulg. Qui consolatur nos in omni tribulatione nostra, ut possimus et ipsi consolari eos qui in omni pressura sunt, per exhortationem qua exhortamur et ipsi a Deo.
ὁπρκλν ‘Who continually comforts us’; not once or twice, but always; the πρκηι is without break (Chrys.); and it is supplied in various ways— vel per Scripturas, vel per alios sanctos, vel per occultam inspirationenem, vel per tribulationis allevationem (Herveius).
The ἡᾶ need not be confined to Paul and Timothy, still less to Paul alone. It probably includes all missionaries, and perhaps indirectly all sufferers; Isa_40:1. It is unreasonable to suppose that St Paul always uses the Ist pers. plur. of himself in his Apostolic character, and the 1st pers. sing. when he speaks as a private individual; and it would be rash to assert that he never uses the plur. without including others; but the latter statement is nearer the truth than the former. He seems to use the 1st pers. plur. with varying degrees of plurality, from himself with one colleague to himself with all Christians or even all mankind; and he probably uses it sometimes of himself alone. Some elasticity may be allowed in this passage. Each case must be judged by its context. But we cannot be sure that, when he employs the plur. of himself, he is emphasizing his official authority, for Milligan (Thess. p. 131) has shown that this use of the plur. is found in the ordinary correspondence of the time, and also in inscriptions. In Epistles written without any associate (Gal. Rom. Eph. Past.), the sing. is dominant. In 2 Cor., the plur. is frequent, and sometimes changes rapidly with the sing. (1:13, 5:11, 7:2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 9:4, 10:2, 8, 11:6, 21, 12:19, 20, 13:6-10). It is very unlikely that all the plurals are virtually singular and also official; but in 7:5 ἡσρἡῶ must mean St Paul only. See Lightfoot on 1Th_2:4.
ἐὶπσ τ θίε ἡῶ. As in 7:4 and 1Th_3:7, the ἐίexpresses the occasion on which the comfort is given; and the article indicates that the θίι is regarded as a whole, ‘in all our affliction,’ whereas ἐ πσ θ means ‘in every kind of affliction’ that can occur, whether of mind or body (Blass, Gram. d. N. T. Gr. §47. 9, p. 158). There is no exception on God’s side (Psa_94:19), and there must be none on ours. Both AV and RV. mark the difference by change from ‘all’ to any. The change from ἐίto ἐ can hardly be marked in English without awkwardness: Latin versions make no change, and some Greek texts read ἐ for ἐί Θίι (or θῖι) is found in all Pauline groups, except the Pastorals. It is rare in class. Grk.,—perhaps never before Aristotle, and then always in the literal sense of ‘crushing.’ In LXX it is very frequent, especially in Psalms and Isaiah. AV obliterates its frequency here by varying between ‘tribulation’ and ‘trouble’ (vv. 4, 7, 8) and ‘affliction’ (2:4, 4:17, etc.). RV. has ‘affliction’ always in 2 Cor., but in other Epistles has ‘tribulation’ also: it retains ‘tribulation’ always in Rev. and in the Gospels, except Joh_16:21, where ‘anguish’ is retained. Vulg. usually has tribulatio, which is not classical, but sometimes has pressura: in v. 4 it has both, as if St Paul used two different words. In Col_1:24 it has passio.
εςτ δνσα κτλ With the construction comp. 1Co_9:18. The teleological standpoint is Pauline: non sibi vivebat Apostolus, sed Ecclesiae (Calv.). Evangelists are comforted, not for any merit of their own, but in order that they may be able to comfort others. In missionary work sympathy is the great condition of success (1Co_9:22), and it was part of the training of the Apostles that they should need and receive comfort in order to know how to impart it; and the comfort is deliverance, not necessarily from the suffering, but from the anxiety which suffering brings. There is the assurance that sufferers are in the hands of a loving Father, and this assurance they can pass on to others in all their afflictions. But we need not confine ἡᾶ to Apostles and missionaries; the words apply to all Christians. It is, however, exaggeration to say that only those who have received consolation know how to impart it.
It is not impossible that St Paul is here thinking of the affliction which the Corinthians had recently been experiencing in their agony of self-reproach and remorse when the severe letter of the Apostle and the remonstrances of Titus, who had brought the letter to them, had convinced them that they had treated their spiritual father abominably in listening to the misrepresentations and slanders of the Judaizing teachers and in rebelling against him. These emotional Greeks, as Titus had reported to St Paul, had been crushed by the thought of their own waywardness and ingratitude. The Apostle, hardly less emotional than themselves, longs to comfort them, and he knows how to do it. They, by their rebellion and maltreatment of him had taught his tender and affectionate heart what affliction, in one of its most intense forms, could be; and God had comforted him and sustained him in it all. Now he knows how to comfort them. “The affliction had intensified Paul’s capacity as a son of consolation” (Massie, The Century Bible, p. 71).
ἧ πρκλύεα This kind of attraction is not common in N.T.; comp. τςχρτςατῦ ἧ ἐαίωε ἡᾶ and τςκήες ἧ ἐλθτ (Eph_1:6, Eph_4:1). In these cases it may be “simplest” to take ἧ as ᾗbut in all of them the acc. is possible, as in Mar_10:38 and Joh_17:26; and in all five cases a substantive is followed by its cognate verb. Eph_1:19, τνἐέγιν…ἣ ἐέγκν and 2:4, τνπλὴ ἀάη ατῦ ἣ ἠάηε ἡᾶ, suggest the acc. rather than the dat. The attraction of the dat. is very rare, but we find it Psa_90:15; Hag_2:18.
For ἐί C, Eus. Chrys. have ἐ. M, Hil. Ambr. omit ἡῶ. For ες F has ἵα Vulg. ins. κίbefore ἡᾶ D E F G, Latt. (not r) ins. κίbefore ατί For ὑό F has ἀό
5. ὅικθςκτλ ‘Because just as the sufferings of the Messiah abound unto us, so through the Messiah our comfort also aboundeth.’ For κθς…οτς…see 1Th_2:4. The sufferings are those quas Christus prior pertulit et nobis perferendas reliquit (Herveius). The preachers of the Kingdom have to suffer persecution as He had (1Pe_4:13); but Chrys. gives too much meaning to πρσεε, when he interprets it as meaning that Christ’s ministers suffer more than He did. ‘The sufferings of the Messiah’ are those which He was destined to suffer, which ἔε πθῖ τ Χιτν(see on Luk_24:26 and cf. Act_17:3; 2Co_4:10; Rom_6:5; Php_3:10, with Lightfoot’s note).* ‘Sufferings endured for Christ’s sake’ is wrong as translation (cf. 4:11), and inadequate as exegesis. ‘Sufferings which the glorified Christ suffers when His members suffer’ is questionable exegesis, which is not justified by the Apostle’s use of τῦΧιτῦinstead of τῦἸσῦas in Gal_6:17. It is the sufferings of the Messiah that he is pointing to, for his recent opponents were Jews. Moreover, τ Χιτῦis necessary in the second clause, for not the historical Jesus who suffered is the Consoler, but the glorified Christ; and it would have marred the antithesis to have ‘Jesus’ in the first clause and ‘Christ’ in the second. In 4:10, he has ‘Jesus’ in both clauses. In the background is the thought of the absolute unity between Christ and His members; and although we can hardly think of Him as still liable to suffering when His members suffer, yet their sufferings are a continuation of His, and they supplement His (Col_1:24) in the work of building up the Church. One purpose of His sufferings was to make men feel more certain of the love of God (Rom_8:32). Cf. 4:10; Rom_6:5, Rom_6:8:17; Php_3:10; Mat_20:22, Mat_20:25:40, 45). It is less likely that he is hinting at opponents who had said that his sufferings were richly deserved. So far as possible, he wishes to suppress all allusion to the unhappy past, and hence the obscure wording of this paragraph. What he desires to emphasize is the comfort which he and those who had opposed him now enjoy, owing to their submission. In N.T., πθμ is confined to the Pauline Epp., Heb. and 1 Pet. The change from plur. to sing. is effective; illa multa sunt, haec una, et tamen potior (Beng.). D E have τ πθμ to match ἡπρκηι.
πρσεε εςἡᾶ. Cf. 9:8; Rom_5:15; Eph_1:8.
δὰτῦΧιτῦ ‘Through the Messiah’: it is through His instrumentality that the reconciliation between the Jew of Tarsus and his Jewish antagonists in Corinth, which has been such a comfort to both sides, has come about. This use of δάis freq. of the Son (1Co_8:6; Col_1:16; Heb_1:2), but it is also used of the Father (1Co_1:9; Rom_11:36; Heb_2:10), and therefore, as Chrys. remarks, is not derogatory to the Divinity of the Son. It is He who sends His Spirit to bring comfort. He has become πεμ ζοοον(1Co_15:45).
κὶἡπρκηι ἡῶ. This does not mean the comfort which we give, but the comfort which we receive. After πρσεε we may understand εςὑᾶ. St Paul and Timothy have received abundant comfort and have abundant comfort to impart.
D E F G 17, 37, Latt. Copt. ins. κίafter οτς Vulg. omits κίbefore ἡπρκηι.
6. ετ δ θιόεα ‘But whether we be afflicted, it is for your comfort [and salvation].’ How this is the case, has been shown in v. 4. The teachers’ sufferings and subsequent consolations have taught them how to comfort others; so that all their experiences, whether painful or pleasing, prove profitable to the Corinthians.
τςὑῶ πρκήες We have ὑῶ between article and substantive twice in this verse. The arrangement is peculiar to Paul (7:7, 15, 8:13, 14, 12:19, 13:9, etc.). The alternatives, ετ …ετ, are almost peculiar to Paul, and are very frequent in 1 and 2 Cor. Elsewhere in N.T., 1Pe_2:3 only.
ετ πρκλύεα ‘Or whether we be comforted, it is for your comfort, which is made effective in the endurance of the same sufferings which we also suffer’; i.e. the comfort which their teachers receive overflows to them, when the sufferings of both are similar.
Are we to suppose that there had been persecution of the Christians at Corinth? The πιαμςin 1Co_10:13 might mean that some who had refused to take part in idolatrous practices had been denounced as disloyal. But, if there is a reference to persecution at all, it is more probable that St Paul is thinking of the possibility of future trouble, as ἡἐπςindicates. The fact that ἐεγυέη and ἐτ are presents must not be pressed; they are timeless and refer to what is normal. St Paul expected further persecution for himself (v. 10): he would neither cease to preach, nor preach a rigid Gospel pleasing to Judaizers, nor preach an elastic Gospel pleasing to freethinking Hellenists and Gentiles.
ἐεγυέη. Lightfoot has sanctioned the view that the passive of ἐεγ͂ does not occur in N.T. J. A. Robinson (Eph. p. 245) has given reasons for doubting this. The instances, with the exception of Jam_5:16, are all in Paul (4:12; 1Th_2:13; 2Th_2:7; Gal_5:6; Rom_7:5; Eph_3:20; Col_1:29). In all of them it is difficult to decide between the middle and the passive, and even in Jam_5:16 the passive is not impossible. Here Chrys. seems to regard the participle as passive, for he points out that St Paul says ἐεγυέη and not ἐεγύη. The comfort does not work of itself, but ‘is made to work’ by him who bestows it. If we regard it as middle, the meaning will be ‘which makes itself felt.’ See Blass, §55. 1.
ἐ ὑοοῇ Manly endurance without cowardly shrinking (6:4, 12:12) is meant. The word is found in all groups of the Pauline Epp. Cf. ἡθίι ὑοοὴ κτράεα (Rom_5:3). In LXX it generally means patient expectation and hope, a meaning which prevails even in Ecclus. (2:14, 16:13, 17:24, 41:2); but in 4 Macc., which was written not long before this Epistle, the N.T. meaning is found: τ ἀδεᾳκὶτ ὑοοῇ(1:11), τσετςκκπθίςκὶὑοοῆ (9:8), ἀεὴδʼὑοοῆ δκμζνα(17:12; also 17, 23). See on Luk_8:15; Trench, Syn. §liii.
τνατνπθμτν Note the attraction of ὧ. Not the identical sufferings, as if the Corinthians were pained whenever the Apostle was pained, in which case the κίwould be meaningless; but the same in kind, arising out of devotion to Christ. Communio sanctorum egregie representatur in hac epistola (Beng.).
The text is confused as to the order of the clauses. The received Text, which is followed in AV, was made by Erasmus without MS. authority. The two arrangements, between which the choice lies, are given by WH., one in the text and one in a foot-note. The former, which is preferable, runs thus; ετ δ θιόεα ὑὲ τςὐῶ πρκήεςκὶστρα·ετ πρκλύεα ὑὲ τςὐῶ πρκήεςτςἐεγυέη ἐ ὑοοῇτνατνπθμτνὧ κὶἡεςπσοε, κὶἡἐπςἡῶ ββί ὑὲ ὑῶ (אA C M P). The other runs thus; ετ δ θιόεα ὑὲ τςὑῶ πρκήες[κὶστρα] τςἐεγυέη ἐ ὑοοῇτνατνπθμτνὧ κὶἡεςπσοε κὶἡἐπςἡῶ ββί ὐὲ ὑῶ·ετ πρκλύεα ὑὲ τςἡῶ πρκήεςκὶστρα (B D E F G K L). B 17, 176 omit the first κὶστρα. Assuming that the text of אA C M P is original, we may explain the origin of the other arrangement by supposing that, owing to homoeoteleuton (πρκήεςto πρκήες the words κὶστρα ετ πρκλύεαὑὲ τςὑῶ πρκήεςwere accidentally omitted and afterwards written in the margin, and that the next copyist inserted them in the wrong place.
Editors differ as to the punctuation and the division of the verses, according as they regard ἡἐπςἡῶ as connected with what precedes or with what follows. Some place only a comma at πσοε and a colon or full stop at ὑὲ ὑῶ. Others place a colon or full stop at πσοε and only a comma at ὑὲ ὑῶ. The latter is better, and κὶἡἐπςκτλ is rightly assigned to v. 7.
7. κὶἡἐπςἡῶ ββί ὑὲ ὑῶ. ‘And our hope is sure concerning you.’ See Deissmann on ββίσς Bible Studies, pp. 104-109. Wetstein gives examples of the expression ἐπςββί. There may be trouble in store for both sides, but those who have shared distress and consolation on a large scale may face the future without dismay. This is much higher praise than he bestows on the Thessalonians (1Th_3:2, 1Th_3:3, 1Th_3:5).
εδτς ‘Because we know’; cf. 1Co_15:58; Col_3:24; Eph_6:8. Strict grammar would require εδτν but this use of the nom. participle, not in agreement with the noun, is common in Paul and in papyri; e.g. θιόεο (7:5), σελμνι(8:20), ποτζμνι(9:11), ἐρζμνι(Eph_3:17), ἀεόεο (4:2), δδσοτς(Col_3:16), ἔοτς(Php_1:30), etc. Some refer εδτςhere to the Corinthians; ‘because ye know,’ which is improbable. It is expressly said that the knowledge is the security for ‘our hope.’
κιωα ἐτ …τςπρκήες He does not claim the credit of comforting them: they receive comfort from the same source that he does—from God through Christ. For the construction, cf. 1Pe_5:1; 2Pe_1:4; for ὡ …οτς Rom_5:15, Rom_5:18.
For ὡ (אA B C D* M P 17), D2 and 3 K L have ὥπρ
8-11. The Thanksgiving still continues, these verses explaining (γρ why he blesses God for mercies to himself rather than for graces bestowed on them, and the wording continues to be obscure. The obscurity may be due to reference to a delicate matter which is understood rather than expressed. This would be very intelligible, if the ‘affliction’ is the Corinthian rebellion against the Apostle, and the ‘comfort’ is their submission and reconciliation to him. But a reference to persecution is not impossible.
8. Ο γρθλμνὑᾶ ἀνεν ἀεφί The formula is used six times by St Paul (1Co_10:1, 1Co_10:12:1; Rom_1:13, Rom_1:11:25; 1Th_4:13), always with ἀεφί as if the information given was an appeal to their affection and sympathy. Excepting 1Co_12:3, where ἀεφίhas preceded, the similar expression, γωίω(-οε) ὑῖ, is also followed by ἁεφί(8:8; 1Co_15:1