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2Co_9:5. Οὖν ] in pursuance of what was said in 2Co_9:4.
ἵνα ] comp. 2Co_8:6.
προέλθ .] namely, before my arrival and that of the Macedonians possibly accompanying me. The thrice-repeated προ - is not used by accident, but adds point to the instigation to have everything ready before the apostle’s arriva.
προκατατίσ .] adjusted beforehand, put into complete order beforehand, Hippocr. p. 24, 10. 18.
τὴν προεπηγγελμένην εὐλογίαν ὑμῶν ] your blessing promised beforehand (by me). See 2Co_9:2-4. On προεπ ., comp. Rom_1:2. Erasmus, Estius, Rückert, and some others at variance with the context, take it: the blessing formerly promised by you.
εὐλογία is a characteristically conciliatory ( καὶ τῇ προσηγορίᾳ αὐτοὺς ἐπεσπάσατο , Chrysostom) designation of the collection, inasmuch as it is for the receivers a practical blessing proceeding from the givers (i.e. πληθυσμὸς ἀγαθῶν ἐξ ἑκουσιότητος διδόμενος , Phavor.). Comp. on εὐλογία in the sense of good deed, LXX. Gen_33:11; Jdg_1:5; Eze_34:26; Sir_39:22; Wis_15:19; Eph_1:3.
ταύτην ἑτοίμην εἶναι οὕτως ὡς κ . τ . λ .] the intended consequence of προκαταρτ . τ . προεπ . εὐλ . ὑμῶν , so that the infinitive in the sense of ὥστε (Kühner, II. p. 565, ad Xen. Mem. ii. 5. 3) and ταύτην , which attaches itself more emphatically to what has to come than to what goes before (Hofmann), are used anaphorically (Bernhardy, p. 283): that this may be in readiness thus like blessing and not like covetousness, in such manner that it may have the quality of blessing, not of covetousness; in other words, that it may be liberal, which is the character of εὐλογία , and not sparing, as covetousness shows itself in giving. Πλεονεξία does not mean here or anywhere else parsimony (Flatt, Rückert, de Wette, and many others); but Paul conceives of the sparing giver as covetous, in so far as such a man desires himself to have that which he contributes, in order to increase his own, and therefore gives but very scantily. Following Chrysostom (comp. Erasmus, Paraphr., and Beza), Billroth refers πλεονεξία to Paul and his colleagues: “Your gift is to be a free, and not an extorted, one.” Against this may be urged as well the analogy of ὡς εὐλογίαν , as also 2Co_9:6, where the meaning of ὡς πλεονεξ . is represented by φειδομένως ; hence also we must not, with Rückert and others, combine the ideas of willingly and unwillingly (which are not mentioned till 2Co_9:7) with those of giving liberally and sparingly.
On οὕτως after its adjective, see Stallb. ad Plat. Rep. p. 500 A.