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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadCambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - 2 Corinthians 6:8 - 6:8
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8. διὰ δόξης καὶ ἀτιμίας. By glory and dishonour. The δόξα comes from God and His true servants, as when the Galatians treated him as an ἄγγελος θεοῦ (Gal 4:14): the ἀτιμία (2Co 11:21; 1Co 11:14) comes from those who oppose both, as the Jews and heathen (Acts passim). Such δόξα and such ἀτιμία are alike a recommendation of the Apostle and his work. For the opposition between δόξα and ἀτιμία comp. 1Co 15:43; between τιμή and ἀτιμία, Rom 9:21; 2Ti 2:20.
διὰ δυσφημίας καὶ εὐφημίας. While δόξα and ἀτιμία are bestowed on those who are present, δυσφημία and εὐφημία are commonly used of the absent. Note the chiasmus: in the two pairs the good elements are in reverse order. Comp. 2Co 2:6, 2Co 4:3, 2Co 13:3. From these pairs S. Paul passes on to show the nature of the dishonour and evil report, and of the glory and good report. In the first two of the seven clauses, the order δυσφημία, εὐφημία is followed, the evil report being placed first, and the good and true statement second.
ὡς πλάνοι καὶ ἀληθεῖς. Here, with the change to ὡς, 2Co 6:9 should begin, as 2Co 6:8 with the change from ἐν to διά. Christ had been called ἐκεῖνος ὁ πλάνος (Mat 27:63), and ‘how much more shall they call them of his household’ (Mat 10:25). This use of καί to introduce an antithesis is specially common in S. John (Joh 1:10-11; Joh 3:11; Joh 3:19; Joh 3:32; Joh 5:39-40; Joh 6:36; Joh 6:43, &c.). In the N.T. πλάνος is never ‘wandering,’ but ‘misleading, seducing’ (1Ti 4:1; 2Jn 1:7). Contrast Job 19:4.