2 Corinthians 1:1--3:18 
Context1:1 From Paul, 1 an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, 2 with all the saints who are in all Achaia. 3 1:2 Grace and peace to you 4 from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
1:3 Blessed is 5 the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 1:4 who comforts us in all our troubles 6 so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble 7 with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 1:5 For just as the sufferings 8 of Christ 9 overflow 10 toward us, so also our comfort through Christ overflows to you. 11 1:6 But if we are afflicted, 12 it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort that you experience in your patient endurance of the same sufferings that we also suffer. 1:7 And our hope for you is steadfast because we know that as you share in 13 our sufferings, so also you will share in 14 our comfort. 1:8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, 15 regarding the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia, 16 that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living. 1:9 Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us, 17 so that we would not trust in ourselves 18 but in God who raises the dead. 1:10 He 19 delivered us from so great a risk of death, and he will deliver us. We have set our hope on him 20 that 21 he will deliver us yet again, 1:11 as you also join in helping us by prayer, so that many people may give thanks to God 22 on our behalf for the gracious gift given to us through the help of many.
1:12 For our reason for confidence 23 is this: the testimony of our conscience, that with pure motives 24 and sincerity which are from God 25 – not by human wisdom 26 but by the grace of God – we conducted ourselves in the world, and all the more 27 toward you. 1:13 For we do not write you anything other than what 28 you can read and also understand. But I hope that you will understand completely 29 1:14 just as also you have partly understood us, that we are your source of pride just as you also are ours 30 in the day of the Lord Jesus. 31 1:15 And with this confidence I intended to come to you first so that you would get a second opportunity to see us, 32 1:16 and through your help to go on into Macedonia and then from Macedonia to come back 33 to you and be helped on our way into Judea by you. 1:17 Therefore when I was planning to do this, I did not do so without thinking about what I was doing, did I? 34 Or do I make my plans 35 according to mere human standards 36 so that I would be saying 37 both “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 1:18 But as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 1:19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the one who was proclaimed among you by us – by me and Silvanus 38 and Timothy – was not “Yes” and “No,” but it has always been “Yes” in him. 1:20 For every one of God’s promises are “Yes” in him; therefore also through him the “Amen” is spoken, to the glory we give to God. 1:21 But it is God who establishes 39 us together with you in Christ and who anointed us, 40 1:22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment. 41
1:23 Now I appeal to God as my witness, 42 that to spare 43 you I did not come again to Corinth. 44 1:24 I do not mean that we rule over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because by faith you stand firm. 45 2:1 So 46 I made up my own mind 47 not to pay you another painful visit. 48 2:2 For if I make you sad, who would be left to make me glad 49 but the one I caused to be sad? 2:3 And I wrote this very thing to you, 50 so that when I came 51 I would not have sadness from those who ought to make me rejoice, since I am confident in you all that my joy would be yours. 2:4 For out of great distress and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not to make you sad, but to let you know the love that I have especially for you. 52 2:5 But if anyone has caused sadness, he has not saddened me alone, but to some extent (not to exaggerate) 53 he has saddened all of you as well. 2:6 This punishment on such an individual by the majority is enough for him, 2:7 so that now instead 54 you should rather forgive and comfort him. 55 This will keep him from being overwhelmed by excessive grief to the point of despair. 56 2:8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. 57 2:9 For this reason also I wrote you: 58 to test you to see 59 if you are obedient in everything. 2:10 If you forgive anyone for anything, I also forgive him – for indeed what I have forgiven (if I have forgiven anything) I did so for you in the presence of Christ, 2:11 so that we may not be exploited 60 by Satan (for we are not ignorant of his schemes). 2:12 Now when I arrived in Troas 61 to proclaim the gospel of Christ, even though the Lord had opened 62 a door of opportunity 63 for me, 2:13 I had no relief in my spirit, 64 because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-bye to them 65 and set out 66 for Macedonia.
2:14 But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession 67 in Christ 68 and who makes known 69 through us the fragrance that consists of the knowledge of him in every place. 2:15 For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing – 2:16 to the latter an odor 70 from death to death, but to the former a fragrance from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? 71 2:17 For we are not like so many others, hucksters who peddle the word of God for profit, 72 but we are speaking in Christ before 73 God as persons of sincerity, 74 as persons sent from God.
3:1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? We don’t need letters of recommendation to you or from you as some other people do, do we? 75 3:2 You yourselves are our letter, 76 written on our hearts, known and read by everyone, 3:3 revealing 77 that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, 78 written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets 79 but on tablets of human hearts.
3:4 Now we have such confidence in God through Christ. 3:5 Not that we are adequate 80 in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy 81 is from God, 3:6 who made us adequate 82 to be servants of a new covenant 83 not based on the letter but on the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
3:7 But if the ministry that produced death – carved in letters on stone tablets 84 – came with glory, so that the Israelites 85 could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face 86 (a glory 87 which was made ineffective), 88 3:8 how much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be? 89 3:9 For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, 90 how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness 91 excel 92 in glory! 3:10 For indeed, what had been glorious now 93 has no glory because of the tremendously greater glory of what replaced it. 94 3:11 For if what was made ineffective 95 came with 96 glory, how much more has what remains 97 come in glory! 3:12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we behave with great boldness, 98 3:13 and not like Moses who used to put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites 99 from staring 100 at the result 101 of the glory that was made ineffective. 102 3:14 But their minds were closed. 103 For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. 104 It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away. 105 3:15 But until this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds, 106 3:16 but when one 107 turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 108 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, 109 there is freedom. 3:18 And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, 110 are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, 111 which is from 112 the Lord, who is the Spirit. 113
1 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
2 map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.
3 tn Or “are throughout Achaia.”
4 tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”
5 tn There is no verb in the Greek text; either the optative (“be”) or the indicative (“is”) can be supplied. The meaning of the term εὐλογητός (euloghtos) and the author’s intention at this point in the epistle must both come into play to determine which is the preferred nuance. εὐλογητός as an adjective can mean either that one is praised or that one is blessed, that is, in a place of favor and benefit. The meaning “blessed” would be more naturally paired with an indicative verb and would suggest that blessedness is an intrinsic part of God’s character. The meaning “praised” would be more naturally paired with an optative verb and would suggest that God ought to be praised. Pauline style in the epistles generally moves from statements to obligations, expressing the reality first and then the believer’s necessary response. When considered as a whole, although a decision is difficult, the general Pauline style of beginning with statements and moving to obligations argues for the indicative. Cf. also Eph 1:3; 1 Pet 1:3.
6 tn Or “our trials”; traditionally, “our affliction.” The term θλῖψις (qliyi") refers to trouble (including persecution) that involves direct suffering (L&N 22.2).
7 tn Or “any trials”; traditionally, “any affliction.”
8 tn This Greek word translated “sufferings” here (πάθημα, paqhma) is a different one than the one Paul uses for his own afflictions/persecutions (θλῖψις, qliyi") in v. 4.
9 tn I.e., suffering incurred by Paul as a consequence of his relationship to Christ. The genitive could be considered to have a causative nuance here.
10 tn Traditionally, “abound” (here and throughout this section).
11 tn The words “to you” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the statements in the following verse.
12 tn Or “are troubled.”
13 tn Grk “as you are sharers in.”
14 tn Grk “will be sharers in.”
15 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1., where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
16 tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.
17 tn Grk “we ourselves had the sentence of death within ourselves.” Here ἀπόκριμα (apokrima) is being used figuratively; no actual official verdict had been given, but in light of all the difficulties that Paul and his colleagues had suffered, it seemed to them as though such an official verdict had been rendered against them (L&N 56.26).
18 tn Or “might not put confidence in ourselves.”
19 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative clause “who delivered us…” was made a separate sentence in the translation.
20 tn Grk “deliver us, on whom we have set our hope.”
21 tc Several important witnesses, especially Alexandrian (Ì46 B D* 0121 0243 1739 1881 pc Did), lack ὅτι ({oti, “that”) here, while others, most notably Western (D1 F G 104 630 1505 pc ar b syh Or Ambst), lack ἔτι (eti, “yet”). Most
22 tn Grk “so that thanks may be given by many.” The words “to God” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. The passive construction has been converted to an active one for clarity, in keeping with contemporary English style.
23 tn Or “for boasting.”
24 tc Two viable variants exist at this place in the text: ἁγιότητι (Jagiothti, “holiness”) vs. ἁπλότητι (Japlothti, “pure motives”). A confusion of letters could well have produced the variant (TCGNT 507): In uncial script the words would have been written agiothti and aplothti. This, however, does not explain which reading created the other. Overall ἁπλότητι, though largely a Western-Byzantine reading (א2 D F G Ï lat sy), is better suited to the context; it is also a Pauline word while ἁγιότης (Jagioth") is not. It also best explains the rise of the other variants, πραότητι (praothti, “gentleness”) and {σπλάγχνοις} (splancnoi", “compassion”). On the other hand, the external evidence in favor of ἁγιότητι is extremely strong (Ì46 א* A B C K P Ψ 0121 0243 33 81 1739 1881 al co). This diversity of
tn Or “sincerity.” The two terms translated “pure motives” (ἁπλότης, Japloth") and “sincerity” (εἰλικρίνεια, eilikrineia) are close synonyms.
25 tn Grk “pure motives and sincerity of God.”
26 tn Or “not by worldly wisdom.”
27 tn Or “and especially.”
28 tn Grk “than the things.”
29 tn Grk “to the end,” a Greek idiom for “fully,” “totally,” “completely.”
30 tn Grk “that we are your boast even as you are our boast.”
31 tc ‡ On the wording “the Lord Jesus” (τοῦ κυρίου ᾿Ιησοῦ, tou kuriou Ihsou) there is some variation in the extant witnesses: ἡμῶν (Jhmwn, “our”) is found after κυρίου in several significant witnesses (א B F G P 0121 0243 6 33 81 1739 1881 2464 al lat co); the pronoun is lacking from Ì46vid A C D Ψ Ï. Although in Paul “our Lord Jesus Christ” is a common expression, “our Lord Jesus” is relatively infrequent (cf., e.g., Rom 16:20; 2 Cor 1:14; 1 Thess 2:19; 3:11, 13; 2 Thess 1:8, 12). “The Lord Jesus” occurs about as often as “our Lord Jesus” (cf. 1 Cor 11:23; 16:23; 2 Cor 4:14; 11:31; Eph 1:15; 1 Thess 4:2; 2 Thess 1:7; Phlm 5). Thus, on balance, since scribes would tend to expand on the text, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic. NA27 places the pronoun in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.
32 tn Grk “a second grace,” “a second favor” (used figuratively of a second visit by Paul).
33 tn Grk “come again.”
34 tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative answer. This is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ question “did I?” at the end of the sentence.
35 tn Grk “the things that I plan, do I plan (them).”
36 tn Grk “according to the flesh.”
37 tn Grk “so that with me there should be.”
38 sn Silvanus is usually considered to be the same person as Silas (L&N 93.340).
39 tn Or “strengthens.”
40 tn Grk “But he who establishes us together with you in Christ and anointed us is God.”
41 tn Or “first installment,” “pledge,” “deposit.”
sn Down payment. The Greek word ἀρραβών (arrabwn) denotes the first payment or first installment of money or goods which serves as a guarantee or pledge for the completion of the transaction. In the NT the term is used only figuratively of the Holy Spirit as the down payment of the blessings promised by God (it occurs later in 2 Cor 5:5, and also in Eph 1:14). In the “already – not yet” scheme of the NT the possession of the Spirit now by believers (“already”) can be viewed as a guarantee that God will give them the balance of the promised blessings in the future (“not yet”).
42 tn Grk “I call upon God as witness against my soul.” Normally this implies an appeal for help (L&N 33.176).
43 tn Here φειδόμενος (feidomeno") has been translated as a telic participle.
44 sn Paul had promised to come again to visit (see 2 Cor 1:15, 24) but explains here why he had changed his plans.
map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.
45 tn Or “because you stand firm in the faith.”
46 tc Although usually δέ (de, “now”; found in א A C D1 F G Ψ 0285 Ï lat) should take precedent over γάρ (gar) in textually disputed places in the corpus Paulinum, the credentials for γάρ here are not easily dismissed (Ì46 B 0223 0243 33 1739 1881 al); here it is the preferred reading, albeit slightly.
47 tn Or “I decided this for myself.”
48 tn Grk “not to come to you again in sorrow.”
sn Paul was not speaking absolutely about not making another visit, but meant he did not want to come to the Corinthians again until the conflict he mentioned in 2 Cor 2:4-11 was settled.
49 tn Or “to cheer me up.” L&N 25.131 translates this “For if I were to make you sad, who would be left to cheer me up?”
50 tn The words “to you” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
51 sn So that when I came. Regarding this still future visit by Paul, see 2 Cor 12:14; 13:1.
52 tn Or “the love that I have in great measure for you.”
53 tn Or “(not to say too much)”; Grk “(not to burden you [with words]).”
54 tn Grk “so that on the other hand.”
55 tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text but is supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted and must be supplied from the context.
56 tn Grk “comfort him, lest somehow such a person be swallowed up by excessive grief,” an idiom for a person being so overcome with grief as to despair or give up completely (L&N 25.285). In this context of excessive grief or regret for past sins, “overwhelmed” is a good translation since contemporary English idiom speaks of someone “overwhelmed by grief.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the difficulty of expressing a negative purpose/result clause in English, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
57 tn Or “I urge you to show that your love for him is real.”
58 tn The word “you” is not in the Greek text, but is implied (as an understood direct object).
59 tn Grk “to know the proof of you,” that is, to know if the Corinthians’ obedience to Paul as an apostle was genuine (L&N 72.7).
60 tn Or “be taken advantage of.”
61 sn Troas was a city and region in the northwest corner of Asia Minor.
62 tn This has been translated as a concessive participle (“even though”). The passive construction (“a door of opportunity had been opened for me by the Lord”) has been converted to an active one in the translation for clarity.
63 tn Grk “a door”; the phrase ἀνοίγω θύραν (anoigw quran, “to open a door”) is an idiom meaning “to make possible some opportunity” (L&N 71.9).
64 tn Or “I had no peace of mind.”
65 tn Or “I took my leave of them.”
66 tn Since this refers to the outset of a journey, the aorist ἐξῆλθον (exhlqon) is taken ingressively.
67 tn Or “who always causes us to triumph.”
68 tn Or “in the Messiah.”
69 tn Or “who reveals.”
70 tn The same Greek word (ὀσμή, osmh) translated “odor” here (in relation to the stench of death) has been translated “fragrance” in 2:14 and in the next phrase of the present verse. The word itself can describe a smell or odor either agreeable or disagreeable depending on the context (L&N 79.45).
71 sn These things refer to the things Paul is doing in his apostolic ministry.
72 tn The participle καπηλεύοντες (kaphleuonte") refers to those engaged in retail business, but with the negative connotations of deceptiveness and greed – “to peddle for profit,” “to huckster” (L&N 57.202). In the translation a noun form (“hucksters”) has been used in combination with the English verb “peddle…for profit” to convey the negative connotations of this term.
73 tn Or “in the presence of.”
74 tn Or “persons of pure motives.”
75 tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply (“No, we do not”) which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ at the end, “do we?”
76 tn That is, “letter of recommendation.”
77 tn Or “making plain.”
78 tn Grk “cared for by us,” an expression that could refer either to the writing or the delivery of the letter (BDAG 229 s.v. διακονέω 1). Since the following phrase refers to the writing of the letter, and since the previous verse speaks of this “letter” being “written on our [Paul’s and his companions’] hearts” it is more probable that the phrase “cared for by us” refers to the delivery of the letter (in the person of Paul and his companions).
79 sn An allusion to Exod 24:12; 31:18; 34:1; Deut 9:10-11.
80 tn Or “competent.”
81 tn Or “competence.”
82 tn Or “competent.”
83 sn This new covenant is promised in Jer 31:31-34; 32:40.
84 tn Grk “on stones”; but since this is clearly an allusion to the tablets of the Decalogue (see 2 Cor 3:3) the word “tablets” was supplied in the translation to make the connection clear.
85 tn Grk “so that the sons of Israel.”
86 sn The glory of his face. When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the tablets of the Decalogue, the people were afraid to approach him because his face was so radiant (Exod 34:29-30).
87 tn The words “a glory” are not in the Greek text, but the reference to “glory” has been repeated from the previous clause for clarity.
88 tn Or “which was transitory.” Traditionally this phrase is translated as “which was fading away.” The verb καταργέω in the corpus Paulinum uniformly has the meaning “to render inoperative, ineffective”; the same nuance is appropriate here. The glory of Moses’ face was rendered ineffective by the veil Moses wore. For discussion of the meaning of this verb in this context, see S. J. Hafemann, Paul, Moses, and the History of Israel (WUNT 81), 301-13. A similar translation has been adopted in the two other occurrences of the verb in this paragraph in vv. 11 and 13.
89 tn Grk “how will not rather the ministry of the Spirit be with glory?”
90 tn Grk “the ministry of condemnation”; translated as an objective genitive, “the ministry that produced condemnation.”
91 tn Grk “the ministry of righteousness”; translated as an objective genitive, “the ministry that produces righteousness.”
92 tn Traditionally, “abound.”
93 tn Grk “in this case.”
94 tn The words “of what replaced it” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied to clarify the meaning.
95 tn Or “what was fading away.” See note on “which was made ineffective” in v. 7.
96 tn Or “through” (διά, dia).
97 tn Or “what is permanent.”
98 tn Or “we employ great openness of speech.”
99 tn Grk “the sons of Israel.”
100 tn Or “from gazing intently.”
101 tn Or “end.” The word τέλος (telos) can mean both “a point of time marking the end of a duration, end, termination, cessation” and “the goal toward which a movement is being directed, end, goal, outcome” (see BDAG 998-999 s.v.). The translation accepts the interpretation that Moses covered the glory of his face with the veil to prevent Israel from being judged by the glory of God (see S. J. Hafemann, Paul, Moses, and the History of Israel [WUNT 81], 347-62); in this case the latter meaning for τέλος is more appropriate.
102 tn Or “was fading away”; Grk “on the result of what was made ineffective.” The referent (glory) has been specified in the translation for clarity. See note on “which was made ineffective” in v. 7.
103 tn Grk “their minds were hardened.”
104 tn Grk “the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant”; the phrase “they hear” has been introduced (“when they hear the old covenant read”) to make the link with the “Israelites” (v. 13) whose minds were closed (v. 14a) more obvious to the reader.
105 tn Or “only in Christ is it eliminated.”
106 tn Grk “their heart.”
107 tn Or perhaps “when(ever) he turns,” referring to Moses.
108 sn An allusion to Exod 34:34. The entire verse may refer to Moses, viewing him as a type portraying the Jewish convert to Christianity in Paul’s day.
109 tn Grk “where the Spirit of the Lord is”; the word “present” is supplied to specify that the presence of the Lord’s Spirit is emphasized rather than the mere existence of the Lord’s Spirit.
110 tn Or “we all with unveiled faces beholding the glory of the Lord as in a mirror.”
111 tn Grk “from glory to glory.”
112 tn Grk “just as from.”
113 tn Grk “from the Lord, the Spirit”; the genitive πνεύματος (pneumato") has been translated as a genitive of apposition.
