1 Corinthians 2:1
2:1 When I came 1 to you, brothers and sisters, 2 I did not come with superior eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony 3 of God.
1 Corinthians 4:21
4:21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline 4 or with love and a spirit of gentleness?
1 Corinthians 10:11
10:11 These things happened to them as examples and were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come.
1 Corinthians 11:17-18
The Lord’s Supper
11:17 Now in giving the following instruction I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.
11:18 For in the first place, when you come together as a church I hear there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
1 tn Grk “and I, when I came.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, κἀγώ (kagw) has not been translated here.
2 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.
3 tc ‡ A few important mss (Ì46vid א* A C pc as well as some versions and fathers) read μυστήριον (musthrion, “mystery”) instead of μαρτύριον (marturion, “testimony”). But the latter has wider ms support (א2 B D F G Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï and some versions), though not quite as impressive. μαρτύριον may have been changed by scribes in anticipation of Paul’s words in 2:7, or conversely, μυστήριον may have been changed to conform to 1:6. Transcriptionally, since “the mystery of God/Christ” is a well-worn expression in the corpus Paulinum (1 Cor 2:7; 4:1; Eph 3:4; Col 2:2; 4:3), while “testimony of Christ” occurs in Paul only once (1 Cor 1:6, though “testimony of the Lord” appears in 2 Tim 1:8), and “testimony of God” never, it is likely that scribes changed the text to the more usual expression. A decision is difficult in this instance, but a slight preference should be given to μαρτύριον.
4 tn Grk “rod.” Context indicates that this rod will be used for disciplinary purposes.
sn Paul is using the term rod in this context to refer to his apostolic authority to discipline those who have become arrogant in the Corinthian church and have attempted to undermine his ministry (cf. 4:18-19).