2 Corinthians 8:16

The Mission of Titus

8:16 But thanks be to God who put in the heart of Titus the same devotion ¹  I have for you,

2 Corinthians 11:3

11:3 But I am afraid that ²  just as the serpent ³  deceived Eve by his treachery, ⁴  your minds may be led astray ⁵  from a sincere and pure ⁶  devotion to Christ.

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¹ tn Or “eagerness.”

² tn Grk “I fear lest somehow.”

³ tn Or “the snake.”

⁴ tn Or “craftiness.”

⁵ tn Or “corrupted,” “seduced.”

⁶ tc Although most mss (א² H Ψ 0121 0243 1739 1881 Ï) lack “and pure” (καὶ τῆς ἁγνότητος, kai th" Jagnothto"; Grk “and purity”) several important and early witnesses (Ì⁴⁶ א* B D^[2] F G 33 81 104 pc ar r co) retain these words. Their presence in such mss across such a wide geographical distribution argues for their authenticity. The omission from the majority of mss can be explained by haplography, since the -τητος ending of ἁγνότητος is identical to the ending of ἁπλότητος (Japlothto", “sincerity”) three words back (ἁπλότητος καὶ τῆς ἁγνότητος); further, since the meanings of “sincerity” and “purity” are similar they might seem redundant. A copyist would scarcely notice the omission because Paul’s statement still makes sense without “and from purity.”