NOTES

BIBLE

2 Corinthians 7

1	Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.	ταύτας οὖν ἔχοντες τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, ἀγαπητοί, καθαρίσωμεν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ παντὸς μολυσμοῦ σαρκὸς καὶ πνεύματος, ἐπιτελοῦντες ἁγιωσύνην ἐν φόβῳ θεοῦ.
2	Make room for us in your hearts. We wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one.	Χωρήσατε ἡμᾶς· οὐδένα ἠδικήσαμεν, οὐδένα ἐφθείραμεν, οὐδένα ἐπλεονεκτήσαμεν.
3	I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together.	πρὸς κατάκρισιν οὐ λέγω, προείρηκα γὰρ ὅτι ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν ἐστε εἰς τὸ συναποθανεῖν καὶ συζῆν.
4	Great is my boldness toward you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I have been filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.	πολλή μοι παρρησία πρὸς ὑμᾶς, πολλή μοι καύχησις ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν· πεπλήρωμαι τῇ παρακλήσει, ὑπερπερισσεύομαι τῇ χαρᾷ ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ θλίψει ἡμῶν.	boldness While some translations have “confidence” here, but when Paul speaks of “confidence” in this epistle, he uses the Greek verb πείθω (peithō; e.g., 2 Cor 1:9, 15; 2:3, etc.). Here he uses a different Greek term, παρρησία (parrēsia), to speak of his “boldness.” Boldness is an apt translation contextually here because he has written them a very bold rebuke and his expectations and hopes for them are bold. Thus, this translation maintains consistency of translation with this term in 2 Corinthians (cf. 3:12) and accurately communicates Paul’s intended sense into English.
5	For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side⁠—conflicts without, fears within.	Καὶ γὰρ ἐλθόντων ἡμῶν εἰς Μακεδονίαν οὐδεμίαν ἔσχηκεν ἄνεσιν ἡ σὰρξ ἡμῶν, ἀλλʼ ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι—ἔξωθεν μάχαι, ἔσωθεν φόβοι—	conflicts Several translations helpfully render the Greek word μάχη (machē) here with “conflict.” This brings out the idea of a battle intrinsic to the word, which share the same root as that for “sword” (e.g., Matt 10:34; 26:47–55; Mark 14:48; Luke 22:49; John 18:10–11; Acts 12:2; Rom 8:35). It stresses not the content of a disagreement but its virulent nature. Thus, “conflict” aptly translates the term here, as Paul and his ministry companions faced virulent opposition in Macedonia.
6	But God, who comforts the humbled, comforted us by the coming of Titus;	ἀλλʼ ὁ παρακαλῶν τοὺς ταπεινοὺς παρεκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς ὁ θεὸς ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ Τίτου·
7	and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.	οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ παρακλήσει ᾗ παρεκλήθη ἐφʼ ὑμῖν, ἀναγγέλλων ἡμῖν τὴν ὑμῶν ἐπιπόθησιν, τὸν ὑμῶν ὀδυρμόν, τὸν ὑμῶν ζῆλον ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, ὥστε με μᾶλλον χαρῆναι.
8	For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it⁠—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while⁠—	ὅτι εἰ καὶ ἐλύπησα ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ, οὐ μεταμέλομαι· εἰ καὶ μετεμελόμην (βλέπω ὅτι ἡ ἐπιστολὴ ἐκείνη εἰ καὶ πρὸς ὥραν ἐλύπησεν ὑμᾶς),
9	I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to repentance. For you were made to have godly sorrow, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.	νῦν χαίρω, οὐχ ὅτι ἐλυπήθητε, ἀλλʼ ὅτι ἐλυπήθητε εἰς μετάνοιαν, ἐλυπήθητε γὰρ κατὰ θεόν, ἵνα ἐν μηδενὶ ζημιωθῆτε ἐξ ἡμῶν.
10	For godly sorrow produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world brings about death.	ἡ γὰρ κατὰ θεὸν λύπη μετάνοιαν εἰς σωτηρίαν ἀμεταμέλητον ἐργάζεται· ἡ δὲ τοῦ κόσμου λύπη θάνατον κατεργάζεται.	godly sorrow The phrase “godly sorrow” translates ἡ…κατὰ θεὸν λύπη (hē…kata theon lypē; lit. “the according-to-God sorrow”). The translation as “godly sorrow” is helpful because it captures the intended sense and because it provides the best consistency where similar constructions appear (see vv. 9 and 11). Godly sorrow is sorrow that is according to God’s definition and desire, which results from true love of Him and hatred for sin. Paul emphasizes that while there is a worldly sorrow, it is this godly sorrow that leads to true repentance.
11	For behold what earnestness this very thing⁠—this godly sorrow⁠—has brought about in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.	ἰδοὺ γὰρ αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ κατὰ θεὸν λυπηθῆναι πόσην κατειργάσατο ὑμῖν σπουδήν, ἀλλὰ ἀπολογίαν, ἀλλὰ ἀγανάκτησιν, ἀλλὰ φόβον, ἀλλὰ ἐπιπόθησιν, ἀλλὰ ζῆλον, ἀλλὰ ἐκδίκησιν· ἐν παντὶ συνεστήσατε ἑαυτοὺς ἁγνοὺς εἶναι τῷ πράγματι.
12	So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be manifested to you in the sight of God.	ἄρα εἰ καὶ ἔγραψα ὑμῖν, οὐχ ἕνεκεν τοῦ ἀδικήσαντος, οὐδὲ ἕνεκεν τοῦ ἀδικηθέντος, ἀλλʼ ἕνεκεν τοῦ φανερωθῆναι τὴν σπουδὴν ὑμῶν τὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ.
13	For this reason we have been comforted. And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.	διὰ τοῦτο παρακεκλήμεθα. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ παρακλήσει ἡμῶν περισσοτέρως μᾶλλον ἐχάρημεν ἐπὶ τῇ χαρᾷ Τίτου, ὅτι ἀναπέπαυται τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ πάντων ὑμῶν·
14	For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame, but as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before Titus proved to be the truth.	ὅτι εἴ τι αὐτῷ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν κεκαύχημαι, οὐ κατῃσχύνθην, ἀλλʼ ὡς πάντα ἐν ἀληθείᾳ ἐλαλήσαμεν ὑμῖν, οὕτως καὶ ἡ καύχησις ἡμῶν ἡ ἐπὶ Τίτου ἀλήθεια ἐγενήθη.
15	And his affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling.	καὶ τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ περισσοτέρως εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐστιν ἀναμιμνῃσκομένου τὴν πάντων ὑμῶν ὑπακοήν, ὡς μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου ἐδέξασθε αὐτόν.
16	I rejoice that in everything I am encouraged about you.	χαίρω ὅτι ἐν παντὶ θαρρῶ ἐν ὑμῖν.	encouraged The word “encouraged” translates the Greek verb θαρρέω (tharreō). The root word has the sense of “courage” in 2 Corinthians 5:6, 8, and 10:1. This translation therefore helps to bring out the double irony in 2 Corinthians 10:1—the accusation is that Paul is only courageous when absent. Rather, he does have courage, both through his desire to be with God, as well as courage to face the future because of the sanctification of the Corinthians themselves. Thus, though the Corinthians may have claimed that he was not courageous in their presense, he affirms here that he is actually instilled with courage (i.e., “encouraged”) because of them.

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