2 Corinthians 10-13

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. 2 Corinthians 10:1 tn The Greek pronoun (“you”) is plural.
2. 2 Corinthians 10:1 tn The word “personally” is supplied to reflect the force of the Greek intensive pronoun αὐτός (autos) at the beginning of the verse.
3. 2 Corinthians 10:1 tn Or “leniency and clemency.” D. Walker, “Paul’s Offer of Leniency of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:1): Populist Ideology and Rhetoric in a Pauline Letter Fragment (2 Cor 10:1-13:10)” (Ph.D. diss., University of Chicago, 1998), argues for this alternative translation for three main reasons: (1) When the two Greek nouns πραΰτης and ἐπιείκεια (prautēs and epieikeia) are used together, 90% of the time the nuance is “leniency and clemency.” (2) “Leniency and clemency” has a military connotation, which is precisely what appears in the following verses. (3) 2 Cor 10-13 speaks of Paul’s sparing use of his authority, which points to the nuance of “leniency and clemency.”
4. 2 Corinthians 10:1 tn Or “who lack confidence.”
5. 2 Corinthians 10:1 tn Or “when face-to-face with.”
6. 2 Corinthians 10:1 tn Or “but bold.”
7. 2 Corinthians 10:2 tn Grk “consider us as walking.”
8. 2 Corinthians 10:2 tn Grk “according to the flesh.”
9. 2 Corinthians 10:3 tn Grk “we walk.”
10. 2 Corinthians 10:3 tn Grk “in the flesh.”
11. 2 Corinthians 10:3 tn Grk “according to the flesh.”
12. 2 Corinthians 10:4 tn Grk “are not fleshly [weapons].” The repetition of the word “warfare” does not occur in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.
13. 2 Corinthians 10:4 tn Or “but (are) divinely powerful,” “but they have divine power,” or “but are powerful for God’s [service]”; Grk “but are powerful to God.”
14. 2 Corinthians 10:4 sn Ultimately Paul is referring here to the false arguments of his opponents, calling them figuratively “strongholds.” This Greek word (ὀχύρωμα, ochurōma) is used only here in the NT.
15. 2 Corinthians 10:4 tn Or “speculations.”
16. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tn The phrase “every arrogant obstacle” could be translated simply “all arrogance” (so L&N 88.207).
17. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tn Grk “to the obedience of Christ,” but since Χριστοῦ (Christou) is clearly an objective genitive here, it is better to translate “to make it obey Christ.”
18. 2 Corinthians 10:6 tn Or “punish all disobedience.”
19. 2 Corinthians 10:7 tn The phrase is close to a recognized idiom for judging based on outward appearances (L&N 30.120). Some translators see a distinction, however, and translate 2 Cor 10:7a as “Look at what is in front of your eyes,” that is, the obvious facts of the case (so NRSV).
20. 2 Corinthians 10:8 tn The word “us” is not in the Greek text but is supplied. Indirect objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, and must be supplied for the modern English reader.
21. 2 Corinthians 10:8 tn Grk “I will not be put to shame,” “I will not be ashamed.” The words “of doing so” are supplied to clarify for the reader that Paul will not be ashamed of boasting somewhat more about the authority the Lord gave him (beginning of v. 8).
22. 2 Corinthians 10:10 tn Or “unimpressive.”
23. 2 Corinthians 10:10 tn Or “is contemptible”; Grk “is despised.”
24. 2 Corinthians 10:11 tn Grk “what we are in word.”
25. 2 Corinthians 10:12 tn Or “they are unintelligent.”
26. 2 Corinthians 10:13 tn Or “boast excessively.” The phrase εἰς τὰ ἄμετρα (eis ta ametra) is an idiom; literally it means “into that which is not measured,” that is, a point on a scale that goes beyond what might be expected (L&N 78.27).
27. 2 Corinthians 10:13 tn The words “will confine our boasting” are not in the Greek text, but the reference to boasting must be repeated from the previous clause to clarify for the modern reader what is being limited.
28. 2 Corinthians 10:13 tn Grk “according to the measure of the rule which God has apportioned to us as a measure”; for the translation used in the text see L&N 37.100.
29. 2 Corinthians 10:14 tn Grk “with the gospel of Christ,” but since Χριστοῦ (Christou) is clearly an objective genitive here, it is better to translate “with the gospel about Christ.”
30. 2 Corinthians 10:15 tn Or “boast excessively.” The phrase εἰς τὰ ἄμετρα (eis ta ametra) is an idiom; literally it means “into that which is not measured,” that is, a point on a scale that goes beyond what might be expected (L&N 78.27).
31. 2 Corinthians 10:15 tn Or “in the labors.”
32. 2 Corinthians 10:15 tn Grk “but we have the hope.”
33. 2 Corinthians 10:15 tn Or “greatly enlarged.”
34. 2 Corinthians 10:15 tn That is, Paul’s work might be greatly expanded within the area of activity assigned to him by God.
35. 2 Corinthians 10:17 tn The traditional translation (“let the one who boasts boast in the Lord”) can be understood as merely permissive by the English reader, but the Greek verb καυχάσθω (kauchasthō) is a third person imperative.sn A quotation from Jer 9:24 (also quoted in 1 Cor 1:31).
36. 2 Corinthians 11:2 tn That is, to Christ.
37. 2 Corinthians 11:2 tn Or “chaste.”
38. 2 Corinthians 11:3 tn Grk “I fear lest somehow.”
39. 2 Corinthians 11:3 tn Or “the snake.”
40. 2 Corinthians 11:3 tn Or “craftiness.”
41. 2 Corinthians 11:3 tn Or “corrupted,” “seduced.”
42. 2 Corinthians 11:3 tc Although most mss (א² H Ψ 0121 0243 1739 1881 M) lack “and pure” (καὶ τῆς ἁγνότητος, kai tēs hagnotētos; Grk “and purity”) several significant and early witnesses (P⁴⁶ א* B D^[2] F G 33 81 104 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 (haplotētos, “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.”
43. 2 Corinthians 11:4 tn Or “preaches.”
44. 2 Corinthians 11:4 tn Grk “another Jesus whom we have not proclaimed.”
45. 2 Corinthians 11:4 tn Grk “a different spirit which you did not receive.”
46. 2 Corinthians 11:4 tn Grk “a different gospel which you did not accept.”
47. 2 Corinthians 11:4 tn Or “you endure it very well.”
48. 2 Corinthians 11:5 tn The implicit irony in Paul’s remark is brought out well by the TEV “I do not think that I am the least bit inferior to those very special so-called ‘apostles’ of yours!”sn The ‘super-apostles’ refers either (1) to the original apostles (the older interpretation) or (2) more probably, to Paul’s opponents in Corinth, in which case the designation is ironic.
49. 2 Corinthians 11:6 sn Unskilled in speaking means not professionally trained as a rhetorician.
50. 2 Corinthians 11:7 sn Paul is referring to humbling himself to the point of doing manual labor to support himself.
51. 2 Corinthians 11:7 tn Or “preached.”
52. 2 Corinthians 11:8 sn That is, serve them free of charge (cf. the end of v. 7).
53. 2 Corinthians 11:9 tn Grk “you, and when.” A new sentence was started here in the translation.
54. 2 Corinthians 11:9 tn If the participle ἐλθόντες (elthontes) is taken as temporal rather than adjectival, the translation would be, “for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, fully supplied my needs” (similar to NASB).
55. 2 Corinthians 11:9 tn Grk “needs, and I kept.” A new sentence was started here in the translation.
56. 2 Corinthians 11:10 tn That is, that Paul offers the gospel free of charge to the Corinthians (see 2 Cor 11:7).
57. 2 Corinthians 11:10 tn Or “silenced.”
58. 2 Corinthians 11:11 tn Grk “God knows!” The words “I do” are supplied for clarity. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
59. 2 Corinthians 11:12 tn Grk “an opportunity, so that they may be found just like us.”
60. 2 Corinthians 11:13 tn Or “dishonest.”
61. 2 Corinthians 11:13 tn Or “workers, masquerading.”
62. 2 Corinthians 11:14 tn Or “Satan himself masquerades.”
63. 2 Corinthians 11:15 tn Or “also masquerade.”
64. 2 Corinthians 11:15 tn Or “their works.”
65. 2 Corinthians 11:16 tn Or “am foolish.”
66. 2 Corinthians 11:17 tn Grk “with this confidence of boasting.” The genitive καυχήσεως (kauchēseōs) has been translated as an attributive genitive (the noun in the genitive functions as an adjective of the noun modified).
67. 2 Corinthians 11:17 tn Or “say with the Lord’s authority.”
68. 2 Corinthians 11:18 sn Many is a reference to Paul’s opponents.
69. 2 Corinthians 11:18 tn Grk “according to the flesh.”
70. 2 Corinthians 11:19 tn Or “you tolerate.”
71. 2 Corinthians 11:20 tn Or “you tolerate.”
72. 2 Corinthians 11:20 tn See L&N 88.212.
73. 2 Corinthians 11:21 tn Or “my shame.”
74. 2 Corinthians 11:21 sn It seems best, in context, to see the statement we were too weak for that as a parenthetical and ironic comment by Paul on his physical condition (weakness or sickness) while he was with the Corinthians (cf. 2 Cor 12:7-10; Gal 4:15).
75. 2 Corinthians 11:21 tn The words “to boast about” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, and this phrase serves as the direct object of the preceding verb.
76. 2 Corinthians 11:21 tn Grk “I also dare”; the words “to boast about the same thing” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, and this phrase serves as the direct object of the preceding verb.
77. 2 Corinthians 11:24 tn Grk “forty less one”; this was a standard sentence. “Lashes” is supplied to clarify for the modern reader what is meant.
78. 2 Corinthians 11:25 sn Beaten with a rod refers to the Roman punishment of admonitio according to BDAG 902 s.v. ῥαβδίζω. Acts 16:22 describes one of these occasions in Philippi; in this case it was administered by the city magistrates, who had wide powers in a military colony.
79. 2 Corinthians 11:25 sn Received a stoning. See Acts 14:19, where this incident is described.
80. 2 Corinthians 11:26 tn Or “bandits.” The word normally refers more to highwaymen (“robbers”) but can also refer to insurrectionists or revolutionaries (“bandits”).
81. 2 Corinthians 11:26 tn Or “desert.”
82. 2 Corinthians 11:27 tn The two different words for labor are translated “in hard work and toil” by L&N 42.48.
83. 2 Corinthians 11:27 tn Grk “in cold and nakedness.” Paul does not mean complete nakedness, however, which would have been repugnant to a Jew; he refers instead to the lack of sufficient clothing, especially in cold weather. A related word is used to 1 Cor 4:11, also in combination with experiencing hunger and thirst.
84. 2 Corinthians 11:28 sn Apart from other things. Paul refers here either (1) to the external sufferings just mentioned, or (2) he refers to other things he has left unmentioned.
85. 2 Corinthians 11:28 tn “Anxious concern,” so translated in L&N 25.224.
86. 2 Corinthians 11:29 tn Or “who is caused to stumble.”
87. 2 Corinthians 11:30 tn Grk “If boasting is necessary.”
88. 2 Corinthians 11:30 tn Or “about the things related to my weakness.”
89. 2 Corinthians 11:32 tn Grk “ethnarch.”sn The governor was an official called an “ethnarch” who was appointed to rule on behalf of a king over a certain region.
90. 2 Corinthians 11:32 tn Grk “the city of the Damascenes.”
91. 2 Corinthians 11:32 tn Or “to seize,” “to catch.”
92. 2 Corinthians 11:33 tn In Acts 9:25 the same basket used in Paul’s escape is called a σπυρίς (spuris), a basket larger than a κόφινος (kophinos). It was very likely made out of rope, so the translation “rope-basket” is used.
93. 2 Corinthians 12:1 tn Grk “Boasting is necessary.”
94. 2 Corinthians 12:4 sn In the NT, paradise is mentioned three times. In Luke 23:43 it refers to the abode of the righteous dead. In Rev 2:7 it refers to the restoration of Edenic paradise predicted in Isa 51:3 and Ezek 36:35. The reference here in 2 Cor 12:4 is probably to be translated as parallel to the mention of the “third heaven” in v. 2. Assuming that the “first heaven” would be atmospheric heaven (the sky) and “second heaven” the more distant stars and planets, “third heaven” would refer to the place where God dwells. This is much more likely than some variation on the seven heavens mentioned in the pseudepigraphic book 2 Enoch and in other nonbiblical and rabbinic works.
95. 2 Corinthians 12:4 tn Or “things that cannot be put into words.”
96. 2 Corinthians 12:4 tn Grk “a man.”
97. 2 Corinthians 12:6 tn Or “speaking.”
98. 2 Corinthians 12:6 tn Or “may think of.”
99. 2 Corinthians 12:7 tc Most mss (P⁴⁶ D Ψ 1881 M) lack διό (dio, “Therefore”), but the widespread distribution and quality of mss which include it (א A B F G 0243 33 81 1175 1739) argues for its authenticity. Internally, its case is equally strong in that its inclusion is grammatically rough (διό is hardly necessary to convey purpose, especially since Paul uses ἵνα [hina, “so that”] next).
100. 2 Corinthians 12:7 tn Or “to harass.”
101. 2 Corinthians 12:7 tn The phrase “so that I might not become arrogant” is repeated here because it occurs in the Greek text two times in the verse. Although redundant, it is repeated because of the emphatic nature of its affirmation.
102. 2 Corinthians 12:9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” because of the contrast implicit in the context.
103. 2 Corinthians 12:9 tn Or “is sufficient.”
104. 2 Corinthians 12:9 tc The majority of later mss (א² A^c D¹ Ψ 0243 0278 33 1739 1881 M) as well as some versional witnesses include the pronoun “my” here, but the omission of the pronoun has excellent external support (P^46vid א* A* B D* F G latt). Scribes probably added the pronoun for clarity, making the obvious referent explicit. This would also make “power” more parallel with “my grace.” Though the original text probably did not include “my,” scribes who added the word were following the sense of Paul’s statement.tn The pronoun “my” was supplied in the translation to clarify the sense of Paul’s expression.
105. 2 Corinthians 12:9 tn Or “my power comes to full strength.”
106. 2 Corinthians 12:9 tn “Most gladly,” a comparative form used with superlative meaning and translated as such.
107. 2 Corinthians 12:9 tn Or “may rest on.”
108. 2 Corinthians 12:10 tn Or “I take delight in.”
109. 2 Corinthians 12:10 tn Or “calamities.”
110. 2 Corinthians 12:11 tn Or “I am in no way inferior.”
111. 2 Corinthians 12:12 tn Or “patience,” “endurance.”
112. 2 Corinthians 12:12 tn Or “and miracles.”
113. 2 Corinthians 12:13 tn Grk “For in what respect.”
114. 2 Corinthians 12:14 tn Grk “children ought not,” but this might give the impression that children are not supposed to support sick or aging parents in need of help. That is not what Paul is saying. His point is that children should not have to pay their parent’s way.
115. 2 Corinthians 12:15 tn Grk “souls.”
116. 2 Corinthians 12:17 tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative answer, indicated by the ‘tag’ question “have I?” at the end of the clause. The question is rhetorical.
117. 2 Corinthians 12:18 tn The words “to visit you” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, and must be supplied for the modern reader.
118. 2 Corinthians 12:18 tn Grk “the.”
119. 2 Corinthians 12:18 tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative answer, indicated by the ‘tag’ question “did he?” at the end of the clause.
120. 2 Corinthians 12:18 tn Grk “[Did we not walk] in the same tracks?” This is an idiom that means to imitate someone else or to behave as they do. Paul’s point is that he and Titus have conducted themselves in the same way toward the Corinthians. If Titus did not take advantage of the Corinthians, then neither did Paul.
121. 2 Corinthians 12:19 tc The reading “all this time” (πάλαι, palai) is found in several early and significant Alexandrian and Western witnesses including א* A B F G 0243 6 33 81 365 1175 1739 1881 lat; the reading πάλιν (palin, “again”) is read by א² D Ψ 0278 M sy bo; the reading οὐ πάλαι (ou palai) is read by P⁴⁶, making the question even more emphatic. The reading of P⁴⁶ could only have arisen from πάλαι. The reading πάλιν is significantly easier (“are you once again thinking that we are defending ourselves?”), for it softens Paul’s tone considerably. It thus seems to be a motivated reading and cannot easily explain the rise of πάλαι. Further, πάλαι has considerable support in the Alexandrian and Western witnesses, rendering it virtually certain as the autographic wording here.
122. 2 Corinthians 12:19 tn Or “for your strengthening”; Grk “for your edification.”
123. 2 Corinthians 12:20 tn Grk “and I will be found by you.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation.
124. 2 Corinthians 12:20 tn The words “I am afraid that” are not repeated in the Greek text, but are needed for clarity.
125. 2 Corinthians 12:20 tn Or “intense anger, hostility.”
126. 2 Corinthians 12:21 tn The words “I am afraid that” are not repeated in the Greek text from v. 20, but are needed for clarity.
127. 2 Corinthians 12:21 tn Or “I will mourn over.”
128. 2 Corinthians 13:1 tn The word “visit” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
129. 2 Corinthians 13:1 tn Grk “By the mouth.”
130. 2 Corinthians 13:1 sn A quotation from Deut 19:15 (also quoted in Matt 18:16; 1 Tim 5:19).
131. 2 Corinthians 13:2 tn The word “anyone” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
132. 2 Corinthians 13:3 tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
133. 2 Corinthians 13:5 tn Or “unless indeed you are disqualified.”
134. 2 Corinthians 13:6 tn Or “that we are not disqualified.”
135. 2 Corinthians 13:7 tn Or “that we may appear to be approved.”
136. 2 Corinthians 13:7 tn Or “what is good.”
137. 2 Corinthians 13:7 tn Or “even if we appear disapproved.”
138. 2 Corinthians 13:9 tn Or “fully equipped.”
139. 2 Corinthians 13:10 tn Grk “when I am present,” but in the context of Paul’s third (upcoming) visit to Corinth, this is better translated as “when I arrive.”
140. 2 Corinthians 13:10 tn The words “with you” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
141. 2 Corinthians 13:11 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:8.
142. 2 Corinthians 13:12 sn The versification of vv. 12 and 13 in the NET (so also NRSV, NLT) is according to the versification in the NA²⁸ and UBS⁵ editions of the Greek text. Some translations, however, break the material up into three verses, i.e., 12-14 (NKJV, NASB, NIV). The same material has been translated in each case; the only difference is the versification of that material.
143. 2 Corinthians 13:13 tn Or “communion.”
144. 2 Corinthians 13:13 tc Most witnesses, especially later ones (א² D Ψ M lat sy bo), conclude this letter with ἀμήν (amēn, “amen”), while several early and significant mss (P⁴⁶ א* A B F G 0243 6 33 630 1175 1739 1881 sa) lack the particle. Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. That so many diverse witnesses lacked the word here is strong testimony to its absence for the original text of 2 Corinthians.