Commentary
2 Corinthians 10
Textual Issues
Vs. 7—Omit Χριστοῦ (T.R.) after ἡμεῖς.
Vs. 8—τε is omitted by B, F, etc. but probably should be included.
καὶ before περισσότερόν to be omitted.
Vs. 10—φησίν, Lachmann has φασίν.
Vss. 12-13—Probably the T.R. is correct here, others omit οὐ συνιᾶσιν ἡμεῖς δὲ.
καυχησόμεθα omitted by some and καυχησόμενοι read by others.
Vs. 14—οὐ γὰρ ὡς μὴ—Lachmann read ὡς γὰρ μὴ with B but on insufficient authorities.
Commentary
Vs. 1—Αὐτὸς δὲ ἐγὼ Παῦλος—Some have thought that this, the third part of the Epistle was written by St. Paul’s own hand; this is not improbable. But there can be no allusion to this in the words Αὐτὸς δὲ ἐγὼ Παῦλος as then we should have γράφω τῇ ἐμῇ χειρὶ Παύλου or at least γράφω in place of the παρακαλῶ. See Meyer. ‘I myself, I that very Paul who has been so decried, whose bodily presence has been called weak, and his speech contemptible . . .’
διὰ τῆς πραΰτητος καὶ ἐπιεικείας—These two words distinguished see Trench, Synonyms, p. 170sqq. ‘By the mildness and gentleness of Christ,’ a fit mode of entreaty where his object is to avoid having to inflict severe punishment.
ὃς κατὰ πρόσωπον μὲν ταπεινὸς ἐν ὑμῖν—as represented by my enemies. ‘I who am such a time-server, and destitute of moral courage . . .’
Vs. 2—δέομαι δὲ, resuming the sense of παρακαλῶ. The δὲ gives the same turn to the sentence as the ἐάν . . . in 2 Cor 10:8. ‘Though accused of being courageous in my absence, yet I . . .’
ᾗ λογίζομαι τολμῆσαι—‘I reckon, am minded to be bold’
ὡς κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦντας—referring to the charges alluded to in vs. 2, the accusation of time-serving and moral cowardice. He is accused of being one of the ὑποκριταὶ and an ἀλαζώνα etc.
Vs. 3—Ἐν σαρκὶ γὰρ—The former verse had implied ‘Let my enemies lay aside their unworthy view of me, let them not impute to me such motives, for . . .’
Vs. 4—Parenthetical. δυνατὰ τῷ Θεῷ cf. Acts 7:20.
λογισμοὺς
Vs. 5—πᾶν ὕψωμα—Every building, fortified wall, barrier raised against. . . . Meyer says about πᾶν νόημα ‘die νόηματα gehören doch zur Kategorie der διαλογισμοί und diese hatte er vorher nicht als Feinde, die gefangen geführt werden, sondern als feindliche Werke, die destruirt werden (καθαιροῦντες), sich vorgestellt.’ But there is surely a difference between a νόημα and a διαλογισμός, a difference corresponding to that between ‘reason’ and ‘understanding.’ Destroying the argumentations and Christianzing the conceptions . . .
εἰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν—‘eine österlichen Bereich’—Meyer
ὅταν πληρωθῇ ὑμῶν ἡ ὑπακοή is attached by Lachmann to what follows. In this clause he applies especially to the Corinthian Church what he had hitherto stated generally. ‘When your obedience (i.e. that of the Corinthian Church as a body) is fulfilled, vengeance will overtake the offender.’
Vs. 7—Τὰ κατὰ πρόσωπον βλέπετε—Read it interrogatively. ‘Do you judge by outward appearances?’ Believe in the superiority of those who call themselves ‘followers of Christ’ ( Ἐγὼ δὲ Χριστοῦ) merely on account of their professions?
Vs. 8—τε γὰρ. The τε has no particle answering it. ‘I use this language fearlessly, for if I boast . . .’
περισσότερόν τι—‘than I have done hitherto’ in 2 Cor 10:3-6.
ἧς ἔδωκεν ὁ κύριος εἰς οἰκοδομὴν καὶ οὐκ εἰς καθαίρεσιν ὑμῶν, οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσομαι—‘mit einem doppelten Seitenblicke auf die falschen Apostel, deren Gewalt weder von Christo war, noch zur Erbauung sondern zur Zerstörung der Gemeinde gereichte.’—Meyer
٧٣οἰκοδομὴν as the Temple of God.
οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσομαι—i.e. my words will be verified.
Vs. 9—Chrysostom and others make vs. 9 the protasis, of which 2 Cor 10:11 is the apodosis, with 2 Cor 10:10 as parenthetical.
ἵνα μὴ δόξω—‘I say this that I may not seem to be attempting to terrify you by my letters, but you should not think my letters contain mere empty threats.’
ὡς ἂν ἐκφοβεῖν ὑμᾶς—To make a show of terrifying you. cf. Winer, p. 319. This phrase is not found elsewhere in the New Testament.
Vs. 10—Αἱ ἐπιστολαὶ. This seems to imply more than one letter.
Vs. 12—συνιοῦσιν = συνιᾶσιν
Vs. ١٧—Ὁ δὲ καυχώμενος. See 1 Corinthians 1:31—(p. 32).