King James Version
2 Corinthians 4
18 verses with commentary
The Light of the Gospel
Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not</strong>—Paul grounds his apostolic perseverance in divine mercy (<em>eleēthēmen</em>, ἠλεήθημεν, 'we were shown mercy'), not human ability. The <em>diakonia</em> (διακονία, 'ministry') refers specifically to the new covenant ministry of the Spirit outlined in chapter 3. <em>Ouk enkakōmen</em> (οὐκ ἐγκακοῦμεν, ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
IV.
(1) **Therefore seeing we have this ministry.**—The ministry referred to is that of which such great things have just been said: the ministry of the new covenant, of the Spirit, of righteousness, of glory (2Corinthians 3:6; 2Corinthians 3:8-9). Two thoughts rise up in the Apostle’s mind in immediate association with this: (1) His own utter unworthiness of it, which finds expression in “as we h...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26. How is it then?--**rather, "What then is the true rule to be observed as to the use of gifts?" Compare 1Co 14:15, where the same Greek occurs.
**a psalm--**extemporary, inspired by the Spirit, as that of Mary, Zechariah, Simeon, and Anna (Lu 1:46-55, 67-79; 2:34-38).
**a doctrine--**to impart and set forth to the congregation.
**a tongue ... a revelation--**The oldest manuscripts trans...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
The apostles laboured with much diligence, sincerity, and faithfulness.
(1-7)
Their sufferings for the gospel were great, yet with rich supports.
(8-12)
Prospects of eternal glory keep believers from fainting under troubles.
(13-18)
**Verses 1-7**
The best of men would faint, if they did not receive mercy from God. And that mercy which ha...
Read full commentary →But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. dishonesty: Gr. shame
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty</strong> (<em>ta krypta tēs aischynēs</em>, τὰ κρυπτὰ τῆς αἰσχύνης, 'the secret shameful things')—Paul contrasts his transparent ministry with opponents who used <em>panourgia</em> (πανουργία, 'craftiness, cunning') and <em>doloō</em> (δολόω, 'to adulterate, corrupt') the word of God. He doesn't manipulate Scripture for personal gain or tw...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty.**—Better, *the hidden things of shame.* We fail at first to see the connection of the self-vindication which follows with what has gone before, and have once more to go below the surface. He has defended himself against the charge of “fickleness” (2Corinthians 1:17), but another charge, more disturbing still, had also been brought against h...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27. let it be by two--**at each time, in one assembly; not more than two or three might speak with tongues at each meeting.
**by course--**in turns.
**let one interpret--**one who has the gift of interpreting tongues; and not more than one.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
The apostles laboured with much diligence, sincerity, and faithfulness.
(1-7)
Their sufferings for the gospel were great, yet with rich supports.
(8-12)
Prospects of eternal glory keep believers from fainting under troubles.
(13-18)
**Verses 1-7**
The best of men would faint, if they did not receive mercy from God. And that mercy which ha...
Read full commentary →But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost</strong> (<em>apollymenois</em>, ἀπολλυμένοις, 'those who are perishing')—Paul addresses accusations that his ministry lacked effectiveness. If some don't receive the gospel, the fault lies not in the message or messenger but in the spiritual condition of hearers. The veiling is not in Paul's proclamation but in their hearts.<br><br...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.**—Better, in both cases, as keeping the sequence of thought, *has been veiled,* instead of “is hid,” and *among them that are perishing.* (See Note on 2Corinthians 2:15.) He cannot close his eyes to the fact that the glorious words of 2Corinthians 3:18 are only partially realised. There are some to whom even the gospel of Christ appe...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**28. let him--**the speaker in unknown tongues.
**speak to himself, and to God--**(compare 1Co 14:2, 4)--privately and not in the hearing of others.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
The apostles laboured with much diligence, sincerity, and faithfulness.
(1-7)
Their sufferings for the gospel were great, yet with rich supports.
(8-12)
Prospects of eternal glory keep believers from fainting under troubles.
(13-18)
**Verses 1-7**
The best of men would faint, if they did not receive mercy from God. And that mercy which ha...
Read full commentary →In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The god of this world</strong> (<em>ho theos tou aiōnos toutou</em>, ὁ θεὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου)—a shocking title for Satan, acknowledging his usurped authority over fallen humanity (cf. John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11). He <strong>hath blinded</strong> (<em>etyphlōsen</em>, ἐτύφλωσεν, aorist tense indicating definite action) <strong>the minds</strong> (<em>noēmata</em>, νοήματα, 'thoughts, purpose...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **In whom the god of this world . . .**—The word sounds somewhat startling as a description of the devil, but it has parallels in “the prince of this world” (John 14:30), “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). The world which “lieth in wickedness,” perhaps *in the evil one* (1John 5:19), worships the spirit of hate and falsehood and selfishness, and in so doing it practically de...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29. two or three--**at one meeting (he does not add "at the most," as in 1Co 14:27, lest he should seem to "quench prophesyings," the most edifying of gifts), and these "one by one," in turn (1Co 14:27, "by course," and 1Co 14:31). Paul gives here similar rules to the prophets, as previously to those speaking in unknown tongues.
**judge--**by their power of "discerning spirits" (1Co 12:10), wh...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
The apostles laboured with much diligence, sincerity, and faithfulness.
(1-7)
Their sufferings for the gospel were great, yet with rich supports.
(8-12)
Prospects of eternal glory keep believers from fainting under troubles.
(13-18)
**Verses 1-7**
The best of men would faint, if they did not receive mercy from God. And that mercy which ha...
Read full commentary →For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord</strong> (<em>ou gar heautous kēryssomen alla Iēsoun Christon kyrion</em>, οὐ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς κηρύσσομεν ἀλλὰ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν κύριον)—Paul's message centers on Christ's lordship, not apostolic personalities. <em>Kēryssō</em> (κηρύσσω, 'to proclaim, herald') conveys authoritative public announcement of royal decrees. Paul is herald, not hero...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **For we preach not ourselves.**—The words, like those about “commending ourselves,” imply a reference to something that had been said. He was charged with being egotistic in his preaching, perhaps with special reference to passages like 1Corinthians 2:1-4; 1Corinthians 3:1-10; 1Corinthians 4:11-13. He indignantly repudiates that charge. “Christ Jesus” had been all along the subject of his pre...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**30. If any thing--**Translate, "But if any thing."
**another that sitteth by--**a hearer.
**let the first hold his peace--**Let him who heretofore spoke, and who came to the assembly furnished with a previous ordinary (in those times) revelation from God (1Co 14:26), give place to him who at the assembly is moved to prophesy by a sudden revelation from the Spirit.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
The apostles laboured with much diligence, sincerity, and faithfulness.
(1-7)
Their sufferings for the gospel were great, yet with rich supports.
(8-12)
Prospects of eternal glory keep believers from fainting under troubles.
(13-18)
**Verses 1-7**
The best of men would faint, if they did not receive mercy from God. And that mercy which ha...
Read full commentary →For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. hath: Gr. is he who hath
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness</strong> (<em>ho theos ho eipōn ek skotous phōs lampsai</em>, ὁ θεὸς ὁ εἰπὼν ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψαι)—Paul invokes Genesis 1:3 ('Let there be light') to describe conversion. The God who spoke creation into existence <strong>hath shined in our hearts</strong> (<em>elampen en tais kardiais hēmōn</em>, ἔλαμψεν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν). Sal...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness.**—Better, *For it is God who commanded* . . . *that hath shined.* The whole verse is in manifest antithesis to 2Corinthians 4:4. The god of this world did his work of blinding; the true God called light out of darkness. Here there is obviously a reference to the history of the creation in Genesis 1:3.
**Hath shined.**—The English ten...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**31. For ye may--**rather, "For ye can [if ye will] all prophesy one by one," giving way to one another. The "for" justifies the precept (1Co 14:30), "let the first hold his peace."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
The apostles laboured with much diligence, sincerity, and faithfulness.
(1-7)
Their sufferings for the gospel were great, yet with rich supports.
(8-12)
Prospects of eternal glory keep believers from fainting under troubles.
(13-18)
**Verses 1-7**
The best of men would faint, if they did not receive mercy from God. And that mercy which ha...
Read full commentary →Treasure in Jars of Clay
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But we have this treasure in earthen vessels</strong> (<em>echomen de ton thēsauron touton en ostrakinou skeuesi</em>, ἔχομεν δὲ τὸν θησαυρὸν τοῦτον ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν)—the <em>thēsauros</em> (θησαυρός, 'treasure') is the gospel of God's glory in Christ (v. 6). <em>Ostrakinou</em> (ὀστρακίνοις, 'clay, earthenware') describes cheap, fragile pottery used for common purposes. The contras...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **But we have this treasure in earthen vessels.**—The imagery here begins to change. The treasure is “the knowledge of the glory of God” as possessed by the Apostle. It was the practice of Eastern kings, who stored up their treasures of gold and silver, to fill jars of earthenware with coin or bullion (Herod. iii. 103. Comp. also Jeremiah 32:14). “So,” St. Paul says, in a tone of profound humi...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**32. And--**following up the assertion in 1Co 14:31, "Ye can (if ye will) prophesy one by one," that is, restrain yourselves from speaking all together; "and the spirits of the prophets," that is, their own spirits, acted on by the Holy Spirit, are not so hurried away by His influence, as to cease to be under their own control; they can if they will hear others, and not demand that they alone sho...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
The apostles laboured with much diligence, sincerity, and faithfulness.
(1-7)
Their sufferings for the gospel were great, yet with rich supports.
(8-12)
Prospects of eternal glory keep believers from fainting under troubles.
(13-18)
**Verses 1-7**
The best of men would faint, if they did not receive mercy from God. And that mercy which ha...
Read full commentary →We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; in despair: or, altogether without help, or, means
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed</strong> (<em>en panti thlibomenoi all' ou stenochōroumenoi</em>, ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι ἀλλ' οὐ στενοχωρούμενοι)—Paul begins four rapid-fire contrasts showing pressure without crushing. <em>Thlibō</em> (θλίβω, 'to press, afflict') describes external pressure; <em>stenochōreō</em> (στενοχωρέω, 'to be confined, restricted, crushed') means inter...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **We are troubled on every side.**—The Greek presents all the clauses in a participial form, in apposition with the “we” with which 2Corinthians 4:7 opens. The careful antithesis in each case requires some modification of the English version in order to be at all adequately expressed. *Hemmed-in in everything, yet not straitened for room perplexed, yet not baffled;* or, as it has been rendered...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
33. In all the churches of the saints God is a God of peace; let Him not among you be supposed to be a God of confusion [Alford]. Compare the same argument in 1Co 11:16. Lachmann and others put a full stop at "peace," and connect the following words thus: "As in all churches of the saints, let your women keep silence in your churches."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-12**
The apostles were great sufferers, yet they met with wonderful support. Believers may be forsaken of their friends, as well as persecuted by enemies; but their God will never leave them nor forsake them. There may be fears within, as well as fightings without; yet we are not destroyed. The apostle speaks of their sufferings as a counterpart of the sufferings of Christ, that peo...
Read full commentary →Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Persecuted, but not forsaken</strong> (<em>diōkomenoi all' ouk enkatalipomenoi</em>, διωκόμενοι ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐγκαταλειπόμενοι)—<em>diōkō</em> (διώκω, 'to pursue, persecute') describes active, hostile pursuit. <em>Enkatalipō</em> (ἐγκαταλείπω, 'to abandon, forsake utterly') is the cry of Psalm 22:1 that Jesus quoted on the cross: 'Why hast thou forsaken me?' Paul faces persecution but never div...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Persecuted, but not forsaken.**—Better, perhaps, as expressing in both terms of the clause the condition of a soldier on the field of battle, *pursued, yet not abandoned.* The next clause is again distinctly military, or, perhaps, agonistic: *stricken down* (as the soldier by some dart or javelin), *yet not perishing.* In the “faint, yet pursuing,” of Judges 8:4, we have an antithesis of the...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
34. (1Ti 2:11, 12). For women to speak in public would be an act of independence, as if they were not subject to their husbands (compare 1Co 11:3; Ep 5:22; Tit 2:5; 1Pe 3:1). For "under obedience," translate, "in subjection" or "submission," as the Greek is translated (Ep 5:21, 22, 24).
**the law--**a term applied to the whole Old Testament; here, Ge 3:16.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-12**
The apostles were great sufferers, yet they met with wonderful support. Believers may be forsaken of their friends, as well as persecuted by enemies; but their God will never leave them nor forsake them. There may be fears within, as well as fightings without; yet we are not destroyed. The apostle speaks of their sufferings as a counterpart of the sufferings of Christ, that peo...
Read full commentary →Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus</strong> (<em>pantote tēn nekrōsin tou Iēsou en tō sōmati peripherontes</em>, πάντοτε τὴν νέκρωσιν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι περιφέροντες)—<em>nekrōsis</em> (νέκρωσις, 'death, putting to death, mortification') refers to the dying process, not just death itself. Paul's sufferings aren't random—they're conformity to Christ's passion. ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus.**—The word for “dying” (again, probably, a distinctly medical term) is literally “*deadness,” “the state of a* corpse.” Comp. Romans 4:19 for the word itself, and Romans 4:19, Colossians 3:5 (“mortify”), Hebrews 11:12 (“as good as dead”) for the cognate verb. The word describes, as by a bold hyperbole, the condition of one whose ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
35. Anticipation of an objection. Women may say, "But if we do not understand something, may we not 'ask' a question publicly so as to 'learn'? Nay, replies Paul, if you want information, 'ask' not in public, but 'at home'; ask not other men, but 'your own particular (so the Greek) husbands.'"
**shame--**indecorous.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-12**
The apostles were great sufferers, yet they met with wonderful support. Believers may be forsaken of their friends, as well as persecuted by enemies; but their God will never leave them nor forsake them. There may be fears within, as well as fightings without; yet we are not destroyed. The apostle speaks of their sufferings as a counterpart of the sufferings of Christ, that peo...
Read full commentary →For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake</strong> (<em>aei gar hēmeis hoi zōntes eis thanaton paradidometha dia Iēsoun</em>, ἀεὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες εἰς θάνατον παραδιδόμεθα διὰ Ἰησοῦν)—<em>aei</em> (ἀεί, 'always, continually') intensifies <em>pantote</em> ('always') from v. 10. <em>Paradidōmi</em> (παραδίδωμι, 'to hand over, deliver up, betray') is the verb used of...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **We which live are alway delivered unto death.**—Better, *are always being delivered.* The opening clause emphasises the paradox of the statement: “We live, and yet our life is a series of continual deaths. We are delivered as to a daily execution.” The words are often interpreted—but, it is believed, wrongly—of the dangers and sufferings caused by persecution. The whole tenor of the Epistle...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**36. What!--**Greek, "Or." Are you about to obey me? Or, if you set up your judgment above that of other churches. I wish to know, do you pretend that your church is the first church FROM which the gospel word came, that you should give the law to all others? Or are you the only persons In, fro whom it has come?
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-12**
The apostles were great sufferers, yet they met with wonderful support. Believers may be forsaken of their friends, as well as persecuted by enemies; but their God will never leave them nor forsake them. There may be fears within, as well as fightings without; yet we are not destroyed. The apostle speaks of their sufferings as a counterpart of the sufferings of Christ, that peo...
Read full commentary →So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>So then death worketh in us, but life in you</strong> (<em>hōste ho thanatos en hēmin energeitai, hē de zōē en hymin</em>, ὥστε ὁ θάνατος ἐν ἡμῖν ἐνεργεῖται, ἡ δὲ ζωὴ ἐν ὑμῖν)—Paul draws a stunning conclusion: apostolic dying produces congregational living. <em>Energeō</em> (ἐνεργέω, 'to work, be effective, operate') shows death actively working in Paul but its fruit is life in the Corinth...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **So then death worketh in us, but life in you.**—“Life” is here clearly used in its higher spiritual sense, as in the preceding verse. We trace in the words something of the same pathos as in 1Corinthians 4:8-13, without the irony which is there perceptible. “You,” he seems to say, “reap the fruit of my sufferings. The ‘dying’ is all my own; you know nothing of that conflict with pain and we...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**37. prophet--**the species.
**spiritual--**the genus: spiritually endowed. The followers of Apollos prided themselves as "spiritual" (1Co 3:1-3; compare Ga 6:1). Here one capable of discerning spirits is specially meant.
**things that I write ... commandments of the Lord--**a direct assertion of inspiration. Paul's words as an apostle are Christ's words. Paul appeals not merely to one or two...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-12**
The apostles were great sufferers, yet they met with wonderful support. Believers may be forsaken of their friends, as well as persecuted by enemies; but their God will never leave them nor forsake them. There may be fears within, as well as fightings without; yet we are not destroyed. The apostle speaks of their sufferings as a counterpart of the sufferings of Christ, that peo...
Read full commentary →We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written</strong> (<em>echontes de to auto pneuma tēs pisteōs kata to gegrammenon</em>, ἔχοντες δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα τῆς πίστεως κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον)—Paul quotes Psalm 116:10 (LXX 115:1), linking his ministry to the Psalmist's testimony amid suffering. <em>Pneuma tēs pisteōs</em> (πνεῦμα τῆς πίστεως, 'spirit of faith') is not the Holy Spir...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **We having the same spirit of faith . . .**—The “spirit of faith” is not definitely the Holy Spirit, but the human spirit in fellowship with the Divine, and therefore characterised by faith. And then, as if pleading that this faith must find utterance, he falls back on the words that are in his mind, almost as an axiom, from Psalm 116:10 : “I believed, and therefore I spoke.” It will be note...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**38. if any man be ignorant--**wilfully; not wishing to recognize these ordinances and my apostolic authority in enjoining them.
**let him be ignorant--**I leave him to his ignorance: it will be at his own peril; I feel it a waste of words to speak anything further to convince him. An argument likely to have weight with the Corinthians, who admired "knowledge" so much.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-18**
The grace of faith is an effectual remedy against fainting in times of trouble. They knew that Christ was raised, and that his resurrection was an earnest and assurance of theirs. The hope of this resurrection will encourage in a suffering day, and set us above the fear of death. Also, their sufferings were for the advantage of the church, and to God's glory. The sufferings of...
Read full commentary →Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus</strong> (<em>eidotes hoti ho egeiras ton kyrion Iēsoun kai hēmas syn Iēsou egerei</em>, εἰδότες ὅτι ὁ ἐγείρας τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν καὶ ἡμᾶς σὺν Ἰησοῦ ἐγερεῖ)—Paul's endurance is grounded in resurrection confidence. <em>Eidotes</em> (εἰδότες, 'knowing') implies settled knowledge, not wishful thinking. The same God ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus . . .**—From his present experience of the triumph of life over death he passes to the future victory of which that triumph was the earnest. It is clear that he speaks here not of any deliverance from danger or disease, but of the resurrection of which he had spoken so fully in 1 Corinthians 15. The better MSS. give *with Jesus,* the Received t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**39. covet--**earnestly desire. Stronger than "forbid not"; marking how much higher he esteemed "prophecy" than "tongues."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-18**
The grace of faith is an effectual remedy against fainting in times of trouble. They knew that Christ was raised, and that his resurrection was an earnest and assurance of theirs. The hope of this resurrection will encourage in a suffering day, and set us above the fear of death. Also, their sufferings were for the advantage of the church, and to God's glory. The sufferings of...
Read full commentary →For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For all things are for your sakes</strong> (<em>ta gar panta di' hymas</em>, τὰ γὰρ πάντα δι' ὑμᾶς)—Paul's sufferings, ministry, and even his life are <em>for</em> the Corinthians' benefit. <em>Di' hymas</em> (δι' ὑμᾶς, 'on account of you, for your sake') shows others-centered purpose. This is vicarious existence: living for others' good rather than self-preservation.<br><br><strong>That t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **For all things are for your sakes.**—We can scarcely doubt that he thinks in his own mind, and intends to remind them, of the glorious words of 1Corinthians 3:22-23.
**That the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many . . .**—More accurately, *that grace, having abounded by means of the greater part of you, may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.* The passage is...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**40. Let, &c.--**The oldest manuscripts read, "But let," &c. This verse is connected with 1Co 14:39, "But (while desiring prophecy, and not forbidding tongues) let all things be done decently." "Church government is the best security for Christian liberty" [J. Newton]. (Compare 1Co 14:23, 26-33).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-18**
The grace of faith is an effectual remedy against fainting in times of trouble. They knew that Christ was raised, and that his resurrection was an earnest and assurance of theirs. The hope of this resurrection will encourage in a suffering day, and set us above the fear of death. Also, their sufferings were for the advantage of the church, and to God's glory. The sufferings of...
Read full commentary →Our Heavenly Dwelling
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For which cause we faint not</strong> (<em>dio ouk enkakōmen</em>, διὸ οὐκ ἐγκακοῦμεν)—Paul repeats v. 1's declaration, now grounded in resurrection hope (vv. 14-15). <em>Dio</em> (διό, 'therefore, for this reason') points back to all he's established: ministry flows from mercy, death produces life, resurrection is certain, all things serve God's glory. With such foundations, losing heart ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **For which cause we faint not.**—Ho returns, after a long digression, to the assertion with which 2 Corinthians 4 had opened, but in repeating the words he enters once again on the same line of thought, but under a different succession of imagery. The “outward man,” the material framework of the body, is undergoing a gradual process of decay, but the “inward man,” the higher spiritual life, ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-18**
The grace of faith is an effectual remedy against fainting in times of trouble. They knew that Christ was raised, and that his resurrection was an earnest and assurance of theirs. The hope of this resurrection will encourage in a suffering day, and set us above the fear of death. Also, their sufferings were for the advantage of the church, and to God's glory. The sufferings of...
Read full commentary →For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For our light affliction, which is but for a moment</strong> (<em>to gar parautika elaphron tēs thlipseōs hēmōn</em>, τὸ γὰρ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν)—after cataloging imprisonments, beatings, shipwrecks, and stonings (11:23-28), Paul calls it <em>elaphron</em> (ἐλαφρόν, 'light, easy, insignificant')! <em>Parautika</em> (παραυτίκα, 'momentary, transient') describes 70+ years of h...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **For our light affliction . . .**—More accurately, *the present lightness of our affliction.* This is at once more literally in accord with the Greek, and better sustains the balanced antithesis of the clauses.
**A far more exceeding . . .**—The Greek phrase is adverbial rather than adjectival: *worketh for us exceedingly, exceedingly.* After the Hebrew idiom of expressing intensity by the r...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 15
1Co 15:1-58. The Resurrection Proved against the Deniers of It at Corinth.
Christ's resurrection rests on the evidence of many eye-witnesses, including Paul himself, and is the great fact preached as the groundwork of the Gospel: they who deny the resurrection in general, must deny that of Christ, and the consequence of the latter will be, that Christian preaching and faith are vai...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-18**
The grace of faith is an effectual remedy against fainting in times of trouble. They knew that Christ was raised, and that his resurrection was an earnest and assurance of theirs. The hope of this resurrection will encourage in a suffering day, and set us above the fear of death. Also, their sufferings were for the advantage of the church, and to God's glory. The sufferings of...
Read full commentary →While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen</strong> (<em>mē skopountōn hēmōn ta blepomena alla ta mē blepomena</em>, μὴ σκοπούντων ἡμῶν τὰ βλεπόμενα ἀλλὰ τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα)—<em>skopeō</em> (σκοπέω, 'to look at, fix one's gaze upon, consider') differs from <em>blepō</em> (βλέπω, 'to see'). We don't focus on what's visible but on what's invisible. This...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **While we look not at the things which are seen.**—The “while we look” is, according to the Greek idiom, the condition of what had been stated in the preceding verse. The “look” is that of one who contemplates this or that as the end or goal for which he strives. The “things that are seen” are, of course, all the incidents and circumstances of the present life; the “things that are not seen”...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. ye are saved--**rather, "ye are being saved."
**if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you--**Able critics, Bengel and others, prefer connecting the words thus, "I declare unto you the Gospel (1Co 15:1) in what words I preached it unto you." Paul reminds them, or rather makes known to them, as if anew, not only the fact of the Gospel, but also with what words, and by what arguments, he p...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-18**
The grace of faith is an effectual remedy against fainting in times of trouble. They knew that Christ was raised, and that his resurrection was an earnest and assurance of theirs. The hope of this resurrection will encourage in a suffering day, and set us above the fear of death. Also, their sufferings were for the advantage of the church, and to God's glory. The sufferings of...
Read full commentary →