2 Korintus 3:3

3:3 revealing ¹  that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, ²  written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets ³  but on tablets of human hearts.

2 Korintus 5:11

The Message of Reconciliation

5:11 Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord, ⁴  we try to persuade ⁵  people, ⁶  but we are well known ⁷  to God, and I hope we are well known to your consciences too.

[3:3]  ¹ tn Or “making plain.”

[3:3]  ² tn Grk “cared for by us,” an expression that could refer either to the writing or the delivery of the letter (BDAG 229 s.v. διακονέω 1). Since the following phrase refers to the writing of the letter, and since the previous verse speaks of this “letter” being “written on our [Paul’s and his companions’] hearts” it is more probable that the phrase “cared for by us” refers to the delivery of the letter (in the person of Paul and his companions).

[3:3]  ³ sn An allusion to Exod 24:12; 31:18; 34:1; Deut 9:10-11.

[5:11]  ⁴ tn Or “because we know what it means to fear the Lord.”

[5:11]  ⁵ tn The present tense of πείθομεν (peiqomen) has been translated as a conative present.

[5:11]  ⁶ tn Grk “men”; but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is generic here since clearly both men and women are in view (Paul did not attempt to win only men to the gospel he preached).

[5:11]  ⁷ tn Or “clearly evident.” BDAG 1048 s.v. φανερόω 2.b.β has “θεῷ πεφανερώμεθα we are well known to God 2 Cor 5:11a, cp. 11b; 11:6 v.l.”