2 Korintus 5:1--7:16

Living by Faith, Not by Sight

5:1 For we know that if our earthly house, the tent we live in, ¹  is dismantled, ²  we have a building from God, a house not built by human hands, that is eternal in the heavens. 5:2 For in this earthly house ³  we groan, because we desire to put on ⁴  our heavenly dwelling, 5:3 if indeed, after we have put on ⁵  our heavenly house, ⁶  we will not be found naked. 5:4 For we groan while we are in this tent, ⁷  since we are weighed down, ⁸  because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5:5 Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose ⁹  is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment. ¹⁰  5:6 Therefore we are always full of courage, and we know that as long as we are alive here on earth ¹¹  we are absent from the Lord – 5:7 for we live ¹²  by faith, not by sight. 5:8 Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away ¹³  from the body and at home with the Lord. 5:9 So then whether we are alive ¹⁴  or away, we make it our ambition to please him. ¹⁵  5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, ¹⁶  so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil. ¹⁷ 

The Message of Reconciliation

5:11 Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord, ¹⁸  we try to persuade ¹⁹  people, ²⁰  but we are well known ²¹  to God, and I hope we are well known to your consciences too. 5:12 We are not trying to commend ²²  ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, ²³  so that you may be able to answer those who take pride ²⁴  in outward appearance ²⁵  and not in what is in the heart. 5:13 For if we are out of our minds, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 5:14 For the love of Christ ²⁶  controls us, since we have concluded this, that Christ ²⁷  died for all; therefore all have died. 5:15 And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised. ²⁸  5:16 So then from now on we acknowledge ²⁹  no one from an outward human point of view. ³⁰  Even though we have known Christ from such a human point of view, ³¹  now we do not know him in that way any longer. 5:17 So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away ³²  – look, what is new ³³  has come! ³⁴  5:18 And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 5:19 In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them, and he has given us ³⁵  the message of reconciliation. 5:20 Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His plea ³⁶  through us. We plead with you ³⁷  on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God!” 5:21 God ³⁸  made the one who did not know sin ³⁹  to be sin for us, so that in him ⁴⁰  we would become the righteousness of God.

God’s Suffering Servants

6:1 Now because we are fellow workers, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain. ⁴¹  6:2 For he says, “I heard you at the acceptable time, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” ⁴²  Look, now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation! 6:3 We do not give anyone ⁴³  an occasion for taking an offense in anything, ⁴⁴  so that no fault may be found with our ministry. 6:4 But as God’s servants, ⁴⁵  we have commended ourselves in every way, ⁴⁶  with great endurance, in persecutions, ⁴⁷  in difficulties, in distresses, 6:5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, ⁴⁸  in troubles, ⁴⁹  in sleepless nights, in hunger, 6:6 by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by benevolence, by the Holy Spirit, ⁵⁰  by genuine ⁵¹  love, 6:7 by truthful ⁵²  teaching, ⁵³  by the power of God, with weapons of righteousness both for the right hand and for the left, ⁵⁴  6:8 through glory and dishonor, through slander and praise; regarded as impostors, ⁵⁵  and yet true; 6:9 as unknown, and yet well-known; as dying and yet – see! – we continue to live; as those who are scourged ⁵⁶  and yet not executed; 6:10 as sorrowful, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

6:11 We have spoken freely to you, ⁵⁷  Corinthians; our heart has been opened wide to you. 6:12 Our affection for you is not restricted, ⁵⁸  but you are restricted in your affections for us. 6:13 Now as a fair exchange – I speak as to my ⁵⁹  children – open wide your hearts to us ⁶⁰  also.

Unequal Partners

6:14 Do not become partners ⁶¹  with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness? 6:15 And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar? ⁶²  Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever? 6:16 And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are ⁶³  the temple of the living God, just as God said, “I will live in them ⁶⁴  and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” ⁶⁵  6:17 Therefore “come out from their midst, and be separate,” says the Lord, “and touch no unclean thing, ⁶⁶  and I will welcome ⁶⁷  you, ⁶⁸  6:18 and I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,” ⁶⁹  says the All-Powerful Lord. ⁷⁰ 

Self-Purification

7:1 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves ⁷¹  from everything that could defile the body ⁷²  and the spirit, and thus accomplish ⁷³  holiness out of reverence for God. ⁷⁴  7:2 Make room for us in your hearts; ⁷⁵  we have wronged no one, we have ruined no one, ⁷⁶  we have exploited no one. ⁷⁷  7:3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I told you before ⁷⁸  that you are in our hearts so that we die together and live together with you. ⁷⁹ 

A Letter That Caused Sadness

7:4 I have great confidence in you; I take great pride ⁸⁰  on your behalf. I am filled with encouragement; ⁸¹  I am overflowing with joy in the midst of ⁸²  all our suffering. 7:5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our body ⁸³  had no rest at all, but we were troubled in every way – struggles from the outside, fears from within. 7:6 But God, who encourages ⁸⁴  the downhearted, encouraged ⁸⁵  us by the arrival of Titus. 7:7 We were encouraged ⁸⁶  not only by his arrival, but also by the encouragement ⁸⁷  you gave ⁸⁸  him, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, ⁸⁹  your deep concern ⁹⁰  for me, so that I rejoiced more than ever. 7:8 For even if I made you sad ⁹¹  by my letter, ⁹²  I do not regret having written it ⁹³  (even though I did regret it, ⁹⁴  for ⁹⁵  I see that my letter made you sad, ⁹⁶  though only for a short time). 7:9 Now I rejoice, not because you were made sad, ⁹⁷  but because you were made sad to the point of repentance. For you were made sad as God intended, ⁹⁸  so that you were not harmed ⁹⁹  in any way by us. 7:10 For sadness as intended by God produces a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret, but worldly sadness brings about death. 7:11 For see what this very thing, this sadness ¹⁰⁰  as God intended, has produced in you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves, ¹⁰¹  what indignation, ¹⁰²  what alarm, what longing, what deep concern, ¹⁰³  what punishment! ¹⁰⁴  In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 7:12 So then, even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong, or on account of the one who was wronged, but to reveal to you your eagerness on our behalf ¹⁰⁵  before God. 7:13 Therefore we have been encouraged. And in addition to our own encouragement, we rejoiced even more at the joy of Titus, because all of you have refreshed his spirit. ¹⁰⁶  7:14 For if I have boasted to him about anything concerning you, I have not been embarrassed by you, ¹⁰⁷  but just as everything we said to you was true, ¹⁰⁸  so our boasting to Titus about you ¹⁰⁹  has proved true as well. 7:15 And his affection for you is much greater ¹¹⁰  when he remembers the obedience of you all, how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. 7:16 I rejoice because in everything I am fully confident in you.

[5:1]  ¹ sn The expression the tent we live in refers to “our earthly house, our body.” Paul uses the metaphor of the physical body as a house or tent, the residence of the immaterial part of a person.

[5:1]  ² tn Or “destroyed.”

[5:2]  ³ tn Or “dwelling place.”

[5:2]  ⁴ tn Or “to be clothed with.”

[5:3]  ⁵ tc ‡ Some mss read “taken off” (ἐκδυσάμενοι, ekdusamenoi) instead of “put on” (ἐνδυσάμενοι, endusamenoi). This alternative reading would change the emphasis of the verse from putting on “our heavenly house” to taking off “our earthly house” (see the following note regarding the specification of the referent). The difference between the two readings is one letter (ν or κ), either of which may be mistaken for the other especially when written in uncial script. ἐνδυσάμενοι enjoys strong support from the Alexandrian text (Ì⁴⁶ א B C 33 1739 1881), Byzantine witnesses, versions (lat sy co), and Clement of Alexandria. The Western text is the only texttype to differ: D*^,c reads ἐκδυσάμενοι, as does ar f^c Mcion Tert Spec; F and G read εκλ for εκδ which indirectly aligns them with D (and was surely due to confusion of letters in uncial script). Thus “put on” has the oldest and best external attestation by far. Internal evidence also favors this reading. At first glance, it may seem that “after we have put on our heavenly house we will not be found naked” is an obvious statement; the scribe of D may have thought so and changed the participle. But v. 3 seems parenthetical (so A. Plummer, Second Corinthians [ICC], 147), and the idea that “we do not want to be unclothed but clothed” is repeated in v. 4 with an explanatory “for.” This concept also shows up in v. 2 with the phrase “we desire to put on.” So the context can be construed to argue for “put on” as the original reading. B. M. Metzger argues against the reading of NA²⁷, stating that ἐκδυσάμενοι is “an early alteration to avoid apparent tautology” (TCGNT 511; so also Plummer, 148). In addition, the reading ἐνδυσάμενοι fits the Pauline pattern of equivalence between apodosis and protasis that is found often enough in his conditional clauses. Thus, “put on” has the mark of authenticity and should be considered original.

[5:3]  ⁶ tn Grk “it”; the referent (the “heavenly dwelling” of the previous verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:4]  ⁷ sn See the note in 5:1 on the phrase the tent we live in.

[5:4]  ⁸ tn Or “we are burdened.”

[5:5]  ⁹ tn Grk “for this very thing.”

[5:5]  ¹⁰ tn Or “first installment,” “pledge,” “deposit” (see the note on the phrase “down payment” in 1:22).

[5:6]  ¹¹ tn Grk “we know that being at home in the body”; an idiom for being alive (L&N 23.91).

[5:7]  ¹² tn Grk “we walk.”

[5:8]  ¹³ tn Or “be absent.”

[5:9]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “whether we are at home” [in the body]; an idiom for being alive (L&N 23.91).

[5:9]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “to be pleasing to him.”

[5:10]  ¹⁶ sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a common item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city. Use of the term in reference to Christ’s judgment would be familiar to Paul’s 1st century readers.

[5:10]  ¹⁷ tn Or “whether good or bad.”

[5:11]  ¹⁸ tn Or “because we know what it means to fear the Lord.”

[5:11]  ¹⁹ tn The present tense of πείθομεν (peiqomen) has been translated as a conative present.

[5:11]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ 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.”

[5:12]  ²² tn The present tense of συνιστάνομεν (sunistanomen) has been translated as a conative present.

[5:12]  ²³ tn Or “to boast about us.”

[5:12]  ²⁴ tn Or “who boast.”

[5:12]  ²⁵ tn Or “in what is seen.”

[5:14]  ²⁶ tn The phrase ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Χριστοῦ (Jh agaph tou Cristou, “the love of Christ”) could be translated as either objective genitive (“our love for Christ”) or subjective genitive (“Christ’s love for us”). Either is grammatically possible, but with the reference to Christ’s death for all in the following clauses, a subjective genitive (“Christ’s love for us”) is more likely.

[5:14]  ²⁷ tn Grk “one”; the referent (Christ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:15]  ²⁸ tn Or “but for him who died and was raised for them.”

[5:16]  ²⁹ tn Grk “we know.”

[5:16]  ³⁰ tn Grk “no one according to the flesh.”

[5:16]  ³¹ tn Grk “we have known Christ according to the flesh.”

[5:17]  ³² tn Grk “old things have passed away.”

[5:17]  ³³ tc Most mss have the words τὰ πάντα (ta panta, “all things”; cf. KJV “behold, all things are become new”), some after καίνα (kaina, “new”; D² K L P Ψ 104 326 945 2464 pm) and others before it (6 33 81 614 630 1241 1505 1881 pm). The reading without τὰ πάντα, however, has excellent support from both the Western and Alexandrian texttypes (Ì⁴⁶ א B C D* F G 048 0243 365 629 1175 1739 pc co), and the different word order of the phrase which includes it (“all things new” or “new all things”) in the ms tradition indicates its secondary character. This secondary addition may have taken place because of assimilation to τὰ δὲ πάντα (ta de panta, “and all [these] things”) that begins the following verse.

[5:17]  ³⁴ tn Grk “new things have come [about].”

[5:19]  ³⁵ tn Or “he has entrusted to us.”

[5:20]  ³⁶ tn Or “as though God were begging.”

[5:20]  ³⁷ tn Or “we beg you.”

[5:21]  ³⁸ tn Grk “He”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:21]  ³⁹ sn The one who did not know sin is a reference to Jesus Christ.

[5:21]  ⁴⁰ sn That is, “in Christ.”

[6:1]  ⁴¹ tn Or “receive the grace of God uselessly.”

[6:2]  ⁴² sn A quotation from Isa 49:8.

[6:3]  ⁴³ tn The word “anyone” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.

[6:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Other interpretations of the first part of 2 Cor 6:3 are possible. The phrase could also mean, “not putting an obstacle in the way of anyone” (L&N 22.14), or “giving no one in anything a cause to sin” (L&N 88.307).

[6:4]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “ministers.”

[6:4]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “we have commended ourselves by all things.”

[6:4]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “in trouble and suffering.”

[6:5]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “rebellions” (uprisings in open defiance of civil authority).

[6:5]  ⁴⁹ tn Usually κόποις (kopois) has been translated as “labors” or “hard work,” but see Matt 26:10 where it means “trouble”; “distress” (L&N 22.7). In this context with so many other terms denoting suffering and difficulty, such a meaning is preferable.

[6:6]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “by holiness of spirit.”

[6:6]  ⁵¹ tn Or “sincere.”

[6:7]  ⁵² tn Grk “by the word of truth”; understanding ἀληθείας (alhqeias) as an attributive genitive (“truthful word”).

[6:7]  ⁵³ tn Or “speech.” In this context it is more likely that λόγος (logos) refers to Paul’s message (thus “teaching”) than to his speech in general.

[6:7]  ⁵⁴ tn The phrase “for the right hand and for the left” possibly refers to a combination of an offensive weapon (a sword for the right hand) and a defensive weapon (a shield for the left).

[6:8]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “regarded as deceivers.”

[6:9]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “disciplined,” but in this context probably a reference to scourging prior to execution (yet the execution is not carried out).

[6:11]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “our mouth has been open to you,” an idiom for openness in communication.

[6:12]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “You are not restricted by us.”

[6:13]  ⁵⁹ tn The word “my” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[6:13]  ⁶⁰ tn The words “to us” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[6:14]  ⁶¹ tn Or “Do not be mismatched.”

[6:15]  ⁶² sn The Greek term Βελιάρ (Beliar) is a spelling variant for Βελιάλ (Belial, see Judg 20:13 LXX). It occurs only here in the NT. Beliar is a reference to Satan.

[6:16]  ⁶³ tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (Ì⁴⁶ א² C D² F G Ψ 0209 Ï lat sy Tert), read ὑμεῖς…ἐστε (Jumei"…este, “you are”) instead of ἡμεῖς…ἐσμεν (Jhmei"…esmen, “we are”) here, but several other early and important mss (א* B D* L P 0243 6 33 81 326 365 1175 1739 1881 2464 co Cl Or) have ἡμεῖς…ἐσμεν. The external evidence is somewhat in favor of the first person pronoun and verb; the internal evidence weighs in even stronger. In light of the parallel in 1 Cor 3:16, where Paul uses ἐστε (“you are the temple of God”), as well as the surrounding context here in which the second person verb or pronoun is used in vv. 14, 17, and 18, the second person reading seems obviously motivated. The first person reading can explain the rise of the other reading, but the reverse is not as easily done. Consequently, the first person reading of ἡμεῖς…ἐσμεν has all the credentials of authenticity.

[6:16]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “live among them,” “live with them.”

[6:16]  sn I will live in them. The OT text that lies behind this passage (Lev 26:11-12) speaks of God dwelling in the midst of his people. The Greek preposition en in the phrase en autoi" (“in them”) can also have that meaning (“among” or “with”). However, Paul appears to be extending the imagery here to involve God (as the Spirit) dwelling in his people, since he calls believers “the temple of the living God” in the previous clause, imagery he uses elsewhere in his writings (1 Cor 3:16; Eph 2:21-22).

[6:16]  ⁶⁵ sn A quotation from Lev 26:12; also similar to Jer 32:38; Ezek 37:27.

[6:17]  ⁶⁶ sn A quotation from Isa 52:11.

[6:17]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “will receive.”

[6:17]  ⁶⁸ sn A paraphrased quotation from Ezek 20:41.

[6:18]  ⁶⁹ sn A paraphrased quotation from 2 Sam 7:14 and Isa 43:6.

[6:18]  ⁷⁰ tn Traditionally, “the Lord Almighty.” BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…κύριος π. (oft. LXX) 2 Cor 6:18.”

[7:1]  ⁷¹ tn Or “purify ourselves.”

[7:1]  ⁷² tn Grk “from every defilement of the flesh.”

[7:1]  ⁷³ tn Grk “accomplishing.” The participle has been translated as a finite verb due to considerations of contemporary English style, and “thus” has been supplied to indicate that it represents a result of the previous cleansing.

[7:1]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “in the fear of God.”

[7:2]  ⁷⁵ tn The phrase “in your hearts” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[7:2]  ⁷⁶ tn “We have ruined no one” may refer to financial loss (“we have caused no one to suffer financial loss”) but it may also refer to the undermining of faith (“we have corrupted no one’s faith,”). Both options are mentioned in L&N 20.23.

[7:2]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “we have taken advantage of no one.”

[7:3]  ⁷⁸ sn See 2 Cor 1:4-7.

[7:3]  ⁷⁹ tn The words “with you” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[7:4]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “great is my boasting.”

[7:4]  ⁸¹ tn Or “comfort.”

[7:4]  ⁸² tn Grk “I am overflowing with joy in all our suffering”; the words “in the midst of” are not in the Greek text but are supplied to clarify that Paul is not rejoicing in the suffering itself, but in his relationship with the Corinthians in the midst of all his suffering.

[7:5]  ⁸³ tn Grk “our flesh.”

[7:6]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “comforts,” “consoles.”

[7:6]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “comforted,” “consoled.”

[7:7]  ⁸⁶ tn Because of the length and complexity of this Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the phrase “We were encouraged.”

[7:7]  ⁸⁷ tn Or “comfort,” “consolation.”

[7:7]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “by the encouragement with which he was encouraged by you.” The passive construction was translated as an active one in keeping with contemporary English style, and the repeated word “encouraged” was replaced in the translation by “gave” to avoid redundancy in the translation.

[7:7]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “your grieving,” “your deep sorrow.”

[7:7]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “your zeal.”

[7:8]  ⁹¹ tn Grk “if I grieved you.”

[7:8]  ⁹² sn My letter. Paul is referring to the “severe” letter mentioned in 2 Cor 2:4.

[7:8]  ⁹³ tn Grk “I do not regret”; direct objects in Greek must often be supplied from the context. Here one could simply supply “it,” but since Paul is referring to the effects of his previous letter, clarity is improved if “having written it” is supplied.

[7:8]  ⁹⁴ tn Grk “I did regret”; the direct object “it” must be supplied from the context.

[7:8]  ⁹⁵ tc A few important mss (Ì^46c B D* it sa) lack γάρ (gar, “for”), while the majority of witnesses have it (א C D¹ F G Ψ 0243 33 1739 1881 Ï sy bo). Even though Ì^46* omits γάρ, it has the same sense (viz., a subordinate clause) because it reads the participle βλέπων (blepwn, “seeing”; the Vulgate does the same). A decision is difficult because although the overwhelming external evidence is on the side of the conjunction, the lack of γάρ is a significantly harder reading, for the whole clause is something of an anacoluthon. Without the conjunction, the sentence reads more harshly. This would fit with Paul’s “vehemence of spirit” (A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament, 435) that is found especially in 2 Corinthians and Galatians. However, the mss that omit the conjunction are prone to such tendencies at times. In this instance, the conjunction should probably stand.

[7:8]  ⁹⁶ tn Grk “my letter grieved you.”

[7:9]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “were grieved” (so also twice later in the verse).

[7:9]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “corresponding to God,” that is, corresponding to God’s will (κατὰ θεόν, kata qeon). The same phrase occurs in vv. 10 and 11.

[7:9]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “so that you did not suffer loss.”

[7:11]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Grk “this very thing, to be grieved.”

[7:11]  ¹⁰¹ tn The words “of yourselves” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[7:11]  ¹⁰² sn What indignation refers to the Corinthians’ indignation at the offender.

[7:11]  ¹⁰³ tn Or “what zeal.”

[7:11]  ¹⁰⁴ sn That is, punishment for the offender.

[7:12]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Grk “but in order that your eagerness on our behalf might be revealed to you.”

[7:13]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Or “all of you have put his mind at ease.”

[7:14]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Grk “I have not been put to shame”; the words “by you” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[7:14]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “just as we spoke everything to you in truth.”

[7:14]  ¹⁰⁹ tn The words “about you” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[7:15]  ¹¹⁰ tn Or “is all the more.”