11,17. These words being omitted, the text stands, iv rfj liroa-- Ttto-et ravrr], in this covjidence, i. e. ashamed in relation to this confidence. Comp. Heb. 3, 14. 11, 1. Others take the word in the sense of 7iegotium^ " in this thing," which is not only unnecessary, but contrary to usage.
5. Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had no- tice before, that the same might be ready, as (a matter of) bounty, and not as (of) covetousness.
TJierefore^ i. e. in order to avoid the mortification of his boasting being proved vain. I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren^ (Titus and his companions,) that they would go before ; {-TrapaKaXecraL — tva, as in 8, 6, and often elsewhere, tVa is used after verbs signifying to ask, exhort, &c., in the sense of oTi.) Woidd go before, i. e. before Paul and his Macedoni- an companions. And make up beforehand, TrpoKaTaprtVcuo-t, a word not found in the Greek writers, and occurring in the New Testament only in this passage. The simj^le verb means, to put fully in order, to complete. This the brethren were to do in reference to the collection, before Paul's arrival. ITour bounty, tt]v €vXoytav vfjiCjv, your blessing. The word is used m the sense both of benediction and benefaction. The latter is clearly its meaning here, as perhaps also in Rom. 15, 29 ; see also Eph. 1, 3, and in the LXX. Gen. 33, 11. Judges 1, 15. 1 Sam. 25, 27, &c. So in English, a blessing is either a prayer for good, or the good itself. Whereof ye had notice before. Here the reading is doubtful. The common text has irpoKa- T-qyyeXfjievrjv, ayinounced beforehand. Not, however, as our translation has it, announced to you, but to others. The benefaction before spoken of, i. e. of which so much has been said. Almost all the critical editions read Trpoe-n-tp/yeXiJiivrjv, promised beforehand^ ' your promised benefaction,' And this gives a better sense, as the apostle was urging them to do what they had promised. Tliat the same might be ready as a matter of bounty ; oiUrws ws ^vXoyiav, so as a blesshig, i. e. as something worthy of the name. This may mean, ' worthy of the name because the fruit of love ; ' or, because given freely ; or, because rich, abundant. This last is to be preferred be- cause of the antithesis between evXoyia and TrXeoue^La, because