II. CORINTHIANS 9, 10. 223

ance, and he will do it. This verse is a declaration, and not a wish. Our translation, which makes it a prayer, is founded on the Elzevir, or common text, which reads xopyy^^^ai^ ttXtj-^v- vai, av^rjaat in the optative, instead of the futures x^PT/W^^^ TrXTjSvvel, av^o-et, which are supported by a great preponder- ance of authorities, and are adopted by Griesbach, Lachmann, Tischendorf, and by the great majority of editors. The sense expressed by the future forms is also better suited to the con- text. Paul's desire was to produce the conviction in the minds of the Corinthians, which he himself so strongly felt, that no man is the poorer for being liberal. The ground of this conviction was twofold ; the explicit promise of God, and his character and general mode of dealing with men. He that miiiistereth seed to the sower ; 6 i-Lxoprjyuiv, he whose preroga- tive and wont it is to supply seed to the sower. Such being the character and, so to speak, the office of God, Paul was sure he would supply the necessities of his giving people. The words koI aprov cl<; Ppihcriv our translators, after Calvin and others, connect with the following clause, and render /cat both. " Shall both minister bread for food, and multiply, &c." The obviously natural construction is with the preceding clause, * He that ministereth seed to the sower, and bread for eating.' (The word is ^pwcrt?, eating^ and not ^pa>/xa,/bo<:?.) This connec- tion is also in accordance with the passage in Is. 55, 10, which was evidently in the apostle's mind, and where the words are, " Seed to the sower, and bread to the eater." This bountiful God iciU give and increase your seed. Your seed means your resources, your wealth, that which you can scatter abroad in acts of beneficence, as a sower scatters seed. He who fur- nishes the husbandman seed for his harvest, will abundantly supply you with seed for your harvest. And increase the fruits of your righteousness. This is parallel with the pre- ceding clause, and means the same thing. ' The fruits of your righteousness,' are not the rewards of your righteousness, either here or hereafter. But ' your works of righteousness,' i. e. of beneficence ; the word StKatoo-vv-^ having the same sense here as in the preceding clause. As in v. 9, the words " his righteousness remaineth forever" mean that the righteous shall always have the means of being beneficent ; so here to increase " the fruits of your righteousness," means, ' will in- crease your means of doing good.' This sense the context demands, and the words, in their scriptural sense, readily ad- mit. The other interpretation, however, according to which 10*