A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

Bengel, Johann Albrecht, 1687-1752 • SECTION 409

2 Corinthians X. 8-12.

← Gnomon of the New Testament — Volume 3

severe manner convinced of it by ns. The Christian by his own feelings can measure his brother. — %adug, even as) The conde- scension of Paul, inasmuch as he merely demands an equal place with those, whom he had begotten by the Gospel ; for he him- self must previously have belonged to Christ, or been a Christian, by whom another was brought to belong to Christ. This was a cause [motive] for modesty [a modest feeling towards Paul] in the case of the Corinthians. — xa i jjfieTg, we also) A fact which such a man [one that trusts he belongs to Christ] will be able to realize by experience.

8. Tap, for) This word makes an emphatic addition to the previous enunciation [epitasis]. — xai nepufeorepov n, even somewhat more exceedingly [excellently]) for they were not only Christians, but apostles, etc. — e^ovtiag, of the power) ver. 6, xiii. 10. — 6 K vp/og, the Lord) Christ. — oux a/G^yvdiiffo/iai, I shall not be ashamed) It will not be mere flashes of lightning from a basin p I shall not shrink from exercising my authority.

9. ”lva /nil) I say this, lest , etc. — ag av) Apposite particles [as though I would]. — ht<po(3e?v vpag, terrify you) as if you were children, with vain terror.

10. ®v\6i) saith he [one], viz. he, who thus speaks : viz. he, who is mentioned at ver. 11. The concealed slanderer is in- tended, whom the Lord, or even Paul, by the Lord’s pointing him out, saw. There was such a slanderer also among the Galatians ; Gal. v. 10. — (3aps?ai, weighty) the antithesis is con- temptible.— iGyypai, powerful) the antithesis is weak. — ‘xapovala, his presence) This was an instance of the same truth embodied in the saying of the present day : One's presence diminishes one's fame. The Anthologium of the Greek Church for the 29 th day of June has a commemoration of Peter and Paul, with a representation of the form of both the apostles, and, so far as Paul is concerned, it agrees well enough with this passage. — u<sdivr\g, weak) occasioning no fear to the spectators.

11. Tw \6yuj, in word) In antithesis to r& epyu, in deed.

12. Ou yap roXfiupev, for we dare not) Paul very fully vindicates his apostolic authority, under which the Corinthians are also placed : and he refutes the false apostles who, [xi. 13, 14] assum-

1 A figurative expression for, a man must not be ashamed to assert his authority, if he wishes to make it of avail to correcting abuses. — Ed.

Public domain historical edition (1859); scan/OCR from Internet Archive.

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