The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 39

retained in this matter their "inflated" sen- power of " binding " and " loosing," of timents of spurious independence; and this "forgiving" and "reta.ining," had only been m,ty, perhaps, have driven others into too given to the arstles representatively e.nd rigid an attitude of severity. collectively, an therefore to the Christian Ver. 7.-Contrari.wise; i.e. contrary to the Church (John x:s:. 23) in its corporaw line taken or to the view expressed by the cape.city. The Corinthian Church hod in severer portion of the community. Bather; this case decided to forgive, and St. Paul The word is omitted in A and B. To for- ratifies their decision. J!'or if I forgave give him. The word is used of the mutual any thing, to whom I forgave it, The attitude of gracious forbearance which reading here varies between ii, what, e.nd w, ought to exist among Christians(" Forgiving t-0 whom, which in dictation might be easily one another," Eph. iv. 32 ; Col. iii. 13), so confused. The order of the words also that they might be not only Christians, but varies. The best reading seems to be ex- as Gentiles ignorantly called them, Chres- pressed by the version, "For what I e.lso tians (" kind-hearted," Eph. iv. 32). And have pardoned, if I have pardoned· e.ny- oomfort; i.e. " strengthen,'' "encourage." thing (I have pe.rdoned it) for your sakes." The " him" is omitted in the Greek, with This represents the reading of N, A, B, C, the ea.me delicate, compassionate reticence F, G, etc., and is followed by the Revised which leads St. Panl to speak of this person Version. There seems to be here e.n inten- a.s " a man of such of a kind." In Gal. tione.l vagueness, e.nd •reference to· circum- vi. 11 St. Paul suddenly breaks off the stances of which we a.re not informed, oourse of his remarks to give similar advice which might, perhaps, have given room for in a tone of peculiar solemnity ; and in wounded feelings in any one Jess me.gne.ni- 2 These. iii. 15 he we.ms age.inst any l¾l:cess mous than St. Pe.ul. The line he took in in the severity which he enjoins in the this me.tter was to.ken for their se.kes-tbe.t previous :verse. Such a one. Like the is all he so.ye, he adopted it as the best indefinite "one" in I Cor. v. 5. In the relatively, whether it was absolutely the best Greek it is compassionately placed le.et in or not. In the person of Christ ; litere.lly, the clause. Should be swallowed up. The in the face of Christ; which seems to mean so.me metaphor, of being swallowed in an " in the presence of Christ," as though he abyss, occurs in 1 Cor. xv. 54. In l Pet. were looking on e.t what I did (comp. v. 8 it is so.id that Se.tan is ever striving to eh. i. 11; iii. 7, 13, 18: iv. 6). It may be •• swallow up" men. With overmuoh sorrow ; doubted whether the word prosiipon ever rather, 'IIJith the, or his, excessive grief. means "person" in the New Testament, Despair might drive the man to suicide, or except in e. eeconde.ry eenS'e. apostasy, or the wretchleseness of 11I1clea.n Ver. 11.-Lest Sa.tan sholild get an living. a.dve.nta.ge over n.s; litere.lly, lest we should Ver. 8.-To confirm your love toward him: be ove"eached by Satan, which would have literally, w ratify wwards him, love. been ·the ce.se if our severity had resulted Ver. 9.-P'or to this end also did I write. in the desperation of the offender, and not This is another reason which he gives for in his deliverance (comp. 1 Cor. v. 5). We the severe tone of his First Epistle. It was a.re not ignorant of his devices. So too in written (l)to a.void the necessity fore. painful Eph. vi. 11 we a.re tol'd of the "cre.fty wiles visit (ver. 3) ; (2) to show his special love of the devil." for them (ver. 4) ; and (3) to test their Vere. 12-17.-0utburst of thanksgiving obedience. The proof of you. Your proved f <>r the news brought by Titus. faithfulness (eh. viii, 2; ix. 13; xiii. 3; Ver. 12.-J!'urthermore, when I oa.me to Rom. v. 4); your capacity to stand e. test. Troa.s, " Furthermore " is too strong for Ver. 10.-To whom ye forgive any thing. the " but " of the original. Thero Is e.u In the original there is e. conjunction, e.ppe.rently abrupt tre.nsition, but the apostle "hut." It would, perhaps, be pressing it is only resuming the narrative which he too much to imply ~at their "forgiveness'' broko off e.t ver. 4 in order thnt he might showed that they had not accurately stood finish the topic of the painful circumstnnce the test of perfect obedience ; yet it is in which his First Epistle had originated. difficult to read the whole passage without 'l.'o Troas. Not "the 'l'roas." St. Paul hod suspecting that St. Paul, while by tempera- to do with the city, not with tho district. ment he leaned to the side of mercy, is 'l'he city (now EsT,i Stamboul), of which the here showing a spirit of generous self- nnme hnd been changed from Antiyonic, suppression in e.ccepting the course which Troas to Ale:iandria 'l.'roas, we.s at this time the Corinthians he.<l followed, although it ll flourishing colony (Colonia Juria ltalici), had, in some way or other, diverged from highly fe.voured by the Romane ns repre- his exact directions. To 'IIJhom, Obviously, senting e.nciont Troy, and therefore as being age.in, a purposely indefinite rnfcrcnce to the mythological crndle of thoir rnce. He the iucet!tuous pernon. I f'orgi ve also. The visited it on his being driven from Ephesus rn. 11. 1-17.J THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTI-IrANS. 30