When I arrive, I will send whoever you approve with letters to carry your gracious gift to Jerusalem.
Parallel Translations
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When I arrive, I will send whoever you approve with letters to carry your gracious gift to Jerusalem.
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When I am come whosoever ye shall alowe by youre letters them will I sende to bringe youre liberalite vnto Ierusalem.
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And when I am come, whomsoeuer ye shall alowe by letters, them will I send to bring your liberalitie vnto Hierusalem.
Cross-references (6)
Passages linked to 1 Corinthians 16:3 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 2 Corinthians 8:4 begging us with much entreaty to receive this grace and the fellowship in the service to the saints.
- 2 Corinthians 8:6 So we urged Titus, that as he had made a beginning before, so he would also complete in you this grace.
- 2 Corinthians 8:18-24 We have sent together with him the brother whose praise in the Good News is known throughout all the assemblies. Not only so, but he was also appointed by the assemblies to travel with us in this grace, which is served by us to the glory of the Lord himself, and to show our readiness. We are avoiding this, that any man should blame us concerning this abundance which is administered by us. Having regard for honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. We have sent with them our brother, whom we have many times proved earnest in many things, but now much more earnest, by reason of the great confidence which he has in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for you. As for our brothers, they are the apostles of the assemblies, the glory of Christ. Therefore show the proof of your love to them before the assemblies, and of our boasting on your behalf.
- Acts 6:1-6 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, a complaint arose from the Hellenists against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily service. The twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not appropriate for us to forsake the word of God and serve tables. Therefore select from among you, brothers, seven men of good report, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word.” These words pleased the whole multitude. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch; whom they set before the apostles. When they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
- 1 Corinthians 4:19-21 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing. And I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For God’s Kingdom is not in word, but in power. What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
- 1 Corinthians 11:34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest your coming together be for judgment. The rest I will set in order whenever I come.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (14 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Which you shall give them to carry.
Which you shall give them to carry.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 3 And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve…
3 And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.
Ver. 3. Your liberality] Gr. your grace; that which having received of God’s free grace you do as freely part with to his poor people.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain The word here translated liberality, is the same which…
The word here translated liberality, is the same which signifieth grace; their charity is called by that name, either because it flowed from their free love towards their poor brethren, (though living at a great distance from them), or because their sense of the free love and grace of God to them, was that which moved them to that charitable act, 2Co 8:9.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And when I come,.... To Corinth, as he intended…
And when I come,.... To Corinth, as he intended very quickly:
whomsoever you shall approve by your letters; that is, such persons as this church should approve, and choose, and fix upon as proper persons to go with their collection; which approbation and choice they would signify by letters to the church, and principal men of it in Jerusalem, giving them a character as men of probity and faithfulness:
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them will I send. The Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions join the phrase, "by letters", to this clause; according to which reading the sense is, such as the church should choose for this service, the apostle would send with letters of commendation from him, to the elders and church at Jerusalem, recommending them as brethren in the Lord, and to be had in respect, and treated in a Christian manner by them; to which their being messengers from such a church, and having letters from so great an apostle; besides, the business they should come about would entitle them to, which was
to bring your liberality, or "grace",
unto Jerusalem; meaning the money collected for the poor saints there; which he calls grace, because it was owing to the goodness of God, that they were in a capacity to contribute to others, and to the grace of God that they had a heart to do it; and because it was in a free and gracious manner, and in the exercise of grace, of faith in Christ, and love to the saints, that they did it, and with a view to the glory of the grace of God, of which this was a fruit and evidence.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 3. Whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters]…
Verse 3. Whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters] Why should Paul require letters of approbation in behalf of certain persons, when he himself should be among them, and could have their characters viva voce? It is probable that he refers here to letters of recommendation which they had sent to him while he was away; and he now promises that when he should come to Corinth, he would appoint these persons, whom they had recommended, to carry the alms to Jerusalem. If δοκιμασητε, be read ye shall have approved, as Bishop Pearce does, the difficulty will vanish.
Some MSS. and several versions join διεπιστολων, by letters, to the following words, and read the verse thus: When I come, those whom ye shall approve I will send with letters to bring your liberality to Jerusalem. This seems most natural.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters - There…
Whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters - There has been great variety of opinion in regard to the proper construction of this verse. Macknight supposes that the “letters” here referred to were not letters either to or from the apostle, but letters signed and sent by the congregation at Corinth, designating their appointment and their authority. With this interpretation Doddridge coincides; and this is required by the usual pointing of the Greektext, where the comma is inserted after the word letters, as in our translation. But a different interpretation has been proposed by inserting the comma after the word “approve,” so that it shall read, “Whom you approve, or designate, them I will send with letters to convey your charity to Jerusalem.” This is followed by Griesbach, Locke, Rosenmuller, Bloomfield, Beza, Hammond, Grotius, Whitby, etc. Certainly this accords better with the design of the passage. For it is evident (see 1Co 16:4) that, though Paul was willing to go, yet he was not expecting to go. If he did not go, what was more natural than that he should offer to give them letters of commendation to his brethren in Judea? Mill has doubted whether this construction is in accordance with Greek usage, but the names above cited are sufficient authority on that subject. The proper construction, therefore, is, that Paul would give them letters to his friends in Jerusalem, and certify their appointment to dispense the charity, and commend the persons sent to the favor and hospitality of the church there. “Your liberality.” Margin, “Gift.” Your donation; your alms. The Greek word χάριν charin, usually signifies grace, or favor. Here it means an act of grace or favor; kindness; a favor conferred; benefaction: compare 2Co 8:4, 2Co 8:6-7, 2Co 8:19.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain approve by your letters--rather translate, "Whomsoever ye shall approve,…
approve by your letters--rather translate, "Whomsoever ye shall approve, them will I send with letters": namely, letters to several persons at Jerusalem, which would be their credentials. There could be no need of letters from them before Paul's coming, if the persons recommended were not to be sent off before it. Literally, "by letters"; an abbreviated expression for "I will send, recommending them by letters" [GROTIUS]. If English Version be retained, the sense will be, "When I come, I will send those whom by your letters, then to be given them, ye shall approve." But the antithesis (opposition or contrast) to Paul himself (Co1 16:4) favors GROTIUS' view. So "by" means with (Rom 2:27); and the Greek for "by" is translated, with (Co2 2:4).
liberality--literally, gracious or free gift (Co2 8:4).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 3. By your letters—The italic your is supplied by…
3. By your letters—The italic your is supplied by the translators, and, probably, incorrectly; for while the selection of the delegates was to be made by the Churches, the letters authenticating them to the Jerusalem Church were to be by Paul. Bloomfield says, this is the construction given by “all the ancient translators and commentators,” and by, perhaps, the best modern ones. The selection was properly to be made by the Churches, and Paul, with due delicacy, proposes this in advance as a guarantee against any selfishness on his own part. The names of the persons who really went are given in Act_20:4. Paul also went with them, as suggested in next verse. From these epistles commentators correctly infer that letter-writing was frequent, and that it is not at all probable that every letter of St. Paul is in the New Testament. He may have written a letter a week.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 3. whomsoever you shall approve by your letters] The…
3. whomsoever you shall approve by your letters] The word your is not in the original. The passage may be translated in two ways; (1) as in the text, which follows Tyndale and the Vulgate, and supposes that St Paul would, immediately on his arrival at Corinth, send to Jerusalem those who had been previously nominated by the Corinthian Church, or (2), with Wiclif (I schal sende hem bi epistlis) and Chrysostom, taking ‘by letters,’ with ‘I will send,’ and referring the words to the letters of commendation (Act_18:27; Rom_16:1; 2Co_3:1) St Paul intended to give to the bearers of the Corinthian relief fund. It is worthy of notice, (1) that while on matters of grave import St Paul gives authoritative directions to his converts, on matters of lesser consequence he prefers that they should govern themselves, and (2) that as Chrysostom remarks, St Paul is especially anxious not to take charge of the money himself, lest he should be charged with having devoted any of it to his own use. See ch. 1Co_9:18-19; 2Co_11:7-9; 2Co_12:16-18.
liberality] Literally, grace. “He studiously refrains from using the word alms.”—Estius.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (3) Whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters.—Better, whomsoever…
(3) Whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters.—Better, whomsoever ye shall approve, them will I send by letters to bring your gifts to Jerusalem. The Apostle had not made up his mind finally whether he would take the gift himself or send it by messengers, whom he would accredit with letters, to the Church at Jerusalem. He would probably be influenced by the amount collected, and by the urgency, or otherwise, of the needs of those at Jerusalem at the time. The Apostle was, in one sense, the humblest of men; but he valued highly the dignity of his apostolic office, and if but a very small sum were ready for the Church at Jerusalem, he would have felt it to be beneath the dignity of his office, though not of himself, to be the bearer of such an offering. The course finally adopted was that the Apostle went himself, and the selected brethren with him (Act_21:15).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will…
Whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send. It is difficult to see why the translators rendered the clause thus, unless they disliked to face the certainty that the apostle must have written many letters which are no longer extant. The true rendering is, Whomsoever ye approve, these I will send with letters. The letters would be letters of introduction or commendation (Act_18:27; Romans 2Co_3:1) to the apostles at Jerusalem. Your liberality; literally, your grace or favour; i.e. the token of your voluntary affection.
The relations of Gentile to Jewish Churches.
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Apart from the historical interest of this subject, which was one of the chief causes of anxiety to the apostle, it may be studied as illustrating for every age the principles on which older and younger Churches, richer and poorer Churches, can be brought into practical union and fellowship. Then the topic for consideration becomes this How can the idea of the Christian brotherhood be applied to Churches? As introductory it may be well to show, concerning the duty of brotherliness,
(1) its ground;
(2) its character;
(3) its examples;
(4) its natural forms of expression.
These may be treated in connection with the personal and individual relationships of life, and also in connection with the social and Church relationships. Then in practical detail, varying according to the sentiments and associations of the Christian bodies to which we may belong, we may consider
I BROTHERLINESS AS EXPRESSED TO EQUAL CHURCHES. In this case the brotherliness will take such forms as:
1. Fellowship in worship.
2. Mutual aid in enterprise and work.
3. Due watchfulness of each other"s honour and spiritual health.
4. Anxious repression of all jealousies of each other"s successes.
5. Manifestations of sympathy in times of Church depression or sorrow.
Among equal Churches there is little opportunity for the charity of material help.
II BROTHERLINESS EXPRESSED TO INFERIOR OR DEPENDENT CHURCHES. Besides those already dealt with, there should be these further expressions.
1. Careful conservation of the rights of the dependent Church.
2. Readiness to give material and moral help, as occasion demands.
3. Avoidance of superior airs or assumptions of authority.
4. Use of all opportunities that may be offered for the manifestation of sympathy.
While it is true that times of calamity find special occasions for brotherliness, it is also true that those in any way dependent on us would not have us wait for the trial times. True Christian brotherhood wants to find utterance for itself every day, and to fill all the ordinary associations of life with its helpful spirit. R.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 3. Whomsoever ye shall approve. The church should select…
3. Whomsoever ye shall approve. The church should select its own messengers, giving them letters as credentials. He lets the Corinthians choose the bearers of their own bounty.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain And when I arrive, whomsoever ye shall approve, them…
And when I arrive, whomsoever ye shall approve, them will I send with letters to carry your bounty unto Jerusalem :
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 whomever you approve
whomever you approve
Paul is telling the church to choose some of their own people to take their offering to Jerusalem. "whomever you choose" or "the people you appoint"
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I will send with letters
Possible meanings are 1) "I will send with letters that I will write" or 2) "I will send with letters that you will write."
translationWords
epistle
Jerusalem
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.