For if I make you grieve, then who will make me glad but he who is made to grieve by me? And I wrote this very thing to you, so that, when I came, I wouldn’t have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy would be shared by all of you. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be made to grieve, but that you might know the love that I have so abundantly for you. But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow, not to me, but in part (that I not press too heavily) to you all. This punishment which was inflicted by the many is sufficient for such a one; so that on the contrary you should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his excessive sorrow. Therefore I beg you to confirm your love toward him. For to this end I also wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether you are obedient in all things. Now I also forgive whomever you forgive anything. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
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But I determined this for myself, that I would not come to you again in sorrow. For if I make you grieve, then who will make me glad but he who is made to grieve by me? And I wrote this very thing to you, so that, when I came, I wouldn’t have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy would be shared by all of you. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be made to grieve, but that you might know the love that I have so abundantly for you. But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow, not to me, but in part (that I not press too heavily) to you all. This punishment which was inflicted by the many is sufficient for such a one; so that on the contrary you should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his excessive sorrow. Therefore I beg you to confirm your love toward him. For to this end I also wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether you are obedient in all things. Now I also forgive whomever you forgive anything. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
Parallel Translations
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For if I make you grieve, then who will make me glad but he who is made to grieve by me?
And I wrote this very thing to you, so that, when I came, I wouldn’t have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy would be shared by all of you.
For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be made to grieve, but that you might know the love that I have so abundantly for you.
But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow, not to me, but in part (that I not press too heavily) to you all.
This punishment which was inflicted by the many is sufficient for such a one;
so that on the contrary you should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his excessive sorrow.
Therefore I beg you to confirm your love toward him.
For to this end I also wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether you are obedient in all things.
Now I also forgive whomever you forgive anything. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ,
that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
-
For yf I make you sorye who is it that shuld make me glad but the same which is made sory by me?
And I wrote this same pistle vnto you lest yf I came I shuld take hevynes of them of whom I ought to reioyce. Certaynly this confidence have I in you all that my ioye is the ioye of you all.
For in great affliccion and anguysshe of hert I wrote vnto you with many teares: not to make you sory but that ye myght perceave the love which I have most specially vnto you.
If eny man hath caused sorow the same hath not made me sory but partely: lest I shuld greve you all.
It is sufficient vnto the same man that he was rebuked of many. So that now contrary wyse ye ought to forgeve him and comforte him:
lest that same persone shuld be swalowed vp with over moche hevines.
Wherfore I exhorte you that love maye have stregth over him.
For this cause verely dyd I write that I myght knowe the profe of you whether ye shuld be obediet in all thinges.
To whom ye forgeve enythinge I forgeve also. And verely if I forgeve enythinge to whom I forgave it for youre sakes forgave I it in the roume of Christ
lest Satan shuld prevet vs. For his thoughtes are not vnknowen vnto vs.
Show all 3 translations
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For if I make you sorie, who is he then that shoulde make me glad, but ye same which is made sorie by me?
And I wrote this same thing vnto you, lest when I came, I should take heauines of them, of whom I ought to reioyce: this confidence haue I in you all, that my ioye is the ioye of you all.
For in great affliction, and anguish of heart I wrote vnto you with many teares: not that yee should be made sorie, but that ye might perceiue the loue which I haue, specially vnto you.
And if any hath caused sorowe, the same hath not made mee sorie, but partly (lest I should more charge him) you all.
It is sufficient vnto the same man, that hee was rebuked of many.
So that nowe contrariwise yee ought rather to forgiue him, and comfort him, lest the same shoulde bee swalowed vp with ouermuch heauinesse.
Wherefore, I pray you, that you woulde confirme your loue towards him.
For this cause also did I write, that I might knowe the proofe of you, whether yee would be obedient in all things.
To whome yee forgiue any thing, I forgiue also: for verely if I forgaue any thing, to whome I forgaue it, for your sakes forgaue I it in the sight of Christ,
Lest Satan should circumuent vs: for we are not ignorant of his enterprises.
Cross-references (94)
- 1 Peter 5:8 (v11) Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
- Ephesians 6:11-12 (v11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and…
- 2 Corinthians 11:3 (v11) But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is…
- Luke 22:31 (v11) The Lord said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have all of you, that he might sift you as wheat,
- 2 Corinthians 4:4 (v11) in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the…
Show all 89 cross-references
- Revelation 12:9-11 (v11) The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown…
- 2 Corinthians 11:14 (v11) And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.
- Matthew 4:10 (v11) Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’ ”
- 1 Corinthians 7:5 (v11) Don’t deprive one another, unless it is by consent for a season, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer, and may be together…
- 1 Chronicles 21:1-2 (v11) Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to take a census of Israel. David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, “Go, count…
- Job 2:3 (v11) Yahweh said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one…
- 2 Corinthians 7:12 (vv3–4) So although I wrote to you, I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, but that your earnest…
- Ephesians 4:32 (v7) And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
- Galatians 5:10 (vv3, 5) I have confidence toward you in the Lord that you will think no other way. But he who troubles you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.
- Proverbs 27:5-6 (v4) Better is open rebuke than hidden love. The wounds of a friend are faithful, although the kisses of an enemy are profuse.
- Zechariah 3:1-4 (v11) He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before Yahweh’s angel, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary. Yahweh said…
- John 13:2 (v11) During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,
- 2 Timothy 2:25 (v11) in gentleness correcting those who oppose him: perhaps God may give them repentance leading to a full knowledge of the truth,
- Revelation 2:24 (v11) But to you I say, to the rest who are in Thyatira, as many as don’t have this teaching, who don’t know what some call ‘the deep things of…
- Galatians 6:1-2 (vv7–8) Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to…
- Job 2:9 (v11) Then his wife said to him, “Do you still maintain your integrity? Renounce God, and die.”
- John 20:23 (v10) If you forgive anyone’s sins, they have been forgiven them. If you retain anyone’s sins, they have been retained.”
- Acts 1:25 (v11) to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.”
- 1 Corinthians 5:4-5 (v6) In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, you being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, are to deliver…
- 2 Corinthians 7:8 (vv2–3) For though I grieved you with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it. For I see that my letter made you grieve, though just…
- Job 1:11 (v11) But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will renounce you to your face.”
- Colossians 3:13 (v7) bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.
- Revelation 13:8 (v11) All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life…
- Philemon 1:21 (vv3, 9) Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even beyond what I say.
- Leviticus 19:17-18 (v4) “ ‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. “ ‘You shall not…
- Job 2:5 (v11) But stretch out your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce you to your face.”
- 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 (v5) For what do I have to do with also judging those who are outside? Don’t you judge those who are within? But those who are outside, God…
- 2 Corinthians 5:20 (v10) We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
- 2 Corinthians 8:22 (v3) 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…
- 2 Corinthians 10:6 (v9) and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience when your obedience is made full.
- 1 Timothy 5:20 (v6) Those who sin, reprove in the sight of all, that the rest also may be in fear.
- Proverbs 17:22 (v7) A cheerful heart makes good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
- Isaiah 28:7 (v7) They also reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink. The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink. They are swallowed up by wine.…
- Matthew 18:18 (v10) Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will…
- Luke 19:41-44 (v4) When he came near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had known today the things which belong to your peace! But…
- 1 Corinthians 5:4 (v10) In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, you being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
- 2 Thessalonians 3:4 (v3) We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you both do and will do the things we command.
- Jude 1:22-23 (v8) On some have compassion, making a distinction, and some save, snatching them out of the fire with fear, hating even the clothing stained by…
- 2 Samuel 20:19-20 (v7) I am among those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up…
- Psalms 21:9 (v7) You will make them as a fiery furnace in the time of your anger. Yahweh will swallow them up in his wrath. The fire shall devour them.
- Psalms 119:136 (v4) Streams of tears run down my eyes, because they don’t observe your law.
- Psalms 124:3 (v7) then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us;
- Proverbs 1:12 (v7) Let’s swallow them up alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down into the pit.
- 1 Corinthians 15:54 (v7) But when this perishable body will have become imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will…
- 2 Corinthians 5:4 (v7) For indeed we who are in this tent do groan, being burdened, not that we desire to be unclothed, but that we desire to be clothed, that…
- 2 Corinthians 7:8-9 (v4) For though I grieved you with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it. For I see that my letter made you grieve, though just…
- 2 Corinthians 7:10 (v7) For godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation, which brings no regret. But the sorrow of the world produces death.
- 2 Corinthians 7:11 (v6) For behold, this same thing, that you were grieved in a godly way, what earnest care it worked in you. Yes, what defense, indignation,…
- 2 Corinthians 7:12-15 (v9) So although I wrote to you, I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, but that your earnest…
- 2 Corinthians 11:2 (v4) For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. For I married you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 13:10 (v6) For this cause I write these things while absent, that I may not deal sharply when present, according to the authority which the Lord gave…
- Galatians 5:13 (v8) For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don’t use your freedom for gain to the flesh, but through love be servants to one another.
- Galatians 6:10 (v8) So then, as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith.
- Philippians 2:22 (v9) But you know the proof of him, that as a child serves a father, so he served with me in furtherance of the Good News.
- Philippians 2:27 (v7) For indeed he was sick, nearly to death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow on…
- Philippians 3:18 (v4) For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, as the enemies of the cross of Christ,
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13 (v7) But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have…
- 2 Thessalonians 3:6 (v7) Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother who walks in rebellion,…
- 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 (v7) If any man doesn’t obey our word in this letter, note that man, that you have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed. Don’t…
- Exodus 16:4 (v9) Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from the sky for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every…
- Deuteronomy 8:2 (v9) You shall remember all the way which Yahweh your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, to test…
- Deuteronomy 8:16 (v9) who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers didn’t know, that he might humble you, and that he might prove you, to do you…
- Deuteronomy 13:3 (v9) you shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of dreams; for Yahweh your God is testing you, to know whether you…
- Psalms 56:1-2 (v7) Be merciful to me, God, for man wants to swallow me up. All day long, he attacks and oppresses me. My enemies want to swallow me up all day…
- Psalms 57:3 (v7) He will send from heaven, and save me, he rebukes the one who is pursuing me. God will send out his loving kindness and his truth.
- Proverbs 17:25 (v5) A foolish son brings grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him.
- Jeremiah 13:15-17 (v4) Hear, and give ear. Don’t be proud, for Yahweh has spoken. Give glory to Yahweh your God, before he causes darkness, and before your feet…
- Romans 9:2-3 (v4) that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers’ sake, my…
- Romans 12:15 (v2) Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.
- 1 Corinthians 4:21–5:13 (v3) What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness? It is actually reported that there is sexual…
- 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 (v5) It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles, that…
- 1 Corinthians 12:26 (v2) When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. When one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
- 2 Corinthians 1:14 (v2) as also you acknowledged us in part, that we are your boasting, even as you also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus.
- 2 Corinthians 1:15 (v3) In this confidence, I was determined to come first to you, that you might have a second benefit,
- 2 Corinthians 7:6 (v3) Nevertheless, he who comforts the lowly, God, comforted us by the coming of Titus,
- 2 Corinthians 8:24 (v9) Therefore show the proof of your love to them before the assemblies, and of our boasting on your behalf.
- 2 Corinthians 12:11 (v3) I have become foolish in boasting. You compelled me, for I ought to have been commended by you, for I am in no way inferior to the very…
- 2 Corinthians 12:15 (v4) I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more abundantly, am I loved the less?
- 2 Corinthians 12:21–13:2 (v3) that again when I come my God would humble me before you, and I would mourn for many of those who have sinned before now, and not repented…
- Galatians 4:12 (v5) I beg you, brothers, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong,
- Philippians 2:12 (v9) So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation…
- 2 Thessalonians 3:14 (v9) If any man doesn’t obey our word in this letter, note that man, that you have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed.
- Hebrews 12:12-15 (v7) Therefore lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so what is lame may not be…
- 2 Corinthians 11:29 (v2) Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is caused to stumble, and I don’t burn with indignation?
89 distinct cross-references across this passage (94 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (24 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 2. For if I make you sorry Here we…
2. For if I make you sorry Here we have the proof of the foregoing statement. No one willingly occasions sorrow to himself. Now Paul says, that he has such a fellow-feeling with the Corinthians, that he cannot feel joyful, unless he sees them happy. Nay more, he declares that they were the source and the authors of his joy — which they could not be, if they were themselves sorrowful. If this disposition prevail in pastors, it will be the best restraint, to keep them back from alarming with terrors those minds, which they ought rather to have encouraged by means of a cheerful affability. For from this arises an excessively morose harshness — so that we do not rejoice in the welfare of the Church, as were becoming.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11 For I trusted that you would take that out…
For I trusted that you would take that out of the way forewith, which you knew I was discontented with, considering how you are persuaded that my joy is your joy.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv2–11 2 For if I make you sorry, who is…
2 For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?
Ver. 2. But the same which is made, &c.] Nothing can cure a faithful minister of his cordolium, of his heart’s grief, but his people’s amendment. "Now we live if ye stand fast in the Lord," 1Th 3:8, else we are all amort, {a} and you kill the very hearts of us.
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{a} In the state or act of death; lifeless, inanimate; fig. spiritless, dejected. ŒD
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 On vv2–11 When I am there, I have no refreshment or…
When I am there, I have no refreshment or joy in that part of the citizens who are pagans, all my joy is in that part which are Christians, and constitute the church of God in that city: so as I could have had no pleasure or joy in my being there, if I had had nothing but occasion of sadness and heaviness from you, in whom was all my expectation of any joy or refreshing.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 As if the apostle had said, I gave you…
As if the apostle had said, I gave you a sharp reproof in my former epistle, but it was in much love, and upon a good design; namely, to procure such a reformation of life and manners among you, as might prevent my sorrow when I came unto you; for as your grief is my grief, so my joy is the joy of you all. As the ministers of Christ and their beloved people are one; they rejoice together, and mourn together; their griefs and sorrows are mutual, and their joys and comforts are reciprocal.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v5 In these verses the apostle treats concerning the incestuous…
In these verses the apostle treats concerning the incestuous person who had been excommunicated, which seems to be one principal cause of his writing this epistle. Here observe, 1. He tells them that the crime of that person had grieved him in part; and that he was grieved also with a part of them, who, notwithstanding this scandal had been found among them, were puffed up and had not mourned, Co1 5:2. However, he was unwilling to lay too heavy a charge upon the whole church, especially seeing they had cleared themselves in that matter by observing the directions he had formerly given them. 2. He tells them that the punishment which had been inflicted upon this offender was sufficient, Co2 2:6. The desired effect was obtained, for the man was humbled, and they had shown the proof of their obedience to his directions. 3. He therefore directs them, with all speed, to restore the excommunicated person, or to receive him again to their communion, Co2 2:7, Co2 2:8. This is expressed several ways. He beseeches them to forgive him, that is, to release him from church-censures, for they could not remit the guilt or offence against God; and also to comfort him, for in many cases the comfort of penitents depends upon their reconciliation not only with God, but with men also, whom they have scandalized or injured. They must also confirm their love to him; that is, they should show that their reproofs and censures proceeded from love to his person, as well as hatred to his sin, and that their design was to reform, not to ruin him. Or thus: If his fall had weakened their love to him, that they could not take such satisfaction in him as formerly; yet, now that he was recovered by repentance, they must renew and confirm their love to him. 4. He uses several weighty arguments to persuade them to do thus, as, (1.) The case of the penitent called for this; for he was in danger of being swallowed up with over-much sorrow, Co2 2:7. He was so sensible of this fault, and so much afflicted under his punishment, that he was in danger of falling into despair. When sorrow is excessive it does hurt; and even sorrow for sin is too great when it unfits for other duties, and drives men to despair. (2.) They had shown obedience to his directions in passing a censure upon the offender and now he would have them comply with his desire to restore him, Co2 2:9. (3.) He mentions his readiness to forgive this penitent, and concur with them in this matter. "To whom you forgive I forgive also, Co2 2:10. I will readily concur with you in forgiving him." And this he would do for their sakes, for love to them and for their advantage; and for Christ's sake, or in his name, as his apostle, and in conformity to his doctrine and example, which are so full of kindness and tender mercy towards all those who truly repent. (4.) He gives another weighty reason (Co2 2:11): Lest Satan get an advantage against us. Not only was there danger lest Satan should get an advantage against the penitent, by driving him to despair; but against the churches also, and the apostles or ministers of Christ, by representing them as too rigid and severe, and so frightening people from coming among them. In this, as in other things, wisdom is profitable to direct, so to manage according as the case may be that the ministry may not be blamed, for indulging sin on the one hand, or for too great severity towards sinners on the other hand. Note, Satan is a subtle enemy, and uses many stratagems to deceive us; and we should not be ignorant of his devices: he is also a watchful adversary, ready to take all advantages against us, and we should be very cautious lest we give him any occasion so to do.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv2–11 For if I make you sorry,.... That is, should…
For if I make you sorry,.... That is, should he come among them, and be the means of fresh grief and sorrow:
who is he then that maketh me glad? such was his love and affection for them, and sympathy with them, that should they be grieved, he should grieve also; they were the only persons he could take any delight in at Corinth; wherefore should they be in heaviness, he would be so too, and then what pleasure would he have in being among them? since not a man of them would be in a condition and capacity to make him cheerful:
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but the same which is made sorry by me. The Ethiopic version without any authority reads this clause, "except he whom I have made glad"; but the apostle is to be understood either of some particular man, the incestuous person, who had been made sorry, by that awful punishment of being delivered up to Satan, inflicted on him; or else the singular number being put for the plural collectively, is to be understood of all the members of the church at Corinth, who had been greatly grieved by the sharp reproofs he had given them; and therefore unless this trouble was removed, he could not expect to have much comfort and pleasure with them.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11 For if I grieve you, who is he that…
For if I grieve you, who is he that cheereth me, but he that is grieved by me - That is, I cannot be comforted myself till his grief is removed.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv2–11 Verse 2. For if I make you sorry] Should…
Verse 2. For if I make you sorry] Should he have come and used his apostolical authority, in inflicting punishment upon the transgressors, this would have been a common cause of distress. And though he might expect that the sound part of the Church would be a cause of consolation to him, yet as all would be overwhelmed with trouble at the punishment of the transgressors, he could not rejoice to see those whom he loved in distress.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv4, 6 2Co 2:4-5. For out of much affliction and anguish…
2Co 2:4-5. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart — The word συνοχης, here rendered anguish, “denotes the pain which a person feels, who is pressed on every side, without any possibility of disengaging himself, Luk 21:25. I wrote unto you with many tears — So it seems he frequently did: see Php 3:18. Not so much that ye should be grieved — I did not design, in writing, to cause you to grieve more than was necessary in order to your repentance and reformation; but that ye might know — By one of the most genuine tokens which it was possible for me to give, namely, by my faithful admonitions and reproofs, my abundant love toward you. But if any — Or if a certain person, have caused grief — To me and others; he hath not grieved me but in part — Who still rejoice over the greater part of you. That I may not overcharge you all — That I may not lay a load of accusation on you all indiscriminately, as having encouraged him in his crime, or having taken part with such an offender in afflicting me. In this and the following verses, the apostle gave a remarkable proof of that love which, in 2Co 2:4, he had expressed toward the Corinthians. 1st, Making a distinction between the guilty and the innocent; 2d, Forgiving the incestuous person, who, it appears, had repented of his crimes; 2Co 2:6; and, 3d, Ordering the church likewise to forgive him, and confirm their love to him, that he might not be swallowed up by excessive grief.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv2–11 For if I make you sorry - “If when…
For if I make you sorry - “If when I should come among you, I should be called on to inflict sorrow by punishing your offending brethren by an act of severe discipline as soon as I came, who would there be to give me comfort but those very persons whom I had affected with grief? How little prepared would they be to make me happy, and to comfort me, amidst the deep sorrow which I should have caused by an act of severe discipline. After such an act - an act that would spread sorrow through the whole church, how could I expect that comfort which I should desire to find among you. The whole church would be affected with grief; and though I might be sustained by the sound part of the church, yet my visit would be attended with painful circumstances. I resolved, therefore, to remove all cause of difficulty, if possible, before I came, that my visit might be pleasant to us all.” The idea is, that there was such a sympathy between him and them; that he was so attached to them, that he could not expect to be happy unless they were happy; that though he might be conscious he was only discharging a duty, and that God would sustain him in it, yet that it would mar the pleasure of his visit, and destroy all his anticipated happiness by the general grief.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 Who is he that should make me glad? &c.…
Who is he that should make me glad? &c. The sense is to be gathered from the circumstances. He speaks of the Corinthian guilty of incest, whom he brought to sorrow and repentance, by excommunicating him in his former epistle, and now St. Paul rejoiceth at his conversion. (Witham) --- The meaning of the apostle is, that if I had come to you in order to make you sorrowful, what pleasure could I have derived from your grief, since you are the only persons who can afford me any, the least comfort? What motives could have influenced me to undertake so disagreeable a mission? This is more fully explained in the following verse, which shows this to be the reason why he had written to them. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv2–11 For--proof that he shrinks from causing them sorrow ("heaviness").
For--proof that he shrinks from causing them sorrow ("heaviness").
if I--The "I" is emphatic. Some detractor may say that this (Co2 2:1) is not my reason for not coming as I proposed; since I showed no scruple in causing "heaviness," or sorrow, in my Epistle (the first Epistle to the Corinthians). But I answer, If I be the one to cause you sorrow, it is not that I have any pleasure in doing so. Nay, my object was that he "who was made sorry by me" (namely, the Corinthians in general, Co2 2:3; but with tacit reference to the incestuous person in particular) should repent, and so "make me glad," as has actually taken place; "for . . . who is he then that?" &c.
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 On vv2–11 2. If, by a severe visitation, I make you…
2. If, by a severe visitation, I make you sorry, what other consoler than you shall I find for my own sorrows? I need an overflowing gladness in your heart to pour gladness into mine. But for you, and such as you, I am alone in a hostile world. Joyous Christian sympathy is my sole human life; how, then, can I dry up its sources by saddening such as you?
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 On vv2–11 2. For if I make you sorry] So all…
2. For if I make you sorry] So all the principal English translators. But the rendering gives a false impression to a modern ear. The best equivalent in modern English is ‘if I pain you.’ The idea of sorrow for the sin does not appear to have been introduced as yet. The ‘I’ in this passage is emphatic; ‘if I, whose sole delight is to see you happy, inflict pain, it is with the object of bringing about happiness in the end.’ The connection of this verse with the preceding implied in the word ‘for’ seems to be as follows: “I wrote to cause pain, it is true, but it was in order that such pain should be removed before I came.” Cf. ch. 2Co_7:8.
who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?] The apparent selfishness of this passage, in which St Paul appears to think that the grief he has caused is amply compensated for by the pleasure he receives from that grief, is explained by the words in the next verse, ‘having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.’ See note there. The meaning would seem to be that St Paul wished not to come to Corinth in sorrow, but in joy, and that this end was attained by the result of the rebukes of his Epistle, which produced pain, and pain reformation, and reformation a pure and heavenly joy on the part of all, of St Paul, of the Corinthian community, and of the offender himself, conditions obviously the most favourable to an Apostolic visit. Cf. ch. 2Co_7:11-12, where the same idea is more fully expressed.
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 On vv2–11 (2) Who is he then that maketh me glad?—The…
(2) Who is he then that maketh me glad?—The force of the “for,” with which the verse opens, lies below the surface. He had wished to avoid a visit that would cause sorrow to himself and others, and events had shown that he was right. But it might be said, perhaps had been said, that he didn’t seem to care about giving pain when he wrote, as, e.g., in 1Co_4:18; 1Co_5:2-7; 1Co_6:5-8. “Yes,” is his answer; “but then the pain which I inflict” (the pronoun is emphatic) “gives to him who suffers it the power of giving me joy, and so works out an ample compensation;” a thought to which he returns in 2Co_7:8. The abruptness of the question and the use of the singular number shows that he has the one great offender, the incestuous adulterer of 1Co_5:1, before his mind’s eye. He sees him, as it were, and can point to him as showing how well the course he had taken had answered.
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 On vv2–11 For if I make you sorry. The verse may…
For if I make you sorry. The verse may be rendered. "For if I pain you, who then is it that gladdens me except he who is being pained by me?" The I" being expressed in the original, is emphatic, and the verse has none of the strange selfish meaning which has been assigned to it, namely, that St. Paul thought "the grief which he had caused to be amply compensated for by the pleasure he received from that grief." It has the much simpler meaning that he was unwilling to pain those who gladdened him, and therefore would not pay them a visit which could only be painful on both sides, when the normal relation between them should be one of joy on both sides, as he has already said. (2Co_1:24) The singular, "he who is being pained by me," does not refer to the offender, but to the Corinthians collectively. Who is he then, etc.? The "then" in the original is classically and elegantly expressed by kai, and. (comp. Jam_2:4)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv2, 5, 11 For if I make you sorry, who is he…
2Co_2:2
For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?
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Gladness for sadness
I. Self-improvement is preceded by dissatisfaction with self. This is true of all self-improvement. We find it so in education. And other things being equal, that child will learn most rapidly who is most sorry when it cannot master its task. The same statement applies to improvement in mechanical skill and in so-called ornate accomplishments. Certainly there is desire to excel, but that implies dissatisfaction with present attainments. The principle is equally applicable in the moral and spiritual sphere. In this sphere there can be no upward progress without repentance. Search for a new master in this realm presupposes dissatisfaction with the old. There is a discontent that is praiseworthy. A passing reference to the other side of the same truth will more clearly show this principle. Arid the other side is--He rarely makes any advancement who is opinionated, self-satisfied. Men have to be roused out of their contentment.
II. The sorrow of the pupil is the gladness of the teacher--provided, of course, that the sorrow of the scholar be in connection with the teachers special function. Failure, through waywardness to do right, always brings sorrow to the partially educated child. But as often as the child manifests sorrow at its failure, just as often is its mother made glad. And the highest gladness which the Christian teacher knows comes not through him who passes an eulogium upon his sermons, but from him whom the sermons have made sorry on account of sin. (J. S. Swan.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Expositor's Bible 1887 · Public Domain On v5 Chapter 6
Chapter 6
CHURCH DISCIPLINE.- 2Co_2:5-11 (R.V)
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IN verses 5-11 {2Co_2:5-11} of this Epistle, St. Paul said a great deal about sorrow, the sorrow he felt on the one hand, and the sorrow he was reluctant to cause the Corinthians on the other. In this passage reference is evidently made to the person who was ultimately responsible for all this trouble. If much in it is indefinite to us, and only leaves a doubtful impression, it was clear enough for those to whom it was originally addressed; and that very indefiniteness has its lesson. There are some things to which it is sufficient, and more than sufficient, to allude; least said is best said. And even when plain-speaking has been indispensable, a stage arrives at which there is no more to be gained by it; if the subject must be referred to, the utmost generality of reference is best. Here the Apostle discusses the case of a person who had done something extremely bad; but with the sinners repentance assured, it is both characteristic and worthy of him that neither here nor in 2Co_7:1-16. does he mention the name either of offender or offence. It is perhaps too much to expect students of his writings, who wish to trace out in detail all the events of his life, and to give-the utmost possible definiteness to all its situations, to be content with this obscurity; but students of his spirit-Christian people reading the Bible for practical profit-do not need to perplex them, selves as to this penitent mans identity. He may have been the person mentioned in 1Co_5:1-13. who had married his step-mother; he may have been some one who had been guilty of a personal insult to the Apostle: the main point is that he was a sinner whom the discipline of the Church had saved.
The Apostle had been expressing himself about his sorrow with great vehemence, and he is careful in his very first words to make it plain that the offence which had caused such sorrow was no personal matter. It concerned the Church as well as him. "If any one hath caused sorrow, he hath not caused sorrow to me, but in part to you all." To say more than this would he to exaggerate (έπιβαρεῖν). The Church, in point of fact, had not been moved either as universally or as profoundly as it should have been by the offence of this wicked man. The penalty imposed upon him, whatever it may have been, had not been imposed by an unanimous vote, but only by a majority; there were some who sympathized with him, and would have been less severe. Still, it had brought conviction of his sin to the offender; he could not brazen it out against such consenting condemnation as there was; he was overwhelmed with penitential grief. This is why the Apostle says, "Sufficient to such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the majority." It has served the purpose of all disciplinary treatment; and having done so, must now be superseded by an opposite line of action. "Contrariwise ye should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his overmuch sorrow." In St. Pauls sentence "such a one" comes last, with the emphasis of compassion upon it. He had been "such a one," to begin with, as it was a pain and a shame even to think about; he is "such a one," now, as the angels in heaven are rejoicing over; "such a one" as the Apostle, having the spirit of Him who received sinners, regards with pro-roundest pity and yearning; "such a one" as the Church ought to meet with pardoning and restoring love, lest grief sink into despair, and the sinner cut himself off from hope. To prevent such a deplorable result, the Corinthians are by some formal action {κυρωσαι: cf. Gal_3:15} to forgive him, and receive him again as a brother; and in their forgiveness and welcome he is to find the pledge of the great love of God.
This whole passage is of interest from the light which it throws upon the discipline of the Church; or, to use less technical and more correct language, the Christian treatment of the erring.
It shows us, for one thing, the aim of all discipline: it is, in the last resort, the restoration of the fallen. The Church has, of course, an interest of its own to guard; it is bound to protest against all that is inconsistent with its character; it is bound to expel scandals. But the Churchs protest, its condemnation, its excommunication even, are not ends in themselves; they are means to that which is really an end in itself, a priceless good which justifies every extreme of moral severity, the winning again of the sinner through repentance. The judgment of the Church is the instrument of Gods love, and the moment it is accepted in the sinful soul it begins to work as a redemptive force. The humiliation it inflicts is that which God exalts; the sorrow, that which He comforts. But when a scandal comes to light in a Christian congregation when one of its members is discovered in a fault gross, palpable, and offensive-what is the significance of that movement of feeling which inevitably takes place? In how many has it the character of goodness and of severity, of condemnation and of compassion, of love and fear, of pity and shame, the only character that has any virtue in it to tell for the sinners recovery? If you ask nine people out of ten what a scandal is, they will tell you it is something which makes talk; and the talk in nine cases out of ten will be malignant, affected, more interesting to the talkers than any story of virtue or piety-scandal itself, in short, far more truly than its theme. Does anybody imagine that gossip is one of the forces that waken conscience, and work for the redemption of our fallen brethren? If this is all we can do, in the name of all that is Christian let us keep silence. Every word spoken about a brothers sin, that is not prompted by a Christian conscience, that does not vibrate with the love of a Christian heart, is itself a sin against the mercy and the judgment of Christ.
We see here not only the end of Church discipline, but the force of which it disposes for the attainment of its end. That force is neither more nor less than the conscience of the Christian people who constitute the Church: discipline is, in principle, the reaction of that force against all immorality. In special cases, forms may be necessary for its exercise, and in the forms in which it is exercised variations may be found expedient, according to time, place, or degree of moral progress; the congregation as a body, or a representative committee of it, or its ordained ministers, may be its most suitable executors; but that on which all alike have to depend for making their proceedings effective to any Christian intent is the vigor of Christian conscience, and the intensity of Christian love, in the community as a whole. Where these are wanting, or exist only in an insignificant degree, disciplinary proceedings are reduced to a mere form; they are legal, not evangelical; and to be legal in such matters is not Only hypocritical, but insolent. Instead of rendering a real Christian service to offenders, which by awakening conscience will lead to penitence and restoration, discipline under such conditions is equally cruel and unjust.
It is plain also, from the nature of the force which it employs, that discipline is a function of the Church which is in incessant exercise, and is not called into action only on special occasions. To limit it to what are technically known as cases of discipline-the formal treatment of offenders by a Church court, or by any person or persons acting in an official character is to ignore its real nature, and to give its exercise in these cases a significance to which it has no claim. The offences against the Christian standard which can be legally impeached even in Church courts are not one in ten thousand of those against which the Christian conscience ought energetically to protest; and it is the vigor with which the ceaseless reaction against evil in every shape is instinctively maintained which measures the effectiveness of all formal proceedings, and makes them means of grace to the guilty. The officials of a Church may deal in their official place with offences against soberness, purity, or honesty; they are bound to deal with them, whether they like it or not; but their success will depend upon the completeness with which they, and those whom they represent, have renounced not only the vices which they are judging, but all that is out of keeping with the mind and spirit of Christ. The drunkard, the sensualist, the thief, know perfectly well that drunkenness, sensuality, and theft are not the only sins which mar the soul. They know that there are other vices, just as real if not so glaring, which are equally fatal to the life of Christ and man, and as completely disqualify men for acting in Christs name. They are conscious that it is not a bona fide transaction when their sins are impeached by men whose consciences endure with equanimity the reign of meanness, duplicity, pride, hypocrisy, self-complacency. They are aware that God is not present where these are dominant, and that Gods power to judge and save can never come through such channels. Hence the exercise of discipline in these legal forms is often resented, and often ineffective; and instead of complaining about what is obviously inevitable, the one thing at which all should aim who wish to protect the Church from scandals is to cultivate the common conscience, and bring it to such a degree of purity and vigor, that its spontaneous resentment of evil will enable the Church practically to dispense with legal forms. This Christian community at Corinth had a thousand faults; in many points we are tempted to find in it rather a warning than an example; but I think we may take this as a signal proof that it was really sound at heart: its condemnation of this guilty man fell upon his conscience as the sentence of God, and brought him in tears to the feet of Christ. No legal proceedings could have done that: nothing could have done it but a real and passionate sympathy with the holiness and the love of Christ. Such sympathy is the one subduing, reconciling, redeeming power in our hands; and Paul might well rejoice, after all his affliction and anguish of heart, when he found it so unmistakably at work in Corinth. Not so much formal as instinctive, though not shrinking on occasion from formal proceedings; not malignant, yet closing itself inexorably against evil; not indulgent to badness, but with goodness like Christs, waiting to be gracious, -this Christian virtue really holds the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and opens and shuts with the authority of Christ Himself. We need it in all our Churches today, as much as it was needed in Corinth; we need it that special acts of discipline may be effective; we need it still more that they may be unnecessary. Pray for it as for a gift that comprehends every other - the power to represent Christ, and work His work, in the recovery and restoration of the fallen.
In 2Co_2:9-11, the same subject is continued, but with a slightly different aspect exposed. Paul had obviously taken the initiative in this matter, though the bulk of the Church, at his prompting, had acted in a right spirit. Their conduct was in harmony with his motive in writing to them, which had really been to make proof of their obedience in all points. But he has already disclaimed either the right or the wish to lord it over them in their liberty as believers; and here, again, he represents himself rather as following them in their treatment of the offender, than as pointing out the way. "Now to whom ye forgive anything, I also forgive"-so great is my confidence in you: "for what I also have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, for your sakes have I forgiven it in the presence of Christ." When he says "if I have forgiven anything," he does not mean that his forgiveness is dubious, or in suspense; what he does is to deprecate the thought that his forgiveness is the main thing, or that he had been the person principally offended. When he says "for your sakes have I forgiven it," the words are explained by what follows: to have refused his forgiveness in the circumstances would have been to perpetuate a state of matters which could only have injured the Church. When he adds that his forgiveness is bestowed "in the presence of Christ," he gives the assurance that it is no complaisance or formality, but a real acceptance of the offender to peace and friendship again. And we should not overlook the fact that in this association of Christ, of the Corinthians, and of himself, in the work of forgiveness and restoration, Paul is really encompassing a desponding soul with all the grace of earth and heaven. Surely he will not let his grief become despair, when all around him and above him there is a present and convincing witness that, though God is intolerant of sin, He is the refuge of the penitent.
The gracious and conciliatory tone of these verses seems to me worthy of special admiration; and I can only express my astonishment that to some they have appeared insincere, a vain attempt to cover a defeat with the semblance of victory, a surrender to the opposition at Corinth, the painfulness of which is ill-disguised by the pretence of agreement with them. The exposition just given renders the refutation of such a view unnecessary. We ought rather to regard with reverence and affection the man who knew how to combine, so strikingly, unflinching principle and the deepest tenderness and consideration for others; we ought to propose his modesty, his sensitiveness to the feelings even of opponents, his sympathy with those who had no sympathy with him, as examples for our imitation. Paul had been deeply moved by what had taken place at Corinth, possibly he had been deeply injured; but even so his personal interest is kept in the background; for the obedient loyalty which he wishes to prove is not so much his interest as theirs to whom he writes. He cares only for others. He cares for the poor soul who has forfeited his place in the community; he cares for the good name of the Church; he cares for the honor of Jesus Christ; and he exerts all his power with these interests in view. If it needs rigor, he can be rigorous; if it needs passion, he can be passionate; if it needs consideration, graciousness, a conciliatory temper, a willingness to keep out of sight, he can be depended upon for all these virtues. If they were only affected, Paul would deserve the praise of a great diplomatist; but it is far easier to believe them real, and see in them the signs of a great minister of Christ.
The last verse puts the aim of his proceedings in another light: "All this," he says, I do, "that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan: for we are not ignorant of his devices." The important words in the last clause are of the same root; it is as if Paul had said: "Satan is very knowing, and is always on the alert to get the better of us; but we are not without knowledge of his knowing ways." It was the Apostles acquaintance with the wiles of the devil which made him eager to see the restoration of the penitent sinner duly carried through. This implies one or two practical truths, with which, by way of application, this exposition may close.
(1) A scandal in the Church gives the devil an opportunity. When one who has named the flame of Jesus, and vowed loyal obedience to Him, falls into open sin, it is a chance offered to the enemy which he is not slow to improve. He uses it to discredit the very name of Christ: to turn that which ought to be to the world the symbol of the purest goodness into a synonym of hypocrisy. Christ has committed His honor, if not His character, to our keeping; and every lapse into vice gives Satan an advantage over Him.
(2) The devil finds his gain in the incompetence of the Church to deal with the evil in the Spirit of Christ. It is a fine thing for him if he can drive the convicted sinner to despair, and persuade him that there is no more forgiveness with God. It is a fine thing if he can prompt those who love little, because they know little of Gods love, to show themselves rigid, implacable, irreconcilable, even to the penitent. If he can deform the likeness of Christ into a morose Pharisaism, what an incalculable gain it is! If the disciples of Him who received sinners look askance on those who have lapsed, and chill the hope of restoration with cold suspicion and reserve, there will be JOY over it, not in heaven, but in hell. And not only this, but the opposite is a device of the devil, of which we ought not to be ignorant. There is hardly a sin that some one has not an interest in extenuating. Even the incestuous person in Corinth had his defenders: there were some who were puffed up, and gloried in what he had done as an assertion of Christian liberty. The devil takes advantage of the scandals that occur in the Church to bribe and debauch mens consciences; indulgent words are spoken, which are not the voice of Christs awful mercy, but of a miserable self-pity; the strongest and holiest thing in the world, the redeeming love of God, is adulterated and even confounded with the weakest and basest thing, the bad mans immoral forgiveness of himself. And not to mention anything else under this head, could any one imagine what would please and suit the devil better than the absolutely unfeeling but extremely interesting gossip which resounds over every exposure of sin?
(3) But, lastly, the devil finds his advantage in the dissensions of Christians. What an opportunity he would have had in Corinth, had strained relations continued between the Apostle and the Church! What opportunities he has everywhere, when tempers are on edge, and every movement means friction, and every proposal rouses suspicion! The last prayer Christ prayed for His Church was that they might all be one: to be one in Him is the final security against the devices of Satan. What a frightful commentary the history of the Church is on this prayer! What frightful illustrations it furnishes of the devils gain out of the saints quarrels! There are plenty of subjects, of course, even in Church life, on which we may naturally and legitimately differ; but we ought to know better than to let the differences enter into our souls. At bottom, we should be all one; it is giving ourselves away to the enemy, if we do not, at all costs, "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On vv2–11 2. For if I make you sorry, etc. The…
2. For if I make you sorry, etc. The thought is, your sorrow, because rebuked, gladdens me on account of your repentance.
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 On vv2–11 For if I make you sorry, who then is…
For if I make you sorry, who then is he that maketh me glad but he that is made sorry by me? [But I call God, who knows all things, even the searcher of hearts, to look upon the secret purposes of my soul, and to confirm the truth if I speak it, and to testify against and punish me if I lie ( Mal_3:5 ), that I delayed to come to Corinth in order that you might have time to repent, and show your repentance by obedience; for had I come at the time which I first mentioned to you, I would have been compelled to discipline you, and therefore make you sorry ( 1Co_4:21 ). Not that I have lordship over your faith, for in this realm I am only a fellow-helper of your joy by confirming you in your belief ( Rom_15:13 ; Phi_1:25 ); for by your faith you stand as free and independent, full-aged children of God ( Gal_3:23-26 ; Gal_4:1-7 ; Gal_4:31 ; Gal_5:1 ). But when through lack of faith you fall into sinful practices I must discipline you. But I determined that for my own gladness I would not come speedily so as to bring you sorrow as I did on my last visit. For if I make you sorry, who will make me glad? will I not have made that very people sorry to whom I myself look for gladness?]
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.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v5 The case of the notorious sinner:
The case of the notorious sinner:
v. 5. But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part, that I may not overcharge you all.
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v. 6. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many,
v. 7. so that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
v. 8. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him,
v. 9. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.
v. 10. To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also; for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ,
v. 11. lest Satan should get an advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
This paragraph is a model of loving, pastoral tact and delicacy. There can be but little doubt that Paul is referring to the incestuous person concerning whom he wrote so sharply in the first epistle, chap. 5:1-5. And yet he writes: But if anyone has caused sorrow. He names neither the offense nor the offender, preferring to suppress the matter which had been adjusted so satisfactorily with the least possible sensation. For the offender, in causing sorrow, did not grieve him,—Paul was not the direct object of the offense,-but to some extent (lest I press too heavily upon him) you all. The apostle had felt the sin only inasmuch as it harmed the Corinthian congregation and thus grieved the entire Church of God. He does not intend to lay a greater burden upon the repentant sinner than the circumstances absolutely require. And least of all does Paul intend to continue bearing a grievance now that the sorrow of the congregation has been converted into joy by the sinner’s repentance.
And therefore the apostle adds the kindly admonition: Sufficient to such a one is this penalty, his punishment, on the part of the majority. Evidently the directions given by the apostle as to the manner of dealing with the incestuous man had been carried out, the majority of the members being willing to follow the words of their teacher. Whether, however, the man had actually been excluded from the Christian congregation or had accepted the reproof of the congregation, cannot be determined. At any rate, he had been disciplined severely, he had, in some form, borne the penalty, the punishment of his sin, and was still in disgrace. So Paul calls a halt; enough has been done; the object has been attained. The time for severity is past, leniency and kindness must now be employed: So that, on the contrary, you ought rather to be kind to him and comfort him, lest with excessive sorrow such a one be swallowed. As soon as a full and free confession of sins has been made on the part of the offender, all harshness should be forgotten and nothing but comforting kindness be in evidence. For, unless this is the case, the guilty one may be driven to despair and the entire object of the disciplinary measures be frustrated. Unless the repentant sinner is given the full and unequivocal assurance of divine grace and pardon, he may give up all hope of salvation and all efforts to obtain eternal life, and turn from the Gospel with a heart forever embittered against Christ and the Christian Church. The more sorrowful and downcast a conscience is because it feels the wrath of God and the power of Satan in its state of excommunication, the more glowing should the proclamation of the grace of God in Christ Jesus be made, "Therefore the pastors should indeed emphatically and severely scold and rebuke those that have fallen; but when they notice that they grieve over their sins and want to lead a better life, they should, in turn, comfort and help them, making their sins as small and light as they possibly can, namely, in this way, that the mercy of God, who spared not His own Son, but gave Him for us all, is greater than all sin, in order that those that have fallen do not sink down into overmuch sorrow."
It is in this spirit that Paul writes: Therefore I exhort you to make good [your] love toward him. By a formal decision the guilty person should now be restored to the communion of the Church; in this way their love to the brother should assert itself; as the power to bind had been used by the congregation, the power to loose likewise should be applied. And the apostle backs up his appeal in a very skillful manner: For to this end I also wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether you are obedient in regard to all things. In giving them the instructions of the first epistle, his object had been to make a test of them, whether they would willingly accept his apostolic authority and act accordingly. Now that the purpose of the disciplinary measures had been fully realized, not a trace of vindictiveness would dare remain, and they would surely carry out also the present instructions with equally obedient cheerfulness, they would prove as loyal as he expected them to be.
In order to make them feel that he was united with them in their public act of forgiveness, Paul adds: But to whom you forgive anything, I also; for also I, what I have forgiven (if I have forgiven anything), for your sakes before the face of Christ, lest we be taken advantage of by Satan; for his devices are not unknown to us. The congregation’s willingness to forgive as also the consolation of the repentant sinner are here strengthened by the apostle. The members of the Corinthian church should rest assured that they are using their power, the Office of the Keys, properly in following his instructions, for his own forgiveness in this case is spoken. And they could remember for all times that he would not presume upon an authority over them, he would not exercise lordship over them in such matters. In the form of a principle he states his position that he, in case forgiveness was in order, would concur with them in the absolution. For their sakes and in the presence, in the sight, of Christ, the Redeemer of the world, he would forgive the repentant sinner. And in order not to contradict himself, v. 5, he adds, in a parenthetical sentence: If we assume, granted that I have forgiven anything. It is so necessary to use all evangelical lenience on account of the many snares of the devil, who would be sure to take advantage of the situation by making an earnest attempt to capture the guilty person. Despair would lead him straight into the arms of the devil, the apostle writes, and he had some experience and knowledge of this matter; he was acquainted with the designs of the adversary of men’s souls. Far from yielding the repentant offender as a welcome victim to the wiles of Satan, he wanted to use every precaution to foil his advances and frustrate his devices. Note: This same spirit of loving mercy should characterize every pastor and every congregation with reference to every repentant sinner, no matter how great the original offense may have been.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv3, 5, 8, 10 I wrote as I did
I wrote as I did
This refers to another letter that Paul had written to the Corinthian Christians that no longer exists. AT: "I wrote as I did in my previous letter" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
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I might not be hurt by those who should have made me rejoice
Paul is speaking about the behavior of certain Corinthian believers who caused him emotional pain. This can be stated in active form. AT: "those who should have made me rejoice might not hurt me" (See: Active or Passive)
my joy is the same joy you all have
"what gives me joy is what gives you joy, too"
from great affliction
Here the word "affliction" refers to emotional pain.
with anguish of heart
Here the word "heart" refers to the location of the emotions. AT: "with extreme sorrow" (See: Metonymy)
with many tears
"with much crying"
translationWords
joy
confidence
joy
afflicted
heart
love
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv3, 5, 11 2:3-4 After his painful visit (2:1), Paul then wrote…
2:3-4 After his painful visit (2:1), Paul then wrote a letter with great anguish . . . and many tears that was intended for the Corinthians’ good. That letter (see also 7:8-10) has evidently been lost. But it was effective in bringing about the needed repentance and change.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.