But I have sent the brothers that our boasting on your behalf may not be in vain in this respect, that, just as I said, you may be prepared,
Parallel Translations
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But I have sent the brothers that our boasting on your behalf may not be in vain in this respect, that, just as I said, you may be prepared,
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Never thelesse yet have I sent these brethren lest oure reioysynge over you shuld be in vayne in this behalfe and that ye (as I have sayd) preparare youre selues
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Nowe haue I sent the brethren, lest our reioycing ouer you shoulde bee in vaine in this behalfe, that yee (as I haue sayde) be readie:
Cross-references (6)
Passages linked to 2 Corinthians 9:3 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 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.
- 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I commanded the assemblies of Galatia, you do likewise. On the first day of every week, let each one of you save, as he may prosper, that no collections are made when I come. When I arrive, I will send whoever you approve with letters to carry your gracious gift to Jerusalem. If it is appropriate for me to go also, they will go with me.
- 2 Corinthians 7:14 For if in anything I have boasted to him on your behalf, I was not disappointed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, so our glorying also which I made before Titus was found to be truth.
- 2 Corinthians 8:17-24 For he indeed accepted our exhortation, but being himself very earnest, he went out to you of his own accord. 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.
- 2 Corinthians 9:4-5 lest by any means, if anyone from Macedonia comes there with me and finds you unprepared, we (to say nothing of you) would be disappointed in this confident boasting. I thought it necessary therefore to entreat the brothers that they would go before to you and arrange ahead of time the generous gift that you promised before, that the same might be ready as a matter of generosity, and not of greediness.
- Titus 3:1 Remind them to be in subjection to rulers and to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (17 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 3. But I have sent the brethren. He now…
3. But I have sent the brethren. He now brings forward the reason — why it is that, while entertaining a favorable opinion as to their willingness, he, nevertheless, sets himself carefully to exhort them. “I consult,” says he, “my own good name and yours; for while I promised in your name, we would, both of us in common, incur disgrace, if words and deeds did not correspond. Hence you ought to take my fears in good part.”
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.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain I did not send the brethren so much to…
I did not send the brethren so much to move you to this work, or quicken you to it, for you yourselves purposed it a year ago, and showed a forwardness in it; the motion proceeded from yourselves, and you showed a readiness to it, which gave me occasion to boast of you to the churches of Macedonia; but I thought you might forget it, and I would not have
our boasting in vain on this behalf. And besides, I would have the work done, that your alms might not be to gather when I come, (as he had said, 1Co 16:2), but might be in a readiness to be taken and carried away; for that is signified here by being
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ready, not that readiness of mind of which he had before spoken, and which he had before mentioned as what he had found in them.
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 As confident and fully persuaded as the apostle was…
As confident and fully persuaded as the apostle was of the readiness and willingness of mind that was found in the Corinthians towards this charitable contribution, yet he judgeth it both expedient and necessary to send the brethren before to them, to get all things ready, the collection finished and over; that so when he himself, and the Macedonians, should come to Corinth, he might not be put to blush for them, having made great boasts of their charity, but finding no deeds: and also he desires their collection may be ready, with respect to themselves, that so their beneficence may appear to be their own free bounty, and not a collection difficultly extorted from them, as from covetous men, who give grudgingly and unwilligly.
Note here, 1. That it is very lawful for the ministers of Christ to use an holy craft, and innocent guilt, to draw men to a speedy compliance with their duty, sometimes by engaging their reputation in it, and sometimes alluring them by just praises to the doing of it. Thus our apostle did here.
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Note, 2. That the readiness which St. Paul here presses them to, is not the readiness of the mind, but the readiness of the action: he was well satisfied, that they were ready in their preparation of the mind long ago, but he presses them to finish the collection, of which he had so much boasted to the Macedonians.
Note, 3. How the blessed apostle did consult the Corinthians’ honour and reputation equally with his own and was as desirous to prevent reflection upon them as upon himself; he would not have them ashamed, no more than himself, at his coming among them.
Note, 4. That a liberal free-giving to the saints in distress, is called here kharis khae enlogia, grace and blessing: we translate it bounty. It is called grace, because an heart to give liberally is wrought in us by the grace of God; the world shuts up our hearts till God opens them; and if the heart be open, the hands will not be shut: and works of charity are a blessing of God with our substance, and the way and means to produce his blessing upon our substance. Giving to distressed saints in proportion to what God has given us, is by Almnighty God accounted a blessing of him, and a blessing of our fellow-brethren; and whoever thus blesses God shall be blessed by him.
Note, 5. That the Corinthians being a very rich and wealthy people, the apostle stirs them up to an abundant charity. Where God gives much, he expects much: but how many, alas, grudge God a little of his own; and how difficultly is that little drawn from them, like drops of blood! Whereas to give alms purely to satisfy the importunity of others, or out of shame, misses of its reward before God.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Yet have I sent the brethren,.... Titus, and the…
Yet have I sent the brethren,.... Titus, and the other two mentioned in the foregoing chapter: one manuscript reads, "we have sent"; and the Ethiopic version, "they have sent", that is, the Macedonians; but the common reading is best. It might be objected, that since the apostle knew the forwardness of their minds, how ready they were a year ago, and had boasted so much of their liberality, that it must be unnecessary to send the brethren to them, to stir them up to this work; which objection is prevented by observing the reason of his sending them:
lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf: or, "in this part", in this particular thing, , "concerning this business", or affair of beneficence to the poor, as the Syriac version renders it. He had boasted of them with respect to other things besides this; but he was chiefly concerned, knowing the frailty and changeableness of human nature, and how possible it was that their forwardness might abate, and they grow cold and indifferent to such service, lest his glorying of them should be in vain in this particular instance; wherefore he sent the brethren to put them on, that as they had begun they would finish:
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that as I said ye may be ready, That as he had said to the Macedonians, that they were ready in mind, it might appear to be so; or as he had ordered them in his former epistle, they might be actually ready; have their collection ready made, so that there might be no gathering when he came.
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 I have sent the above mentioned brethren before me.
I have sent the above mentioned brethren before me.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 3. Yet have I sent the brethren] Titus…
Verse 3. Yet have I sent the brethren] Titus and his companions, mentioned in the preceding chapter.
That, as I said, ye may be ready] And he wished them to be ready, that they might preserve the good character he had given them: this was for their honour; and if they did not take care to do so, he might be reputed a liar; and thus both they and himself be ashamed before the Macedonians, should any of them at this time accompany him to Corinth.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 2Co 9:3-7. Yet have I sent the brethren —…
2Co 9:3-7. Yet have I sent the brethren — Above mentioned before me; lest our boasting of you should be in vain — Lest you should be found unprepared. To make up beforehand — To complete before my arrival; your bounty — Or gift; whereof ye had notice before — Greek, την προκατηγγελμενην, spoken of before, namely, by me to the Macedonians. Or, as some understand the expression, formerly announced to the saints in Judea. That the same might be ready — When I come; as a bounty — Or free gift, willingly bestowed; and not as of covetousness —
A thing extorted, or wrung by importunity from covetous persons. But this I say — This I wish you to keep in mind as an important declaration; He who soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly, &c. — A general rule: God will proportion the reward to the work, and the temper whence it proceeds. Every man as he purposeth, &c. — As he finds himself inclined from his own bountiful disposition, and not as being constrained thereto by me or any other; not grudgingly — Εκ λυπης, from grief, as if he were sorry to part with his money; or of necessity — Because he is ashamed to refuse. For — In matters of charity; God loveth a cheerful giver — Nor can that be acceptable to him which is given with reluctance and by constraint.
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 Yet have I sent the brethren - The brethren…
Yet have I sent the brethren - The brethren referred to in 2Co 8:18, 2Co 8:22-23.
Lest our boasting of you - That you were disposed to contribute, and that you were already prepared, and that the contribution was ready.
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Should be in vain - Lest anything should have occurred to prevent the collection. I have sent them that they may facilitate it, and that it may be secure and certain.
In this behalf - In this respect. That is, lest our boasting of you, in regard to your readiness to contribute to relieve the needs of others, should be found to have been ill-grounded.
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 Titus, and two others.
Titus, and two others.
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 have I sent--we should say, "I send"; whereas the…
have I sent--we should say, "I send"; whereas the ancients put it in the past, the time which it would be by the time that the letter arrived.
the brethren-- (Co2 8:18, Co2 8:22) --Titus and the two others.
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should be in vain in this behalf--"should be proved futile in this particular," however true in general (Co2 7:4). A tacit compliment, softening the sharp monition.
as I said--as I was saying (Co2 9:2).
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. The brethren—The three brethren, Titus, Luke, and Erastus.…
3. The brethren—The three brethren, Titus, Luke, and Erastus. Grotius quotes from Maimonides the statement that the Jews were accustomed to place three commissioners over any movement of contribution.
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. Yet have I sent] Although instructions to make…
3. Yet have I sent] Although instructions to make the collection were needless, it was not needless for me to send the brethren. See note on 2Co_9:1. For I have sent, the Greek has I sent. But see notes on ch. 2Co_8:18; 2Co_8:22, and Introduction.
our boasting] Literally, ‘our ground of boasting,’ but see ch. 2Co_5:12. It was not that St Paul expected no result from the collection, but feared that it might be one out of all proportion to what his expressions of confidence in the Corinthian Church would have led other Churches to expect.
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in this behalf] Rather, in this respect, i.e. in regard to the matter of the collection. He had not hesitated to speak of their other good qualities. See 1Co_1:4-8; and for the expression see ch. 2Co_3:10.
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) Yet have I sent the brethren . .…
(3) Yet have I sent the brethren . . .—This, then, was his purpose in the new mission. He wanted the performance not to fall short of the promise. They must be found ready, their money collected. (Comp. 1Co_16:2.)
In this behalf.—Perhaps, in this particular, or, in this respect, would be more in harmony with modern English phraseology.
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 But. Though it is needless to write to you…
But. Though it is needless to write to you about this collection, I sent the brethren to make sure that all I had said about you might be justified by reality. In this behalf; i.e. about this matter, (comp. 2Co_3:10) or, as we might express it, "in this direction." He seems to have felt more uncertainty about their liberality than about other matters. (2Co_7:4)
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 3–5. Yet have I sent the brethren. See 8:17,…
3–5. Yet have I sent the brethren. See 8:17, 18, 22. He sent them so that they would surely be prepared when he came.
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 But I have sent the brethren [Titus and the…
But I have sent the brethren [Titus and the other two], that our glorying on your behalf may not be made void in this respect; that, even as I said, ye may be prepared:
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 the brothers
the brothers
This refers to Titus and the two men who accompany him.
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our boasting about you may not be futile
Paul does not want others to think that the things that he had boasted about the Corinthians were false.
find you unprepared
"find you unprepared to give"
I say nothing about you
Paul uses this negative statement to emphasize that the same thing is true about the Corinthians. AT: "and you would be even more ashamed"
the brothers to come to you
From Paul's perspective, the brothers are going. AT: "the brothers to go to you" (See: Go and Come)
not as something extorted
This can be stated in active form. AT: "not as something that we forced you to give" (See: Active or Passive)
translationWords
brother
boast
shame
confidence
gift
promise
bless
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.