2 Corinthians 10


2 Corinthians 10 is the tenth chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It was written by Paul the Apostle and Timothy in Macedonia in 55–56 CE. According to theologian Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer, chapters 10–13 "contain the third chief section of the Epistle, the apostle's polemic vindication of his apostolic dignity and efficiency, and then the conclusion". According to Margaret MacDonald, they "set the stage" for Paul's forthcoming visit to Corinth. The whole of this third section is based upon the conviction that "the apostle's authority is rooted in the fact that his personal strength/weakness echoes the strength/weakness of the crucified/resurrected Christ".

Text

The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 18 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:

Old Testament references

  • 2 Corinthians 10:17:

New Testament references

  • 2 Corinthians 10:17:

Verse 4

The weapons which Paul refers to are "not carnal",. He does not rely on human power and authority or on learning or eloquence.

Verse 10

Paul knows that he is criticised for being bold and direct in his writings but treated as weak and unassertive when he is present: he has made the same point in verse 1,
Biblical commentator Edward Plumptre notes also the criticism that Paul's delay in returning to Corinth, which he has explained in, was also considered to be "a proof that he was shirking encounter".

Verse 17

Believers should not glory in themselves or in the outward circumstances of their lives, or their "inward endowments of mind", but rather "in the Lord Jesus Christ, as the author and donor of all gifts, natural and spiritual".