2 Corinthians 2


2 Corinthians 2 is the second chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle and Timothy in Macedonia in 55–56 CE. In this chapter, Paul extends an explanation commenced in chapter 1 as to why he is not visiting Corinth prior to his return journey to Judea.

Text

The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 17 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:
This passage is continuous with the final part of chapter 1. Paul refers to an earlier "brief and painful visit", during which a longer visit was promised, which is the subject of the change of mind which he alludes to here.

Verse 3

Paul's letter after his "painful visit" is commonly referred to as the "severe letter" or "letter of tears". 2 Corinthians 7:8-12 also refers to this letter.

Forgive the offender (verses 5-11)

The unnamed offender,,, "such a one", "a man in his position" is the man who, in "has his father’s wife".

Verse 14

MacDonald suggests that the thanksgiving formula in this verse acts as the starting point for a section running to 2 Corinthians 5:19 which deals with Paul's authority as an apostle.

Verse 16

  • "Leading to death" : or "for death", "appointed to" death.

    Verse 17

  • "We are not, as so many": Paul separates himself from the false apostles, who are "many", forming "great swarms of false teachers" in the early times of Christianity. Some copies read, "as the rest", as the Syriac and Arabic versions.
  • "Peddling the word of God" : that is the Scriptures in general may be corrupted by "false glosses and human mixtures". The Septuagint translates the last clause of , in a moral or spiritual sense. The Syriac version reads the words Nygzmmd, "who mix the word of God".
  • "We speak... in Christ": which is "in the name of Christ, of or concerning him, and him only".