2 Corinthians 7

2 Corinthians 7 is the seventh 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. Verse 1 is often linked with the preceding chapter and may be part of a later interpolation. Verses 2 onwards continue from Paul's appeal to the Ancient Corinth#New [Testament Corinth|Corinthian church] in 2 Corinthians 6:11-13 for his authority to be accepted.

Text

The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 16 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:

Verse 1

The New [King James Version] and the New International Version, and biblical commentators Johann Bengel and Heinrich [August Wilhelm Meyer|Heinrich Meyer], treat verse 1 as the conclusion of verses 11–18 in the previous chapter:
Some versions read "brethren" for "beloved", including the Ethiopic version. Baptist theologian John Gill states that in "these promises", God promises to walk in His temple, dwell in His churches, be their God, and they His people, be their Father, and they His "beloved" sons and daughters.

Verse 2

A number of translations say "Make room in your hearts for us", although "in your hearts" is not part of the original text. This, according to St. John Chrysostom and others, repeats previous exhortations, "be enlarged or dilated in heart, that is, have a love, and true charity, and a zeal for us, and for the ministers of the gospel".

Verses 5-16

The themes of "affliction" and "comfort" introduced in chapter 1 and again in verse 4 here, are further developed in this passage.

Verse 6

Titus, arriving in Macedonia, brings news that the issues concerning "the offender" who, in, "had his father’s wife", have now been resolved.