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2 Corinthians Chapter 4

2 Corinthians Chapter 4

(Underlining marks a quotation/allusion. [Brackets] mark a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)

Glossary

Note: this glossary is currently a work in progress; entries that do not expand will be added as time permits

Ages/of ages
“ages” and “of ages” are the Greek words “αἰών” (aión, noun form) and “αἰώνιος” (aiónios, adjective form) respectively.  The adjective form is typically translated “eternal”, as in “eternal life”. The noun form refers to a whole time period, (Keizer, “Life Time Entirety”) such as a person’s lifetime (an older Greek sense), an age/epoch (e.g., 2 Cor 4:4), or even time in its entirety, making its meaning similar to “forever” (e.g., John 14:16). The adjective form is similarly context-dependent, and the New Testament context often dictates a meaning similar to “forever” (but not always: e.g. 2 Tim 1:9).  Alternately or additionally, it can indicate the quality of a time period — indicating greatness/severity — like the English idiom “of ages” (e.g. “battle of the ages”). Thus, “of ages” was chosen for the adjective form so that both the time and quality senses remain visible.

Clean/unclean

Covenant

Faith

Flesh

Forgive/forgiveness

Grace
The Greek word is “χάρις” (charis), most often translated “grace”, “gift”, or “thanks”. It was a technical term in the 1st century, referring to the Patronage system in place. The Patron (from “pater” = “father”) would give gifts or do favors (both called a charis). A charis was always given/done freely to anyone who would be grateful for it, and this person then became a “client” of the patron. The clients were expected to reciprocate by telling everyone what the patron had done, and offering their services to the patron whenever the patron needed them. This reciprocal act was also called “charis”, and the ones who reciprocated were “being faithful” by giving thanks in this way. Both were done out of gratitude, not legal obligation. A client who wasn’t faithful and grateful probably wouldn’t receive any more charis from his patron, or any other patrons. The patron was responsible for taking care of all his clients, and making sure their needs were met. New Testament usage typically casts God the Father as a Heavenly Patron, to whom Christians should be grateful and faithful because of the gifts He has given us. (e.g. salvation, provision, protection, etc.)

Holy

Justification

Law (Torah)

Make purification

Pure/Impure

Purification offering
In the Old Testament, this is typically the Hebrew “חַטָּ֖את” (khat-tat); in the New Testament, it’s typically “περὶ ἁμαρτίας” (peri hamartias), which is what the Septuagint (an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek) used to translate the Hebrew. It’s traditionally translated “sin offering”, but that translation has less support in high-level scholarship. The Hebrew word can mean “sin”, but it can also mean “purification” (e.g. Numbers 8:7). This offering was used to purify uncleanness, whether or not a sin was committed. Thus, it was required even when no sin was committed, such as after childbirth (Leviticus 12:1-8), for certain diseases (Leviticus 14), etc. High-level, peer-reviewed scholarship dedicated to the field (e.g. Milgrom, Levine, Gane, Sklar, Wright, Gorman, etc.) is largely united on the “purification offering” understanding. The BOS Bible has aligned itself with that high-level, peer-reviewed scholarship in its translation.

Ransom

Redemption

Repent/repentance

Righteous/righteousness

Salvation/save

Soul
“soul” is the Greek word “ψυχή/psuché” and Hebrew word “נֶפֶשׁ/nephesh”. The BOS Bible translates these words as “soul” for consistency, and so the full meaning of “soul” isn’t obscured by different translations in different places. They closely overlap in meaning and are typically translated “soul” or “life”. They refer to the animating force of a living thing, and thus can also refer to its life, or to the whole of any person or creature, including animals (e.g. fish in Revelation 8:9 and Genesis 1). They are frequently used as an emphatic reference to a person’s whole self, including longings, deep emotions, and inner life. (e.g. Ps 42:11) Note: while “soul” has significant overlap in meaning with “spirit”, the words have distinct meanings and usages throughout scripture. For example, lions tear apart a soul in Psalm 7:2, and a “dead soul” is mentioned in Leviticus 21:11; “spirit” has no analogous usages, and it returns to God at death (Ecc 12:7; Acts 7:59). The adjective forms of soul and spirit are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; see also: Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Sin

Click to Collapse the Glossary
Cost and Reward of the Good News

(Parallel teachings: Romans 8:18-25; 2 Corinthians 6:4-10; 1 Corinthians 4:9-13)
(Thematic parallels: Judges 7:2-22)

  • 1 Because of this, having this ministry just as we received mercy, we don’t lose heart.
  • 2 But we renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor deceitfully corruptingfn“deceitfully corrupting” is one word in Greek.  It properly refers to using deceptive bait to ensnare, like concealing a fishhook with a worm, and the corruption that results from being ensnared. the word of God, but in the sight of God are commending ourselves to every conscience of men by the obviousness of the truth.
  • 3 But even if our good news is *veiled, it’s *veiled to the men perishing,
  • 4 in whom the god of this age blinded the minds of the unbelieving, in order for the illumination of the good news of the glory of the Anointed – who is the image of Godfnquotation/allusion to Genesis 1:26-27 (also quoted/alluded to by 1 Cor 11:7; Eph 4:24; Col 3:10; Jas 3:9). Also see Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3 – not to dawn [on them].
  • 5 For we don’t preach about ourselves, but about the Anointed Jesus as Lord.  But we ourselves are your slaves for the sake of Jesus.
  • 6 For God is the One who said: “Out of darkness, light will shinefnquotation/allusion to Genesis 1:3; Isaiah 9:2 (also quoted/alluded to by Matt 4:16; Luke 1:79)“, who shone in our hearts to give the illumination of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of [Jesus] the Anointed.
  • 7 And we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the extraordinary power might be God’s and not from us.
  • 8 We’re hard-pressed in everything, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;
  • 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed;
  • 10 Always carrying around in our body the dying that [the Lord] Jesus underwent, so that the life of Jesus might also be obvious in our body.
  • 11 For we – the men living – are continually delivered to death for Jesus’s sake, so that the life of Jesus might also be obvious in our mortal flesh.
  • 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life in you.
  • 13 But having the same spirit of faith in accordance with what’s *written: “I believed, therefore I spoke.”fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 116:10 We also believe, therefore we also speak,
  • 14 *knowing that the One who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us withfn“with” many later manuscripts have “through” here. Jesus and will present us with you.
  • 15 For all things are for your sake, so that the grace which abounded through more men might cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
  • 16 Therefore, we don’t lose heart.  But even if our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is renewed day by day.
  • 17 For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us the weight of the glory of ages,fn“of ages” is typically translated “eternal” here; see glossary. which is extraordinary beyond measure!fn“extraordinary beyond measure” is literally “extraordinary to the extraordinary”, using the same word twice. However “beyond measure” is another legitimate translation of the word, and so it was used for readability.
  • 18 We aren’t keeping our eyes on the things being seen, but on the things not being seen.  For the things being seen only last for a season, but the things not being seen last for the ages.fn“last for the ages” is typically translated “are eternal” here; see glossary.

 

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