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2 Corinthians Chapter 1

2 Corinthians Chapter 1

(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
Greetings, and the God of all comfort

(Thematic parallels: 2 Corinthians 7:5–7)

  • 1 Paul, an emissary of Jesus the Anointed through God’s will, and Timothy our brother: to the church assembly of Godfnpossible quotation/allusion to Nehemiah 13:1; Numbers 16:3; Deuteronomy 23:1; and 1 Chronicles 28:8 in the Septuagint, an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek (also quoted/alluded to by 1 Cor 1:2; 10:32; 15:9; Gal 1:13) who is in Corinth, together with all the holy ones who are in the whole of Achaia.fn“Achaia” was a province of Rome which included most of Greece.
  • 2 Gracefn“Grace” see glossary. to you and peace from God our Father and the Anointed Lord Jesus.
  • 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus the Anointed, the Father of all compassionsfn“compassions” could also be translated “mercies” and God of all comfort.fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 34:6; Psalm 103:13; and Isaiah 40:1; 51:12; 66:13 (also quoted/alluded to by Rom 15:5; Jas 5:11)
  • 4 He’s the One comforting us in all our affliction, for us to be able to comfort the men in every affliction through the comfort by which we ourselves are comforted by God,
  • 5 because just as the sufferings of the Anointed overflow into us, likewise, our comfort also overflows through the Anointed.
  • 6 But if we’re afflicted, it’s for your comfort and salvation.  If we’re comforted, it’s for your comfortfnMany later manuscripts add “and salvation” here. that’s at work in the endurance of the same sufferings that we also suffer.
  • 7 And our hope for you is secure, *knowing that just as you’re partakers in the sufferings, so also, you’re partakers in the comfort.
Affliction and Boasting

(Thematic parallels: Acts 16:22-34)

  • 8 For brothers, we don’t want you to be unaware of our affliction which happened in Asia, that we were burdened so extraordinarily beyond our strength that we despaired even of life.
  • 9 But we *have the sentence of death in ourselves, so that we aren’t *trusting in ourselves, but in God, the One raising the dead,
  • 10 who rescued us from so great a death and will rescue us, in whom we *hope that He will also still rescue us. CFParallel teachings: 2 Timothy 4:16–18
  • 11 And you’re joining in helping for our sake through prayer, so that thanks might be given for our sake by many peoplefn“people” is literally “faces” for the gift of grace given to us through many prayers.
  • 12 For our boast is this: the testimony of our conscience is that we conducted ourselves in God’s [holiness]fn“holiness” many later manuscripts read “simplicity” here. and sincerity in the world – not in fleshly wisdom but with the grace of God – and did this more abundantly towards you. CFParallel teachings: 1 Thessalonians 2:1–12
  • 13 For we don’t write things to you other than what you can read or even understand, and I hope that you will understand until the end,
  • 14 just as you also understood us in part, that we are your boast, just as you also are ours in the day of our Lord Jesus.
A Change of Travel Plans

(Parallel accounts: 1 Corinthians 16:5–9; Romans 15:23–33; Acts 19:21–22, 20:1–3)

  • 15 And with this confidence, I was previously resolving to come to you so that you might have grace a second time,fn“grace a second time” is literally “a second grace”. Contextually, the sense is likely giving a second “grace” to them in the sense of benefit (see “grace” in the glossary) during a second visit, not a reference to salvation.
  • 16 and then to pass into Macedonia through you.  And again from Macedonia to come to you, and to be helped onward by you into Judea.
  • 17 Therefore, by resolving this, I didn’t then make light of it, did I?  Or am I resolving what I’m resolving in accordance with the flesh, so that with me there’s both “definitely yes”fn“definitely yes” is literally “Yes! Yes!”  It’s a repetition of an affirmative that can have emphatic sense. It was here translated “definitely yes” to more accurately convey the parallelism and contrast with the following statement (see following note). and “definitely no”?fn“definitely no”. In Greek, this is repetition of “no” (no, no) to add emphasis. Since English double negatives cancel each other out (instead of adding emphasis) the word “definitely” was added to keep the emphatic sense of the Greek.
  • 18 But God is faithful, in that our word to you isn’t both “Yes” and “No”.
  • 19 For the Son of God, Jesus the Anointed, the One who was proclaimed among you through us – through me, and Silvanus, and Timothy – wasn’t both “Yes” and “No”.  But in Him it has become “Yes.”
  • 20 For as many as God’s promises are, the “Yes” is in Him.  Therefore, the Amen to God is also through Him for His glory through us.
  • 21 But the One securing us with you in the Anointed (and having anointed us) is God.
  • 22 He’s also the One who set His seal on us and gave us the down paymentfn“down payment” is literal.  The Greek word here is imported from Hebrew and refers to “earnest money” given as a surety that the rest of the payment will be given. of the Spirit in our hearts. CFParallel teachings: 2 Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30
  • 23 And I call God as a witness against my soul that I no longer came to Corinth in order to spare you.
  • 24 Not that we have authority overfn“we have authority over” is one word in Greek, often translated “lord it over” here.  It comes from “κύριος” (kurios), which is typically translated “Lord” (as in “the Lord Jesus”) and literally means “to be lord of” in the sense of “to have authority over”.  There are Greek words which indicate oppressive authority which could be translated “lord it over”, but they aren’t used here. your faith, but we’re fellow workers for your joy, for you *stand firm in the faith. CFParallel teachings: Matthew 20:25–28; 1 Corinthians 3:5–9; 1 Peter 5:1–4

 

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