2 Korintus 10:15

10:15 Nor do we boast beyond certain limits ¹  in the work ²  done by others, but we hope ³  that as your faith continues to grow, our work may be greatly expanded ⁴  among you according to our limits, ⁵ 

2 Korintus 12:11

The Signs of an Apostle

12:11 I have become a fool. You yourselves forced me to do it, for I should have been commended by you. For I lack nothing in comparison ⁶  to those “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.

2 Korintus 12:19

12:19 Have you been thinking all this time ⁷  that we have been defending ourselves to you? We are speaking in Christ before God, and everything we do, dear friends, is to build you up. ⁸ 

[10:15]  ¹ tn Or “boast excessively.” The phrase εἰς τὰ ἄμετρα (ei" ta ametra) is an idiom; literally it means “into that which is not measured,” that is, a point on a scale that goes beyond what might be expected (L&N 78.27).

[10:15]  ² tn Or “in the labors.”

[10:15]  ³ tn Grk “but we have the hope.”

[10:15]  ⁴ tn Or “greatly enlarged.”

[10:15]  ⁵ tn That is, Paul’s work might be greatly expanded within the area of activity assigned to him by God.

[12:11]  ⁶ tn Or “I am in no way inferior.”

[12:19]  ⁷ tc The reading “all this time” (πάλαι, palai) is found in several early and important Alexandrian and Western witnesses including א* A B F G 0243 6 33 81 365 1175 1739 1881 lat; the reading πάλιν (palin, “again”) is read by א² D Ψ 0278 Ï sy bo; the reading οὐ πάλαι (ou palai) is read by Ì⁴⁶, making the question even more emphatic. The reading of Ì⁴⁶ could only have arisen from πάλαι. The reading πάλιν is significantly easier (“are you once again thinking that we are defending ourselves?”), for it softens Paul’s tone considerably. It thus seems to be a motivated reading and cannot easily explain the rise of πάλαι. Further, πάλαι has considerable support in the Alexandrian and Western witnesses, rendering it virtually certain as the original wording here.

[12:19]  ⁸ tn Or “for your strengthening”; Grk “for your edification.”