2 Korintus 1:3

Thanksgiving for God’s Comfort

1:3 Blessed is ¹  the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

2 Korintus 2:14

Apostolic Ministry

2:14 But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession ²  in Christ ³  and who makes known ⁴  through us the fragrance that consists of the knowledge of him in every place.

2 Korintus 5:5

5:5 Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose ⁵  is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment. ⁶ 

2 Korintus 5:9-10

5:9 So then whether we are alive ⁷  or away, we make it our ambition to please him. ⁸  5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, ⁹  so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil. ¹⁰ 

2 Korintus 5:13-14

5:13 For if we are out of our minds, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 5:14 For the love of Christ ¹¹  controls us, since we have concluded this, that Christ ¹²  died for all; therefore all have died.

2 Korintus 10:16

10:16 so that we may preach the gospel in the regions that lie beyond you, and not boast of work already done in another person’s area.

[1:3]  ¹ tn There is no verb in the Greek text; either the optative (“be”) or the indicative (“is”) can be supplied. The meaning of the term εὐλογητός (euloghtos) and the author’s intention at this point in the epistle must both come into play to determine which is the preferred nuance. εὐλογητός as an adjective can mean either that one is praised or that one is blessed, that is, in a place of favor and benefit. The meaning “blessed” would be more naturally paired with an indicative verb and would suggest that blessedness is an intrinsic part of God’s character. The meaning “praised” would be more naturally paired with an optative verb and would suggest that God ought to be praised. Pauline style in the epistles generally moves from statements to obligations, expressing the reality first and then the believer’s necessary response. When considered as a whole, although a decision is difficult, the general Pauline style of beginning with statements and moving to obligations argues for the indicative. Cf. also Eph 1:3; 1 Pet 1:3.

[2:14]  ² tn Or “who always causes us to triumph.”

[2:14]  ³ tn Or “in the Messiah.”

[2:14]  ⁴ tn Or “who reveals.”

[5:5]  ⁵ tn Grk “for this very thing.”

[5:5]  ⁶ tn Or “first installment,” “pledge,” “deposit” (see the note on the phrase “down payment” in 1:22).

[5:9]  ⁷ tn Grk “whether we are at home” [in the body]; an idiom for being alive (L&N 23.91).

[5:9]  ⁸ tn Grk “to be pleasing to him.”

[5:10]  ⁹ sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a common item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city. Use of the term in reference to Christ’s judgment would be familiar to Paul’s 1st century readers.

[5:10]  ¹⁰ tn Or “whether good or bad.”

[5:14]  ¹¹ tn The phrase ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Χριστοῦ (Jh agaph tou Cristou, “the love of Christ”) could be translated as either objective genitive (“our love for Christ”) or subjective genitive (“Christ’s love for us”). Either is grammatically possible, but with the reference to Christ’s death for all in the following clauses, a subjective genitive (“Christ’s love for us”) is more likely.

[5:14]  ¹² tn Grk “one”; the referent (Christ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.