A Collection, an Open Door, and Love for Them All

A last “now concerning”, taking up another question from their letter. “Collection” is logeia, a word found in papyri for religious levies, used only here and in verse 2 in the New Testament. Romans 15:26 and 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 show how much weight Paul put on this fund for the poor believers of Jerusalem.

“The first day of the week” is, with Acts 20:7, the earliest dated sign of Christians marking Sunday. “Lay by in store” is thesaurizo, to build up a treasure, the verb of Matthew 6:19–20. “Gatherings” is logeia again: Paul wants no last-minute fundraising when he arrives.

“Approve” is dokimazo, to test and certify, the verb used of assaying coins for true metal. “Liberality” is charis, grace: Paul calls a sum of money by the same word he uses for God’s gift in Christ.

“If it be meet” means if it be worth it, if the sum is large enough to warrant the apostle’s going. In the event he did go and was arrested in Jerusalem (Acts 21). Acts 20:4 names delegates from several churches who travelled with him, and none of them is from Corinth.

Macedonia lay to the north, the country of Philippi and Thessalonica, and the overland road from Ephesus through it came down to Corinth from above, a longer route than crossing the Aegean directly. “I do pass” is present tense, the settled part of the plan.

“Winter” matters because sailing shut down roughly from November to March. “Bring me on my journey” is propempo, to send someone off with supplies and company, a standing Christian courtesy (Romans 15:24, 3 John 6). Acts 20:2–3 records that he later spent three months in Greece.

“By the way” is en parodo, in passing, a quick call. Paul prefers one long stay to a brief visit now, and the change of plan he later made on exactly this point drew the charge of fickleness answered in 2 Corinthians 1:15–17.

So the letter was written at Ephesus, some weeks before Pentecost, possibly in spring near Passover, which would give an edge to “Christ our passover” in 5:7. Paul spent more than two years in the city (Acts 19:10).

An open door is Paul’s picture for a chance to preach, as in 2 Corinthians 2:12 and Colossians 4:3. “Effectual” is energes, active, working. Acts 19:23–41 describes the silversmiths’ riot in the theatre at Ephesus, which may belong to these same months.

“If Timotheus come” sounds uncertain because Timothy had been sent overland through Macedonia (4:17, Acts 19:22) and might arrive after the letter did. He was young (1 Timothy 4:12) and, on several hints, easily daunted; “without fear” asks Corinth not to make him afraid.

“Despise” is exoutheneo, to count as nothing, the verb behind the “things which are despised” that God chose in 1:28. “Conduct him forth” is propempo again, the travel courtesy of verse 6. “With the brethren” may attach to Paul, waiting with the brothers, or to Timothy, travelling with them.

“As touching” is the same peri de, perhaps because the Corinthians had asked for Apollos by name. He was the eloquent Alexandrian of Acts 18:24–28 whose name had become a party slogan (1:12). The Greek says only “the will was not”, so some read it as God’s will rather than Apollos’s.

Four brisk imperatives, like orders posted on a wall. “Quit you like men” is andrizomai, to act like a man, be brave, found only here in the New Testament and frequent in the Greek Old Testament, as in Joshua 1:6, “Be strong and of a good courage”.

Short enough to carry anywhere, and it folds chapter 13 into a single rule. The Greek is literally “let all of yours happen in love”, with the verb ginestho, the same as 14:40, “let all things be done decently and in order”.

“Firstfruits of Achaia” means Stephanas’s household were among the first converts in the province; Paul baptized them himself (1:16). “Addicted themselves” is tasso, to station or post: they appointed themselves to serve. In 1611 “addicted” meant devoted, with none of its later sense.

“Submit yourselves” is hypotasso, the verb of 14:32 and 15:28, here asking deference toward a household known for service. “Helpeth with us” is synergeo, to work alongside; the noun “fellow worker” built on it is one of Paul’s favourite titles for his colleagues.

Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus probably brought the Corinthians’ letter of 7:1 and would carry this one back. “Coming” is parousia, the word 15:23 used of Christ. Fortunatus is a Latin name, “lucky”, and Achaicus means “the Achaean”, names often given to slaves or freedmen.

“Refreshed” is anapauo, to give rest, the verb of Matthew 11:28, “I will give you rest”. The visitors refreshed “my spirit and yours”, so both ends of the correspondence benefited. “Acknowledge” is epiginosko, recognise, give them their due.

“Asia” is the Roman province with Ephesus as its capital, not the continent. Aquila and Priscilla had lived in Corinth, where Paul worked with them at tentmaking (Acts 18:2–3); a church now met in their house in Ephesus, as later in Rome (Romans 16:5).

“An holy kiss” was the greeting of kin, and Paul closes four letters with it (Romans 16:16, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:26). Among believers it declared that people from different households and ranks now belonged to one family.

Paul dictated to a scribe and wrote the last lines himself; Romans 16:22 names one such scribe, Tertius. 2 Thessalonians 3:17 calls the handwritten greeting “the token in every epistle”, a mark against forgery.

“Love” here is phileo, warm affection, not the agape of chapter 13. “Anathema” is Greek for accursed, and “Maranatha” is Aramaic, most likely marana tha, “Our Lord, come”, the prayer of Revelation 22:20. The King James sets them side by side as if one phrase; they are two.

The same benediction closes Romans 16:20 and 1 Thessalonians 5:28 almost word for word. Paul opens every letter with grace and closes every letter with it, and here the grace stands one line after the curse.

No other letter of Paul’s ends with “my love”; only here does he add his own affection after the grace. The closing “Amen” is missing from some early manuscripts and may have entered the text through public reading in church.