Grace Becomes a Gift That Is Actually Delivered

“We do you to wit” means we make known to you, from the old verb “wit”, to know. The churches of Macedonia were Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea, founded amid persecution (Acts 16–17). Paul never uses the ordinary word for money in these two chapters; he calls the collection charis, grace, again and again.

“Deep poverty” is literally poverty “down to the depth”, rock-bottom. Macedonia had been drained by Roman wars and taxes, and its believers had suffered for their faith (1 Thessalonians 2:14). “Liberality” is haplotes, the single-mindedness of 1:12, here meaning giving without a second motive.

“I bear record” is Paul putting himself forward as a sworn witness. “Willing of themselves” is authairetos, self-chosen, found in the New Testament only here and in verse 17, where Titus goes to Corinth of his own accord.

“Gift” is charis, “fellowship” is koinonia, the word for a shared business venture, and “ministering” is diakonia. The Macedonians asked to share in grace, partnership and service: Paul names a sum of money with three of the richest words he has.

“Not as we hoped” means beyond anything we expected. “First” may mean first in time or first in importance. “By the will of God” is the phrase Paul uses of his own apostleship in 1:1, placing their giving under the same call.

“Had begun” is proenarchomai, to make a start beforehand, found only here and in verse 10. Titus had evidently started the collection on an earlier visit, perhaps when he carried the tearful letter; now he is to finish it, epiteleo, the verb of 7:1.

The list echoes 1 Corinthians 1:5, “in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge”. For “your love to us” many manuscripts read “our love in you”, love that Paul had kindled in them.

“Not by commandment” is kat’ epitagen, the phrase of 1 Corinthians 7:6, a concession rather than an order. “Forwardness” is spoude, eagerness. “Sincerity” is gnesios, genuine, the word for a legitimate child born in wedlock.

One of Paul’s densest sentences about Christ, parallel to Philippians 2:6–8. “Became poor” is an aorist, a single decisive act, which most read as the incarnation itself rather than a life of want. “Ye know” assumes the Corinthians had heard this taught before.

“Advice” is gnome, an opinion, the word of 1 Corinthians 7:25, “yet I give my judgment”. “A year ago” is apo perysi, since last year: the collection had begun under the instructions of 1 Corinthians 16:1–2. They had been first to act and even first to want to.

“Perform the doing of it” is epiteleo again, finish it, the verb of verse 6. “Readiness to will” is prothymia, eagerness of mind. The Greek then ends on “from what you have”, ek tou echein, writing the limit into the command itself.

“Accepted” is euprosdektos, well received, the word used of the acceptable time in 6:2. The principle is close to Jesus’ praise of the widow who gave two mites “of her want” (Mark 12:43–44), though Paul does not cite it.

“Eased” is anesis, relief, the word of 2:13 and 7:5, where Paul had “no rest”; “burdened” is thlipsis, pressure. The Greek is clipped, roughly “not that for others relief, for you pressure”, and the King James fills it out.

“Equality” is isotes, fairness, a word Greek political writers used of a just share between citizens. How Jerusalem’s abundance might supply Corinth is left open; Romans 15:27 speaks of the spiritual things the Gentiles had already received from them.

The quotation is Exodus 16:18: when the manna was measured by the omer, big gatherers and small came out even. The same chapter adds that manna kept overnight “bred worms, and stank” (16:20), so hoarding was impossible from the start.

“Earnest care” is spoude, the eagerness of verse 8, now found in Titus. “The same” means the same as Paul’s own: God has put Paul’s concern for Corinth into another man’s heart, so the care will reach them even in Paul’s absence.

“Exhortation” is paraklesis, an appeal. “Of his own accord” is authairetos, the self-chosen word of verse 3. “He went” is an epistolary past: by the time the letter is read, Titus will have gone, and he was probably the one carrying it.

The brother “whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches” is never named; guesses include Luke, Barnabas, Silas and Apollos. The note printed at the end of the letter in the King James names “Titus and Lucas” as its carriers, following an old tradition.

“Chosen” is cheirotoneo, to elect by a show of hands, the voting word of Greek assemblies. The churches, not Paul, appointed this man to travel with the gift, and that is the safeguard. “Ready mind” is prothymia, the eagerness of verse 11.

“Avoiding” is stellomai, a sailor’s word for taking in sail, steering clear. “Abundance” is hadrotes, a large sum, found only here in the New Testament: the collection was big enough to attract gossip. “Blame” is momaomai, as in 6:3.

The words come from Proverbs 3:4 in the Greek Old Testament, “provide things honest in the sight of the Lord and of men”, a line Paul quotes again in Romans 12:17. In 1611 “honest” meant honourable, what looks right to others as well as being right.

A third man, again unnamed, tested often and in many matters. His confidence in the Corinthians made him “much more diligent”, spoudaioteron, keener than ever. With three envoys the handling of the money becomes plural and visible.

“Partner” is koinonos, a business partner, and “fellowhelper” is synergos, co-worker. “Messengers” is apostoloi, apostles in the plain sense of envoys sent by congregations. “The glory of Christ” is a striking title for two men whose names are not even given.

“Proof” is endeixis, a demonstration, the word for evidence produced in court. “Before the churches” means before the congregations the envoys represent, so Corinth’s response would be reported across Macedonia and beyond, and Paul’s boasting put to the test.