Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Romans 1:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
Romans 15:29 And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
1 Corinthians 4:19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.
1 Corinthians 11:34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.
2 Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
Philippians 1:25-26 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 2 Corinthians 1:15–end
The apostle here vindicates himself from the imputation of levity and inconstancy, in that he did not hold his purpose of coming to them at Corinth. His adversaries there sought all occasions to blemish his character, and reflect upon his conduct; and, it seemed, they took hold of this handle to reproach his person and discredit his ministry. Now, for his justification,
I. He avers the sincerity of his intention (Co2 1:15-17), and he does this in confidence of their good opinion of him, and that they would believe him, when he assured them he was minded, or did really intend, to come to them, and that with the design, not that he might receive, but that they might receive a second benefit, t…
in this confidence--of my character for sincerity being "acknowledged" by you (Co2 1:12-14).
was minded--I was intending.
before--"to come unto you before" visiting Macedonia (where he now was). Compare Note, see on Co1 16:5; also see on Co1 4:18, which, combined with the words here, implies that the insinuation of some at Corinth, that he would not come at all, rested on the fact of his having thus disappointed them. His change of intention, and ultimate resolution of going through Macedonia first, took place before his sending Timothy from Ephesus into Macedonia, and therefore (Co1 4:17) before his writing the first Epistle. Compare Act 19:21-22 (the order there is "Macedonia and Achai…
And in this confidence - Under the conviction or persuasion that this is the case; that ye exult in us, as we do in you;
I was minded - I had purposed to come to you before, as he had intimated, Co1 16:5; for he had intended to call on them in his way from Macedonia, but this purpose he did not fulfill; and he gives the reason, Co2 1:23.
A second benefit - He had been with them once, and they had received an especial blessing in having the seed of life sown among them by the preaching of the Gospel; and he had purposed to visit them again that they might have a second blessing, in having that seed watered. Instead of χαριν, grace or benefit, several MSS. read χαραν joy, pleasure; but the wor…
The Church Fathers
Therefore, it is not idle because he wanted to go and did not go; for he wants it to be understood that there are some among them for whose sake he did not fulfill his desire, so that, by their efforts, they may be purified.
"And in this confidence I was minded to come before unto you." What confidence? "In relying exceedingly on you, glorying over you, being your glorying, loving you exceedingly, being conscious to myself of nothing evil, being confident that all is spiritual with us, and having you as witnesses of this." "I was minded to come unto you, and by you to pass into Macedonia." And yet he promised the contrary in his former Epistle, saying thus: "Now I will come unto you when I shall have passed through Macedonia: for I do pass through Macedonia." How is it then that he here says the contrary? He doth not say the contrary: away with the thought. For it is contrary indeed to what he wrote, but not contrary to what he wished. Wherefore also here he said not, "I wrote that I would pass by you into Macedonia;" but, "I was minded." For though I did not write on that wise," he says, "nevertheless I was greatly desirous, and 'was minded,' even before, to have come unto you: so far was I from wishing to be later than my promise that I would gladly have come before it." "That ye might have a second benefit." What is, a second benefit? "That ye might have a double benefit, both that from my writings, and that from my presence." By "benefit" he here means pleasure. "And by you to pass into Macedonia, and to come again from Macedonia unto you, and of you to be set forward on my journey unto Judaea."
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Corinthians, Second Epistle to the — Shortly after writing his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul left Ephesus, where intense excitement had been aroused against him, the evidence of his great success, and proceeded to Macedonia.…
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
And in this confidence I was minded,.... Being fully persuaded of your affection for me, as having been instrumental in the conversion of many of you, and of your esteem of me as a faithful and upright minister of the word, and of your being my rejoicing in the day of Christ, I was desirous, and had determined, and so promised,
to come to you before; when I sent my first epistle to you, or before now, or before I went into Macedonia; and what I now say was the sincere intention of my mind; I thought really to have done what I had such an inclination to: and my view in it was,
that you might have a second benefit; the meaning of which according to some is, first by his letter to them, and t…
2 Corinthians 1:15-20
15. And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit;
15. Et hac fiducia volui primum ad vos venire, ut secundam [273] gratiam haberetis,
16. And to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you to be brought on my way toward Judaea.
16. Et per vos transire in Macedoniam: [274] et rursum e Macedonia venire ad vos, et a vobis deduci in Iudaeam.
17. When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay?
17. Hoc igitur quum animo propositum haberem, nuncubi levitate…
Tyndale Open Study Notes on 2 Corinthians 1:15–end
Paul had changed his travel plan. In 1 Cor 16:5, he expressed the hope of visiting Corinth after passing through Macedonia. Then he evidently promised to visit Corinth earlier (perhaps in his “severe letter,” 2 Cor 7:8)—on his way north. Now he would have to go back to the original plan, and that earlier visit, bringing a double blessing, would not be happening after all.
