2 Corinthians 1:18

But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
But	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
God	θεός, theos	G2316	figuratively · noun — nominative singular masculine, a title
true	πιστὸς pistos	G4103	objectively · adjective — nominative singular masculine
our	ἡμῶν hēmōn	G2257	of (or from) us
word	λόγος logos	G3056	something said (including the thought) · noun — nominative singular masculine
toward	πρὸς pros	G4314	a preposition of direction · preposition
you	ὑμᾶς hymâs	G5209	you (as the objective of a verb or preposition)
was	γίνομαι gínomai	G1096	to cause to be ("gen"-erate)
not	οὐκ ouk	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
yea	ναὶ nai	G3483	yes · particle
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
nay	οὔ· ou	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative

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

1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Revelation 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he…
John 7:28 Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent…
Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the c…
John 8:26 I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.
2 Corinthians 1:23 Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.
2 Corinthians 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.

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…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Corinthians 1:18

He adds this lest they might think his DOCTRINE was changeable like his purposes (the change in which he admitted in Co2 1:17, while denying that it was due to "lightness," and at the same time implying that not to have changed, where there was good reason, would have been to imitate the fleshly-minded who at all costs obstinately hold to their purpose). true--Greek, "faithful" (Co1 1:9). our word--the doctrine we preach. was not--The oldest manuscripts read "is not." yea and nay--that is, inconsistent with itself.

Adam Clarke on 2 Corinthians 1:18

But as God is true - Setting the God of truth before my eyes, I could not act in this way: and as sure as he is true, so surely were my purposes sincere; and it was only my uncertainty about your state that induced me to postpone my visit. See Co2 1:23.

John Gill on 2 Corinthians 1:18

But as God is true,.... It seems that the false apostles had insinuated, that as the apostle had not kept his word in coming to them as he had promised, that he was not to be depended upon in his ministry; that he might as well contradict himself, and deceive others in the one, as well as in the other: wherefore he appeals to God in a very solemn manner, calls him to witness to the truth of his doctrine; for these words may be considered as the form of an oath; or he argues from, the truth and faithfulness of God, to the certainty and invariableness of the word preached, who is so true and faithful as that he will never suffer his word to be yea and nay: for when the apostle says, that our…

The Church Fathers

This is what he says to the Galatians: If I have destroyed, I also rebuild, I appoint myself a transgressor (Galatians 2:18). Therefore, faithfully proclaim the teaching of God: for this is what deceivers do. Often, in order not to offend people, they omit what is true.
— Ambrosiaster, Commentary on 2 Corinthians

"But as God is faithful, our word toward you was not yea and nay." He skillfully overturns a rising objection. For one might say, If after having promised, thou hast put off coming, and yea is not yea, and nay nay, with thee, but what thou sayest now thou unsayest afterwards, as thou didst in the case of this Journey: woe is unto us, if all this were the case in the Preaching too. Now lest they should have these thoughts and be troubled thereat, he says, "But as God is faithful, our word toward you was not yea and nay." This, saith he, was not the case in the Preaching, but only in our travels and journeyings; whereas whatever things we have said in our preaching, these abide steadfast and unmoveable, (for he calleth his preaching here, "word.") Then he bringeth proof of this that cannot be gainsaid, by referring all to God. What he saith is this; "the promise of my coming was my own and I gave that promise from myself: but the preaching is not my own, nor of man, but of God, and what is of God it is impossible should lie." Whereupon also he said, "God is faithful," that is, "true." "Mistrust not then what is from Him, for there is nought of man in it."
— John Chrysostom, Homily 3 on 2 Corinthians

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.…
Ministers · Should preach: With consistency — Should preach: With consistency

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).

2 Corinthians 1:18

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Corinthians 1:15–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Corinthians 1:18

Adam Clarke on 2 Corinthians 1:18

John Gill on 2 Corinthians 1:18

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

2 Corinthians 1:18

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Corinthians 1:15–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Corinthians 1:18

Adam Clarke on 2 Corinthians 1:18

John Gill on 2 Corinthians 1:18

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on 2 Corinthians 1:15-20

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 2 Corinthians 1:18-22