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
2 Corinthians 11:23-25 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, i…
2 Corinthians 11:27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
Acts 17:5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all…
Acts 19:23-34 And the same time there arose no small stir about that way.
Hebrews 11:36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
Deuteronomy 25:3 Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother shoul…
1 Kings 22:27 And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I com…
2 Chronicles 16:10 Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 2 Corinthians 6:1-10
In these verses we have an account of the apostle's general errand and exhortation to all to whom he preached in every place where he came, with the several arguments and methods he used. Observe,
I. The errand or exhortation itself, namely, to comply with the gospel offers of reconciliation - that, being favoured with the gospel, they would not receive this grace of God in vain, Co2 6:1. The gospel is a word of grace sounding in our ears; but it will be in vain for us to hear it, unless we believe it, and comply with the end and design of it. And as it is the duty of the ministers of the gospel to exhort and persuade their hearers to accept of grace and mercy which are offered to them, so t…
stripes-- (Co2 11:23-24; Act 16:23).
imprisonments-- (Co2 11:23). He had been, doubtless, elsewhere imprisoned besides at Philippi when he wrote this Epistle.
tumults-- (Act 13:50; Act 14:5, Act 14:19; Act 16:22; and recently Acts 19:23-41).
labours--in the cause of Christ (Co2 11:23; Rom 16:12).
watchings-- (Co2 11:27). Sleepless nights.
fastings--The context here refers to his trials, rather than devotional exercises (compare Co2 11:27). Thus "foodlessness" would seem to be the sense (compare Co1 4:11; Phi 4:12). But the usual sense of the Greek is fasts, in the strict sense; and in Co2 11:27 it is spoken of independently of "hunger and thirst." (Compare Luk 2:37; Act 10:30; Act…
In stripes, in imprisonments - Of these the history of the Acts of the Apostles gives ample testimony; and there were doubtless many instances of persecution in various forms which are not on record.
In tumults - Ακαταστασιαις· Insurrections raised against them because of the Gospel. It is more natural to understand the word thus, than of agitations, or tossings to and fro in consequence of their unsettled state of life; or because of persecution, which obliged them to flee from place to place.
In labors - Both with our own hands to provide for ourselves the necessaries of life, that we might not be chargeable to others; and in labors to spread the Gospel of God through all countries where h…
The Church Fathers
We command that a bishop, or presbyter, or deacon who receives the baptism, or the sacrifice of heretics, be deprived: "For what agreement is there between Christ and Belial? or what part hath a believer with an infidel?"
"In stripes, in imprisonments, in tossings to and fro." Yet every one of these by itself was intolerable, the being scourged only, and being bound only, and being unable through persecution to remain fixed any where, (for this is "in tossings to and fro,") but when both all, and all at once, assail, consider what a soul they need. Then along with the things from without, he mentions those imposed by himself. "In labors, in watchings, in fastings; in pureness." But by "pureness" here, he means either chasteness again, or general purity, or incorruptness, or even his preaching the Gospel freely.
Be on your guard against every evil word, and every evil desire, and purify your heart from all the vanities of this world. If you guard against these things, your fasting will be perfect. And you will do also as follows. Having fulfilled what is written, on that day on which you fast you will taste nothing but bread and water; and from your meats, which you would have eaten, you will calculate the amount of that day's expenditure, which you would have incurred, and will give it to a widow, or an orphan, or to one in want, and thus you will exhibit humility of mind, so that he who has received benefit from your humility may fill his own soul, and pray for you to the Lord.
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
Fast — The sole fast required by the law of Moses was that of the great Day of Atonement (q.v.), Lev. 23:26-32. It is called “the fast” (Acts 27:9). The only other mention of a periodical fast in the Old…
Watchings — (2 Cor. 6:5), lit. “sleeplessnesses,” the result of “manual labour, teaching, travelling, meditating, praying, cares, and the like” (Meyer’s Com.).
Afflicted Saints · Examples of afflicted Saints:: Apostles — Examples of afflicted Saints:: Apostles
Fasting · .By Paul — .By Paul
Longsuffering · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Patience · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Persecution · OF THE RIGHTEOUS — OF THE RIGHTEOUS
Prisoners · Scourged — Scourged
Resignation · EXEMPLIFIED — EXEMPLIFIED
Self-Denial · Ministers especially called to exercise — Ministers especially called to exercise
Stripes · Inflicted on Paul — Inflicted on Paul
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).
In stripes,.... As the Apostle Paul particularly was, who was thrice beaten with rods, and five times scourged by the Jews with the scourge of forty stripes save one.
In imprisonments; under which are included bonds, in which they often were for the Gospel of Christ:
in tumults; and uproars of the people, when their lives were frequently in imminent danger: or "in tossings to and fro"; being drove from place to place through the fury of their enemies;
in labours; in a laborious ministry of the word, and administration of ordinances; or by labouring with their own hands to supply their necessities:
in watchings; being obliged to work night and day at their hand labour, and in preaching, p…
2 Corinthians 6:1-10
1. We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
1. Nos vero adiuvantes (vel, collaborantes) [569] etiam obsecramus, ne frustra gratiam Dei receperitis.
2. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
2. Dicit enim (Ies. 49, 8) Tempore accepto exaudivi te, et in die salutis auxiliatus sum tibi: ecce, nunc tempus acceptum: ecce, nunc dies salutis.
3. Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:
3. Nullum dantes [570] ulla in re offensionem, ut ne vituperetur min…
Paul gives a revealing picture of the hardships of his ministry (cp. 4:7-18). Nine trials are listed; many of these experiences from Paul’s life are recorded in Acts (e.g., Acts 14:5-6, 19-20; 16:19-24; 21:30-36). Through their steadfast suffering for the Good News, Paul and Timothy (2 Cor 1:1) showed that they were true ministers of God.
