2 Corinthians 5:12
(KJV) For we commend not ourselves
again unto you, but give you occasion to glory
on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which
glory in appearance, and not
in heart.
(1611 KJV) For we commend not our
selues againe vnto you, but giue you occasion
to glory on our behalfe, that you may haue somewhat to answere
them, which glory in
appearance, and not in heart.
(1587 Geneva Bible) For we prayse not
our selues againe vnto you, but giue you an occasion
to reioyce of vs, that ye may haue to answere against
them, which reioyce in the
face, and not in the heart.
(1526 Tyndale) We prayse not oure
selves agayne vnto you but geve you an occasion
to reioyce of vs that ye maye have some what agaynst the
whych reioyce in the face and
not in the hert.
Counterfeit Versions
(AMP) We are not commending ourselves to you again,
but we are providing you with an occasion and incentive to be [rightfully] proud
of us, so that you may have a reply for those who pride themselves on surface
appearances [on the virtues they only appear to have], although their heart is
devoid of them.
(CEB) We aren’t trying to commend ourselves to you
again. Instead, we are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us so that you
could answer those who take pride in superficial appearance, and not in what is
in the heart.
(CEV) We are not trying once more to brag about
ourselves. But we want you to be proud of us, when you are with those who are
not sincere and brag about what others think of them.
-
(CSB) We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an
opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who
take pride in outward appearance rather than in the heart.
- (ERV) We are not trying to prove ourselves to you
again. But we are telling you about ourselves. We are giving you reasons to be
proud of us. Then you will have an answer for those who are proud about what can
be seen. They don’t care about what is in a person’s heart.
(GNB) We are not trying again to recommend ourselves
to you; rather, we are trying to give you a good reason to be proud of us, so
that you will be able to answer those who boast about people's appearance and
not about their character.
(HCSB) We are not commending ourselves to you again,
but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply
for those who take pride in the outward appearance rather than in the heart.
(JB PHILLIPS) (No, we are not recommending ourselves
to you again, but we can give you grounds for legitimate pride in us—if that is
what you need to meet those who are so proud of the outward rather than the
inward qualification).
(THE MESSAGE) We're not saying this to make ourselves
look good to you. We just thought it would make you feel good, proud even, that
we're on your side and not just nice to your face as so many people are
(NASV) We are not again commending ourselves to you
but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an
answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.
(NCV) We are not trying to prove ourselves to you
again, but we are telling you about ourselves so you will be proud of us. Then
you will have an answer for those who are proud about things that can be seen
rather than what is in the heart.
(NET) We are not trying to commend ourselves to you
again, but are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may be
able to answer those who take pride in outward appearance and not in what is in
the heart.
(NIRV) We are not trying to make an appeal to you
again. But we are giving you a chance to take pride in us. Some people take
pride in their looks rather than what’s in their hearts. If you take pride in
us, you will be able to answer them.
(NIV) We are not trying to commend ourselves to you
again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can
answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.
(NLV) We do not want to sound as if we think we are so
important. Instead, we are making it easy for you to be proud of us. In that
way, you will be able to tell them about us. They always talk about the way
people look, but do not care about their hearts.
(NLT) Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we
are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag
about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart.
(RSV) We are not commending ourselves to you again but
giving you cause to be proud of us, so that you may be able to answer those who
pride themselves on a man’s position and not on his heart.
Textus Receptus - Traditional Text
ου γαρ παλιν εαυτους συνιστανομεν υμιν αλλα αφορμην
διδοντες υμιν καυχηματος υπερ ημων ινα εχητε προς τους εν προσωπω καυχωμενους
και ου καρδια
Hort-Westcott - Critical Text
ου παλιν εαυτους συνιστανομεν υμιν αλλα αφορμην
διδοντες υμιν καυχηματος υπερ ημων ινα εχητε προς τους εν προσωπω καυχωμενους
και μη εν καρδια
Corrupted Manuscripts
None
Affected Teaching
Paul here defends his ministry but he states that he
is not going to recommend himself to them again as this was not necessary
because there were those at Corinth who knew of his integrity. As Paul spoke of
persuading men of the terror of the Lord, he had no other reasons at heart than
to see people become saved and avoid the final judgment. Paul’s integrity of
heart and ministry was allowing the Corinthian Christians an opportunity to
boast in the honest ministry of Paul, especially to those who were his
detractors. Paul identifies these false teachers as having glory in appearance
but not in heart. In other words, there were people in Corinth following these
false teachers because of outward appearance but their heart was spiritually
dead. The Corinthian Christians could boast in Paul’s heart because it was
focused on the salvation of souls. How many today are following preachers
because of their outward appearance? The mega-churches draw thousands of people
but they do not preach the stinging message of the true Gospel. They are ear
tickling gospels which minister to the flesh and keep a person in unsaved
bondage. This mindset was in total opposition to the true Gospel which Paul
preached and what is preached by true Christians, who are normally removed from
mega-churches for being a troublemaker. The words behind both usages of “glory”
never speak of pride or being proud. Paul would never advocate something like
that knowing it was pride that caused Lucifer to become Satan. Paul wanted the
Corinthians to use his life as a comparison against those who are false teachers
and this way they would glory in the ministry of Paul knowing there was nothing
false about it. The second usage of the word “glory” indicates that Paul and his
honest ministry was the object of that glorying being in the Accusative case.
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