2 Corinthians 10:10

For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible. LETTERS - therefore there had been already more letters (plural) of Paul received by the Corinthians than the one we have-namely, 1 Corinthians. They contained strong reproofs. SAY THEY. 'Aleph (') Delta G f read 'says one;' "such an one"(2 Corinthians 10:11) points to some definite individual. [But B g, Vulgate, read 'say they:' feesin (G5346).]. Compare Galatians 5:10: a similar slanderer was in the Galatian church. WEAK ...

7-11 In outward appearance, Paul was mean and despised in the eyes of some, but this was a false rule to judge by. We must not think that none outward appearance, as if the want of such things proved a man not to be a real Christian, or an able, faithful minister of the lowly Saviour....

Verse 2 Corinthians 10:10. _FOR HIS LETTERS, SAY THEY_, ARE _WEIGHTY AND POWERFUL_] He boasts of high powers, and that he can do great things. See on 2 Corinthians 10:1. _BUT HIS BODILY PRESENCE_ IS _WEAK_] When you behold the _man_, you find him a feeble, contemptible mortal; and when ye hear him _speak_, his speech, ο λογος, probably, his _doctrine_, εξουθενημενος, is good for nothing; his _person, matter_, and _manner_, are altogether uninteresting, unimpressive, and too contemptible to be valued by the wise and the learned. This seems to be the spirit and design of this slander. Many, both among the ancients and moderns, have endeavoured to find out the gr

FOR HIS LETTERS - The letters which he has sent to the church when absent. Reference is had here probably to the First Epistle to the Corinthians. They might also have seen some of Paul’s other epistles, and been so well acquainted with them as to he able to make the general remark that he had the power of writing in an authoritative and impressive manner. SAY THEY - Margin, “Said he.” Greek (φησὶν phēsin) in the singular. This seems to have referred to some one person who had uttered the words - perhaps some one who was the principal leader of the faction opposed to Paul. ARE WEIGHTY AND POWERFUL - Tyndale renders this: “Sore and strong.” The Greek is, “heavy and strong” (βαρεῖαι καὶ ἰσχυραί bareiai kai ischurai. The sense is, that his letters w

EXPOSITION With this chapter begins the last great section of the Epistle (verse 1-2 Corinthians 13:10), which contains an impassioned vindication of the apostle's position as compared with that of his opponents. It is so much more vehement and severe than the former part of the Epistle, and the whole style and tone of the Epistle at this point change so completely, that many have supposed that this is in reality another letter, and some have even identified it with the letter alluded to in 2 Corinthians 7:8. There is no trace of external evidence in favour of this view. It is much more probable that St. Paul would here have ended his letter but for fresh information given him by Titus, or the arrival of some new messenger from Corinth, from whom he learnt the bitter

FOR HIS LETTERS, SAY THEY, ARE WEIGHTY AND POWERFUL,.... These words contain the reason why he did not choose to say any more of his authority as an apostle to punish offenders, that he might give no occasion for such a calumny, some among them, or the false apostles, had cast upon him; that his epistles, referring particularly to his former epistle, and that part of it which respected the incestuous person, and his delivery to Satan, were blustering and thundering; were laden with sharp reproofs and severe menaces; were heavy with charges, were filled with great swelling words, with boasts of power and authority, and with threatenings what he would do, when he came among them; whereas when present, as at his first coming to them, he was mild and gentle, even to a degree of meanness and baseness, as they suggested; and so they concluded he would be, should he come again; and therefore hi...

III. THE APOSTLE'S SELF-DEFENSE AND VINDICATION. CHAPTER S 10-13 1. The Vindication of His Authority CHAPTER 10 The apostle now turns to vindicate the authority, which he had received from the Lord. This had been brought into question by the enemy. In doing this Satan aimed at three things: He attempted to discredit him as a true minister of God; he tried to damage the great truths the apostle preached, and he endeavored also to bring about a separation between the apostle and the Corinthians. Assuredly the great man of God was troubled and did not want to speak much of himself and his authority. But he was forced to do so in this epistle and also in the epistle to the Galatians, for the truth of God and the honor of the Lord were at stake. The defense of his apostolic authority stands in the foreground in Galatians; here he puts it at the close of his letter, for it was necessary to d...

PAUL'S CLAIM IS ABSOLUTE, YET LIMITED IN ITS SCOPE; FOR IT ARISES FROM AND IS GOVERNED BY HIS DEPENDENCE UPON GOD. This paragraph is full of allusion to the assertions, claims, and criticisms of his opponents. They claim superiority to Paul on the ground of some special relation to Christ, possibly that they had been actually His disciples (_cf._ 1 Corinthians 1:12 *). They asserted that Paul used his authority to humiliate the church (2 Corinthians 10:8), that he browbeat them in his letters, whereas his personal appearance was feeble (2 Corinthians 10:9 f.), that he claimed what we should call a jurisdiction practically unlimited. On each point Paul replies vigorously, indignantly. L

PAUL BEGINS TO ANSWER HIS CRITICS (2 Corinthians 10:1-6)...

WEIGHTY. Greek. _barus._ See Acts 20:29. POWERFUL. Greek. _ischuros._ Compare App-172. PRESENCE. Greek. _parousia._ See Matthew 24:3. WEAK. As 1 Corinthians 1:27. SPEECH. Greek. _logos._ App-121. CONTEMPTIBLE. of no account. Greek. _exoutheneo._ See Acts 4:11....