2 Corinthians 9:14

And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Translate, 'Themselves also with prayer for you, longing after you on account of the exceeding grace of God (resting) upon you.'...

14._And their prayer _He omits no advantage which may be of any use for stirring up the Corinthians. (735) In the _first _place, he has made mention of the comfort that believers would experience; _secondly, _the thanksgiving, by means of which God was to be glorified. Nay more, he has said that this would be a confession, which would manifest to all their unanimous concurrence in faith, and in pious obedience. He now adds the reward that the Corinthians would receive from the saints — good-will springing from gratitude, (736) and earnest prayers. “They will have,” says he, “the means of requiting you in return; for they will regard you with the love with which they ought, and they will be careful to commend you to God in their prayers.” At length, as though he had obtained his desire, he prepares himself (737) to celebrate the pr

6-15 Money bestowed in charity, may to the carnal mind seem thrown away, but when given from proper principles, it is seed sown, from which a valuable increase may be expected. It should be given carefully. Works of charity, like other good works, should be done with thought and design. Due thought, as to our circumstances, and those we are about to relieve, will direct our gifts for charitable uses. Help should be given freely, be it more or less; not grudgingly, but cheerfully. While some scatter, and yet increase; others withhold more than is meet, and it tends to poverty. If we had more faith and love, we should waste less on ourselves, and sow more in hope of a plentiful increase. Can a man lose by doing that with which God is pleased? He is able to make all grace abound towards us, and to abound in us; to give a large increase of spiritual and of temporal good things. He can make...

Verse 14. _THE EXCEEDING GRACE OF GOD IN YOU._] By the υπερβαλλουσαν χαριν, _superabounding_ or _transcending grace, of_ _God, which was in them_, the apostle most evidently means the _merciful_ and _charitable disposition_ which they had towards the suffering saints. The whole connection, indeed the whole _chapter_, proves this; and the apostle attributes this to its right source, the grace or goodness of God. They had the _means_ of charity, but God had given these means; they had a _feeling_, and _charitable_ _heart_, but God was the author of it. Their charity was _superabundant_, and God had furnished both the _disposition_, the _occasion_, and the _means_ by which that disposition was to be made manifest....

AND BY THEIR PRAYER FOR YOU - On the grammatical construction of this difficult verse, Doddridge and Bloomfield may be consulted. It is probably to be taken in connection with 2 Corinthians 9:12, and 2 Corinthians 9:13 is a parenthesis. Thus interpreted, the sense will be, “The administration of this service 2 Corinthians 9:12 will produce abundant thanks to God. It will also 2 Corinthians 9:14 produce another effect. It will tend to excite the prayers of the saints for you, and thus produce important benefits to yourselves. They will earnestly desire your welfare,

EXPOSITION Encouragement to the Corinthians to fulfil their promises by giving speedily (2 Corinthians 9:1), amply (2 Corinthians 9:6), cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7), and thereby earn God's blessing (2 Corinthians 9:8) in a cause fruitful of blessed consequence (2 Corinthians 9:12). He concludes the subject with a heartfelt thanksgiving (2 Corinthians 9:15)....

AND BY THEIR PRAYER FOR YOU,.... The sense is, they glorify God on your behalf, making mention of you in all their prayers at the throne of grace, giving thanks to God for your liberality to them, and imploring all the blessings both of the upper and nether springs upon you; and this contains another argument engaging the Corinthians to liberality, taken from the prayers of the saints for them: or the words may be connected with 2 Corinthians 9:12 the thirteenth verse being in a parenthesis; and show not only that this ministering to the poor saints relieved their wants, and caused thanksgivings to God, but abounded in this fruit also; it put them upon daily and importunate supplications to God for their welfare both in soul and body. WHICH LONG AFTER YOU; or "earnestly desire you"; that is, "to see you", as the Ethiopic version adds; or exceedingly love you: t

2. EXHORTATION AND ENCOURAGEMENT. CHAPTER 9 _ 1. Further Exhortations to Liberality. (2 Corinthians 9:1)_ 2. The Blessings Connected with Giving. (2 Corinthians 9:6 .) Again he exhorts them to liberality in giving. He knew their willing mind and had boasted of it to them in Macedonia and told them they were ready a year ago. This had stimulated many. He hoped that they would measure up to this report and fall not behind in this expectation “lest our boasting should be in vain in this behalf.” To encourage them in giving and carrying out what they had purposed, he speaks of the blessing: “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully, shall reap also bountifully.” There is, then, blessing according to faithfulness in thi

This concern brings him, however, to a renewed consideration of the grace or liberality, and of the blessings attached to it. He touches in succession on the proper temper of such liberality (2 Corinthians 9:6 f.), viz. generous self-determination to sacrifice, such as meets with the Divine approval (quotation from Proverbs 22:8, LXX), the source both of the impulse and of the means for such liberality (2 Corinthians 9:8 ff.), and the ultimate issue of it in widespread thanksgiving to God (2 Corinthians 9:12). God it is who is able to make every kind of grace, including this of liberality, to abound; and it is He a

THE WILLING GIVER (2 Corinthians 9:1-5)...