2 Corinthians 2:1

St Paul's only Object the Spiritual Advancement of his Converts

1. But I determined this with myself St Paul now further vindicates his consistency. Not only did he stay away from Corinth to spare the Corinthians the sharp rebukes which his immediate presence would have necessitated, but he hoped by means of the Epistle to work so salutary a reformation as to make his visit to Corinth a time of the deepest spiritual joy. The -but" in the English version should be rendered and, thus carrying on the explanation from ch. 2 Corinthians 1:23. For - withmyself recent commentators prefer the rendering formyself," i.e. for the better carrying on of the work St Paul had in hand, which however (see 1 Corinthians 9:19-22; 1 Corinthians 10:33) was not his own profit, but the good of his converts. We may thus paraphrase his words, I decided that the best course for me to pursue was not to come again to you in heaviness.

that I would not come again to you in heaviness There seems no need to suppose, with some commentators, that -again" belongs to -in heaviness," and to explain it of some unrecorded visit which the Apostle paid in trouble of mind. The very contrary seems to be implied. St Paul's great anxiety was notto visit the Corinthian Church in such a frame of mind. It falls in best with the context to explain -I determined that my secondvisit should not be paid while under the influence of painful feelings." Olshausen remarks that the -heaviness" here spoken of belongs as much to the Corinthians as to the Apostle. See next verse.