translation_id: net-engnet

label: NET translator note

text: The Greek pronoun (“you”) is plural.


text: The word “personally” is supplied to reflect the force of the Greek intensive pronoun αὐτός ( autos ) at the beginning of the verse.


text: Or “leniency and clemency.” D. Walker, “Paul’s Offer of Leniency of Christ ( 2 Corinthians 10:1 ): Populist Ideology and Rhetoric in a Pauline Letter Fragment ( 2 Cor 10:1-13:10 )” (Ph.D. diss., University of Chicago, 1998), argues for this alternative translation for three main reasons: (1) When the two Greek nouns πραΰτης and ἐπιείκεια ( prauth" and ejpieikeia ) are used together, 90% of the time the nuance is “leniency and clemency.” (2) “Leniency and clemency” has a military connotation, which is precisely what appears in the following verses. (3) 2 Cor 10-13 speaks of Paul’s sparing use of his authority, which points to the nuance of “leniency and clemency.”


text: Or “who lack confidence.”


text: Or “when face to face with.”


text: Or “but bold.”


text: Grk “consider us as walking.”


text: Grk “according to the flesh.”


text: Grk “we walk.”


text: Grk “in the flesh.”


text: Grk “are not fleshly [weapons].” The repetition of the word “warfare” does not occur in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.


text: Or “but (are) divinely powerful,” “but they have divine power,” or “but are powerful for God’s [service]”; Grk “but are powerful to God.”


text: Or “speculations.”


text: The phrase “every arrogant obstacle” could be translated simply “all arrogance” (so L&N 88.207).


text: Grk “to the obedience of Christ”; but since Χριστοῦ ( Cristou ) is clearly an objective genitive here, it is better to translate “to make it obey Christ.”


text: Or “punish all disobedience.”


text: The phrase is close to a recognized idiom for judging based on outward appearances (L&N 30.120). Some translators see a distinction, however, and translate 2 Cor 10:7 a as “Look at what is in front of your eyes,” that is, the obvious facts of the case (so NRSV).


text: The word “us” is not in the Greek text but is supplied. Indirect objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, and must be supplied for the modern English reader.


text: Grk “I will not be put to shame,” “I will not be ashamed.” The words “of doing so” are supplied to clarify for the reader that Paul will not be ashamed of boasting somewhat more about the authority the Lord gave him (beginning of v. 8 ).


text: Or “unimpressive.”


text: Or “is contemptible”; Grk “is despised.”


text: Grk “what we are in word.”


text: Or “they are unintelligent.”


text: Or “boast excessively.” The phrase εἰς τὰ ἄμετρα ( ei" ta ametra ) is an idiom; literally it means “into that which is not measured,” that is, a point on a scale that goes beyond what might be expected (L&N 78.27).


text: The words “will confine our boasting” are not in the Greek text, but the reference to boasting must be repeated from the previous clause to clarify for the modern reader what is being limited.


text: Grk “according to the measure of the rule which God has apportioned to us as a measure”; for the translation used in the text see L&N 37.100.


text: Grk “with the gospel of Christ,” but since Χριστοῦ ( Cristou ) is clearly an objective genitive here, it is better to translate “with the gospel about Christ.”


text: Or “in the labors.”


text: Grk “but we have the hope.”


text: Or “greatly enlarged.”


text: That is, Paul’s work might be greatly expanded within the area of activity assigned to him by God.


text: The traditional translation (“let the one who boasts boast in the Lord”) can be understood as merely permissive by the English reader, but the Greek verb καυχάσθω ( kaucasqw ) is a third person imperative. sn A quotation from Jer 9:24 (also quoted in 1 Cor 1:31 ).